Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 47

Verses 1-7

Jer 47:1-7

Jeremiah 47:1

The word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.

Before that Pharaoh smote Gaza...

(Jeremiah 47:1). What makes this difficult is that there is no hint here of which Pharaoh is meant. Three different dates are suggested for the capture of Gaza mentioned here. (1) Pharaoh-Necho marched against Babylon in 609 B.C., that being when Josiah opposed him and was killed at Megiddo. It is not certainly known, but it is supposed that Pharaoh-Necho might have taken and fortified Gaza at the beginning of that campaign in order to secure his eventual retreat. (2) It has also been suggested that this same Pharaoh-Necho, severely defeated at Carchemish, took Gaza and fortified it, as a bastion against Nebuchadnezzar’s following him into Egypt. (3) Another king, Pharaoh-Hophra (588-570 B.C.) is alleged to have taken Gaza in an expedition against Tyre and Sidon. J. R. Dummelow mentions all three of these possibilities.

The trouble with finding any certainty in the answer is due to, "Our ignorance of contemporary history."

Other dates for Pharaoh’s capture of Gaza, as mentioned here, have been proposed as 608 B.C., and 605-604 B.C.

Our own preference for the date is grounded in our conviction that the Jeremiahic prophecy of the Babylonian campaign against Jerusalem, Egypt, Philistia, and the whole region was written well in advance of the actual advance of the Babylonians, and in fact, at a time when Egypt, not Babylon, was the power most people feared. The weight of this first verse, as we understand it is, therefore: "At a time when Pharaoh of Egypt was the dominating power, even at that early time, Jeremiah prophesied the great flood of the Babylonian invasion ’from the north.’"

Another excellent reason for dating this prophecy prior to 609 B.C., is seen in the fact that, according to the Babylonian Chronicle for the year 604 B.C., "Nebuchadnezzar marched against Ashkelon, took its king captive, carried off booty, and prisoners, turning the city into ruins and a heap of rubble." This of course, is a complete fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

We cannot believe that Jeremiah’s prophecy of that destroying flood from the north was a "prophecy after the event," but that it came long before the actual destruction; and that conviction limits this writer to the conclusion that the date of the prophecy was before the death of Josiah in 609 B.C. Certainly, our guess on this is as good as anyone’s! We are glad to note that R. K. Harrison, writing in the Tyndale Commentaries also favored this date.

Jeremiah is not the only one who prophesied against the Philistines. Amos 1:6-8; Ezekiel 25:15-17; Isaiah 14:28-31; and Zephaniah 2:4-7, are others.

HISTORY OF THE PHILISTINES

The Philistines were a vigorous people who migrated to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea from the Island of Crete in very early times, in fact, giving their name (Palestine) to the whole area. Israel never was able to drive them out of the land; but, under king David, they did submit to the government of Israel.

However, in the days of the divided kingdom, they quickly regained their independence, which they maintained through many military operations against them through the ages, which gradually weakened them, leading to their final conquest by the Maccabees in the second century B.C. From this time, they seem to have been totally merged with Israel.

Their principal cities were Ekron, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Gaza.

Jeremiah 47:2-3

Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall become an overflowing stream, and shall overflow the land and all that is therein, the city and them that dwell therein; and the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail. At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong ones, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers look not back to their children for feebleness of hands;

Waters rise up out of the north...

(Jeremiah 47:2). Isaiah also compared the ravages of the great Assyrian army as the Euphrates River at flood (Isaiah 8:7-8); and here Jeremiah uses the same metaphor to describe the ravages of the Babylonians.

Fathers look not back to their children for feebleness of hands...

(Jeremiah 47:3). This depicts the terror stricken fathers as so overcome with fear that they could not even try to protect their children. It is an exceedingly powerful comment on the kind of terror inspired by the terrible armies of the Babylonians.

Jeremiah 47:4-5

because of the day that cometh to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remaineth: for Jehovah will destroy the Philistines, the remnant of the isle of Caphtor. Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is brought to nought, the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?

Remnant of the isle of Caphtor...

(Jeremiah 47:4). Caphtor is usually identified with Crete.

The mention of Tyre and Sidon here puzzles some writers, but, apparently, all that is meant is that the way was then open for Babylon to destroy those cities also, but no prophecy that their destruction would follow.

Baldness is upon Gaza. how long wilt thou cut thyself

(Jeremiah 47:5). These were signs of grief and sorrow and are a prophecy of the terrible doom in store for Philistia.

The remnant of their valley...

(Jeremiah 47:5). John Bright stated that, This makes no sense! But such a comment only means that the commentator does not understand it. Neither can this writer tell what it means; but we heartily agree with Bright that the rendition given in the LXX, which reads, The remnant of the Anakim (the giants), while tempting, May be nothing but a guess on the part of the LXX.

Jeremiah 47:6-7

O thou sword of Jehovah, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard; rest, and be still. How canst thou be quiet, seeing Jehovah hath given thee a charge? Against Ashkelon, and against the sea-shore, there hath he appointed it.

"Jeremiah’s reference to the sword of Jehovah is one of his most awesome figures. The sword of the Lord symbolizes righteous judgment. That judgment which is now falling upon Judah is also coming upon other countries. The Philistines also must drink of the cup of the wrath of God."

There are two addresses in these verses to the personified Sword of Jehovah: (1) The Philistines cry out for the sword to rest, and be still. (2) The prophet answers, "How canst thou, seeing Jehovah hath given thee a charge?"

There hath he appointed it...

(Jeremiah 47:7). Jehovah hath appointed his sword to bring terrible vengeance upon wicked peoples. And what is God’s sword?

(1) It is his supernatural power, like that "flaming sword" turning in all directions that prevented Adam’s race from re-entering the Garden of Paradise.

(2) It is also the literal sword, and all kinds of armament that belonged to many wicked nations, whom God used to punish others, they themselves, in turn, receiving their own punishment. The king of Assyria is called "God’s razor" (Isaiah 7:20); and the armies of pagan Rome were referred to as God’s armies in the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 22:7)

Terrible indeed as God’s judgments surely were, Adam’s race has not yet mastered the lesson that the infinitely Holy God can not and will not tolerate wickedness. It should be remembered that in the instance of the Great Deluge, all mankind perished at one time! and that once more, at the conclusion of this dispensation of God’s grace, there will be a second and final destruction of all flesh from the face of the earth, only the redeemed being spared.

AN ORACLE AGAINST THE PHILISTINE Jeremiah 47:1-7

The oracle against the Philistine has a heading which furnishes a date for the oracle in terms of a battle that must have been familiar to the prophet’s audience. According to the heading this word came from the Lord “before Pharaoh smote Gaza” (Jeremiah 47:1). Unfortunately for the modern student of the book, the prophet did not identify the particular Pharaoh who conquered Gaza. Since Pharaoh Hophra (588–569 B.C.) made an expedition as far north as Sidon during his reign he has been nominated as the mysterious Pharaoh of Jeremiah 47:1. But in view of the fact that Jeremiah is still talking about the enemy from the north rather than of the Chaldeans or Nebuchadnezzar it seems probable that the oracle comes from the earliest period of the prophet’s ministry. In the main Jeremiah used the phrase “enemy from the north” in his messages prior to the battle of Carchemish. Probably then it was Pharaoh Necho who captured Gaza some time before the battle of Carchemish. Perhaps evidence for this conquest will be forthcoming from the new materials which are constantly coming to light concerning the relations of the Pharaohs and Palestine. Some scholars feel there is a reference to the capture of Gaza by Pharaoh Necho in Herodotus II, 159 but the evidence is far from conclusive.

The Overflowing Stream Jeremiah 47:2-4

Borrowing a figure used earlier by Isaiah (Isaiah 8:7) Jeremiah describes the conqueror of the Philistine as an overflowing flood. The prophet sees the waters slowly rising in the north, gradually swelling, and then sweeping southward like a torrential stream which carries ruin and destruction along its course. That mighty river shall overflow all the land of the Philistine (Jeremiah 47:2). Jeremiah can hear the shrieks, screams and howls of despair mingled with the sounds of the prancing steeds and rumbling chariots and grinding wheels of the Chaldean forces. The fathers are so terrified that they abandon their wives and children to the on-rushing enemy (Jeremiah 47:3). The day of ruin has come to Philistia. No Philistine will be able to go to the aid of Tyre and Sidon and those cities as well will taste the wrath of the invincible conqueror. Ezekiel 26:1-21; Ezekiel 27:1-36 describes at length the humiliation of the two proud commercial cities of Phoenicia. Those who inhabited Philistia in the days of Jeremiah are only the remnant of the original invaders from Caphtor, the island of Crete. The Philistine had already suffered greatly in wars with Egypt and Assyria. Now the remnant of that once proud people will again suffer judgment at the hands of the God of Israel (Jeremiah 47:4).

The Devouring Sword Jeremiah 47:5-7

In the second stanza of the poem the figure changes from an overflowing stream to a devouring sword. The sword of the Lord creates havoc in Philistia. Gaza and Ashkelon, two of the principal cities of the land, suffer immeasurably. Baldness and the cutting of the flesh mentioned in Jeremiah 47:5 are both signs of deep mourning. By self-mutilation these heathen folks tried to arouse the pity of the gods.

In Jeremiah 47:6 someone asks, “O sword of the Lord, how long will it be before you are quiet?” Then follows the appeal, again addressed to the sword, “Put yourself into your scabbard, rest, and be still!” Does this question and appeal come from the prophet or from the Philistine? Some commentators feel that this is a cry for mercy on the part of the Philistine. Since no sign of sincere sorrow for their sin or genuine repentance is manifested, the prophet as God’s spokesman, must reject their plea in the following verse. Now this interpretation may well be correct but it is certainly not necessary. It may have been Jeremiah himself who, seeing in his mind’s eye the devastation and destruction of Philistia, cries out for the sword of God’s wrath to be returned to its scabbard. After further reflection and possible divine revelation Jeremiah realizes that the sword of the Lord cannot be sheathed until its work of judgment is done. The righteous wrath of God must be poured out upon Ashkelon and the whole seashore, all of Philistia (Jeremiah 47:7). Justice must be done. When Almighty God brandishes His sword of wrath there is no stopping until the work is complete.

This brief oracle does not reveal the reason for the divine wrath against Philistia. Certainly the Philistine had been most bitter enemies of the people of God from the time of the judges. This alone would be reason enough for the awful destruction which is here depicted. But in addition to this Jeremiah emphasized again and again that the nations which refused to submit to the yoke of Babylon would have to drink of the CUP of God’s wrath. Oracles threatening ruination of Philistia are found in Amos 1:6-8; Isaiah 14:29-31; Zephaniah 2:4-7; Ezekiel 25:15-17 and finally in Zechariah 9:5-7. The latter passage adds to the threat of destruction a note of hope that Philistine would share in the glory of the Messianic kingdom. This promise was fulfilled when Philistia heard the Gospel proclaimed and many of that region became Christians (Acts 8:40; Acts 9:32-43).

Prophecies about Foreign Nations - Jeremiah 46:1 to Jeremiah 51:64

Open It

1. What, in your mind, is a good example of a situation in which justice was served?

2. In what strategic defense or weapon would you have the most confidence during a personal attack?

Explore It

3. Why did Jeremiah say that the mighty warriors of Egypt would cower before Nebuchadnezzar? (Jeremiah 46:13-17)

4. Despite the judgment coming on Egypt, what did God promise them eventually? (Jeremiah 46:25-26)

5. What promises did God make to Israel with honesty, justice, and hope? (Jeremiah 46:27-28)

6. To what terrifying natural disaster did God compare the Egyptian conquest of Philistia? (Jeremiah 47:2-5)

7. Where did the people of Moab misplace their trust, sending themselves and their idols into captivity? (Jeremiah 48:6-9)

8. In the context of judging the nations, what curse did Jeremiah pronounce on the lax or merciful? (Jeremiah 48:10)

9. Why would it be particularly appropriate when Moab became an object of scorn and ridicule? (Jeremiah 48:26-27)

10. What brought about Moab’s destruction as a nation? (Jeremiah 48:42)

11. What was the source of Ammon’s false sense of security? (Jeremiah 49:4)

12. What did God promise to the Ammonites when their punishment was complete? (Jeremiah 49:6)

13. How did God say He would treat the helpless, even within the borders of His enemy, Edom? (Jeremiah 49:11)

14. Why did Edom think its location made it invincible? (Jeremiah 49:15-16)

15. How would Damascus along with Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor also fall under God’s judgment? (Jeremiah 49:23-33)

16. What would eventually happen to the nation of Elam after it was defeated and taken into exile? (Jeremiah 49:37-39)

17. With their enemies facing God’s wrath, what did Jeremiah predict Israel and Judah would do? (Jeremiah 50:4-5)

18. What attitude of the Babylonians in relation to God’s people convinced God to leave them desolate? (Jeremiah 50:11-13)

19. Since the Babylonians had exiled many of the peoples they conquered from their own land, what would happen when God punished them? (Jeremiah 50:16)

20. When Babylon was made accountable to God, what would become of Israel’s guilt? (Jeremiah 50:20)

21. What did Jeremiah tell us about Israel’s Redeemer? (Jeremiah 50:34)

22. To what historic event did God compare the coming destruction of Babylon? (Jeremiah 50:39-40)

23. What were the Babylonians failing to take into account about God’s relationship to Israel? (Jeremiah 51:5)

24. What nation was to become God’s instrument of justice against Babylon? (Jeremiah 51:11-14)

25. How did Jeremiah contrast the God of Israel with the idols of the other nations? (Jeremiah 51:17-19)

26. What religious disgrace of the people of Israel would be remedied by God Himself? (Jeremiah 51:51-53)

27. What message about Babylon was Seraiah to deliver to the exiles in Babylon? (Jeremiah 51:59-64)

Get It

28. Why was it important for the Jews exiled in Babylon to know that Babylon’s great power would soon fall?

29. Why was it important that each instrument of God’s wrath not be lax?

30. In what ways does modern society practice some of the same evil and rebellious attitudes that brought on God’s punishments for these nations?

31. What will become of those who rejoice when one of God’s servants stumbles morally?

32. How does our worship become acceptable to God?

Apply It

33. In what situation can you demonstrate a new attitude toward a Christian who has stumbled?

34. Through what difficult circumstance will you ask God to give you perspective, patience, and (eventually) freedom?

Questions On Jeremiah Chapters Forty-Seven thru Forty-Nine

By Brent Kercheville

1 What is God’s message to the Philistines (Jeremiah 47:1-7)?

2 What do we learn about God (cf. Jeremiah 47:7)?

3 What is God’s message to Moab (Jeremiah 48:1-47)?

4 What sin does God condemn the people of Moab for (Jeremiah 48:7)?

5 What lessons do we learn about ourselves and about God?

6 What sin does God condemn the people of Moab for (Jeremiah 48:26)?

7 What lessons do we learn about ourselves and about God?

8 What sin does God condemn the people of Moab for (Jeremiah 48:29-30)?

9 What lessons do we learn about ourselves and about God?

10 What hope is given to Moab (Jeremiah 48:47)? Explain how this would be fulfilled.

11 What is God’s message to Ammon (Jeremiah 49:1-6)? Explain how verse 2 and verse 6 would be fulfilled.

12 What is God’s message to Edom (Jeremiah 49:7-22)?

13. Explain the imagery of Jeremiah 49:9-10.

14 Explain the imagery of Jeremiah 49:15-18.

15 What is God’s message to Damascus (Jeremiah 49:23-27)?

16 What is God’s message to Kedar and Hazor (Jeremiah 49:28-33)?

17 What is God’s message to Elam (Jeremiah 49:34-39)?

What hope is given to Elam (Jeremiah 49:39)? Explain how this would be fulfilled.

TRANSFORMATION:

How does this relationship change your relationship with God?

What did you learn about him?

What will you do differently in your life?