Jer 22:1 This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there:
Jer 22:2 ‘Hear the word of the LORD to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.
Jer 22:3 This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Jer 22:4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people.
Jer 22:5 But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.'”
Jer 22:6 For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah: “Though you are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make you like a wasteland, like towns not inhabited.
Jer 22:7 I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire.
Jer 22:8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’
Jer 22:9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.'”
Jer 22:10 Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again.
Message to the Sons of Josiah
Jer 22:11 For this is what the LORD says about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return.
Jer 22:12 He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
Jer 22:13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.
Jer 22:14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.’ So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.
Jer 22:15 “Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him.
Jer 22:16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.
Jer 22:17 “But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion.”
Jer 22:18 Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
Jer 22:19 He will have the burial of a donkey— dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
Jer 22:20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out, let your voice be heard in Bashan, cry out from Abarim, for all your allies are crushed.
Jer 22:21 I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me.
Jer 22:22 The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness.
Jer 22:23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,’ who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!
Jer 22:24 “As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.
Jer 22:25 I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.
Jer 22:26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die.
Jer 22:27 You will never come back to the land you long to return to.”
Jer 22:28 Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know?
Jer 22:29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!
Jer 22:30 This is what the LORD says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.”
1 He exhorts to repentance, with promises and threats. 10 The judgment of Shallum, 13 of Jehoiakim, 20 and of Coniah.
Jer 22:1 This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there:
The exact date of this message is not certain. This much seems clear, however, that it came in the reign of Jehoiakim (see on v. 10; see also PK 429, 430).
Jer 22:3 This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Jeremiah delivered this message to the king as he sat in the gate in the presence of his subjects (see on ch. 21:12), probably conducting the affairs of state.
One example of this unrelenting and extreme cruelty was the murder of Urijah by Jehoiakim (see ch. 26:20–23).
Jer 22:4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people.
Here again the prophet graphically portrays the glory and prosperity that would come to Jerusalem if the people fulfilled God’s divine purpose for them (see on ch. 17:25).
Jer 22:5 But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.'”
I swear by myself. An expression emphasizing the certainty of God’s intention to fulfill His purpose (see Gen. 22:16). The reason, of course, why God thus swears is because there is none greater than Himself (Heb. 6:13).
Jer 22:6 For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah: “Though you are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make you like a wasteland, like towns not inhabited.
The “king’s house” is here compared to “Gilead” and “the head of Lebanon,” evidently because of the forests that were on the top of both ranges of mountains. The famous “cedars of Lebanon” and the equally famous “oaks of Bashan” were employed as fitting symbols of royal glory and prestige (see Isa. 2:13; Zech. 11:1, 2). It may well be that this verse refers to the royal hall of the forest of Lebanon (see on Jer. 21:14).
Jer 22:7 I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire.
When he captured Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar burned down the beautiful structures of cedar wood (Jer. 52:12, 13; cf. 2 Kings 25:8, 9; 2 Chron. 36:19).
Jer 22:9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.'”
The “covenant” that made Israel God’s special people was broken by the people, not by the Lord.
Jer 22:10 Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again.
A reference to the righteous king of Judah, Josiah, for whom Jeremiah had composed a solemn lamentation (see 2 Chron. 35:25). Josiah was greatly respected and beloved by his people, and his untimely death was deeply mourned.
A reference to Josiah’s son and successor, Jehoahaz, whom Pharaoh-Necho removed from the throne and carried away into Egypt (2 Kings 23:31–34; 2 Chron. 36:2–4). The fate of this king, who was to “return no more” to his “native country,” was more suitable for lamentation than was the death of Josiah, who had been fatally wounded on the field of battle (see on 2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:24), and had thus been spared the evil to come to his people (2 Kings 22:20; Isa. 57:1). These references to Josiah and Jehoahaz indicate that the time when this message was given was certainly after the reign of Jehoahaz (see on Jer. 22:1, 11).
Message to the Sons of Josiah
Jer 22:11 For this is what the LORD says about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return.
Jer 22:12 He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
Shallum. Otherwise known as Jehoahaz (see on 2 Kings 23:30; 1 Chron. 3:15; 2 Chron. 36:1).
Jer 22:13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.
A reference to Jehoiakim himself (see on v. 1). Jehoiakim evidently showed disregard for the economic condition of his subjects, who were already experiencing the hardships of foreign invasion and the burdens of heavy tribute (see 2 Kings 23:35).
Jehoiakim evidently imposed forced labor on some of his unfortunate subjects. Instead of being free, the people were virtually slaves, receiving their food but no wages.
Jer 22:14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.’ So he makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.
Jehoiakim very probably had the vain ambition to emulate the architectural glory of the Egyptian king Pharaoh-Necho, who had placed him on the throne (2 Kings 23:34).
Jer 22:15 “Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him.
Jeremiah rebukes Jehoiakim for endeavoring to outdo the magnificence proudly displayed by others.
Did not your father? A reference to Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah, who enjoyed a normal, well-balanced life of righteousness. His was an inner greatness that far surpassed the outer glory of Jehoiakim’s palaces.
Jer 22:16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.
In contrast with his son, Josiah did not seek greatness through secular accomplishment. His greatness was found in his fellowship with the Lord and that fellowship was revealed by Josiah’s justice and mercy toward “the cause of the poor and needy” (see Micah 6:8; Matt. 25:34–40).
Jer 22:17 “But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion.”
Jer 22:18 Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
They will not mourn for him.
There would be a striking contrast between the death of Jehoiakim and that of Josiah. There would be no mourning for the ungodly son as there was for the godly father (see 2 Chron. 35:25). Jehoiakim’s relatives would not lament the loss of a loved one; nor would the subjects of the king mourn the loss of their ruler (see 1 Kings 13:30; Mark 5:38, 39).
Jer 22:19 He will have the burial of a donkey— dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
On the possible circumstances surrounding the death of Jehoiakim see on 2 Kings 24:5.
Jer 22:20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out, let your voice be heard in Bashan, cry out from Abarim, for all your allies are crushed.
Go up to Lebanon. The date of this message (vs. 20–30) cannot be established positively, yet vs. 24–26 indicate that the message was given during the short reign of Jehoiachin, 597 b.c., and was addressed to that king.
The mountains of Lebanon and Bashan overlooked the route of the Babylonians, hence an appropriate place upon which to bewail Judah’s calamities.
“Abarim,” a proper name for that part of the mountainous range south of Gilead and Bashan (see Num. 27:12; 33:47; Deut. 32:49).
All thy lovers.
Those nations, such as the Assyrians and the Egyptians, with whom Judah had entered into alliance (2 Kings 16:7–9; cf. Eze. 23:5, 9; see on Jer. 4:30). The climax of this destruction occurred when Pharaoh-Necho’s army was overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish (Jer. 46:2).
Jer 22:21 I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me.
Your youth. That is, the “youth,” or beginning of Judah as a nation, not the “youth” of the kin
Jer 22:22 The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness.
The wind. A reference to the scorching east wind as typifying the calamity that would sweep over the land of Judah (see on chs. 4:11; 18:17).
Jer 22:23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,’ who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!
This is a forceful, graphic way of expressing the inescapable misery and doom about to fall upon the rulers and people of Judah.
Jer 22:24 “As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.
Jehoiachin’s reign lasted only from December, 598 b.c., to March, 597.
Signet. Heb. chotham, “a seal ring.” This seal was the symbol of royal power that validated every decree (see 1 Kings 21:8; Haggai 2:23). It was a most precious possession (see on S. of Sol. 8:6).
I would still pull it off.” God thus vigorously declared His judgment upon Jehoiachin (see Jer. 24:1; 29:1, 2; cf. 2 Kings 24:12, 15).
Jer 22:25 I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.
Jer 22:26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die.
The mother. On account of Jehoiachin’s youth when he ascended the throne, it is very likely his mother, Nehushta (2 Kings 24:8; Jer. 29:2), wielded great influence during her son’s reign (see on Jer. 13:18). Because of this, when Coniah’s reign came to an end, her power also ended.
Into another country. Both mother and son were carried as captives to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 29:1, 2; cf. 2 Kings 24:10–15).
Jer 22:27 You will never come back to the land you long to return to.”
It is quite evident that Jehoiachin never returned to the land of Judah, for he was still a captive when Amel-Marduk (Evil-Merodach) ascended the throne of Babylon (see ch. 52:31–34), and so he continued “all the days of his life.”
Jer 22:28 Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know?
This reference seems to imply that, though Jehoiachin was only 18 years of age at this time (597 b.c.), he already had one or more children. Cuneiform records list him as having five children in 592 b.c. (see on 2 Chron. 36:9).
Jer 22:29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!
The threefold repetition of the word emphasized the certainty of God’s purpose concerning Judah (cf. Luke 22:31; John 8:51; 10:1).
Jer 22:30 This is what the LORD says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” 30. Childless. The latter half of v. 30 explains this to mean that none of Jehoiachin’s “seed” (see on v. 28), or offspring, would sit on his throne. Neither Jehoiachin’s immediate children nor his later descendants ever ruled over Judah. Even when Zerubbabel became the leader of the Jews that returned from the Captivity he did not rule as king (see PK 451).