1415 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,.... For the letter was written by the order of the Lord, was endited by him, and was sent in his name, the prophet was only his amanuensis; and the titles which the Lord here takes are worthy of notice: "the Lord of hosts": of the armies above and below, that does according to his pleasure in heaven...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Build ye houses, and dwell [in them],.... Intimating hereby that they must not expect a return into their own land in any short time, but that they should continue many years where they were; suggesting also, that as they had ability, so they should have liberty, of building themselves houses; nor should they be interrupted by their enemies; nor...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters,.... That is, such as had no wives, who were either bachelors or widowers; not that they were to take wives of the Chaldeans, but of those of their own nation; for intermarriages with Heathens were forbidden them; and this they were to do, in order to propagate their posterity, and keep up a succession:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And seek the peace of the city,.... The prosperity and happiness of Babylon, or any other city in Chaldea, were they were placed: this they were to do by prayer and supplication to God, and by all other means that might be any ways conducive to the good of the state where they were: whither I have caused you to be carried away captives; and as...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,.... [See comments on Jeremiah 29:4]; let not your prophets and your diviners, that [be] in the midst of you, deceive you; their false prophets, as the Targum; and there were many such in the captivity; see Ezekiel 13:2; and such who pretended to divine and foretell future things, and so impose...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name,.... They pretended to have the authority of God for what they said; that their prophecies and dreams were from him, and as such they delivered them in his name; though they were false ones; that they might be the better received by the people: I have not sent them, saith the Lord; they had no mission...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon,.... These seventy years are not to be reckoned from the last captivity under Zedekiah; nor from the precise present time; nor from the first of Jeconiah's captivity; but the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and the first of Nebuchadnezzar, when he first came up against...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord,.... The purposes and resolutions of his heart concerning their welfare, particularly the restoration of them to their own land; these were within him, and known to him, and him only; they were remembered by him, and continued with him, as the "thoughts of his heart are to all...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then shall ye call upon me,.... When the expected end is about to be given; when God intends and is about to bestow a mercy, he gives his people a spirit of prayer to ask for it; and even the promise of it is a considerable argument to encourage and engage more to pray for it: and ye shall go and pray unto me: walk in my ways; so Jarchi, Kimchi,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And ye shall seek me, and find [me],.... When persons seek the Lord aright, they always find him; a God hearing prayer; a God in Christ; bestowing favours upon them; granting them his presence; indulging them in communion with him; and favouring them with fresh supplies of his grace, and everything needful for them; every mercy, temporal and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I will be found of you, saith the Lord,.... As he is; when his favour is shown, his presence is enjoyed, and the blessing sought for is obtained: and I will turn away your captivity; this designs the captivity of Jeconiah, or of the Jews that were carried captive with him; and which had its accomplishment when the Jews returned to their own...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Because ye have said,.... That is, some of them; for here the Lord, by the prophet, turns from the godly among the captives, whom he had been advising, encouraging, and comforting before, to those who gave heed to the false prophets, who promised them a speedy return to their own land, and which they believed; and therefore rejected and despised...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[Know] that thus saith the Lord,.... Or "for", or "wherefore thus saith the Lord" (x); for the word "know" is not in the text, and seems needless; though it is also supplied by other interpreters (y). The words are illative, and follow upon the former; and the sense is, that since they gave heed to their false prophets in Babylon, who told them...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, behold, I will send upon them the sword,.... The sword of the Chaldeans, by which many of them should fall, as they did. The Targum is, "I will send upon them those that kill with the sword:'' who, though they were prompted to come against the Jews, through a natural and ambitious desire of conquering and plundering,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence,.... Or, "follow after (a) them"; such as should make their escape out of the city, and go into Egypt, or other countries, for shelter and safety, should be pursued by the vengeance of God, and should fall by sword, famine, or pestilence, in other places: and will...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord,.... Which were spoken to them by the prophets; not hearkening to them, but despising them, were the same as not hearkening to him, and despising him; contempt of God, and his word, was the cause of their ruin; see 2 Chronicles 36:15; which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord,.... What he was now about to say concerning their false prophets: all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon; all that were carried captive along with Jeconiah. Some parts of this letter are directed to one sort of the captives, and others to another sort of them; some being good...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,.... [See comments on Jeremiah 29:4]; of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you: two false prophets, of whom we have no account any where else but here; and are, no doubt, the prophets, or however two of them, that they of the captivity boasted of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which [are] in Babylon,.... A form of cursing; when they cursed anyone, or wished him ill, it should be in such like manner as follows; so odious and detestable would these men be afterwards to them, whom they, at least some of them, took to be the prophets of the Lord: saying,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Because they have committed villany in Israel,.... Or "folly" (f); as the sins of adultery, and prophesying falsely, are afterwards mentioned. This was not the reason why the king of Babylon put them to death; though the Jews (g) have a tradition that they attempted the chastity of Nebuchadnezzar's daughter, for which reason he case them into a...