Chapter Forty-Nine

1–6. Prophecy against the Ammonites. 7–22. Against Edom. 23–27. Against Damascus and Syria in general. 28–33. Against the Arabs, 34–39. and against Elam.

Jer 49:1-6 The Ammonites unjustly occupied areas belonging to the tribe of Gad, and for this the prophet announces their cities’ destruction and their captivity. However, the captive Ammonites will eventually be returned to their land.

Jeremiah 49:1. Concerning the Ammonites, thus says the Lord: does Israel have no sons? does he have no heir? Why has Milcom taken possession of Gad, and his people settled in its cities? The Ammonites, descendants of Lot, living east of the Jordan, between the rivers Arnon and Jabbok, were initially driven out of their territories by the Amorites, whose lands, by right of conquest, became the inheritance of the Israelites, particularly the tribes of Gad and Reuben. But already during the war of Israel with the Syrians, the Ammonites, pushed to the east, took advantage of Israel’s difficulties and attacked his possessions to expand their borders. (Amos 1:13). They became even stronger after the inhabitants of the Israelite kingdom were taken into captivity by Tiglath-Pileser (Pul, see 2 Sam 15:29). When the Israelite kingdom came to an end in 722 BCE, the Ammonites, of course, became even bolder and a small number of Israelites of the tribe of Gad remaining in their area could not resist the Ammonites’ seizure of their cities. The prophet says that the Ammonites are vainly acting like masters beyond the Jordan: there are still Israelites there, not taken into captivity by the Assyrians, and it is they, not the Ammonites, who have the right to inherit the lands of those Israelites who were taken into captivity. — “Milcom” — more correctly: Molech — the god of the Ammonites.

Jeremiah 49:2. Therefore, behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when in Rabbah of the Ammonites a cry of war will be heard, and it will become a desolate mound, and its cities will be burned with fire, and Israel will possess those who dispossessed him, says the Lord. Rabbah of Ammon — the principal city of the Ammonites, by the river Jabbok.

Jeremiah 49:3. Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste; cry out, O daughters of Rabbah, clothe yourselves with sackcloth, wail and rush about among the sheepfolds, for Milcom will go into captivity, together with his priests and his officials. “Ai” — a city across the Jordan, north of Heshbon. “Daughters of Rabbah” — small Ammonite cities dependent on Rabbah. — “Rush about among the sheepfolds,” that is, you will have nowhere to live — cities will be destroyed. According to another reading: “strike yourselves with gashes.”

Jeremiah 49:4. Why do you boast in the valleys? Your valley will flow with blood, O faithless daughter, who trusted in your treasures, saying, “Who will come against me? The valleys in the land of the Ammonites were very fertile. This prophecy was uttered at the same time as the prophecy against the Moabites, that is, about the 4th year of Jehoiakim, since Nebuchadnezzar is not mentioned here. Concerning the fulfillment of the prophecy, see the Special Remark to Chapter XLVIII. Jer 49:7-22 The Edomites, despite the fact that there were famous wise men among them, will not escape destruction, and the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah threatens them.

Jeremiah 49:7. Concerning Edom, thus says the Lord of hosts: is there no longer wisdom in Teman? has counsel perished from the prudent? has their wisdom vanished? “Concerning Edom” — see Isa 21:11. Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Edom frequently repeats, down to the letter, the prophecy of Obadiah concerning this nation. Compare Jer 49:7 and Obad 1:8 verses; Jer 49:9 and Obad 1:5; Jer 49:14 and Obad 1:1; Jer 49:15 and Obad 1:2; Jer 49:16 and Obad 1:3. — The inhabitants of Teman, an Edomite region, were known for their wisdom (Job 2:11). But their wisdom seems to have completely disappeared in the face of the danger threatening their country.

Jeremiah 49:8. Flee, turn your back, go deep into the caves, O inhabitants of Dedan, for I will bring destruction upon Esau — the time of his visitation. “Dedan” — neighbors of the Edomites, who engaged in trade (Jer 25:23). — “In caves” — in the long, inaccessible caves of Palestine, the inhabitants often took refuge from enemy invasions.

Jeremiah 49:9. If grape harvesters came to you, they would leave some gleanings; if thieves came at night, they would steal only as much as they needed. According to the law of Moses (Deut 24:21), grape harvesters were to leave some grapes on the vines for orphans and the poor.

Jeremiah 49:10. But I will strip Esau bare, I will uncover his hiding places, and he cannot hide himself. His offspring is destroyed, together with his brothers and his neighbors, and he is no more. “Hiding places” — secret places where the most valuable things were hidden. — The brothers and neighbors of the Edomites were the Amalekites, Horites, Simeonites, and other peoples.

Jeremiah 49:11. Leave your orphans; I will keep them alive, and let your widows trust in me. Since Edom can no longer care for its widows and orphans, it must entrust them to the mercy of Jehovah, who promises them protection.

Jeremiah 49:12. For thus says the Lord: if those not destined to drink the cup must drink it, and you to be left unpunished? No, you will not be left unpunished, but you will surely drink the cup. “Those not destined” — this is, of course, the Jews, who were to inherit the blessings of the promised land (Exod 3:7-8).

Jeremiah 49:13. For I swear by myself, says the Lord, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a mockery, a waste, and a curse, and all its cities will become perpetual ruins. “Bozrah” — Bozrah, the chief city of Idumea (compare Isa 34:6).

Jeremiah 49:16. Your terrible position and the arrogance of your heart have deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rocks and occupy the summits of the hills. But even if you, like an eagle, have built your nest high, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord. The Edomites carved out their dwellings in rocks, making there artificial caves inaccessible to foreigners.

Jeremiah 49:19. Behold, like a lion he comes up from the thicket of the Jordan against the strong dwelling; but I will chase him away quickly from Edom, and I will set over her the one chosen by me. For who is like me? and who will summon me to account? and what shepherd can stand before me? “He” — of course, the Babylonian king. — “Like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan” — more correctly: like a lion from the dense thickets of the Jordan (compare Jer 12:5). — “Against the strong dwelling” — that is, against the cities of the Edomites. — “But I will chase” — more precisely: indeed, I will drive them (the Edomites) away quickly… and so forth. — “Shepherd” — king, leader.

Jeremiah 49:20. Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, which he has counseled concerning Edom, and his purposes, which he has purposed concerning the inhabitants of Teman: surely the smallest of the flock will drag them out, and their dwelling places will be dismayed because of them. “The smallest.” More precisely: they, the smallest (that is, the humiliated) in the flock (of nations), will be dragged out by the conquerors, and even their dwelling place will come (like a man) into dismay at what has happened to them (deportation into captivity).

Jeremiah 49:21. At the sound of their fall the earth trembles, and the cry for help is heard at the Red Sea. “At the Red Sea.” Here are meant the countries lying south of Edom, down to the harbor of the gulf of Eilat at the Red Sea — Elath. The land may also mean all the states lying north of Idumea. The prophecy concerning Edom also belongs to the time of King Jehoiakim (about the 4th year of his reign), because Nebuchadnezzar is not named here by name. For the fulfillment of the prophecy, see Isa 21 chapter. Jer 49:23-27 Damascus and the neighboring Syrian cities of Hamath and Arpad will also be devastated and destroyed by the enemy.

Jeremiah 49:23. Concerning Damascus. Hamath and Arpad are ashamed, for they have heard bad news; they are anxious; like the sea there is agitation, they cannot rest. Damascus — see Isa 17 chapter. “Hamath and Arpad” — see Isa 10:9. — “Agitation like the sea” — more correctly: like the constantly troubled sea.

Jeremiah 49:24. Damascus trembles and turns to flee; panic seizes him; pain and anguish grip him like a woman in labor. The Syrians recently endured devastation inflicted upon their country by Pharaoh Necho, who brought under his control Syria, which had previously been in vassalage to the Assyrian kingdom. Now Syria faces enduring the horror of a second invasion — that of Nebuchadnezzar, who will bring this country under his control as the heir of Assyria.

Jeremiah 49:25. How has the city of glory not been abandoned, the city of my joy? The words of an inhabitant of Damascus, or perhaps an exclamation of the Damascus king. Concerning the fulfillment of this prophecy, which was apparently uttered before the battle of Carchemish (about the 4th year of Jehoiakim), see Isa 17 chapter. Jer 49:28-33 The Arab tribes, subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, must expect further attacks by the Chaldeans.

Jeremiah 49:28. Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated, thus says the Lord: rise up, attack Kedar, and destroy the people of the east! Kedar — the Arab nomads, see Jer 2:10 and Isa 21:16-17. Hazor — these are Arab tribes, leading a settled life (Hazor — from the Hebrew hazor fortification) and governed by particular sheikhs having royal authority (hence: “kingdoms of Hazor”). These tribes, living between Stony Arabia and Babylon and near the Persian Gulf, were subdued by Nebuchadnezzar after the battle of Carchemish (compare Isa 21:13-17).

Jeremiah 49:31. Rise up, attack a nation at ease, that dwells securely, says the Lord; they have neither gates nor bars; they live apart. The Arab herders were unfamiliar with city customs and did not have doors and bars.

Jeremiah 49:32. Their camels will become spoil, and their herds a plunder; and I will scatter these who cut the corners of their hair to all the winds, and I will bring calamity upon them from every side, says the Lord. “Who cut the corners of their hair” — see Jer 9:25. Concerning the fulfillment of this prophecy, one can read in the parallel passage of the book of Isaiah (chapter Isa 21:13 and following). Nebuchadnezzar, in ravaging Arabia, aimed at forcing it to stop trade dealings with Phoenicia and to send all its riches for sale to Babylon, which he partly accomplished (Platon, Ancient Near East, p. 636). Jer 49:34-39 The prophet announces God’s judgment on Elam, by which he will be partly scattered throughout various countries and partly smitten by enemy swords. But in the distant future the mercy of God is also announced to Elam.

Jeremiah 49:34. The word of the Lord that came to the prophet Jeremiah concerning Elam, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah: “Elam” — see Jer 25:25. This prophecy was spoken seven years later than most of the prophetic utterances of this group.

Jeremiah 49:35. Thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief strength of theirs. It is very probable that the Elamites formed part of the forces of Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Jerusalem, and for this reason God’s judgment is announced against them. — “The bow of Elam” — see Isa 22:6.

Jeremiah 49:37. And I will strike terror into the Elamites before their enemies and before those who seek their life; and I will bring calamity upon them, my wrath, says the Lord, and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them. What peoples are named here as enemies of the Elamites — it is difficult to determine. With the fall of the Assyrian kingdom, the Elamites felt themselves free, but soon Nebuchadnezzar must have attempted to subdue this state. Some interpreters, however, see these enemies in the Persians, who conquered Elam, and the Elamites even took part in the destruction of Babylon by the Persians (Isa 21:2). Special Remarks. Critics have grave doubts about the authenticity of the section from Chapter XLVI to XLIX, as well as the authenticity of the “index” relating to it, as they call Chapter XXV. They say that this entire collection of prophecies arose after the Babylonian captivity, and even — as, for example, the prophecy concerning Elam, under which must allegedly be understood Persia — during the times of Alexander the Great. The grounds for such suspicion are as follows: Jeremiah here expresses an opinion about God only as a God of vengeance, who has definitely decided to destroy the pagans, which does not correspond to his concepts. He says nothing about the possibility of repentance for the pagans, and without such preaching of repentance, his prophecy itself seems extremely one-sided. In the same way, Jeremiah — they say — could not threaten various nations with destruction without explaining their relationship to his own countrymen. Finally, they point out that the clear, calm development of thought that we find in other speeches of Jeremiah is here absent; the thought here strives in jerks and leaps, and previously expressed prophecies are frequently repeated. But all these discussions about what and how Jeremiah should have spoken hardly can be considered serious grounds for declaring these prophecies inauthentic. After all, already in Chapter 1 (verse 10) the pagan nations are presented as the subject of special attention to the prophet, and it is quite natural that he devoted an entire section of his book to their fate. Then, why would Jeremiah have explained in detail here the thought of the guilt of various nations before a righteous God? This was sufficiently clear and did not require constant repetition in each separate case. Furthermore, that there could be no preaching of repentance to pagan nations for the purpose of pedagogical influence on them, which was possible in relation to the Jews, this is clear to any unbiased person. However, at that time, God’s forbearance concerning these nations was being exhausted, and Jeremiah could only announce God’s judgment to them, though not a final destruction (see Jer 46:26; Jer 48:47; Jer 49:6). — Concerning the authenticity of Chapters L–LI, separate discussion is given.