44 45 46 47 49 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; For I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: But a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, And a flame from the midst of Sihon, And shall devour the corner of Moab, And the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. The people of Chemosh perisheth: For thy sons are taken captives, And thy daughters captives. Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab In the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. CHAP. XLIX. 1-6. The Prophecy regarding Ammon. 44. He that fleeth] or, He fleeth, but the former is the better reading. 45. They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force] In the shadow of Heshbon stand fugitives powerless. The sense of the whole verse is that the fugitives of Moab shall take refuge under the walls of the neighbouring city of the Ammonites, but as they stand there in hopes of aid, there bursts forth from the city on which their only hopes rest a flame kindled by the Chaldaean foe, but like that which was in old days kindled in the same place by Sihon the Amorite conqueror. Thus the passage Numb. xxi. 28 is quoted with a new application. the corner] either (a) the side, the region, or (b) the corner of the beard. If the latter be the sense, as seems more likely, then this and the last words of the verse together mean that Nebuchadnezzar shall destroy all that is capable of destruction. the tumultuous ones] the proud Moabites. See ver. 29. 47. Yet will I bring again] Compare xlvi. 26, xlix. 6, 39. Thus far is the judgment of Moab] probably not the words of Jeremiah himself, but of Baruch, and inserted in editing the book. CHAP. XLIX. 1-6. THE PROPHECY REGARDING AMMON. 1. Concerning the Ammonites] This people's territory was north of the Moabites, with whom they were closely connected by descent. Hath Israel no sons? Hath he no heir? Therefore behold, the days come, saith the LORD, That I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; And it shall be a desolate heap, And her daughters shall be burnt with fire: Then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD. Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: Cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird ye with sackcloth; They seem to have originally possessed the country in which the tribe of Gad was placed after the conquest of Sihon, who had probably wrested it from Ammon, and no doubt their extirpation was never wholly effected even in Jewish times. They were a more wandering people than the Moabites, and had but one city of importance, Rabbah. The carrying away of the tribes on the east of Jordan by Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria (2 Kings xv. 29) strengthened their hands, and it is the occupation of the portion of Gad on that occasion which forms the crime dwelt on in this prophecy. Hath Israel no sons?] He has been carried captive, it is true, but is he destitute of children, who will in due time return to claim the land which Ammon has wrongfully seized? See note on xli. 15. their king] Milcom, the god of Ammon, and so in ver. 3. See I Kings xi. 5. Compare Chemosh (xlviii. 7) used as equivalent to Moab. inherit] take possession of. See note on viii. 10. 2. Rabbah] See above on ver. 1. a desolate heap] See note on xxx. 18. The eminence on which it stands shall be laid waste. her daughters] the minor cities depending on her. Compare “daughters of Rabbah" in ver. 3, and the margin of Numb. xxi. 25. 3. Howl, O Heshbon] Recognise that thy time is at hand, now that Ai has been captured and sacked by the enemy. Ai] not the city of Joshua vii. 2 etc., but one in the Ammonite territory, and not elsewhere mentioned. Perhaps however we should read Ar (Is. xv. 1). hedges] inclosures of the vineyards. Hedges in our sense of the word did not exist in those days. their king shall go] See note on ver. 1. This part of the verse is taken with some modification from Amos i. 15. 2 3 5 Thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? That trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me? Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts, From all those that be about thee; And ye shall be driven out every man right forth; And none shall gather up him that wandereth. 6 And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the LORD. 7 4. 7-22. The Prophecy regarding Edom. Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Thy flowing valley] This has been variously explained thy valley (i) flows (with abundance), (ii) flows away, i.e. the inhabitants are carried off. The Septuagint render, in the valleys of the Anakim. See note on xlvii. 5. 5. every man right forth] Compare Josh. vi. 5, every man straight before him. The sense here is that each without thought of his neighbour shall flee the shortest way. none shall gather up him that wandereth] No one shall collect or rally the fugitives. 6. And afterward] Compare xlviii. 47. 7-22. THE PROPHECY REGARDING EDOM. 7. Concerning Edom] Much of the earlier part of this section (viz. verses 7-16) is almost verbally the same as Obadiah 1-8. The latter prophet seems to have written (ver. 11) after the destruction of Jerusalem, and yet the verses, which are by no means in the same order in both, appear to come in more natural sequence in Obadiah. To meet the difficulty hence arising it has been suggested (a) that the earlier part of Obadiah was written before Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem, the later part after that event, (b) that both prophets embodied in their writings an earlier prediction. It has also been conjectured by some that Obadiah refers not to the overthrow under Zedekiah, but to that of Jehoram's time (2 Chron. xxi. 17). The bitterness of the tone in which Edom is addressed finds parallels in Lam. iv. 21, as also in Ps. cxxxvii. 7; Ezek. xxv. 12-14, XXXV. 15; Obad. 10-16, and is no doubt based upon a sense of the closeness of the tie of kinship between Edom and Israel. On the principle 'corruptio optimi pessima' the affinity which existed made the unnatural exultation of Edom over the fallen fortunes of the Jews most offensive. See, in addition to the above passages, Amos i. II, and for an apparent reference to the fulfilment of this prophecy against Edom, Mal. i. 3. Is wisdom no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom vanished? Flee ye, turn back, Dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, And he shall not be able to hide himself: His seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not. Is wisdom no more in Teman?] Teman seems to have been renowned for this quality. See ver. 20. This and the succeeding questions are a pointed way of calling attention to the stupefying suddenness and completeness of the calamity. Is it really so that the wisest of the nation are astonied, and incapable of tendering advice? Teman] in the northern part of Edom, the birthplace of Eliphaz (Job ii. 11). vanished] literally, poured out. The figure seems to be much the same as in chap. xix. 7 (see note), where however a different verb is used in the Hebrew. 8. Dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan] For the position, etc. of the Dedanites, see note on chap. xxv. 23. They are here warned to retire from their accustomed intercourse with Edom, and keep well out of the way in the deserts, lest they should be involved in its ruin. 9. would they not leave some gleaning grapes ?] they will not leave gleanings. The Eng. Vers. makes the passage interrogative in order to bring it into closer correspondence with that in Obadiah. But there thieves and grape-gatherers are only introduced by way of illustration, whereas in this case the enemy are absolutely called such. Thus Jeremiah, while adopting the language in Obadiah (if it be really so; see above), changes the whole form of the thought. till they have enough] more literally, their fill. 10. But] For. The success of the enemy is to be attributed to the fact that they have God on their side. his secret places] the retreats and fastnesses of Edom. he shall not be able to hide himself] literally, he hides (i.e. tries to hide) himself, he is not able. his brethren] those who shared his country, e.g. the Amalekites (Amalek being a grandson of Esau, Gen. xxxvi. 12). 8 9 10 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; And art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? Thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, That Bozrah shall become a desolation, A reproach, a waste, and a curse; And all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. And an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, And come against her, and rise up to the battle. his neighbours] those mentioned in xxv. 23. 11. Leave thy fatherless children] The apparent abruptness of this verse has given rise to much questioning among commentators. The most natural way of explaining it in connexion with the context is this. All that bear arms shall be cut off, none but their widows and orphans shall remain. Bereft however as these are, they may yet look to me for protection. 12. they whose judgment was not to drink] For the metaphor, see note on xiii. 12. The reference is to Israel. If the chosen people of God shall not escape, how should Edom? 'Judgment' may either mean the Divine decree, or perhaps better, rule, custom. For an illustration of the latter sense, compare chap. viii. 7, with note. have assuredly drunken] shall assuredly drink. 13. Bozrah (el-Busaireh)] half way between Petra and the Dead Sea. Considerable ruins remain to this day. See note on chap. xlviii. 24. 14-18. These verses form the second part of the prophecy, and describe further the source and completeness of Edom's overthrow. 14. This and the following verse are in substance identical with the beginning of Obadiah. a rumour] literally, a hearing, news. ambassador] rather, messenger, since no negotiations but only a command was in question. 15. the heathen] the nations. The Heb. would bear either rendering, but the latter is better suited to the clause which follows. |
