Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 21

Verse 2

Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

Enquire — Zedekiah, as he was none of the best, so he was none of the worst of the kings of Judah. Having some reverence of God, he sends the prophet to enquire of the Lord.

Verse 8

And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

Behold — I tell you the way you should take, if you would save your lives.

Verse 9

He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

His life — This is a proverbial expression, signifying a man’s possession of his life as a prey, or booty recovered from the enemy.

Verse 12

O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Execute judgment — That is, justice, without partiality, and do it quickly.

Verse 13

Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?

Of the valley — The inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem are here intended. Jerusalem itself was built in part upon the rocky mountain of Zion, but a great part was in the valley, and the higher mountains, about mount Zion, made that mountain itself, in comparison with them, as a valley.

The plain — Though also a rock of the plain, that is, near to the plain. Which situation of this place, made the Jews think it to be impregnable.

Verse 14

But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.

The forest — By the forest he either means the forest of Lebanon or their houses, made of wood cut out of that forest.

And it — And this fire shall not end in the destruction of this city, but in the total destruction of all the country round Jerusalem.