23 Concerning Damascus. H1834 Hamath H2574 is confounded, H954 and Arpad: H774 for they have heard H8085 evil H7451 tidings: H8052 they are fainthearted; H4127 there is sorrow H1674 on the sea; H3220 it cannot H3201 be quiet. H8252
Is not Calno H3641 as Carchemish? H3751 is not Hamath H2574 as Arpad? H774 is not Samaria H8111 as Damascus? H1834
And he divided H2505 himself against them, he and his servants, H5650 by night, H3915 and smote H5221 them, and pursued H7291 them unto Hobah, H2327 which is on the left hand H8040 of Damascus. H1834
So they went up, H5927 and searched H8446 the land H776 from the wilderness H4057 of Zin H6790 unto Rehob, H7340 as men come H935 to Hamath. H2574
And Abram H87 said, H559 Lord H136 GOD, H3069 what wilt thou give H5414 me, seeing I go H1980 childless, H6185 and the steward H1121 H4943 of my house H1004 is this H1931 Eliezer H461 of Damascus? H1834
In G1722 Damascus G1154 the governor G1481 under Aretas G702 the king G935 kept G5432 the city G4172 of the Damascenes G1153 with a garrison, G5432 desirous G2309 to apprehend G4084 me: G3165
And G1161 when neither G3383 sun G2246 nor G3383 stars G798 in G1909 many G4119 days G2250 appeared, G2014 and G5037 no G3756 small G3641 tempest G5494 lay on G1945 us, all G3956 hope G1680 that we G2248 should be saved G4982 was G4014 then G3063 taken away. G4014
And desired G154 of G3844 him G846 letters G1992 to G1519 Damascus G1154 to G4314 the synagogues, G4864 that G3704 if G1437 he found G2147 any G5100 of this way, G3598 whether G5037 they were G5607 men G435 or G2532 women, G1135 he might bring them G71 bound G1210 unto G1519 Jerusalem. G2419
And G2532 there shall be G2071 signs G4592 in G1722 the sun, G2246 and G2532 in the moon, G4582 and G2532 in the stars; G798 and G2532 upon G1909 the earth G1093 distress G4928 of nations, G1484 with G1722 perplexity; G640 the sea G2281 and G2532 the waves G4535 roaring; G2278 Men's G444 hearts failing them G674 for G575 fear, G5401 and G2532 for looking after G4329 those things which are coming on G1904 the earth: G3625 for G1063 the powers G1411 of heaven G3772 shall be shaken. G4531
But G1161 as they G846 sailed G4126 he fell asleep: G879 and G2532 there came down G2597 a storm G2978 of wind G417 on G1519 the lake; G3041 and G2532 they were filled G4845 with water, and G2532 were in jeopardy. G2793 And G1161 they came to him, G4334 and awoke G1326 him, G846 saying, G3004 Master, G1988 master, G1988 we perish. G622 Then G1161 he arose, G1453 and rebuked G2008 the wind G417 and G2532 the raging G2830 of the water: G5204 and G2532 they ceased, G3973 and G2532 there was G1096 a calm. G1055
The burden H4853 of the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 in the land H776 of Hadrach, H2317 and Damascus H1834 shall be the rest H4496 thereof: when the eyes H5869 of man, H120 as of all the tribes H7626 of Israel, H3478 shall be toward the LORD. H3068 And Hamath H2574 also shall border H1379 thereby; Tyrus, H6865 and Zidon, H6721 though it be very H3966 wise. H2449
And the officers H7860 shall speak H1696 further H3254 unto the people, H5971 and they shall say, H559 What man H376 is there that is fearful H3373 and fainthearted? H7390 H3824 let him go H3212 and return H7725 unto his house, H1004 lest his brethren's H251 heart H3824 faint H4549 as well as his heart. H3824
Thus saith H559 the LORD; H3068 For three H7969 transgressions H6588 of Damascus, H1834 and for four, H702 I will not turn away H7725 the punishment thereof; because they have threshed H1758 Gilead H1568 with threshing instruments H2742 of iron: H1270 But I will send H7971 a fire H784 into the house H1004 of Hazael, H2371 which shall devour H398 the palaces H759 of Benhadad. H1130 I will break H7665 also the bar H1280 of Damascus, H1834 and cut off H3772 the inhabitant H3427 from the plain H1237 of Aven, H206 and him that holdeth H8551 the sceptre H7626 from the house H1004 of Eden: H5731 H1040 and the people H5971 of Syria H758 shall go into captivity H1540 unto Kir, H7024 saith H559 the LORD. H3068
The burden H4853 of Damascus. H1834 Behold, Damascus H1834 is taken away H5493 from being a city, H5892 and it shall be a ruinous H4654 heap. H4596 The cities H5892 of Aroer H6177 are forsaken: H5800 they shall be for flocks, H5739 which shall lie down, H7257 and none shall make them afraid. H2729 The fortress H4013 also shall cease H7673 from Ephraim, H669 and the kingdom H4467 from Damascus, H1834 and the remnant H7605 of Syria: H758 they shall be as the glory H3519 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 saith H5002 the LORD H3068 of hosts. H6635
Therefore shall all hands H3027 be faint, H7503 and every man's H582 heart H3824 shall melt: H4549
And it shall come to pass in that day, H3117 that the Lord H136 shall set H3254 his hand H3027 again H3254 the second time H8145 to recover H7069 the remnant H7605 of his people, H5971 which shall be left, H7604 from Assyria, H804 and from Egypt, H4714 and from Pathros, H6624 and from Cush, H3568 and from Elam, H5867 and from Shinar, H8152 and from Hamath, H2574 and from the islands H339 of the sea. H3220
They mount up H5927 to the heaven, H8064 they go down H3381 again to the depths: H8415 their soul H5315 is melted H4127 because of trouble. H7451 They reel to and fro, H2287 and stagger H5128 like a drunken man, H7910 and are at their wits' H2451 end. H1104
Then Asa H609 brought out H3318 silver H3701 and gold H2091 out of the treasures H214 of the house H1004 of the LORD H3068 and of the king's H4428 house, H1004 and sent H7971 to Benhadad H1130 king H4428 of Syria, H758 that dwelt H3427 at Damascus, H1834 saying, H559
And the king H4428 of Assyria H804 brought H935 men from Babylon, H894 and from Cuthah, H3575 and from Ava, H5755 and from Hamath, H2574 and from Sepharvaim, H5617 and placed H3427 them in the cities H5892 of Samaria H8111 instead of the children H1121 of Israel: H3478 and they possessed H3423 Samaria, H8111 and dwelt H3427 in the cities H5892 thereof.
And he gathered H6908 men H582 unto him, and became captain H8269 over a band, H1416 when David H1732 slew H2026 them of Zobah: and they went H3212 to Damascus, H1834 and dwelt H3427 therein, and reigned H4427 in Damascus. H1834
Nevertheless my brethren H251 that went up H5927 with me made the heart H3820 of the people H5971 melt: H4529 but I wholly H4390 followed H310 the LORD H3068 my God. H430
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Jeremiah 49
Commentary on Jeremiah 49 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 49
The cup of trembling still goes round, and the nations must all drink of it, according to the instructions given to Jeremiah, ch. 25:15. This chapter puts it into the hands,
When Israel was scarcely saved where shall all these appear?
Jer 49:1-6
The Ammonites were next, both in kindred and neighbourhood, to the Moabites, and therefore are next set to the bar. Their country joined to that of the two tribes and a half, on the other side Jordan, and was but a bad neighbour; however, being a neighbour, they shall have a share in these circular predictions.
Jer 49:7-22
The Edomites come next to receive their doom from God, by the mouth of Jeremiah: they also were old enemies to the Israel of God; but their day will come to be reckoned with, and it is now at hand, and is foretold, not only for warning to them, but for comfort to the Israel of God, whose afflictions were very much aggravated by their triumphs over them and joy in their calamity, Ps. 137:7. Many of the expressions used in this prophecy concerning Edom are borrowed from the prophecy of Obadiah, which is concerning Edom; for, all the prophets being inspired by one and the same Spirit, there must needs be a wonderful harmony and agreement in their predictions. Now here it is foretold,
Jer 49:23-27
The kingdom of Syria lay north of Canaan, as that of Edom lay south, and thither we must now remove and take a view of the approaching fate of that kingdom, which had been often vexatious to the Israel of God. Damascus was the metropolis of that kingdom, and the ruin of the whole is supposed in the ruin of that: yet Hamath and Arpad, two other considerable cities, are names (v. 23), and the palaces of Ben-hadad, which he built, are particularly marked for ruin, v. 27; see also Amos 1:4. Some think Ben-hadad (the son of Hadad, either their idol, or one of their ancient kings, whence the rest descended) was a common name of the kings of Syria, as Pharaoh of the kings of Egypt. Now observe concerning the judgment of Damascus,
Jer 49:28-33
These verses foretell the desolation that Nebuchadnezzar and his forces should make among the people of Kedar (who descended from Kedar the son of Ishmael, and inhabited a part of Arabia the Stony), and of the kingdoms, the petty principalities, of Hazor, that joined to them, who perhaps were originally Canaanites, of the kingdom of Hazor, in the north of Canaan, which had Jabin for its king, but, being driven thence, settled in the deserts of Arabia and associated themselves with the Kedarenes. Concerning this people we may here observe,
Jer 49:34-39
This prophecy is dated in the beginning of Zedekiah's reign; it is probable that the other prophecies against the Gentiles, going before, were at the same time. The Elamites were the Persians, descended from Elam the son of Shem (Gen. 10:22); yet some think it was only that part of Persia which lay nearest to the Jews which was called Elymais, and adjoined to Media-Elam, which, say they, had acted against God's Israel, bore the quiver in an expedition against them (Isa. 22:6), and therefore must be reckoned with among the rest. It is here foretold, in general, that God will bring evil upon them, even his fierce anger, and that is evil enough, it has all evil in it, v. 37. In particular,