Ch. Jeremiah 29:1-32. Jeremiah’s letter of warning to the exiles. The case of Shemaiah

The section may be subdivided as follows. (i) Jeremiah 29:1-3. Heading. (ii) Jeremiah 29:4-9. The exiles are bidden to settle down in Babylon and give no heed to the false prophets. (iii) Jeremiah 29:10-14. Not till after seventy years shall they return. (iv) Jeremiah 29:15-19. Zedekiah and his people shall be visited for their sins with permanent captivity. (v) Jeremiah 29:20-23. The lying prophets in Babylon shall be punished. (vi) Jeremiah 29:24-32. Shemaiah the Nehelamite is denounced. For the general characteristics of the ch. see introductory notes to chs. 27–29. We may gather from the style, as well as from its use of the Books of Kings, that it has been augmented, especially in the later part (after Jeremiah 29:13), from other sources, and mostly, perhaps, by contributions from the hand of Baruch, by whom also it is very probable that Jeremiah’s letter forming the earlier part of the ch. was supplied. Thus that letter may safely be reckoned as genuine, at least in the somewhat shorter form in which the LXX give it.

The date of the letter is somewhat earlier than that of chs. 27, 28, as it will probably have preceded Zedekiah’s own visit to Babylon (Jeremiah 51:59) in his 4th year (b.c. 594). It is the earliest surviving example from O.T. times of an epistle. See interesting remarks in Deissmann’s Bible Studies, p. 40 (Eng. ed., Edinburgh, 1901), relating to its bearing upon the Apocryphal “Epistle of Jeremiah.”

1. Now these are the words of the letter] The exiles in Babylon were subjected to the same danger from false prophets predicting a speedy return (cp. Ezekiel 13), as were their fellow countrymen who remained at home. Jeremiah earnestly deprecates such a belief, and insists that the punishment would last for seventy years.

the residue] The reference of the word is obscure, but it may allude (so Du.) to some disaster, well known at the time. LXX omit the word, and so Gi.

and to the priests … to Babylon] Du. omits all these words, holding that Jeremiah addressed the letter to the elders alone. Co. agrees. Gi. now (2nd ed.) rejects the latter part (“whom … to Babylon”), which is absent from LXX. Moreover, he and others consider the whole or the greater part of Jeremiah 29:2 to be an expansion.

2. The letter appears to have been later than ch. 24, to which it plainly alludes more than once. Cp. Jeremiah 29:17 with Jeremiah 24:2; Jeremiah 24:8, and Jeremiah 29:18 with Jeremiah 24:9.

the queen-mother] Nehushta. See on ch. Jeremiah 13:18.

the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths] Cp. ch. Jeremiah 24:1, with note on “smiths.”

were departed] not merely, had surrendered, as the same verb in the Heb. means in the parallel passage, 2 Kings 24:12, but, as the amplification “the craftsmen and the smiths” here indicates, had gone into exile.

3. Elasah] As the son of Shaphan he was probably brother of Ahikam (Jeremiah 26:24) who, taking Jeremiah’s side in political matters, would be well received at Babylon.

Gemariah] Perhaps his father was identical with the chief priest (2 Kings 22:4).

4–9. See introd. note to section. Instead of looking for an immediate return to Palestine, which would cause the exiles to sit loose to the country where they found themselves, they were to be interested in its welfare and to make homes for themselves. Otherwise they would not only fail to obtain any influence, but would soon dwindle away.

7. seek the peace of the city] probably referring not to Babylon only, but to any city in which a body of exiles might be planted. LXX have the land, as in Jeremiah 4:29 (see note), perhaps reading here, as they probably did there, the equivalent Hebrew.

8. cause to be dreamed] mg. dream. The MT., as it stands, gives the sense as in the text, but its form is Aramaic rather than Hebrew and the causative sense is not wanted. The apparent error has arisen from the accidental repetition of one letter in the original. Co., however, would read they dream, because in Jeremiah 23:25; Jeremiah 23:27 f. it is the false prophets who use dreams as the vehicle of their prophecies. Du. considers Jeremiah 29:8-10 to be from a later hand, and Co. is disposed to agree with him as to 8 and 9.

10. After seventy years] See on Jeremiah 25:11.

for Babylon] The announcement has respect to the duration of the empire of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, and only secondarily to the consequent limitation of the captivity.

my good word] My gracious promise. See Jeremiah 24:4-7.

10–14. Not till after seventy years shall they return.

11. For I know] an assurance on Jehovah’s part that He forgets them not, even though they be far from their proper land.

the thoughts that I think] i.e. My purposes.

hope in your latter end] For mg. a latter end and hope cp. Proverbs 23:18; Proverbs 24:14; Proverbs 24:20.

12. The MT. is awkward, as it stands. The LXX have merely “and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.”

14. The LXX have only “And I will be found of you” (lit. “I will appear to you”). The remaining words are evidently a later addition, relating to a general dispersion, and thus unsuitable to the present context.

turn again your captivity] The Hebrew expression here and elsewhere probably means simply to restore the fortunes. See C.B. Psalm 14:7.

15. This v. naturally links with Jeremiah 29:21 ff., while the intervening vv. make an apparent severance in the logical connexion, and are absent from LXX, except in a certain recension (Lucianic), where, however, they precede Jeremiah 29:15. With this transposition, as at least modifying the objection arising from the break of logical connexion, Gi. agrees, maintaining, as he does, their genuineness. Co. (and so Du.) refuses to consider the vv. as belonging to the original letter, making Jeremiah 29:16-18 to be in substance a reproduction of Jeremiah 24:8 f., Jeremiah 29:19 to have its origin in Jeremiah 24:4 ff. and parallel passages, and Jeremiah 29:20 to be taking up the line of thought anew from Jeremiah 29:16. Dr. suggests that, as the passage seems out of place in a letter to the Jews in Babylonia, dealing as it does with the fate of the Jerusalem Jews, it belongs only to the recension of that letter which subsequently was incorporated in this Book. If we are to abide by the MT. in the matter, the sense appears to be this: One of the difficulties raised by the exiles when the prospect of seventy years’ captivity was held out to them would be, We have prophets here at Babylon who tell us just the reverse of all this. Which shall we believe? To this the reply of Jeremiah is twofold. (i) These prophets’ teaching shall soon be disproved. The king and the remnants of the kingdom, upon whose continued existence at Jerusalem they lay such stress, will soon pass away. Ye shall not soon be restored to your brethren, but they shall be exiles and scattered like to you. (ii) The false prophets, who thus delude you, shall themselves miserably perish and become a proverb and by-word.

For] rather, Because, connecting this v. directly with Jeremiah 29:21. “Because ye congratulate yourselves on having prophets in your exile, I tell you how soon ye shall discover that they are valueless.”

15–19. The impending fate of Zedekiah and his people. Cp. Jeremiah 24:8-10.

16. the king] Zedekiah. See Jeremiah 28:1. See note on Jeremiah 29:24.

17. vile figs] Cp. Jeremiah 24:2-8.

18. For the general sense and language of the v. cp. Jeremiah 19:8, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 25:18, Jeremiah 42:18.

tossed to and fro] mg. a terror unto. See on Jeremiah 15:4, where the Heb. verb is the same.

20. This v. is an insertion, to connect the preceding interpolation with what follows.

20–23. The prophets in Babylonia, of whom the exiles speak in Jeremiah 29:15, shall perish by a cruel death.

21. Of these two prophets nothing further is known. The LXX omit the fathers’ names, and the words “which prophesy … name.” Co. denies, while Du. and Gi. admit, the historical accuracy of the story, Du. pointing out that, had the prediction not been fulfilled, the passage would not have appeared in the Book.

Kolaiah, curse (kĕlâlâh) and roasted (kâlâh) are three such similar words that a play on them as used in these verses seems intended. The son of Kolaiah was to be called Kĕlâlâh (a curse) because the king of Babylon kâlâh (roasted) him in the fire. It may have been for sedition or for an attack on Babylonian worship that the two met their end.

23. folly] The Hebrew denotes more than this, viz. “a state of mind or an action, marked by utter disregard of moral or spiritual feeling.” Dr. who illustrates the kind of immorality here referred to in the word by its use in Genesis 34:7; 2 Samuel 13:12. See further in his Parallel Psalter, p. 457. The punishment inflicted, while really the penalty for transgressions against Jehovah, was doubtless ostensibly for breaches of the religious or civil law of Babylon.

falsely] not in LXX, and probably introduced from Jeremiah 29:21.

he that knoweth, and am witness] The Hebrew as it stands is awkward. Probably “he that knoweth” (absent from LXX) is a gloss.

24. concerning] mg. unto. Cp. Jeremiah 29:31.

the Nehelamite] The place or family referred to is not otherwise known.

24–32. Shemaiah the Nehelamite rebuked and threatened.

On the arrival at Babylon of Jeremiah’s letter, which ends with Jeremiah 29:23, there is much indignation on the part of the false prophets, and one of them, Shemaiah by name, writes to Zephaniah the acting high-priest, urging upon him that he should take severe measures to silence Jeremiah as a madman. This suggestion, however, Zephaniah is so far from following that he shews the letter to the prophet, who writes again to Babylon, this time for the purpose of condemning Shemaiah’s conduct in the severest terms, and announcing its penalty.

The narrative forms an interesting supplement to the earlier part of the ch. Its form, it is true, leaves much to be desired, and Du. in fact describes it as exhibiting utter confusion, resulting from successive modifications. It is clearly one of the additions made by Baruch or by later hands. The charge brought by Jeremiah is introduced by the “Because” of Jeremiah 29:25, and continuing to the end of Jeremiah 29:28, remains incomplete. It is thus of the nature of the figure of speech called anacoluthon, and is taken up again by the “Because” of Jeremiah 29:31, a sentence which is carried by the “therefore, etc.” of Jeremiah 29:32 to its logical conclusion. The LXX fail, either from the defective condition of the Hebrew text or otherwise, to see that Jeremiah 29:26-28 consist of Shemaiah’s letter from Babylon. Thus for “saying … to Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 29:25) they substitute (suggested apparently by Jeremiah 29:31) “I did not send thee in my name,” as though it were a Divine utterance addressed to Shemaiah. Moreover, they are obliged in Jeremiah 29:27 both to omit the negative and to make Jeremiah speak of himself in the 3rd person. Lastly, there is in their rendering no clue to the contents of “the letter” of Jeremiah 29:29.

25. in thine own name] not, as Jeremiah spoke, in the name of the Lord.

unto all the people that are at Jerusalem] LXX rightly omit.

Zephaniah] See on Jeremiah 21:1 (which however belongs to a somewhat later time than this). In ch. Jeremiah 52:24 = 2 Kings 25:18 he is called “second priest,” i.e. next in rank to the high-priest.

and to all the priests] LXX rightly omit.

26. This and the two following verses give us the words of Shemaiah’s letter to Zephaniah, as quoted in Jeremiah’s reply.

thee] Zephaniah.

in the stead of Jehoiada] See on Jeremiah 20:1. The title “officers” here is the same in the original as the one given there to Pashhur. It is possible that the reference may be to the high-priest in the days of Joash (2 Kings 9:4 ff.), who “appointed officers over the house of the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:18). It is best here, however, with LXX, Targ. and other authorities to read “to be an officer.”

that is mad] Madness was looked on in the East as a sort of gift of prophecy perverted. Cp. “mad” (same Heb.) in 2 Kings 9:11; Hosea 9:7.

the stocks] See on ch. Jeremiah 20:2.

shackles] mg. rightly, the collar. The word is found here only in the Heb., but a cognate Arabic word indicates that it is an iron band fastened round the neck.

27. maketh himself a prophet] plays the part of a prophet, acts excitedly, like the dervishes of the present day. Cp. 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 10:12 f., 1 Samuel 18:10, 1 Samuel 19:20 ff.

29. read this letter, etc.] shewing thereby that he was in sympathy with the prophet.

31. hath prophesied] the first explicit statement that Shemaiah was a prophet.

32. therefore thus saith the Lord] For the construction see note on Jeremiah 29:24-32.

he shall not … the good] But Shemaiah could no more than Jeremiah himself hope to see the far distant day of return. Thus the LXX reading is to be preferred, “there shall not be a man of them” (i.e. of his descendants) “in the midst of you to see the good.”

because he … Lord] absent from LXX as in Jeremiah 28:16 (see note there). Here they have instead the words “They shall not see,” originally no doubt a marg gloss on the “behold” earlier in the v.