The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-08-26

defeat must have made the soldiers
dispinted. But what Of It, since they
were true? THAT remain in this city"
The phrase implies that the hard
ships Of the siege had greatly reduced
the garrison.
III. jeremiah in the Dungeon.-Vs.
5, 6. 5. Then Zedekiah the king"
He was weak and easily influenced.
Behold, he is in your hand" A for
NAL surrender Of custody. implying,
DO with him what you choose" THE
king is not he that can do anything
against you" "A phantom king" Is
Cheyne's name for Zedekiah, and
surely nowhere did he more fully
show his pitiable weakness than in
these spiteful, plaintive and impotent
words.
8. Then took they jeremiah"
"Cowardly,' call them, because they
were too superstitious to kill Jere-
miah, as Jehoiakim killed Urijah;
they would rather that famine should
do their work for them So, like Jo-
seph, he was cast into a cistern.
Cheyne. "The dungeon Cor pitt of
Malchiah." Probably meaning that
he was in charge of Cambridge
Bible. "They let down jeremiah with
cords An indication of the depth
of the noisome place. $50 jeremiah
sunk in the mire.' The long siege
was exhausting the water supply.
jeremiah was in danger of suffoca-
ton fror the foul gases, and likely to
die of starvation
". Jeremiah's Faithful Friends
VS.. 7-10. God has a deliverance al
ways ready for his faithful childr~.
Z. "Ebed-melech." "It is possible
that the name, Ebed-melech, which
means servant of (the) king, may
have been an official title - Hastings.
THE Ethiopian" Ethiopia lay be-
tween Egypt and Abyssinia. "OIc Of
the eunuchs which was in the kings
house." He was probably the GUS
todian of the kings harem. ~ Meyer.
The king then sitting in the gate Of
Benjamin" The gate in the northern
wall, looking toward Benjamin and
Ephraim, hence also called tine gate
of Ephraim."
3. "These men have done evil
Being foreigner, he was free from
Jewish prejudices, and able to see
what great injustice had been done.
HE is like to die for hunger in the
place where he is" Literally, He
is dead of hunger on the spot" For
there is no more bread in the city"
10. "Then the king" always
swavad by the last strong influence
scought to bear on him, Commanded
Ebed-melech Take from
hence thirty men,"
v. Jeremiah's Release VS.. 11-iS.
IL. $50 Ebed-melech went
into the house of the hag dnder the
treasury" To a room under the kings
storechamber. "Took thence old cast
(cast away, discarded) clouts" (rags).
These the thoughtful negro let down
into the pit to jeremiah, bidding him
wrap the rope with them, that it
might not chafe his armpits and
sides.
13. so they drew up jeremiah
and jeremiah remained in the
court of the prison" Or. ", "of the
guard'D. The prophet was restored
to his former comfortable quarters,
and to his share in the food dealt out
to the soldiers.
The favor of the God whom Jere-
miah served so faithfully did not cease
even with this great deliyerance.
Zedekiah, in sore straits because of
the siege, again held converse with
the prophet, but jeremiah adhered to
his advice, urging submission to the
Chaldeans as the only price Of safety,
and promising, in that case, the pres
eryation of both Zedekiah and Jerusa-
lem. But the weak kings answer was
the characteristic one, Il am afraid"
der. 3S:14-2Sl.
So the city remained obstinate, the
siege was pressed amid countless hor-
rors, and Jerusalem was finally taken.
jeremiah, with other inhabitants of
the doomed city, was carried north to
Ramah, but the Chaldeans learned how
he had counseled submission to them,
and allowed him his choice, to go to
Babylon or return home (Jer. 39;1-1S).
He chose the latter, but his stay in
his home land was brief. Within two
months the misguided Jewish patriots
had assassinated the governor whom
Nebuchadnezzar had left in charge OF
the country. This governor was a
capable man, Gedaliah, son Of Jere-
miahs friend and preserver, Ahikam,
and grandson Of Shaphan, King JOSH
abs secretary.
Those that did the deed fed to
Egypt to escape Netlchadnezzar' 4
certain vengeance, and compelled Jer-
{ emiah and Baruch to go with them.
, There, at Tahpanhes, in northern
Egypt, the prophet continued his faith
full warnings till his death (Jer. 4O-46l
The manner of his death is not known
Perhaps ''he breathed out his soul be
meath the faithful tendance Of Baruch
in some quiet chamber. Meyer Per
haps, when Nebuchadnezzar colt
quered Babylon, he may, as some later
Jewish writer's say, have carried Jere