9 And I will deliver H5414 them to be removed H2189 H2113 into all the kingdoms H4467 of the earth H776 for their hurt, H7451 to be a reproach H2781 and a proverb, H4912 a taunt H8148 and a curse, H7045 in all places H4725 whither I shall drive H5080 them.
Thou makest H7760 us a reproach H2781 to our neighbours, H7934 a scorn H3933 and a derision H7047 to them that are round about H5439 us. Thou makest H7760 us a byword H4912 among the heathen, H1471 a shaking H4493 of the head H7218 among the people. H3816
And among these H1992 nations H1471 shalt thou find no ease, H7280 neither shall the sole H3709 of thy foot H7272 have rest: H4494 but the LORD H3068 shall give H5414 thee there a trembling H7268 heart, H3820 and failing H3631 of eyes, H5869 and sorrow H1671 of mind: H5315 And thy life H2416 shall hang H8511 in doubt before H5048 thee; and thou shalt fear H6342 day H3119 and night, H3915 and shalt have none assurance H539 of thy life: H2416 In the morning H1242 thou shalt say, H559 Would God it were H5414 even! H6153 and at even H6153 thou shalt say, H559 Would God it were H5414 morning! H1242 for the fear H6343 of thine heart H3824 wherewith thou shalt fear, H6342 and for the sight H4758 of thine eyes H5869 which thou shalt see. H7200
Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Because the enemy H341 hath said H559 against you, Aha, H1889 even the ancient H5769 high places H1116 are ours in possession: H4181 Therefore prophesy H5012 and say, H559 Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Because they have made you desolate, H8074 and swallowed you up H7602 on every side, H5439 that ye might be a possession H4181 unto the residue H7611 of the heathen, H1471 and ye are taken up H5927 in the lips H8193 of talkers, H3956 and are an infamy H1681 of the people: H5971
A third part H7992 of thee shall die H4191 with the pestilence, H1698 and with famine H7458 shall they be consumed H3615 in the midst H8432 of thee: and a third part H7992 shall fall H5307 by the sword H2719 round about H5439 thee; and I will scatter H2219 a third part H7992 into all the winds, H7307 and I will draw out H7324 a sword H2719 after H310 them. Thus shall mine anger H639 be accomplished, H3615 and I will cause my fury H2534 to rest H5117 upon them, and I will be comforted: H5162 and they shall know H3045 that I the LORD H3068 have spoken H1696 it in my zeal, H7068 when I have accomplished H3615 my fury H2534 in them.
And thou, son H1121 of man, H120 take H3947 thee a sharp H2299 knife, H2719 take H3947 thee a barber's H1532 razor, H8593 and cause it to pass H5674 upon thine head H7218 and upon thy beard: H2206 then take H3947 thee balances H3976 to weigh, H4948 and divide H2505 the hair. Thou shalt burn H1197 with fire H217 a third part H7992 in the midst H8432 of the city, H5892 when the days H3117 of the siege H4692 are fulfilled: H4390 and thou shalt take H3947 a third part, H7992 and smite H5221 about H5439 it with a knife: H2719 and a third part H7992 thou shalt scatter H2219 in the wind; H7307 and I will draw out H7324 a sword H2719 after H310 them.
All that pass H5674 by clap H5606 their hands H3709 at thee; H1870 they hiss H8319 and wag H5128 their head H7218 at the daughter H1323 of Jerusalem, H3389 saying, Is this the city H5892 that men call H559 The perfection H3632 of beauty, H3308 The joy H4885 of the whole earth? H776 All thine enemies H341 have opened H6475 their mouth H6310 against thee: they hiss H8319 and gnash H2786 the teeth: H8127 they say, H559 We have swallowed her up: H1104 certainly H389 this is the day H3117 that we looked for; H6960 we have found, H4672 we have seen H7200 it. The LORD H3068 hath done H6213 that which he had devised; H2161 he hath fulfilled H1214 his word H565 that he had commanded H6680 in the days H3117 of old: H6924 he hath thrown down, H2040 and hath not pitied: H2550 and he hath caused thine enemy H341 to rejoice H8055 over thee, he hath set up H7311 the horn H7161 of thine adversaries. H6862
As he clothed H3847 himself with cursing H7045 like as with his garment, H4055 so let it come H935 into his bowels H7130 like water, H4325 and like oil H8081 into his bones. H6106 Let it be unto him as the garment H899 which covereth H5844 him, and for a girdle H4206 wherewith he is girded H2296 continually. H8548
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Jeremiah 24
Commentary on Jeremiah 24 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The Two Fig Baskets-an emblem of the future of Judah's people. - Jeremiah 24:1 . "Jahveh caused me to see, and behold two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jahveh, after Nebuchadrezzar had carried captive Jechoniah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, and the work-people and the smiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. Jeremiah 24:2 . One basket had very good figs like the early figs, the other basket very bad figs, which could not be eaten for badness. Jeremiah 24:3 . And Jahveh said to me: What seest thou, Jeremiah? and I said: Figs; the good figs are very good, and the bad figs very bad, which cannot be eaten for badness. Jeremiah 24:4 . Then came the word of Jahveh unto me, saying: Jeremiah 24:5 . Thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I look on the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good; Jeremiah 24:6 . And I will set mine eye upon them for good, and will bring them back again to this land, and build them and not pull down, and plant them and not pluck up. Jeremiah 24:7 . And I give them an heart to know me, that I am Jahveh; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they will return unto me with their whole heart. Jeremiah 24:8 . And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten for badness, yea thus saith Jahveh, so will I make Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes and the residue of Jerusalem, them that are left remaining in this land and them that dwell in Egypt. Jeremiah 24:9 . I give them up for ill-usage, for trouble to all kingdoms of the earth, for a reproach and a by-word, for a taunt and for a curse in all the places whither I shall drive them. Jeremiah 24:10. and I send among them the sword, the famine, and the plague, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave to them and to their fathers."
This vision resembles in form and substance that in Amos 8:1-3. The words: Jahveh caused me to see, point to an inward event, a seeing with the eyes of the spirit, not of the body. The time is, Jeremiah 24:1, precisely given: after Nebuchadnezzar had carried to Babylon King Jechoniah, with the princes and a part of the people; apparently soon after this deportation, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, the king set up by Nebuchadnezzar over Judah. Cf. 2 Kings 24:14-17. - The Lord caused the prophet to see in spirit two baskets of figs ( דּוּדאים , from דּוּדי , equivalent to דּוּד , Jeremiah 24:2), מוּעדים (from יעד ) in the place appointed therefor ( מועד( rofereh ) before the temple. We are not to regard these figs as an offering brought to Jahveh (Graf); and so neither are we to think here of the place where first-fruits or tithes were offered to the Lord, Exodus 23:19., Deuteronomy 26:2. The two baskets of figs have nothing to do with first-fruits. They symbolize the people, those who appear before the Lord their God, namely, before the altar of burnt-offering; where the Lord desired to appear to, to meet with His people ( נועד , Exodus 29:42.), so as to sanctify it by His glory, Exodus 29:43. מוּעדים therefore means: placed in the spot appointed by the Lord for His meeting with Israel.
"The one basket very good figs" is short for: the basket was quite full of very good figs; cf. Friedr. W. M. Philippi, on the Nature and Origin of the Status constr. in Hebrew (1871), p. 93. The comparison to early figs serves simply to heighten the idea of very good; for the first figs, those ripened at the end of June, before the fruit season in August, were highly prized dainties. Cf. Isaiah 28:4; Hosea 9:10.
The question: what seest thou? serves merely to give the object seen greater prominence, and does not imply the possibility of seeing wrong (Nהg. ).
The interpretation of the symbol. Jeremiah 24:5. Like the good figs, the Lord will look on the captives in Chaldea for good ("for good" belongs to the verb "look on them"). The point of resemblance is: as one looks with pleasure on good figs, takes them and keeps them, so will I bestow my favour on Judah's captives. Looking on them for good is explained, Jeremiah 24:6 : the Lord will set His eye on them, bring them back into their land and build them up again. With "build them," etc., cf. Jeremiah 1:10. The building and planting of the captives is not to consist solely in the restoration of their former civil well-being, but will be a spiritual regeneration of the people. God will give them a heart to know Him as their God, so that they may be in truth His people, and He their God. "For they will return," not: when they return (Ew., Hitz.). The turning to the Lord cannot be regarded as the condition of their receiving favour, because God will give them a heart to know Him; it is the working of the knowledge of the Lord put in their hearts. And this is adduced to certify the idea that they will then be really the Lord's people.
And as one deals with the bad uneatable figs, i.e., throws them away, so will the Lord deliver up to ignominious ruin Zedekiah with his princes and the remainder of the people, both those still staying in the land and those living in Egypt. This, the fate awaiting them, is more fully described in Jeremiah 24:9 and Jeremiah 24:10. In Jeremiah 24:8 the "yea, thus saith," is inserted into the sentence by way of repetition of the "thus saith," Jeremiah 24:5. כּן is resumed and expanded by וּנתתּים in Jeremiah 24:9. The "princes" are Zedekiah's courtiers. Those in Egypt are they who during the war had fled thither to hide themselves from judgment. From the beginning of Jeremiah 24:9 to הארץ is verbally the same as Jeremiah 15:4, save that לרעה is added to make more marked the contrast to לטובּהּ , Jeremiah 24:5 - the evil, namely, that is done to them. Hitz., Ew., Umbr., Gr., following the lxx, delete this word, but without due cause. The further description of the ill-usage in "for a reproach," etc., is based on Deuteronomy 28:37; and is intensified by the addition of "and for an object of cursing," to show that in their case the curse there recorded will be fulfilled. From the last words, according to which disgrace will light on them in all the lands they are driven into, it appears that captivity will fall to the lot of such as are yet to be found in the land. But captivity involves new hostile invasions, and a repeated siege and capture of Jerusalem; during which many will perish by sword, famine, and plague. Thus and by deportation they shall be utterly rooted out of the land of their fathers. Cf. Jeremiah 29:17., where Jeremiah repeats the main idea of this threatening.