Jeremiah commentary - Free Bible Commentary

598 Pages·2012·2.25 MB·English

by  Dr. Bob Utley

YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE
JEREMIAH
BOB UTLEY
PROFESSOR OF HERMENEUTICS
(BIBLE INTERPRETATION)
STUDY GUIDE COMMENTARY SERIES
OLD TESTAMENT, VOL. 13A
BIBLE LESSONS INTERNATIONAL
MARSHALL, TEXAS
2012
www.BibleLessonsIntl.com
www.freebiblecommentary.org

Copyright ©2001 by Bible Lessons International, Marshall, Texas (Revised 2006, 2012)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any way or by any means without the
written permission of the publisher.
Bible Lessons International
P. O. Box 1289
Marshall, TX 75671-1289
1-800-785-1005
ISBN 978-1-892691-45-3
The primary biblical text used in this commentary is:
New American Standard Bible (Update, 1995)
Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by
The Lockman Foundation
P. O. Box 2279
La Habra, CA 90632-2279
The paragraph divisions and summary captions as well as selected phrases are from:
1. The New King James Version, Copyright ©1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright ©1989 by the Division of
Christian Education of National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
3. Today’s English Version is used by permission of the copyright owner, The American Bible
Society, ©1966, 1971. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
4. The New Jerusalem Bible, copyright ©1990 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and
Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
www.freebiblecommentary.org

The New American Standard Bible Update — 1995
Easier to read:
} Passages with Old English “thee’s” and “thou’s” etc. have been updated to modern English.
} Words and phrases that could be misunderstood due to changes in their meaning during the past 20 years
have been updated to current English.
} Sentences beginning with “And” have often been retranslated for better English, in recognition of
differences in style between the ancient languages and modern English. The original Greek and Hebrew did
not have punctuation as is found in English, and in many cases modern English punctuation serves as a
substitute for “and” in the original. In some other cases, “and” is translated by a different word such as
“then” or “but” as called for by the context, when the word in the original language allows such translation.
More accurate than ever:
} Recent research on the oldest and best Greek manuscripts of the New Testament has been reviewed, and
some passages have been updated for even greater fidelity to the original manuscripts.
} Parallel passages have been compared and reviewed.
} Verbs that have a wide range of meaning have been retranslated in some passages to better account for
their use in the context.
And still the NASB:
} The NASB update is not a change-for-the-sake-of-change translation. The original NASB stands the test
of time, and change has been kept to a minimum in recognition of the standard that has been set by the New
American Standard Bible.
} The NASB update continues the NASB’s tradition of literal translation of the original Greek and Hebrew
without compromise. Changes in the text have been kept within the strict parameters set forth by the
Lockman Foundation’s Fourfold Aim.
} The translators and consultants who have contributed to the NASB update are conservative Bible scholars
who have doctorates in Biblical languages, theology, or other advanced degrees. They represent a variety
of denominational backgrounds.
Continuing a tradition:
The original NASB has earned the reputation of being the most accurate English Bible translation. Other
translations in recent years have sometimes made a claim to both accuracy and ease of reading, but any
reader with an eye for detail eventually discovers that these translations are consistently inconsistent. While
sometimes literal, they frequently resort to paraphrase of the original, often gaining little in readability and
sacrificing much in terms of fidelity. Paraphrasing is not by nature a bad thing; it can and should clarify the
meaning of a passage as the translators understand and interpret. In the end, however, a paraphrase is as
much a commentary on the Bible as it is a translation. The NASB update carries on the NASB tradition of
being a true Bible translation, revealing what the original manuscripts actually say—not merely what the
translator believes they mean.
—The Lockman Foundation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Brief Explanations of the Technical Resources used in This Commentary .................. i
Brief Definitions of Hebrew Verbal Forms that Impact Exegesis ........................ iii
Abbreviations Used in This Commentary .......................................... ix
A Word From the Author: How Can This Commentary Help You? ......... ............ xi
A Guide to Good Bible Reading: A Personal Search for Verifiable Truth ................ xiii
Commentary
Introduction to Jeremiah ....................................................1
Jeremiah 1 ...................... .........................................7
Jeremiah 2 ...................... ........................................25
Jeremiah 3 ...................... ........................................49
Jeremiah 4 ...................... ........................................65
Jeremiah 5 ...................... ........................................87
Jeremiah 6 ...................... .......................................101
Jeremiah 7 ...................... .......................................115
Jeremiah 8 ...................... .......................................135
Jeremiah 9 ...................... .......................................145
Jeremiah 10 ..................... .......................................155
Jeremiah 11 ..................... .......................................167
Jeremiah 12 ..................... .......................................181
Jeremiah 13 ..................... .......................................189
Jeremiah 14 ..................... .......................................201
Jeremiah 15 ..................... .......................................211
Jeremiah 16 ..................... .......................................229
Jeremiah 17 ..................... .......................................235
Jeremiah 18 ..................... .......................................245
Jeremiah 19 ..................... .......................................257
Jeremiah 20 ..................... .......................................263
Jeremiah 21 ..................... .......................................269
Jeremiah 22 ..................... .......................................275
Jeremiah 23 ..................... .......................................285
Jeremiah 24 ..................... .......................................305
Jeremiah 25 ..................... .......................................309
Jeremiah 26 ..................... .......................................319
Jeremiah 27 ..................... .......................................325
Jeremiah 28 ..................... .......................................331
Jeremiah 29 ..................... .......................................335
Jeremiah 30 ..................... .......................................345
Jeremiah 31 ..................... .......................................359
Jeremiah 32 ..................... .......................................375
Jeremiah 33 ..................... .......................................385
Jeremiah 34 ..................... .......................................395
Jeremiah 35 ..................... .......................................401
Jeremiah 36 ..................... .......................................405
Jeremiah 37 ..................... .......................................413
Jeremiah 38 ..................... .......................................417
Jeremiah 39 ..................... .......................................423
Jeremiah 40 ..................... .......................................427
Jeremiah 41 ..................... .......................................431
Jeremiah 42 ..................... .......................................435
Jeremiah 43 ..................... .......................................441
Jeremiah 44 ..................... .......................................445
Jeremiah 45 ..................... .......................................451
Jeremiah 46 ..................... .......................................453
Jeremiah 47 ..................... .......................................463
Jeremiah 48 ..................... .......................................467
Jeremiah 49 ..................... .......................................481
Jeremiah 50 ..................... .......................................499
Jeremiah 51 ..................... .......................................513
Jeremiah 52 ..................... .......................................531
Appendix One: Introduction to Hebrew Poetry .....................................537
Appendix Two: Introduction to OT Prophecy ......................................541
Appendix Three: A Brief Historical Survey .......................................547
Appendix Four: Charts
1. OT Time Line .......................................................553
2. Kings and Events of the Babylonian, Persian, and Greek Dynasties .............557
3. Kings of the divided Monarchy .........................................563
Appendix Five: Doctrinal Statement .............................................567
SPECIAL TOPICS TABLE OF CONTENTS
Names For Deity, 1:1 ...........................................................9
Old Testament Prophecy, 1:4 ........ ............................................13
Know, 1:5 ........ ...........................................................17
Monotheism, 1:5 .............................................................17
Bob’s Evangelical Biases, 1:5 ...................................................18
God Described As Human (Anthropomorphism), 1:9 .................................20
Hand, 1:9 ...................................................................21
Lovingkindness (hesed), 2:2 ....................................................27
The Wilderness Experience of Exodus 1:2 .........................................28
Israel (the Name), 2:3 ..........................................................28
Holy, 2:3....................................................................29
Date of the Exodus, 2:6 ........................................................31
Abominations, 2:7 ............................................................33
Apostasy, 2:19 ...............................................................37
Fertility Worship of the Ancient Near East, 2:20 ....................................40
Repentance in the OT, 2:22 .....................................................42
Molech, 2:23 ................................................................43
Salvation, 2:27 ...............................................................44
Grieving Rites, 2:37 ............................................... ............48
The Fatherhood of God, 3:4 .....................................................53
Covenant, 3:7 ................................................................55
Amen, 3:12 ..................................................................58
Ark of the Covenant, 3:16 ......................................................60
Judge, Judgment, and Justice (טפ–) in Isaiah, 4:2 .................... ........... .....67
Righteousness, 4:2 ...... ......................................................68
Fire, 4:4 ....................................................................73
Where Are the Dead?, 4:4 ......................................................74
Horns Used By Israel, 4:5 ......................................................77
That Day, 4:9 ................................................................77
Salvation (OT Term), 4:14 ......................................................80
Heart, 4:19-22 ...............................................................82
Terms For God’s Revelation, 5:4 .................................................90
Remnant (three Senses), 5:10-13 ..................................... ............94
Peace (Shalom), 6:14 .........................................................108
Land, Country, Earth, 6:18-19 ..................................................110
Forever (‘Olam), 7:7 ........... ..............................................118
Insights to Exodus 20:12-16 (The Ten Commandments), 7:9 ..........................120
Intercessory Prayer, 7:16 ......................................................128