Source: https://bible.org/seriespage/jeremiah-22
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 18:58:09+00:00

Document:
B. Zedekiah (BDB 843), another of Josiah's sons, was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon (cf. II Kgs. 24:17). He reigned from 597-586 b.c. He was king when Jerusalem fell. He was loyal to Babylon for eight years. Then a pro-Egyptian nationalist party persuaded him to revolt. See Appendix Four: Kings of the Divided Monarchy.
D. The house of David had all the wonderful ("eternal") promises of II Samuel 7, but they too were conditional!
E. Remember Nebuchadnezzar's army captured Jerusalem several times: 605 b.c., 586 b.c., and 582 b.c. They destroyed the city and temple in 586 b.c.
Like cities which are not inhabited.
22:1-2 The directions to Jeremiah are emphatic.
All will be captured, destroyed, or exiled!
22:3 There is a series of commands addressed to the Davidic King which addresses covenant faithfulness.
▣ "the stranger, the orphan, or the widow" This is a key phrase from Deuteronomy. It characterized YHWH's action and care (Deut. 10:18; Ps. 146:8-10). It is mentioned several times in Deuteronomy.
22:4 "if" The verse states the conditional element which is related to the actual doing of the covenant commands of v. 4. Verse 4 is first found in 17:25.
▣ "then" Here are the promises to the king if he will be faithful to the covenant.
22:5 Again the conditional "if." YHWH swears (BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal perfect) by Himself that if covenant faithlessness continues, Jerusalem and the temple will become a desolation (BDB 352)! YHWH's oath has a sense of certainty and finality (cf. Gen. 22:16; Amos 6:8; Heb. 6:13).
22:6-7 This is a brief poem describing the desolation.
3. YHWH will consecrate (i.e., "set apart for His service," BDB 872, KB 1073, Piel perfect, cf. 6:4) the armed destroyers (i.e., this is "holy war" terminology. The point being YHWH is not on Judah's side).
Just a textual note, the last verb of v. 6, "inhabited" (BDB 442, KB 442), in the MT, is a Niphal participle, singular, but the Masoretic scholars suggested (Qere) a Niphal perfect, plural.
▣ "You are like Gilead to Me" These first two lines of poetry in v. 6b and c are parallel and address the royal house. The imagery is that as Gilead and Lebanon were beautiful and forested, so too, the house (palace) of Judah. But it will be destroyed! The house of the king (physical and seed) and the house of the Lord will both be destroyed! Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-28 have come to painful reality!
8"Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, 'Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?' 9Then they will answer, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.'"
22:8-9 Verse 8 expressed the theological question connected to YHWH's judgment of His own covenant people (cf. 16:10; Deut. 28:24-26; I Kgs. 9:8-9; II Chr. 7:20-22).
Moses' prayer of intercession for Israel entreated YHWH about this very issue (cf. Exod. 32:11-13) and YHWH changed His mind (cf. Exod. 32:14). But the covenant people had become so idolatrous (cf. 1:16; 5:19; 8:2; 16:11) and rebellious that only radical surgery could save their corporate life.
The real problem was the sin of the covenant people (cf. v. 9; II Chr. 34:25), not YHWH!
Or see his native land.
22:10-12 This brief poem and prose conclusion addresses the issue of the Davidic seed (Shallum or Jehoahaz, son of Josiah) exiled! This seems to violate II Sam. 7:13-17, but the reality of Ezekiel 18 must also be taken into account. YHWH's promises are sure but they are conditional in relation to individual leaders' volition. Sin has consequences!
There is a series of commands in v. 10.
He was capable of neither!
The AB and UBS Handbook suggest that "the dead" of v. 10a refers to King Josiah, killed by the Egyptian army at Megiddo in 609 b.c. (Cf. II Kgs. 23:28-35; II Chr. 35:20-25). The phrase "who departs" (v. 10b) refers to Jehoahaz (Shallum, cf. I Chr. 3:15), who was Josiah's son who succeeded him but was exiled to Egypt three months later by Pharaoh Necho (cf. II Kgs. 23:31-34; II Chr. 36:2-4).
15Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Is not that what it means to know Me?"
And on practicing oppression and extortion."
22:13-23 This long strophe is addressed to King Jehoiakim and is related to the Davidic promises of II Samuel 7.
Notice the "woe" (BDB 222) of v. 13 and "alas" (DB 222, four times) of v. 18.
2. so opposite of Josiah (cf. vv. 15-16) who "knew" (BDB 395) YHWH. To know YHWH is to live in covenant obedience and compassion. David's reign is described by these terms in II Sam. 8:15.
NASB, NJB"Is not that what it means to know Me?"
NKJV"Was not this knowing Me?"
NRSV"Is not this to know me?"
TEV"That is what it means to know the Lord"
JPSOA"That is truly heeding Me"
JPSOA(footnote)"That is the reward for heeding Me"
LXX"Is not this so, because you do not know me?"
REB"Did not this show he knew me?"
The MT has "not this to know me?" Knowing YHWH involves several aspects.
All are crucial! All reflect biblical faith (cf. Deut. 10:12-13; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:8).
Pain like a woman in childbirth!"
22:20-23 The NJB thinks that these verses address Jehoiachin, who reigned only three months, before being removed and exiled by Nebuchadnezzar. However, the TEV and UBS Handbook think these verses are addressed to Judah/Jerusalem (feminine singular verbs).
It is difficult to know exactly which verses refer to which Davidic king. The NKJV version simply titles the section "Message to the sons of Josiah."
22:20 There are three mountain ranges mentioned.
One wonders why these places?
▣ "your lovers" This refers to all of Judah's political alliances (cf. 2:25; 3:1) in the armies of foreign nations instead of YHWH (cf. Ps. 20:7; 33:16-17; Isa. 31:1; also note Eccl. 9:11).
22:21 "I will not listen!
This has been your practice from your youth" The covenant people had been a stiffnecked, rebellious people (cf. 7:22-26) from the beginning (i.e., two early examples: Exodus 32 and Numbers 16).
22:22 Notice how "shepherds" (Judah's civic and religious leaders, cf. 1:18; 2:8; 10:21; 23:2) are paralleled with "lovers" (foreign alliances). What a sad situation!
Nested in the cedars" This seems to be a literary figure of speech referring to the royal family in Jerusalem. The king's palace was known as "the House of the Cedars of Lebanon" (cf. I Kgs. 7:2; 10:17).
NKJV"How gracious will you be"
MT, TEV"How pitied you will be"
The MT has נחנת from חנן, BDB 335, KB 334, Niphal perfect. The LXX reflects ננחת (there are several roots starting with an "n" meaning "groan" (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 3). Either fits the context and parallelism.
▣ "Pain like a woman in childbirth" This imagery (BDB 408) was used earlier in 4:31; 6:24; 13:21 (also note 30:6; 49:24; 50:43). The pain, though expected, is sudden and intense! The imagery is often used in judgment contexts.
24"As I live," declares the Lord, "even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; 25and I will give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26I will hurl you and your mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it.
28Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or ruling again in Judah.'"
22:24-30 This is specifically addressed to Coniah (i.e., Jeconiah, cf. 24:1), also known by his throne name, Jehoiachin (cf. v. 24). He was exiled in 597 b.c. to Babylon (cf. II Kgs. 24:8-17; 25:27-30). Verses 28-30 are poetry, while vv. 24-27 are prose.
22:24 "As I live" This is a recurrent oath formula where YHWH swears by Himself (cf. v. 5; 44:26; 49:13; 51:14; Gen. 22:16; Deut. 32:40; Isa. 45:23; Amos 6:8). It is a word play on His covenant name, YHWH, from the Hebrew verb "to be." Covenant people were "to swear by His name" (cf. 4:2; 12:16; Deut. 6:13; 10:20).
22:24 "signet ring on My right hand" This is Hebrew imagery for the Davidic royal family, especially the current reigning descendant of David (cf. Hag. 2:23).
22:25 Notice how specific and repetitive is the reference to Jehoiachin's captors.
For the idiom using "hand" see Special Topic at 1:9.
22:27 "they desire" The UBS Handbook for Translators (p. 489) points out that this English phrase is a translation of a Hebrew idiom "they will lift up their souls" (cf. 44:14).
22:28-30 The poem is addressed to Coniah/Jehoiachin (cf. I Chr. 3:16). He has become a vessel of dishonor (cf. 25:34; Hos. 8:8). The potter (YHWH) makes different vessels. Some are spoiled.
The promises of II Samuel 7 are vacated/annulled. No more descendants on the thorne (i.e., he had children but none ruled, cf. v. 30)! This was absolutely shocking to Judeans. YHWH's promise nullified! They forgot that the promises to individuals are always conditional! This opens the theological door for a "new" covenant (cf. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-38)!
It is very clear who is being described but it is not clear who is speaking.
22:29 "O land, land, land" The threefold repetition was a Hebraic idiom of intensity (cf. 7:4; Isa. 6:3; Ezek. 21:27), although some grammarians think it was a liturgical chant. It is even possible that "the land" (see Special Topic at 6:18-19) was functioning as a legal witness in this court genre. The land of Palestine is experiencing the judgment of God because of the sin of God's people. The curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-28 have come in full force! After one reads this text, they are so grateful for Rom. 8:18-25! The new covenant is wonderful!
The word translated "land" has several connotations. See Special Topic at 6:18-19.
22:30 "Write this man down childless" This command from YHWH seems to be unfulfilled because Jehoiachin had several children (cf. I Chr. 3:16-17). However, they never sat on David's throne. A good discussion of the seeming contradiction is found in Hard Sayings of the Bible, p. 310. Another good source for interpreting prophetic literature is D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks, especially pp. 151-154.

References: v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v.