Geneva Study Bible Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates: And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:
Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and {a} righteousness, and deliver him that is laid waste out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
(a) This was his ordinary manner of preaching before the kings from Josiah to Zedekiah which was about forty years. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.
But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation. But if ye will not hear these words, I {b} swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.
(b) Showing that there is no one greater than he is, He 6:13 and that he will most certainly perform his oath. For thus saith the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. For thus saith the LORD to the king's house of Judah; Thou art {c} Gilead to me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.
(c) He compares Jerusalem to Gilead which was beyond Jordan and the beauty of Judea to Lebanon. And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And I will {d} prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice {e} cedars, and cast them into the fire.
(d) The Hebrew word signifies to sanctify because the Lord dedicates to his use and purpose such as he prepares to execute his work, Isa 13:3, Jer 6:4,12:3. (e) Your buildings made from cedar trees. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city? {f} And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Why hath the LORD done thus to this great city?
(f) As they who wonder at a thing which they thought would never have come to pass, De 29:24, 1Ki 9:8. Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them. Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.
Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep bitterly for him {g} that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.
(g) Signifying that they would lose their king: for Jehoiachin went forth to meet Nebuchadnezzar and yielded himself, and was carried into Babylon, 2Ki 24:12. For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more: For thus saith the LORD concerning {h} Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place; He shall not return there any more:
(h) Whom some think to be Jehoiachin and that Josiah was his grandfather: but it seems this was Jehoiakim, as in Jer 22:18. But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more. But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; Woe to him that buildeth his house by {i} unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;
(i) By bribes and extortion. That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy {k} father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?
(k) Meaning Josiah, who was not given to ambition and superfluity, but was content with mediocrity, and only delighted in setting forth God's glory, and to do justice to all. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.
But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for {l} him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
(l) For everyone will have enough to lament for himself. He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. He shall be {m} buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
(m) Not honourably among his fathers, but as carrion are cast in a hole, because their stink should not infect, read 1Ki 14:10. Josephus writes that the enemy slew him in the city and commanded him to be cast before the walls unburied, see Jer 36:30. Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed. Go up to {n} Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in {o} Bashan, and cry from the passes: for all thy lovers are destroyed.
(n) To call to the Assyrians for help. (o) For this was the way out of India to Assyria, by which is meant that all help would fail: for the Chaldeans have subdued both them and the Egyptians. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice.
The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. The wind shall eat up all thy shepherds, {p} and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.
(p) Both your governors and they that would help you will vanish away as wind. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail! O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the {q} cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!
(q You that are built of the fair cedar trees of Lebanon. As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; As I live, saith the LORD, though {r} Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee from there;
(r) Who was called Jehoiachin or Jeconiah, whom he calls here Coniah in contempt who thought his kingdom could never depart from him, because he came of the stock of David, and therefore for the promise sake could not be taken from his house, but he abused God's promise and therefore was justly deprived of the kingdom. And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.
But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return. But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return.
Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?
O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. O {s} earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
(s) He shows that all posterity will be witnesses of his just plague, as though it were registered for perpetual memory. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this {t} man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. (t) Not that he had no children (for later he begat Salathiel in the captivity, Mt 1:12) but that none would reign after him as king. The Geneva Bible Translation Notes [1599] Bible Hub |
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