Jeremiah 27
Summary for Jer 27:1-22: 27:1-22 a The Lord ordered Jeremiah to send messages to the ambassadors from nearby countries to announce the Lord’s judgment upon them. He was to illustrate his message by wearing a wooden yoke. This event took place in 594–593 BC (see 28:1 b).Summary for Jer 27:4-5: 27:4-5 c The entire weight of the divine name was behind this message (see study note on 2:2). The Lord’s authority over everything was a direct challenge to the false nature deities worshiped by each of the nations addressed.
Summary for Jer 27:6-8: 27:6-8 d God had given Nebuchadnezzar authority over the whole region, so resistance to him was futile. All the nations would serve him and his descendants. The fall of Babylon at the hand of Cyrus took place in 539 BC during the reign of Belshazzar, a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar.
27:8 e Babylon’s yoke: Cp. 21:8-10 f; 27:2-3 g.
Summary for Jer 27:9-10: 27:9-10 h Jeremiah warned against those who delivered messages contrary to those of the Lord. False prophets made predictions that supported idol worship; fortune-tellers claimed to have special abilities to predict future events by reading the stars, staring into crystal balls, and analyzing animal livers; interpreters of dreams predicted the future by analyzing people’s dreams and explaining what would happen; mediums claimed to converse with dead people; sorcerers specialized in casting spells to hurt or bless people by saying certain words or phrases that would concentrate evil or blessing on someone.
• The king of Babylon will not conquer you: This prediction was false; Nebuchadnezzar conquered the entire region beginning in 605 BC.
Summary for Jer 27:12-15: 27:12-15 i The terms of God’s decree (27:4-11 j) applied to Judah as much as to the surrounding nations.
27:16 k The gold articles and other treasures had been taken from the Temple in 597 BC.
Summary for Jer 27:18-19: 27:18-19 l Even the false prophets were called upon to repent and pray to the Lord.
Summary for Jer 27:20-22: 27:20-22 m When Judah’s king Jehoiachin was taken prisoner, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left the large, valuable furniture in the Temple, all of which he carried away in 586 BC.
27:22 n When Cyrus of Persia allowed the exiles to return in 538 BC, they also brought the Temple furnishings back to Jerusalem with them (Ezra 1:7-11 o; 5:13-15 p).
Copyright information for
TNotes