←Jeremiah 49→BSB

In This Chapter 9 people 21 places 35 terms

People

Israel 6 Kedar 3 Gad (Patriarch) 2 Nebuchadnezzar 2 Zedekiah 2 Jacob (Patriarch) Jeshurun (Israel) Jeremiah (Son of Hilkiah) Mattaniah (Zedekiah)

Places

    Key Terms

    Dispossess 7 Counsel 6 Be Blameless 5 Wisdom 4 Word of the Lord 4 Trust 3 Perceive 3 Deal With 3 Appoint 3 Swear 3 Curse (Formula) 3 Take Possession Inherit Ability (Skill) Ability (Power) World Universe Miracle Ability (Spiritual) Lordship Spiritually Blamelessly Faultless Blameless Curse (Invocation of Harm) To Curse Curse (Consign to Death) Curse (Enchant) Curse (Pronouncement Against) Safety Safety (State) Safety (Trust) Safe Safety (Security) Safety (Confidence)

    Judgment on the Ammonites

    ⓘ Ammon was the next nation judged in the...

    Ammon was the next nation judged in the Lord's courtroom. Ammon was the second descendant of Lot (see study note on Jeremiah 48:1–47). Its land was north of Moab and east of Israel. Ammon's destruction happened soon after Jerusalem fell.

    1Concerning the Ammonites, this is what the LORD says:

    “Has Israel no sons?Is he without heir?Why then has Milcom† taken possession of Gad?Why have his people settled in their cities?2Therefore, behold, the days are coming,declares the LORD,when I will sound the battle cryagainst Rabbah of the Ammonites.It will become a heap of ruins,and its villages will be burned.Then Israel will drive out their dispossessors,says the LORD.3Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed;cry out, O daughters of Rabbah!Put on sackcloth and mourn;run back and forth within your walls,for Milcom will go into exiletogether with his priests and officials.
    ⓘ The Ammonites relied on their wealth, but it...

    The Ammonites relied on their wealth, but it could not keep them safe. The Lord ensured their judgment and future restoration.
    4Why do you boast of your valleys—your valleys so fruitful,†O faithless daughter?You trust in your riches and say,‘Who can come against me?’
    5Behold, I am about to bring terror upon you,declares the Lord GOD of Hosts,from all those around you.You will each be driven headlong,with no one to regather the fugitives.6Yet afterward I will restore the Ammonites from captivity,Ӡdeclares the LORD.

    Judgment on Edom

    (Obadiah 1:1–14)

    ⓘ The people of Edom were descendants of Esau,...

    The people of Edom were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother (Genesis 32:3). Edom was located south of Moab, in the highlands east of the Arabah Valley. The divine Judge held every nation accountable.
    ⓘ Is there no longer wisdom: Edom was known...

    • Is there no longer wisdom: Edom was known for its wise men, but they would soon seem foolish because they did not know about the coming disaster.

    • Teman and Dedan were cities in Edom.

    7Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

    “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?Has counsel perished from the prudent?Has their wisdom decayed?8Turn and run!Lie low, O dwellers of Dedan,for I will bring disaster on Esauat the time I punish him.
    ⓘ Harvesters usually left some of the crop for...

    Harvesters usually left some of the crop for the poor (Leviticus 19:9–10). Thieves would take only the grapes they could grab quickly and easily. The invaders would take their time and ruthlessly strip Edom bare, leaving only ruin behind. However, the Lord promised to show mercy to the defeated nation's orphans and widows.
    9If grape gatherers came to you,would they not leave some gleanings?Were thieves to come in the night,would they not steal only what they wanted?10But I will strip Esau bare;I will uncover his hiding places,and he will be unable to conceal himself.His descendants will be destroyedalong with his relatives and neighbors,and he will be no more.
    11Abandon your orphans; I will preserve their lives.Let your widows trust in Me.”
    ⓘ The cup of judgment represented the fulfillment of...

    The cup of judgment represented the fulfillment of the Lord's commands (see Jeremiah 25:15–17). This part clearly shows what happens after a nation drinks from that cup.

    12For this is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you must drink it too. 13For by Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins forever.”

    14I have heard a message from the LORD;an envoy has been sent to the nations:“Assemble yourselves to march against her!Rise up for battle!”
    ⓘ The leaders of Edom believed they were powerful...

    • The leaders of Edom believed they were powerful because they scared travelers on the King's Highway.

    • Edom had a rock fortress, now called Petra. It was difficult to find and reachable only through a deep, narrow gorge. Even this remote place could not protect the Edomites from the Lord's judgment.
    15“For behold, I will make you small among nations,despised among men.16The terror you causeand the pride of your hearthave deceived you,O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks,†O occupiers of the mountain summit.Though you elevate your nest like the eagle,even from there I will bring you down,”declares the LORD.17“Edom will become an object of horror.All who pass by will be appalledand will scoff at all her wounds.18As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrownalong with their neighbors,”says the LORD,“no one will dwell there;no man will abide there.19Behold, one will come up like a lionfrom the thickets of the Jordan to the watered pasture.For in an instant I will chase Edom from her land.Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?For who is like Me, and who can challenge Me?What shepherd can stand against Me?”
    20Therefore hear the plansthat the LORD has drawn up against Edomand the strategies He has devisedagainst the people of Teman:Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away;certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.†21At the sound of their fall the earth will quake;their cry will resound to the Red Sea.†22Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down,spreading its wings over Bozrah.In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty menwill be like the heart of a woman in labor.

    Judgment on Damascus

    (Isaiah 17:1–14)

    ⓘ Damascus, the capital of Aram (ancient Syria), and...

    Damascus, the capital of Aram (ancient Syria), and the Aramean cities of Hamath and Arpad, show that Aram is the next target of the Lord's judgment.

    23Concerning Damascus:

    “Hamath and Arpad are put to shame,for they have heard a bad report;they are agitated like the sea;†their anxiety cannot be calmed.24Damascus has become feeble;she has turned to flee.Panic has gripped her;anguish and pain have seized herlike a woman in labor.
    25How is the city of praise not forsaken,the town that brings Me joy?26For her young men will fall in the streets,and all her warriors will be silenced in that day,”declares the LORD of Hosts.27“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;it will consume the fortresses of Ben-hadad.”

    Judgment on Kedar and Hazor

    ⓘ The Babylonians aimed to defeat the Kedar warriors...

    The Babylonians aimed to defeat the Kedar warriors to seize their valuable household goods and camels.
    ⓘ The nomads of Kedar moved freely in the...

    • The nomads of Kedar moved freely in the upper Arabian Desert, east of Palestine. They were a warlike people (Psalm 120:5–7; Isaiah 21:13–16) who raised animals for profitable trade with Tyre (Ezekiel 27:21).

    • Hazor was a region east of Damascus where nomads lived.

    • The poem encourages King Nebuchadnezzar to attack and describes the battles' effects.

    28Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated, this is what the LORD says:

    “Rise up, advance against Kedar,and destroy the people of the east!29They will take their tents and flocks,their tent curtains and all their goods.They will take their camels for themselves.They will shout to them: ‘Terror is on every side!’
    30Run! Escape quickly!Lie low, O residents of Hazor,”declares the LORD,“for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonhas drawn up a plan against you;he has devised a strategy against you.
    31Rise up, advance against a nation at ease,one that dwells securely,”declares the LORD.“They have no gates or bars;they live alone.
    32Their camels will become plunder,and their large herds will be spoil.I will scatter to the wind in every directionthose who shave their temples;I will bring calamity on themfrom all sides,”declares the LORD.33“Hazor will become a haunt for jackals,†a desolation forever.No one will dwell there;no man will abide there.”

    Judgment on Elam

    ⓘ The last poetic message in this series was...

    The last poetic message in this series was for Elam. This fierce nation was in the Zagros Mountains, far east of Babylon (Ezekiel 32:24).

    34This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah. 35This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

    “Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow,the mainstay of their might.36I will bring the four winds against Elamfrom the four corners of the heavens,and I will scatter themto all these winds.There will not be a nationto which Elam’s exiles will not go.37So I will shatter Elam before their foes,before those who seek their lives.I will bring disaster upon them,even My fierce anger,”declares the LORD.“I will send out the sword after themuntil I finish them off.38I will set My throne in Elam,and destroy its king and officials,”declares the LORD.39“Yet in the last days,I will restore Elam from captivity,”†declares the LORD.