Jeremiah 21

Jeremiah 21:1

Jerome: (Chapter 21, verses 1 and following) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, ‘Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.’ Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who struck Jeremiah, had a son named Pashhur. But Phasur is the son of Melchiah. This is why, so that no one might think he is the same. And King Zedekiah sends to the Prophet, not wanting either the people or the leaders to know, in order to secretly through messengers inquire, what judgment the Lord has against the city of Jerusalem and the people of Judah. And what he brings forward: Because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is making war against us, it is already shown that Jerusalem is besieged, Sedekiah inquires about this from the Prophet. And it should be noted, that in the Prophets, especially in Ezekiel and Jeremiah, the order of kings and times is not followed, but rather in reverse, that which happened later is recounted first, and that which happened earlier is recounted later. For it is one thing to write history, and another to write prophecy: as in this place, Zedekiah, who was captured with the city of Jerusalem, is mentioned sending a letter to Jeremiah, and at the same time when Jerusalem was under siege, and later the history of his brother Jehoiakim is narrated, who was king before him, and Jehoiachin. That is, Jechoniah, who was the son of Joachim, about whom it will be said in the following. — Commentary on Jeremiah

Jeremiah 21:3

Jerome: (Vers. 3 seqq.) And Jeremiah said to them: Thus shall you say to Zedekiah: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war (or the weapons of warfare) which are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and the Chaldeans that besiege you round about the walls: and I will gather them (or it) together in the midst of this city, and I will fight against you with stretched-out hand, and with a strong arm (or an exalted one), and in fury, and in wrath, and in great indignation. And I will strike the inhabitants of this city: both men and animals will die from a great pestilence. In vain, he says, do you want to resist the Chaldeans who are besieging you, and prepare your weapons of war, of which you will only have use in the middle of the city, so that you seem to be armed. However, against those besieging you, I will conquer you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and I will strike you with my fury and indignation: so that both you and everything that breathes may die in the middle of the city from hunger and pestilence. Indeed, we have read that this indeed happened. Without any crown and without any noise of the combatants, such a great city was captured by siege, that they did not have those whom they had conquered, but only those whom they had captured. Better, he says, were those wounded by the sword than those killed by hunger. — Commentary on Jeremiah

Jeremiah 21:7

Jerome: (Verse 7) And after these things, the Lord said: I will give Sedecias, king of Judah, and his servants, and his people, and those who have been left in this city from the plague, and the sword, and famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their lives. And he will strike them with the edge of the sword, and he will not show mercy, and he will not spare, and he will not have pity. What we have translated is not found in the Septuagint. And concerning what we have said: He will not be moved, neither will he spare, nor will he have mercy, the Seventy translated: I will not spare, neither will I have mercy. And it is better according to the Hebrew, that the sentence may seem cruel and unyielding, more like that of the Babylonian king than of the Lord. But first it was prophesied concerning the entire city: now it is specifically predicted of Zedekiah and his people, who will remain after the plague, that he is to be captured by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, and to be killed with his friends by the sword. Nor should he hope for any mercy from him, whom he betrayed his covenant and friendship by perjury. — Commentary on Jeremiah

Jeremiah 21:8

Clement of Rome: Through your works you have revealed the everlasting structure of the world. You, Lord, created the earth. You are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in your judgments, marvelous in strength and majesty, wise in creating and prudent in establishing what exists. You are good in all that is observed and faithful to those who trust in you. You are merciful and compassionate. You forgive us our sins and our injustices, our transgressions and our shortcomings. Do not take into account every sin of your servants and slave girls, but cleanse us with the cleansing of your truth and “direct our steps to walk in holiness and righteousness and purity of heart,” and “to do what is good and pleasing in your sight” and in the sight of our rulers. Yes, Lord, “let your face shine on us” in peace “for our good,” that we may be sheltered “by your mighty hand” and delivered from every sin “by your uplifted arm”; deliver us as well from those who hate us unjustly. Give harmony and peace to us and to all who dwell on the earth, just as you did to our ancestors when they reverently “called on you in faith and truth,” that we may be saved, while we render obedience to your almighty and most excellent name, and to our rulers and governors on earth. — 1 CLEMENT 60:1-4

Didache: There are two ways, one of life and one of death; but a great difference between the two ways. The way of life, then, is this: First, thou shalt love God who made thee; second, thy neighbour as thyself; and all things whatsoever thou wouldst should not occur to thee, thou also to another do not do. And of these sayings the teaching is this: Bless them that curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for them that persecute you. For what thank is there, if ye love them that love you? Do not also the Gentiles do the same? But do ye love them that hate you; and ye shall not have an enemy. Abstain thou from fleshly and worldly lusts. If one give thee a blow upon thy right cheek, turn to him the other also; and thou shalt be perfect. If one impress thee for one mile, go with him two. If one take away thy cloak, give him also thy coat. If one take from thee thine own, ask it not back for indeed thou art not able. Give to every one that asketh thee, and ask it not back; for the Father willeth that to all should be given of our own blessings (free gifts). Happy is he that giveth according to the commandment; for he is guiltless. Woe to him that receiveth; for if one having need receiveth, he is guiltless; but he that receiveth not having need, shall pay the penalty, why he received and for what, and, coming into straits (confinement), he shall be examined concerning the things which he hath done, and he shall not escape thence until he pay back the last farthing. But also now concerning this, it hath been said, Let thine alms sweat in thy hands, until thou know to whom thou shouldst give.

And the way of death is this: First of all it is evil and full of curse: murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, magic arts, witchcrafts, rapines, false witnessings, hypocrisies, double-heartedness, deceit, haughtiness, depravity, self-will, greediness, filthy talking, jealousy, over-confidence, loftiness, boastfulness; persecutors of the good, hating truth, loving a lie, not knowing a reward for righteousness, not cleaving to good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for that which is good, but for that which is evil; from whom meekness and endurance are far, loving vanities, pursuing requital, not pitying a poor man, not labouring for the afflicted, not knowing Him that made them, murderers of children, destroyers of the handiwork of God, turning away from him that is in want afflicting him that is distressed, advocates of the rich, lawless judges of the poor, utter sinners. Be delivered, children, from all these.

See that no one cause thee to err from this way of the Teaching, since apart from God it teacheth thee. For if thou art able to bear all the yoke of the Lord, thou wilt be perfect; but if thou art not able, what thou art able that do. And concerning food, bear what thou art able; but against that which is sacrificed to idols be exceedingly on thy guard; for it is the service of dead gods. — The Didache, Chapters 1, 5, and 6

Jerome: (Verse 8 and following) And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live, and shall have his life as a prize of war. For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord. It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he shall burn it with fire. Those who were sent by the king and came to the Prophet to plead with him to inquire of the Lord for them, received an answer concerning the king of Judah and what they should report to him. Now he encourages them to respond to the people and advises them to surrender to the Chaldeans against the king’s will, which the Prophet knows was dangerous. Therefore, he curses the day of his birth, saying: ‘Cursed be the day on which I was born.’ (Jeremiah 20:14). And why did I come out from the womb, to see toil and sorrow (Ibid., 18)? Not because it is a trivial matter, nor yet to give advice to those already captured, that they should willingly submit to captivity, as if a shipwreck were ordered on those about to suffer it, so that, before the shipwreck and the ship being dashed to pieces, they should seize the oars and planks and cast themselves into the waves; but because it is more tolerable to live in whatever way, having been captured, than to be consumed by the sword, famine, and pestilence. There are those who have expounded this passage as follows, according to a metaphorical interpretation: the secular disciplines, and especially philosophy, are better than remaining within that Church in which there is hunger for the word of God, and the entire people die from both a scarcity of doctrine and a heretical plague. — Commentary on Jeremiah

Methodius of Olympus: It was not God’s law that became the cause of my being brought into subjection to corruption, but the devil, that he might be made manifest. He wrought evil through that which is good. The inventor of evil became and was proved to be the greatest of all sinners. “For we know that the law is spiritual.” So the law cannot injure anyone in any way. Spiritual things are far removed from irrational lust and sin. “But I am carnal, sold under sin.” This means, “I am carnal and placed between good and evil as a voluntary agent, so that I have it in my power to choose what I wish.” For “behold, I set before you life and death.” This means, “Death would result from disobedience of the spiritual law, that is, of the commandment, and from obedience to the carnal law, that is, the counsel of the serpent.” By such a choice I am sold to the devil, fallen under sin. Hence evil, as though besieging me, clings to me and dwells in me. Justice gives me up to be sold to the evil one, as a result of having violated the law. — ON THE RESURRECTION 3:2.1

Jeremiah 21:11

Jerome: (Verse 11, 12.) And to the house of the king of Judah, hear the word of the Lord, O house of David. Thus says the Lord, Judge in the morning, and deliver the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, lest my indignation goes forth like fire and is kindled with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds. The phrase ‘because of the evil of your deeds’ is not found in the Septuagint. Because above (Al. already above) it had said, And to this people you shall say, Thus says the Lord, subsequently it now adds, and to the house of the king of Judah: so that it is understood, you shall say, thus says the Lord: for both the higher and the lower are connected; so that the meaning is: And to this people you shall say, Thus says the Lord. But a proper speech is made to the royal house, because of whose fault the city is besieged, so that it may correct the error through repentance, and obtain the mercy of the Lord. Judge, he says, justice in the morning, not in the darkness of iniquity, but in the light of justice. And deliver the one oppressed by force, from the hand of the slanderer, so that you do not show favoritism in judgment, but that the authority of God may prevail more among you than the power of the persecutor. And if, he says, you do this, the fire of my anger will not be kindled in you, nor will it find material to consume. In this place the incredible mercy of God is demonstrated, as concerning those of whom it was said before: For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire, with the judgment of the Lord already approaching, so as to provoke them to seek salvation. Not that he is unaware that the city of Jerusalem is to be taken, but because the free will of man is preserved, so that they may seem to perish not by ignorance of the future, but by their own choice. How did the Savior know that the Apostle would deny him and that he himself would be crucified? Surely he had often foretold this to the Apostles and nevertheless reminded them, desiring to correct them for repentance, so that whatever they would subsequently endure, it would happen to them by their own fault, not because of the severity of the one threatening. — Commentary on Jeremiah

Jeremiah 21:13

Jerome: (Verse 13, 14.) Behold, I am against you, O inhabitants of the solid and level valley, says the Lord, those who say, who will strike (or terrify) us? And who will enter our houses? And I will visit upon you; and what follows, according to the fruit of your endeavors, says the Lord, is not found in the Septuagint. And I will set fire to its forest, and it will consume all around it. For the inhabitants of the solid and level valley, the Septuagint translated, Behold, I am against you, who dwell in the valley of Sor () the level, for which Symmachus interpreted as a rock besieged, Theodotius as a fortified place; in the first edition of Aquila it is solid, in the second Tyre. For Tyre speaks its language, and the land of the Hebrews, and the area around it, and it sounds like a restricted place. However, it speaks against Jerusalem, which is surrounded by siege, or in the likeness of Tyre, like a vast sea, it is encircled by the Babylonian army and cannot escape. Or certainly, it sees itself as an impregnable and robust rock due to the strength of its walls and their size, and it says: Who can frighten us? And who will enter our house? When God speaks in the opposite way: I will visit you; you will not be able to escape my eye. But I will visit you for destruction, and I will repay you the fruit of your wickedness. And I will kindle a fire in your forest. Not the Babylonians, as you think, not the king of the Chaldeans; but my anger will accomplish all these things. But he calls the forest Jerusalem, and all the surrounding region, which does not have the fruitful trees of good works, because it is prepared for burning. He calls the valley beautiful because it is easily passable by enemies, and not a high mountain that can be difficult to climb, next to which it is also said in Isaiah: The vision of the Valley of Zion (Isa. 22:1). Let us refer whatever is prophesied about the royal house and the metropolis city to the ecclesiastical order and the leaders of the Churches, only those who have surrendered to pride, riches, and indulgence. Not immediately because it is the royal house, it will be saved from destruction, just as those who are of the Davidic lineage, very few have been found who pleased the Lord like David himself, Hezekiah and Josiah, and a great part of the leaders and the royal lineage as a whole provoked the wrath of the Lord against the people. — Commentary on Jeremiah