Concerning Damascus. Hamath is put to shame, and Arpad; for they have heard evil tidings, they are melted away there is distress on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
Jeremiah's word against the nations now turns north to Syria, and it opens not with armies but with news that leaves Hamath and Arpad shaking. Why does God single out Damascus, and why does He promise no return for her when other nations get one?
These nations were the neighbours Judah had leaned on for safety.
In Jeremiah 46 we have the condemnation of Egypt, where these foolish Jews had fled for safety. Jeremiah 47 then condemns Philistia, and chapter 48 condemns Moab. All these countries were places the Jews looked to for security. In Jeremiah 49 the judgment of the Ammonites is given with Damascus and others, even Elam.
God had a long record with Damascus, and His handling of it followed a pattern seen elsewhere.
Isaiah prophesied that Damascus would become a heap of ruins, because it joined with Ephraim against God's city Jerusalem. God had used the kings of Syria to punish Israel. But later, as in other cases, He brought them to nothing for their arrogance and cruelty.
Both cities had already fallen to Assyria. One man used their names to argue that no god could rescue a nation from that power.
He tried hard to direct their minds away from the Lord to other things, such as the gods of the nations. Had any of them been able to deliver a nation from the hand of the king of Assyria? What of the gods of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? All of these had fallen into bondage to Assyria. The answer is simple. None of those nations was depending on the only true God.
The verse pictures a region that has heard bad news and cannot settle. Scripture uses the same restless sea for those who live far from God.
The peace is only for those who are brought into right relations with God. It is not for the wicked who, far from Him, are as restless as the sea. The winds keep the sea constantly stirred up.
Some nations in these chapters have a future. Damascus does not.
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar; but some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
Commentators see more here than the Babylonian invasion. They point to a judgment on this same land that is still ahead.
This judgment against Damascus and the land next to it was carried out in part not long after the prophecy, when Alexander the Great invaded and conquered the land. But there is a longer range, still future fulfilment. Syria, at the time of the end, will have an active part in the invasion by the King of the North into Israel, and will suffer God's judgment for this.
- Refuge. The nations judged here were the places Judah had looked to for security — Egypt, Philistia, Moab and their neighbours.
- Record. God used Damascus against Israel, then brought it to nothing for its own arrogance and cruelty.
- Report. Hamath and Arpad fall first, and the news alone breaks Damascus. Their gods had already failed them.
- Restlessness. Restless fear marks those far from God. Peace belongs only to those brought into right relations with Him.
- Return. Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon are to be restored in the latter day. Damascus is not.
Damascus is grown feeble she turneth herself to flee, and terror hath seized on her; trouble and sorrows have taken hold of her as of a woman in travail.
Damascus was the great old city north of Israel. Here she panics, her strength gone, gripped by pain like a woman giving birth. Why does God single out this city? And what does it mean that He names her fall centuries before it comes?
Jeremiah names Damascus in a run of messages against neighbouring nations. One writer points out what ties them together:
In Jeremiah 46 we have the condemnation of Egypt, where these foolish Jews had fled for security. Then comes the condemnation of Philistia in Jeremiah 47, and again of Moab (Jer. 48). This is because all these countries were places to which the Jews looked for security. In Jeremiah 49 the judgment of the Ammonites is given with Damascus and others, even Elam.
God had once used Damascus for His own purpose. That did not shield her later:
God had used the kings of Syria to punish Israel; but, as in other cases, He afterwards brought them to nothing for their arrogance and cruelty.
That cruelty had a limit. Writing on the parallel message in Amos, one commentator names the offence:
The Spirit begins with the greatest but most outlying of the enemies listed here, the Syrians. God would not forgive their ruthless and persistent efforts to cruelly wipe out the Jews east of the Jordan. This filled the cup of Syria.
God promises to restore some of these nations one day. Damascus is not among them.
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar; but some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
The same writer gives the reason for the difference:
Elam's place did not get in the way of what God has reserved for Israel in the latter day, as Philistia, Damascus and Hazor did. So God will show His goodness to Elam when the kingdom comes.
The prophecy came true. Babylon rose and carried out the punishment on the nations, just as Jeremiah had foretold.
We see Babylon, a young power compared with the others, rise up and do this. It is enough to fill us with astonishment, and to carry conviction to any thoughtful person that God rules in the kingdom of men. Chapters 45 to 49 all had their fulfilment in this connection in a most marvellous manner.
One writer, on a later prophecy that names Damascus, sees both a near fulfilment and a further one:
This judgment against Damascus and the land next to it came in part not long after the prophecy, when Alexander the Great invaded and conquered the land. But there is a longer range, still future fulfilment. Syria, at the time of the end, will have an active part in the invasion by the King of the North into Israel, and will suffer God's judgment for this.
Damascus loses her nerve and turns to run. One writer describes the same terror on a far wider scale, when God shakes the whole order men trust in:
They had been resting in imagined security on the whole framework of man's order. Now it is struck and shattered into ten thousand pieces. God does not appear in the judgment. But man has a conscience. So, faced with this dreadful event, all alike are afraid of the wrath of God and of the Lamb. Where now is man's courage? Man's own warriors tremble, for they feel the presence of a God whose very existence they had denied until then. Together they try to hide themselves.
- Refuge — Judah leaned on nations like Damascus for safety instead of on God. God names each one for judgment in turn.
- Cup — God used Syria's kings against Israel, then judged them for their arrogance and cruelty. Their long effort to wipe out the Jews east of the Jordan filled the cup.
- Feebleness — the strong city's courage drains away before the blow lands. Warriors who once denied God collapse in the same way.
- No return — God promises to restore Egypt, Moab, Ammon and Elam. He gives Damascus no such promise, because her place stood in the way of what He has reserved for Israel.
- Rule — Babylon carried out the prophecy. That proves God rules in the kingdom of men. Writers also see a further reckoning for Syria at the end.
How is not the town of praise forsaken, the city of my joy!
Jeremiah's long list of prophecies against the nations reaches Syria. The word about Damascus breaks off into a cry of astonishment over a celebrated city, a city of joy. Why does such a famous city fall? And does the ruin stop with Nebuchadnezzar's armies?
Damascus is not singled out on its own. It stands in a list that runs from Egypt to Babylon. One writer points out what ties these nations together: they were the places the Jews looked to for safety.
In Jeremiah 46 we have the condemnation of Egypt, where these foolish Jews had fled for safety. Then comes the condemnation of Philistia in Jeremiah 47. Then again of Moab (Jer. 48), because all these countries were places to which the Jews looked for security. Jeremiah 49 gives the judgment of the Ammonites along with Damascus and others, even Elam.
The cry comes after verses about a city gripped by fear and losing its strength.
In the rest of the chapter (vv. 23 to 39) we are shown the judgment of Damascus, which is seized with fear and grows weak.
Syria had once served God's purpose against Israel. That did not leave it safe.
God had used the kings of Syria to punish Israel; but, as in other cases, He afterwards brought them to nothing for their arrogance and cruelty.
Writing on the parallel charge in Amos, one commentator names the crime behind the fall.
Their ruthless and persistent efforts to cruelly wipe out the Jews east of the Jordan would not be forgiven. This filled the cup of Syria.
The verse points to the city's reputation. Some translations read "the town of praise." Writing on a parallel word in Isaiah, one commentator weighs what that fame was worth.
Damascus, which was to the north of the Holy Land, was the very ancient and most celebrated city of Syria of old. It was to be made a heap of ruins.
Some nations in these chapters receive a closing promise of restoration. Damascus is not one of them.
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar; but some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
Commentators differ on how far ahead these words look. Writing on a parallel word in Zechariah, one commentator treats the ancient conquest as only a first stage, with Syria in view again at the end.
This judgment against Damascus and the land next to it came in measure not long after the prophecy, when Alexander the Great invaded and conquered the land. But there is a longer range, still future fulfilment. Syria, at the time of the end, will have an active part in the invasion by the King of the North into Israel, and will suffer God's judgment for this.
These words are not just old history. One writer points to a young power doing to nation after nation just what Jeremiah had said.
Jeremiah foretells that the Lord "will punish all those who are circumcised along with the uncircumcised: Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who live in the farthest corners" (Jer. 9:25-26). Then we see Babylon, a comparatively young power, rise up and do this. It is enough to fill us with astonishment, and to convince any thoughtful person that God rules in the kingdom of men. Chapters 45 to 49 all had their fulfilment in this way in a most remarkable manner.
- Praised — Damascus was the most celebrated city of Syria, ancient and admired, and the verse calls it a joy. Fame did not exempt it; it was to be made a heap of ruins.
- Used — God used the kings of Syria against Israel. Being useful to God is not the same as being right with God.
- Guilty — Their cruelty toward the Jews east of the Jordan filled Syria's cup. That is the charge behind the fall.
- Feared — Fear grips the city and its strength drains away before the enemy arrives. The heart fails before the walls do.
- Final — Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon get a promise of restoration. Damascus does not, and its judgment reaches on to the end, when Syria attacks Israel again. Babylon's conquests already proved that God rules in the kingdom of men.
Therefore shall her young men fall in her streets, and all the men of war be cut off in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts.
Jeremiah 49 collects short judgment announcements against the nations around Israel, and verses 23-27 turn to Damascus, the capital of Syria. Verse 26 draws the conclusion: Damascus loses the very men meant to defend it — which raises two questions, why and on whose authority.
Commentators note that the nations in this chapter are not all treated alike. Damascus belongs to a group marked out for an end, though not every nation in that group is judged for the same reason:
For Edom (verses 7-22), Damascus (verses 23-27), and Hazor (28-33), God's sovereign wisdom holds a different future. They are to be destroyed with no remedy. Not all for the same reason, it seems, but all certainly in perfect justice.
God had once used Syria against His own people. That did not protect Syria when its own turn came:
God had used the kings of Syria to punish Israel; but, as in other cases, He afterwards for their arrogance and cruelty brought them to nothing.
The book of Amos names what Damascus had done to deserve this:
The Spirit begins with the greatest but most external of the enemies listed here, the Syrians. Their ruthless, cruel and persistent efforts to wipe out the Jews east of the Jordan would not be forgiven. This filled the cup of Syria. The Syrians were to go back as captives to Kir, the place they had come out from as conquerors and settlers.
So who acts "in that day"? Writers tie this whole block of prophecies to one man God raised up:
In chapter 49 the Ammonites are repaid. Edom also is punished. So are Damascus and Kedar, and Hazor, and Elam. God had raised up the King of Babylon to carry out His righteous and necessary judgments on the peoples — on Israel, on Egypt, yes, on "all the kingdoms of the world" (Jer. 25:20-26). The state of things was such as to call for this from God's hand.
The verse ends with the title "the LORD of hosts." Kelly writes about a similar scene, where a city's rulers flee and its slain fall. There he says the trouble and confusion "sprang not from the dust but were by Jehovah of hosts" (William Kelly).
Some nations in these chapters get a closing word of mercy. Damascus does not:
All these nations were to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar. But some of them are to be restored in the latter day: Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon. Not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
Kelly gives a reason for the difference. Elam's place, he writes, "did not stand in the way, as Philistia, Damascus and Hazor did, of what God has reserved for Israel in the latter day" (William Kelly). Commentators differ over how far these words reach. Some see a further fulfilment still ahead for Syria at the end of the age (L. M. Grant).
Judah had been running to these nations for safety:
In Jeremiah 46 we have the denunciation of Egypt where these foolish Jews had fled for security, and the further denunciation of Philistia in Jeremiah 47. Then again of Moab (Jer. 48): because all these countries were places to which the Jews looked for security.
Every fortress Judah admired was on God's list. Damascus's young men fell in her own squares, and no refuge outside God is a refuge at all.
- Cause — Damascus tried to wipe out God's people east of the Jordan. That cruelty "filled the cup of Syria."
- Used, then judged — God used Syria's kings to punish Israel. Later He brought them to nothing for their arrogance. Being God's tool is not the same as being God's favourite.
- Authority — "the LORD of hosts" announces the day. The confusion in the city does not rise from the dust. It comes from Him, and He uses the king of Babylon to carry it out.
- Reach — the blow lands where Damascus was proudest. Its young men and its soldiers fall together: its future and its defence.
- Result — unlike Egypt, Moab, Ammon and Elam, Damascus gets no word of restoration. What stood in the way of God's purpose for His people has no part in the latter day.
And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.
Jeremiah's word against Damascus ends with fire. God says He will kindle it Himself, and it will burn down the strongholds of a royal house known for tormenting Israel. Why Damascus? And why this house?
God had once used Syria's kings against His own people. Then He turned on Syria. A reference work traces both halves of that history:
Isaiah prophesied that Damascus would become a heap of ruins. This was because of its alliance with Ephraim against God's city Jerusalem. See also Amos 1:3-5; Jeremiah 49:23-27; Zechariah 9:1. God had used the kings of Syria to punish Israel. But, as in other cases, He later brought them to nothing for their arrogance and cruelty.
Amos names the cruelty that filled up Syria's account, in wording close to Jeremiah's. One commentator explains what put Syria first on the list:
The Spirit begins with the greatest but most external of the enemies listed here, the Syrians. God would not forgive their ruthless, determined, cruel efforts to wipe out the Jews east of the Jordan. This filled the cup of Syria.
Ben-hadad was a royal name in Damascus, carried by more than one king. This one inherited a throne built on violence against Israel, and he lived to see that power broken:
Son of Hazael. Because of Israel's sin, God handed them over to this king. But in the end Israel defeated Ben-hadad three times and recovered her cities. 2 Kings 13:3, 24, 25; Jeremiah 49:27; Amos 1:4.
A prophet foresaw what his father Hazael would do, and wept as he told it:
Hazael murdered Ben-hadad, and Elisha predicted all the horrible things he would do to Israel. The man of God wept, and Hazael asked why. Elisha answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women" (2 Kings 8:12).
The sentence fits the crime. Hazael's house set fire to other people's strongholds. Now fire takes its own.
The same writer explains what the fire means in these announcements, and how it fell on Damascus:
The meaning of it is that the measure is full and that the judgment cannot be turned aside. Fire is named again and again as the way judgment comes. These nations were the enemies of Israel... Damascus was broken and the predicted judgment came. God carried it out through the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, who drove the Syrians back to Kir, where they had come from (2 Kings 16:9).
Note who lights it. The verse does not say an army will burn Damascus. It says God will. The human agent is real, but secondary.
Jeremiah 49 sweeps through several peoples, and they do not all get the same verdict. Some hear of a future beyond the ruin. Damascus does not:
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar; but some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
One writer groups Damascus with two neighbours under the same sentence:
With Edom (vv. 7-22), Damascus (vv. 23-27), and Hazor (vv. 28-33), there is a different future in the sovereign wisdom of God. God will destroy them without remedy — not all for the same reason, it seems, but all certainly in perfect justice.
Damascus sat on ground God regarded as His. One writer points to the mistake Israel's enemies made:
These judgments of Jehovah fall on the nations that have settled on the territory promised to Abraham... Here we see the folly of the hope that the enemies of God's people held. They sought Israel's ruin, thinking they would gain by it. No doubt God can discipline His people, for He must make His own character clear. But the malice of their enemies brings His judgment on them too.
- Rod. God used Syria's kings to discipline Israel. Then He judged Syria for its arrogance and cruelty.
- Cup. Syria's efforts to wipe out the Jews east of the Jordan filled its measure. A full measure means judgment that cannot be turned aside.
- Fire. Hazael's house set fire to Israel's fortresses. God's fire now takes his own house's strongholds.
- Remedy. God promises Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon restoration in the last days. Damascus, Philistia and Hazor get no such promise. They are destroyed without remedy, yet in perfect justice.
- Folly. Those who sought advantage in Israel's ruin found only their own ruin. God may discipline His people, but malice against them draws His judgment on the attacker.
Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote. Thus saith Jehovah Arise, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.
Between the word against Damascus and the word against Elam, Jeremiah names tent-dwellers in the Arabian desert. They have no city and no walls. So why does God name wandering shepherds in a book about empires, and why is Babylon's king named as the one who strikes them?
The closing chapters of Jeremiah work through the peoples around Judah one by one. One writer lists them in order, with Kedar seventh:
The section begins — "The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations" (Jer. 46:1). 1. Egypt (Jer. 46:2); 2. The Philistines (Jer. 47:1); 3. Moab (Jer. 48:1); 4. The Ammonites (Jer. 49:1); 5. Edom (Jer. 49:7); 6. Damascus (Jer. 49:23); 7. Kedar (Jer. 49:28); 8. Hazor (Jer. 49:30); 9. Elam (Jer. 49:34); 10. Babylon (Jer. 50 and 51).
The same writer traces the whole series back to one commission, and to the reason for it:
God had raised up the King of Babylon to carry out His righteous and necessary judgments on the peoples — on Israel, on Egypt, on "all the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines". Yes, on "all the kingdoms of the world" (Jer. 25:20-26). The state of things was such as to call for this from God's hand.
Kedar was not a city but a family that grew into a tribe. The details scattered across Scripture fit a life lived in tents, not houses:
Son of Ishmael, and founder of an important tribe in the north-west of Arabia. The name is probably also used for Arabs in general. Gen. 25:13; 1 Chr. 1:29… The references to lambs, rams, goats, flocks, camels, tents, and tent-curtains show a wandering people, though their "villages" are also mentioned. Judgements were pronounced against them. Isa. 21:16-17; Isa. 42:11; Isa. 60:7; Jer. 2:10; Jer. 49:28; Ezek. 27:21.
A reference work can say little about this Hazor beyond what the verse gives:
Place in "the east" that was to be struck down by Nebuchadnezzar, and be a wasteland for ever. Jer. 49:28, 30, 33. Not identified.
These oracles are not primarily about the distant future. One writer marks what gives Jeremiah's prophecies against the nations their particular shape:
We shall find special features in the prophecies about the nations. The judgments are not those of the last days, as in Isaiah. In keeping with the general character of the book, they refer to the destruction of the different nations, to make way for the rule of one single empire.
Kedar's way of life looked safe. There was no city to besiege, and open country to disappear into. Writing on Isaiah's word about Arabia, one writer sets that cover beside Edom's rocks:
The thickets of Arabia would hide no one from the storm, any more than the rocks and mountain strongholds of Edom did… Total ruin within a year is pronounced on the mighty men of the sons of Kedar. Man fails, great or small. Jehovah remains, and He will reign over this earth and all the races of mankind.
The desert tribes fall, yet the sentence sounds different from the one on Edom a few verses earlier. One writer traces that difference to a missing tie:
Here too destruction falls, and no restoration is promised. But nothing here tolls as solemnly as the judgment on Edom. They fully deserved what God did through the Chaldeans, and they will deserve whatever God may do later on. But they had no special tie, so they will meet with no special judgment, and with no exemption or restoration in the last days either.
The same writer marks which peoples have a future and which do not:
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar. But some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
The point of naming obscure tribes becomes clear once the history runs its course:
Jeremiah foretold that the Lord "will punish all those who are circumcised along with the uncircumcised; Egypt, Judah, and Edom and the children of Ammon, and Moab and all that are in the utmost corners" (Jer. 9:25-26). Then we see Babylon, a young power, rise up and do it. That is enough to fill us with astonishment, and to convince any thoughtful person that God rules in the kingdom of men. Chapters 45 to 49 all had their fulfilment in this connection in a most marvellous manner.
The ESV renders that phrase "all those who are circumcised merely with the flesh."
- Named. Kedar and Hazor take their turn in a list that runs from Egypt to Babylon — no people is too small for God's word to address.
- Reached. Kedar came from Ishmael and lived in tents with flocks and camels. God's word reaches a way of life, not a walled capital.
- Commissioned. Babylon's king does the striking. But God raised him up to carry out judgments on all the kingdoms, so his campaign is God's sentence.
- Exposed. The open desert shelters no better than Edom's rocks. Man fails, great or small. Jehovah remains, and He will reign.
- Measured. These tribes had no special tie, so no special judgment and no promised restoration. And the fulfilment of it all convinces thoughtful people that God rules in the kingdom of men.
Their tents and their flocks shall they take; their curtains and all their vessels, and their camels, shall they carry away for themselves; and they shall cry unto them, Terror on every side!
Jeremiah 49 moves through the nations around Judah, and at verse 28 it turns to the desert tribes of Kedar and Hazor. They had no city walls, only tents, flocks and camels — so why would God send an army after wandering shepherds?
Tents, flocks, curtains and camels are not a random list. They are the whole property of a people who lived on the move.
Kedar was a son of Ishmael. He founded an important tribe living in the north-west of Arabia, though the name is probably also used for Arabs in general… The references to lambs, rams, goats, flocks, camels, tents, and tent-curtains show that this was a nomadic people, though their 'villages' are also mentioned.
No one knows where this Hazor stood. One writer describes it only as a place "in 'the east'" that Nebuchadnezzar would strike, leaving it "a desolation for ever" (Morrish Bible Dictionary).
Verse 28 names Nebuchadnezzar as the one who strikes. But a greater hand moves him, and it reaches far past Kedar.
In chapter 49 the Ammonites receive their recompense. Edom also is punished. Likewise Damascus and Kedar, and Hazor, and Elam. God had raised up the King of Babylon to carry out His righteous and necessary judgments on the peoples… Things had come to such a state that they called for this from God's hand.
So the raid on the tents was not just a strong nation robbing a weak one. It was God's judgment, carried out by Babylon.
Kedar had wealth, but nothing to defend it with. One writer calls Kedar "a wealthy pastoral tribe". Reviewing a scholar who explained these prophecies by troop movements alone, he adds a sharp comment: "How sad to leave God out of prophecy" (William Kelly). You cannot lock flocks behind a gate, and the open desert gave no cover. The same writer says this on the parallel word against Arabia in Isaiah:
The thickets of Arabia would hide no one from the storm, any more than the rocks and mountain strongholds of Edom… Man fails, great or small. Jehovah abides, and will reign over this earth and all the races of mankind.
Kedar loses everything here. Yet the sentence does not sound like the one passed on Edom.
Here too destruction falls. No restoration is foretold, but there is no such solemn death-knell of judgment as in Edom's case. They fully deserved what God did through the Babylonians, and they will deserve whatever God may do later on. But as they had no special tie, so they will meet with no special judgment — any more than exemption or restoration in the last days.
The difference is relationship. Edom had a special tie to Israel. Kedar had none, so its judgment is real but not singled out.
Not every nation in these chapters ends the same way. One writer sets out who returns and who does not.
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar; but some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
Another writer looks at what recovery will mean. When Israel turns to the Lord and Christ reigns as her King, "these broken nations will be delivered also", in a world order "of which Christ will be the honoured Centre" (H J Vine).
- Tents. Kedar came from Ishmael and lived by flocks, camels and tent-curtains. The raiders take everything they owned.
- Hand. God raised up the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar's raid carried out His righteous and necessary judgments.
- Shelter. This wealthy tribe had no walls, and the desert gave no cover. Man fails, great or small. Jehovah abides, and will reign over all the races of mankind.
- Measure. Kedar fully deserved what came. But it had no special tie to Israel, so it met no special judgment, unlike Edom.
- Silence. Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon will know restoration in the latter day. Hazor is not on that list.
Flee, wander very far, dwell deep down, ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith Jehovah; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
Arise, get you up against the nation at ease, that dwelleth securely, saith Jehovah, which hath neither gates nor bars they dwell alone.
Jeremiah's messages against the nations reach the tent-dwelling tribes of the Arabian desert near the end of chapter 49. Here was a people with no city to besiege and no wall to breach. The verse is an order to an invading army. Why would God name a scattered desert people, far from Jerusalem and at war with no one, in a prophet's book at all?
This message belongs to a series that runs from chapter 46 to chapter 51. One writer sets out the whole sequence in order:
The section begins — "The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations" (Jer. 46:1). 1. Egypt (Jer. 46:2); 2. The Philistines (Jer. 47:1); 3. Moab (Jer. 48:1); 4. The Ammonites (Jer. 49:1); 5. Edom (Jer. 49:7); 6. Damascus (Jer. 49:23); 7. Kedar (Jer. 49:28); 8. Hazor (Jer. 49:30); 9. Elam (Jer. 49:34); 10. Babylon (Jer. 50 and 51).
Kedar came from a son of Ishmael. The verse describes a nation that "dwells alone," and the details Scripture gives about Kedar fit that picture:
Son of Ishmael, and founder of an important tribe living in the north-west of Arabia, though the name is probably also used for Arabs generally (Gen. 25:13; 1 Chr. 1:29). … The references to lambs, rams, goats, flocks, camels, tents, and tent-curtains show that these were a nomadic people, though Scripture also mentions their "villages."
These tent-dwellers were not poor wanderers:
Kedar was a wealthy pastoral tribe (Isa. 9:7; Jer. 49:29).
A people with nothing worth capturing might seem the safest of all. Writing on a parallel message about Arabia, one commentator answers that idea — and gives the reason it fails:
The thickets of Arabia would be no more an effective hiding place from the storm than the rocks and mountain strongholds of Edom. … Man fails, great or small; Jehovah abides and will reign over this earth and all the races of mankind.
The order to rise up and advance is not Nebuchadnezzar's idea. The same writer traces the campaign back to its source:
God had raised up the king of Babylon to carry out His righteous and necessary judgments upon the peoples — Israel, Egypt, "all the mixed tribes among them" … yes, upon "all the kingdoms of the world" (Jer. 25:20-26). The state of things called for this from God's hand.
Kedar stood outside Israel and outside God's covenant. That did not put the tribe outside His rule:
Scripture clearly shows us God governing the world by His providence, outside His covenant, in the same books that reveal the dealings of His electing grace. … No sober Christian expects a continuing miracle in the case of Ishmael. But what God said of that race is as sure as what He said of Israel, no less than of Babylon, Medo-Persia, the Greek power, or the Roman.
Kedar felt safe without walls. One commentator finds the same frame of mind in people who do not know God:
This peace is inward quiet and outward freedom from danger. It rests on confidence in the social and political state of mankind. Yet uneasy doubts remain, and they betray the real unrest and underlying dread of those who do not know God and His Christ.
Judgment is not the last word for every nation in these chapters. For Hazor it is:
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar; but some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor, and above all not Babylon.
- Named — Kedar and Hazor come seventh and eighth in a list of ten nations, running from chapter 46 to chapter 51. Babylon comes last.
- Nomads — they came from Ishmael. They lived in tents, rich in flocks and camels, with tent-curtains for walls.
- Unwalled — no gates and no bars meant no protection. Open country hides no one from the storm. Man fails, great or small.
- Summoned — the order to advance comes from God. He raised up Babylon's king to carry out the judgments the nations' state called for.
- Unexempt — life outside the covenant, far from Jerusalem, left Kedar under God's government all the same. And Hazor gets no promise of return.
And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil; and I will scatter to every wind them that have the corners [of their beard] cut off, and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith Jehovah.
This verse sits inside a short message against the desert tribes of Kedar and Hazor, whose wealth was camels and livestock, and whose defence was distance rather than walls. How does God reach a people with no city to besiege?
Kedar was not a city but a clan, living the life the verse describes — tents, flocks, and camels as their whole estate.
Son of Ishmael, and founder of an important tribe living in the north-west of Arabia, though the name is probably also used for Arabs generally (Genesis 25:13)... The references to lambs, rams, goats, flocks, camels, tents, and tent-curtains show that these people were nomadic, though their "villages" are also mentioned. Judgements were pronounced against them.
The Hazor named here lay in the east, and the sentence passed on it left no trace to dig up.
Place in "the east" that was to be struck by Nebuchadnezzar, and be a desolation for ever. Jeremiah 49:28, 30, 33. Not identified.
The camels and herds in this verse were no small holding.
Kedar was a wealthy pastoral tribe (Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 49:29).
Isaiah had already announced the same collapse. Kelly comments on it, and ends with what holds true of the strong and the weak alike.
The thickets of Arabia would be no more an effective hiding place from the storm than the rocks and mountain strongholds of Edom... utter wasting within a year is pronounced on the mighty men of the sons of Kedar. Man fails, great or small; Jehovah abides and will reign over this earth and all the races of mankind.
Nebuchadnezzar struck these tribes. He was the visible actor, but not the deciding one.
In chapter 49 the Ammonites receive recompense. Edom also is punished. Likewise Damascus and Kedar, and Hazor, and Elam. God had raised up the King of Babylon to carry out His righteous and necessary judgments upon the peoples: Israel, Egypt, "and all the mingled peoples, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines". Yes, upon "all the kingdoms of the world" (Jeremiah 25:20-26). The state of things was such as to call for this from God's hand.
This scattering to "every wind" was not a passing setback. Elam, judged in the same chapter, gets a promise of return. Hazor gets none.
These nations were all to fall under the power of Nebuchadnezzar; but some of them are to be restored in the latter day. Among these nations will be Elam, Egypt, Moab and Ammon, but not Philistia, not Damascus, not Hazor.
Kelly gives the reason for the difference.
Here mercy rejoices at length against judgment. Elam's place did not stand in the way of what God has reserved for Israel in the latter day, as Philistia, Damascus and Hazor did. God will show His goodness towards Elam when the kingdom comes.
The same sentence falls earlier in Jeremiah on people living far out in the wilderness. Kelly quotes it from an older translation, which reads "the utmost corners".
"Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will punish all those who are circumcised along with the uncircumcised: Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all who are in the utmost corners, who live in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart." If grace can be indiscriminate, judgment sometimes takes this shape also.
What settles it, for Vine, is that Babylon actually carried the sentence out.
...we see Babylon, a comparatively young power, rise up and carry this out. It is enough to fill us with astonishment, and to carry conviction to any thoughtful person that God rules in the kingdom of men. Chapters 45 to 49 all had their fulfilment in this connection in a most remarkable way.
- Who — Kedar was a nomadic Arabian tribe descended from Ishmael, living in tents with flocks and camels. No one can even locate Hazor today.
- What they trusted — livestock and open desert. Kedar was rich, but the wilderness hid them no better than the cliffs hid Edom.
- Who struck — Nebuchadnezzar swung the sword. God raised him up to judge the nations, right up to "all the kingdoms of the world".
- How far — the scattering reaches "every wind" and "every side". Judgment, like grace, can fall without distinction, right out to the wilderness.
- How long — God promises Elam a return in the latter days. He promises Hazor none, because Hazor's place stood in the way of what He has reserved for Israel.
And Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation for ever. No one shall dwell there, neither shall a son of man sojourn therein.
Jeremiah's last word about Hazor is a sentence of permanent emptiness. A land of flocks and tents becomes a lair for wild animals. No one is left to live there, or even to stay a night. Why did a wandering desert people fall under such a sweeping sentence? Who carried it out? And why does the same chapter promise a return to others, but not to Hazor?
These chapters name the nations Judah had looked to for safety.
In Jeremiah 46 we have the condemnation of Egypt, where these foolish Jews had fled for security, and then of Philistia in Jeremiah 47. Then again of Moab (Jer. 48). This is because all these countries were places to which the Jews looked for security. Jeremiah 49 gives the judgment of the Ammonites, with Damascus and others, even Elam.
This chapter names Hazor next to Kedar. What we know of Kedar shows the life this sentence fell on.
Kedar was a son of Ishmael. He founded an important tribe living in the north-west of Arabia, though the name is probably also used for Arabs in general... The mentions of lambs, rams, goats, flocks, camels, tents and tent-curtains show a wandering people, though they also had "villages." Judgements were pronounced against them.
Babylon's king struck the blow. God raised him up to do it.
In chapter 49 the Ammonites receive recompense. Edom also is punished. Likewise Damascus and Kedar, and Hazor, and Elam. God had raised up the King of Babylon to carry out His righteous and necessary judgments upon the peoples... The state of things was such as to call for this from God's hand.
The timing here differs from Isaiah's prophecies against the nations.
We find something special in the prophecies about the nations. These judgments are not those of the last days, as in Isaiah. In keeping with the general character of the book, they point to the destruction of the different nations, to make way for the rule of one sole empire. So in the case of Judea, the judgment is even now carried out.
Three peoples in this chapter share one end, and Hazor is one of them.
With Edom (v. 7-22), Damascus (v. 23-27), and Hazor (28-33), there is a different future in the sovereign wisdom of God. They are to be destroyed without remedy. The reason does not seem to be the same for each, but in every case the justice is perfect.
Some nations in these chapters have a future, and Hazor does not. Darby traces the dividing line to the land itself.
But these nations differ when it comes to restoration in the last days. Egypt, Elam, Moab, Ammon are restored in the last days; Edom, Damascus, Philistia, Hazor are not. The reason for this is easily seen. Egypt and Elam form no part of the land of Israel. In His goodness God will have compassion on those countries. People will live in them, and God will bless them under His rule... Damascus, Hazor and Philistia were part of the land of Israel properly so called. As far as their territory goes, these nations disappear as distinct nations.
Kelly draws the same line, and sees mercy at the end of it for Elam.
Here, at last, mercy triumphs over judgment. Elam's land did not get in the way of what God had reserved for Israel in the last days, as Philistia, Damascus and Hazor did. And God will show His goodness to Elam when the kingdom comes.
- Named — Hazor stands beside Kedar, a wandering people of tents, flocks and camels in north-west Arabia.
- Sent — God raised up the king of Babylon to carry out His righteous and necessary judgments on the nations.
- Now — these judgments do not wait for the last days. They clear the ground for the rule of one empire in the prophet's own time.
- Final — Hazor stands with Edom and Damascus among those destroyed without remedy. The reasons differ; the justice does not.
- Contrasted — God restores Egypt, Elam, Moab and Ammon in the last days, but not Hazor. Their land was part of Israel's own, and mercy falls where it left room for Israel's future.
The word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
Elam lay far to the east, well outside the ring of nations that bordered Judah. Yet the last message in this chapter goes to Elam, dated at the start of Zedekiah's reign, when Judah's own end was near. Why does God send a word to such a distant people? And why does that word end in mercy rather than ruin?
The last chapters of Jeremiah gather ten messages to the nations. Elam comes ninth, just before Babylon:
The section begins — "The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations" (Jer. 46:1). 1. Egypt (Jer. 46:2); 2. The Philistines (Jer. 47:1); 3. Moab (Jer. 48:1); 4. The Ammonites (Jer. 49:1); 5. Edom (Jer. 49:7); 6. Damascus (Jer. 49:23); 7. Kedar (Jer. 49:28); 8. Hazor (Jer. 49:30); 9. Elam (Jer. 49:34); 10. Babylon (Jer. 50 and 51).
The date matters. This word came later than the first of the ten:
A special word came to the prophet about Elam early in the reign of Zedekiah (v. 34). The first word to the nations is dated in the reign of Jehoiakim (Jer. 46:2).
Elam was no minor tribe. It was an ancient kingdom with a long record in Scripture, and it later had a hand in Babylon's fall:
Son of Shem. He settled in a highland district east of Babylonia, which became the seat of a powerful kingdom… In the days of Abraham, Chedorlaomer king of Elam was able to make war as far away as the Dead Sea (Gen. 14:1, 9)… Cyrus was king of Anshan, or Anzan (Elam), as well as of Persia. So Elam is closely connected with Persia, and almost identified with it. In Scripture Elam often means Persia. In Isaiah 21:2-10 Elam and Media were to destroy Babylon… Daniel was at Shushan, which was in the province of Elam.
Every other nation in these chapters sat near Judah. Elam did not:
Jeremiah 49 gives the judgment of the Ammonites along with Damascus and others, even Elam. Elam differs from the rest in being a long way from Jerusalem, while the others were fairly near.
Jeremiah's commission explains the reach. God placed him at the centre of His government on earth, to speak beyond it:
God set Jerusalem among the nations as the centre of His government on earth. Before those nations destroyed the city of Zion, Jeremiah is the last voice to speak from that centre the word of the LORD to Judah and Israel and to the surrounding nations.
The chapter never says what Elam did wrong. Something else settles the matter:
No reason is given for the striking and scattering of Elam, but it is done in justice and judgment, for the LORD of hosts sets His throne there (v. 38).
The blow fell in history, under the empire God Himself granted. The reversal waits for the end of that imperial system:
I believe that the judgment of Elam, like that of the other nations spoken of here, took place when Nebuchadnezzar received the grant of universal empire in the sovereignty of God. The return of her captivity will take place, like that of the others (apart from those formally excepted for special reasons), when the imperial system comes to a close under God's judgment. That system is pictured by the great image in Daniel 2.
Some of these nations are promised a future; others are not. One writer draws the line:
Egypt, Elam, Moab and Ammon are restored in the last days; Edom, Damascus, Philistia and Hazor are not. The reason is easy to see. Egypt and Elam form no part of the land of Israel. God in His goodness will have compassion on those countries. They will be inhabited and blessed under His government.
So the chapter that opens in judgment ends on another note:
Here mercy at last triumphs over judgment. Elam's land did not stand in the way, as Philistia, Damascus or Hazor did, of what God has reserved for Israel in the last days. And God will show His goodness to Elam when the kingdom comes.
Elam's recovery is tied to Israel's:
When Israel turns to the Lord, she will be delivered and set in her proper place of honour among the nations, with our Lord Jesus Christ as her glorious King. Then these broken nations will be delivered too.
- Word. God sends a dated, named message to Elam — a kingdom east of Babylonia, far outside Judah's neighbourhood, later known as Persia.
- Reach. Jerusalem was the centre of God's government on earth. Jeremiah was its last voice to the nations before the city fell.
- Justice. The chapter names no crime. God sets His throne in Elam, and that is enough.
- Timing. The blow fell when Nebuchadnezzar received universal empire. The reversal waits until that whole imperial system ends under God's judgment.
- Mercy. Elam's land was never part of the land of Israel, so Elam is not wiped out for ever. When Christ reigns as Israel's King, these broken nations are restored too.
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
Jeremiah's long list of prophecies against the nations ends with a short word about Elam. God will break its bow. Elam lay far to the east, well outside Israel's borders. So why does the prophet speak of it at all? And why does God single out its weapon?
Elam is not a vague far-off place. It has a founder, a homeland and a successor empire.
Son of Shem. He settled in a highland district east of Babylonia, which became the seat of a powerful monarchy. The district was also called ELAM... When Assyria declined, its Persian neighbours conquered Elam, and the Achaemenian kings ruled it. Cyrus was king of Anshan, or Anzan (Elam), as well as of Persia. So Elam and Persia are closely linked, and almost treated as one. In scripture Elam often designates Persia.
What sets this last prophecy apart from the others in the chapter is distance.
Jeremiah 49 gives the judgment of the Ammonites along with Damascus and others, even Elam. Elam differs from the rest: it lies a long way from Jerusalem, while the others were fairly close.
God calls the bow the mainstay of Elam's might — the thing the nation counted on. Scripture shows again and again how such a weapon fails.
Man may have a bow, but in his hands it fails when he uses it. "The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle" (Ps. 78:9), and as for the Lord's enemies, "The bows of the mighty are broken" (1 Sam. 2:4; Ps. 46:9; Jer. 49:35; Hosea 1:5; Hosea 2:18).
The same writer turns to the other side of the picture: a bow that does not break.
Israel's mighty men with Saul at their head had met the bow of an enemy stronger than they. The error that led to their ruin was esteeming their own strength to be enough. But there is no strength without dependence. We do not find strength in ourselves. We find it in Him, and His strength never fails us. The Man Jesus Christ is the example of this... Struck by the archers (Gen. 49:23-24), His strength did not leave Him. When His weakness appeared to give way to the enemy's power His bow remained strong.
The prophecy names no crime for Elam, yet the sentence stands. What settles its rightness is the One who passes it.
The prophecy gives no reason for the striking and scattering of Elam. Yet God does it in justice and judgment, for the Lord of hosts sets His throne there (v. 38).
Judgment here is not only ruin. God takes the seat of rule in the very place He strikes.
One writer sets both halves of the prophecy in time. The breaking came with Babylon's rise. The return waits for the end of empire.
I believe the judgment of Elam took place when God, in His sovereignty, gave Nebuchadnezzar universal empire. The same holds for the other nations named here. God will bring back her captivity, as He will for the others — apart from those specially excepted for stated reasons. That will happen when the imperial system comes to an end under God's judgment. Daniel 2 pictures that system as an image.
Not every nation in these chapters gets the same ending. What divides them is whether their land belongs to Israel.
God restores Egypt, Elam, Moab and Ammon in the last days. He does not restore Edom, Damascus, Philistia and Hazor. The reason is easy to see. Egypt and Elam form no part of the land of Israel. God in His goodness will have compassion on those countries. People will live in them, and He will bless them under His government.
So the broken bow is not the last word about Elam.
Here mercy rejoices at length against judgment. Elam's territory did not stand in the way of what God has kept for Israel in the last days, as Philistia, Damascus and Hazor did. God will show His goodness to Elam when the kingdom comes.
- Bow — The bow was the mainstay of Elam's might, and God announces He will break the one thing the nation leaned on.
- Broken — Scripture repeats the pattern: bows in human hands fail, and the bows of the mighty are broken.
- Bearing — Christ is the contrast. Struck by archers, His bow stayed strong, because He held His strength in dependence on God.
- Beyond — Elam lay far from Jerusalem, and the prophecy names no crime. God's rule reaches distant nations too, and it is still justice.
- Blessing — Because Elam is no part of Israel's land, God brings back its captivity in the latter days. Mercy is the last word.
And upon Elam will I bring the four winds, from the four ends of the heavens, and I will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
Elam sat far to the east of Judah, beyond Babylon, yet the same word that struck Moab and Damascus reaches it too. The verse raises three questions: who were these people, what do the four winds mean, and does a scattered nation have a future?
One reference work traces Elam from its founder onward:
Son of Shem. He settled in a highland district east of Babylonia, which became the seat of a powerful monarchy. The district was also called ELAM. In the days of Abraham, Chedorlaomer king of Elam was able to make war as far off as the Dead Sea. It later became subject to the great power of the Chaldeans and Assyrians. When Assyria declined, its Persian neighbours conquered Elam. In Scripture Elam often stands for Persia.
Its place in the chapter is unusual:
All these countries were places the Jews looked to for security. In Jeremiah 49 we have the judgment of the Ammonites along with Damascus and others, even Elam. Elam differs from the rest in being a long way from Jerusalem, while the others were fairly near.
The number four itself carries meaning:
FOUR. Completeness in what God creates or appoints. Four winds from the four quarters of heaven, Jeremiah 49:36. Four quarters of the earth, Revelation 20:8. In the layout of Israel's camp there were four banners.
The winds themselves are not simply weather. One writer explains what they stand for:
The "four winds of the earth" are the unsettling forces present in every quarter, which God can let loose in judgment whenever He wills.
Jeremiah names no crime for Elam. One writer explains why the judgment is still just:
No reason is given for the striking and scattering of Elam, but it is done in justice and judgment, for the Lord of hosts sets His throne there.
One writer dates both the judgment and the return:
I believe the judgment of Elam, like that of the other nations spoken of here, took place when God in His sovereignty gave Nebuchadnezzar universal empire. The return from captivity, for her as for the others — apart from those specially excepted — will come when the imperial system ends under God's judgment.
Four nations in Jeremiah's list get a promise of return, and four do not. The dividing line follows the land of Israel:
There is a difference with respect to the restoration of those nations in the last days. Egypt, Elam, Moab, Ammon are restored in the last days; Edom, Damascus, Philistia, Hazor are not. The reason for this is easy to see. Egypt and Elam form no part of the land of Israel. God in His goodness will have compassion on those countries; they shall be inhabited and blessed under His government.
One writer ties Elam's return to Israel's own restoration:
When Israel turns to the Lord, when God delivers her and sets her in her proper place among the nations with our Lord Jesus Christ as her glorious King, then He will deliver these broken nations also, and they will reappear according to His gracious promises.
- Distance — Elam lay far from Jerusalem, unlike the nearby nations judged with it, yet the same word reaches it.
- Winds — four winds from four quarters mean every quarter; they are the unsettling forces God holds and lets loose at will.
- Reach — the scattering is complete: no nation on earth is without Elam's outcasts.
- Throne — Jeremiah names no charge against Elam, yet the judgment is just: the Lord of hosts sets His throne in the emptied land.
- Return — Elam falls as Babylon rises, and returns when the empires end; the scattering is not God's last word.
And I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life; and I will bring evil upon them, my fierce anger, saith Jehovah; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them.
Jeremiah's messages to the nations end with Elam, a power far to the east of Judah. This verse is the heart of that message — terror, disaster, and a pursuing sword — yet it names no crime, and it is not the chapter's last word.
Elam lay far outside Judah's circle of neighbours. Its name later stood for one of the great empires of the Bible.
He settled in a highland district east of Babylonia, which became the seat of a powerful monarchy. The district was also called ELAM. In the days of Abraham, Chedorlaomer king of Elam was able to make war as far away as the Dead Sea. It later became subject to the great power of the Chaldeans and Assyrians. When Assyria declined, Elam was conquered by its Persian neighbours. In Scripture Elam often designates Persia. In Isaiah 21:2-10 Elam and Media were to destroy Babylon. It afterwards became part of the Medo-Persian empire. There are many prophecies against it.
That distance sets Elam apart from every other nation on Jeremiah's list.
In Jeremiah 49 the judgment of the Ammonites comes together with Damascus and others, even Elam. Elam differs from the rest in being a long way from Jerusalem, while the others were fairly close.
The message never says what Elam did wrong. One writer notes that silence, and points to what the passage does give as the ground of the sentence.
No reason is given for the striking and scattering of Elam, but it is done in justice and judgment, for the Lord of hosts sets His throne there.
The verse names enemies, but the acts are God's own. He terrifies, He brings the disaster, He sends the sword — and He calls that disaster His fierce anger. So when did this fall on Elam, and when will it lift? One writer ties both moments to the rise and fall of one empire.
I believe the judgment of Elam took place when Nebuchadnezzar received the grant of universal empire, in the sovereignty of God. The same is true of the other nations spoken of in this passage. Her captivity will be turned back when the imperial system comes to a close under God's judgment. So will theirs, except for those formally and for special reasons excluded.
Verse 37 ends with the sword consuming. Verse 39 ends with restoration. Why does Elam get a future when some of its neighbours do not? One writer finds the answer in the map.
There is a difference between these nations when it comes to restoration in the last days. Egypt, Elam, Moab, Ammon, are restored in the last days; Edom, Damascus, Philistia, Hazor, are not. The reason for this is easily seen. Egypt and Elam form no part of the land of Israel. God in His goodness will have compassion on those countries; they shall be inhabited and blessed under His government.
The chapter closes with the promise that Elam's captivity will be turned back. Some readers, Calvin among them, treat Acts 2:9 as the fulfilment. One writer rejects that reading and points to the coming kingdom.
Here mercy triumphs over judgment at last. The portion of Elam did not interfere, like Philistia, Damascus or Hazor, with the development reserved for Israel in the latter day; and God will show His goodness toward Elam when the kingdom comes. To refer its fulfilment to Acts 2:9, as Calvin and others do, only shows how little such men enter into either the old or the new.
When does that goodness arrive? Another writer ties it to the moment Israel's own story turns.
When Israel turns to the Lord, she will be delivered and established in her proper place of honour among the nations, with our Lord Jesus Christ as her glorious King. Then these broken nations will be delivered also.
- Distance. Elam was the farthest of the nations Jeremiah addressed. It was a highland power east of Babylonia, and in Scripture its name often stands for Persia. God's reach is not limited to Israel's near neighbours.
- Throne. Jeremiah names no crime, yet the scattering is just. The Lord of hosts sets His throne in Elam, and He judges there as King.
- Sword. The terror, the disaster and the pursuing sword are all God's own acts. One writer dates the blow to Nebuchadnezzar's rise to universal empire, granted in the sovereignty of God.
- Compassion. Edom, Damascus, Philistia and Hazor are not restored. Elam is, because its territory formed no part of the land of Israel. God will have compassion on it under His government.
- Mercy. The sword consumes, but the chapter does not stop there. Mercy triumphs over judgment: goodness comes to Elam when the kingdom comes and Israel's King reigns — not at Pentecost.
And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence king and princes, saith Jehovah.
Elam lay far to the east, beyond the ring of nations that pressed on Israel. Yet God's word reached it too, and it raises two questions: what does it mean for God to set His throne in a foreign land, and why does a chapter of such fierce judgment end, one verse later, with a promise of return?
Elam was a real people with a long history. The Bible traces them from Shem down to Daniel's day.
Son of Shem. He settled in a highland district east of Babylonia, which became the seat of a powerful monarchy. The district was also called ELAM… In the days of Abraham, Chedorlaomer king of Elam could make war as far away as the Dead Sea. It later became subject to the great power of the Chaldeans and Assyrians. When Assyria declined, its Persian neighbours conquered Elam… In Scripture Elam often stands for Persia… Daniel was at Shushan, in the province of Elam.
The other nations judged in this chapter lay close to Jerusalem. Elam was the exception.
In Jeremiah 49 the judgment of the Ammonites comes together with that of Damascus and others, even Elam. Elam differs from the rest: it lay a long way from Jerusalem, while the others were near.
Jeremiah lists no crime here. What the verse gives instead is God's throne set in the land.
…last comes the smiting and scattering of ELAM. God gave the prophet a special word about Elam early in the reign of Zedekiah (v. 34)… No reason is given for the smiting and scattering of Elam. But it is done in justice and judgment, for the Lord of hosts sets His throne there (v. 38).
The fall of Elam's king and officials has a date in history, and so does the promised return.
I believe the judgment of Elam, like that of the other nations spoken of here, took place when God in His sovereignty gave Nebuchadnezzar world empire. Her captives will return, as the others will (apart from those formally excepted for special reasons), when the imperial system comes to an end under God's judgment. That system is pictured by the image in Daniel 2.
Elam's story did not end with that blow.
It is important to mention that Elam joined the Medes to overthrow Babylon, as Isaiah 21:2 predicted… Yet we also know from the sure word of prophecy that, however ravaged in the past (Ezek. 32:24-25 and Jer. 49:34-38), Elam will have its captives brought back in the latter days, according to Jer. 49:39.
Verse 38 is the last stroke of the judgment. The next verse turns, and promises Elam a return in the latter days.
Here (vv. 34-39) mercy rejoices at length against judgment. Elam's place did not stand in the way, as Philistia, Damascus or Hazor did, of the development God has reserved for Israel in the last days. And God will show His goodness to Elam when the kingdom comes.
Edom, judged earlier in the same chapter, receives no such promise.
Obadiah 5, 6, 9, 18 and Jeremiah 49:9-10, 22 also declare that none of Edom shall be left. Notice that there is no restoration of a remnant, as there is for Elam and others (Jer. 49:39).
The promised return arrives with Israel's own restoration, and Christ stands at its centre.
When Israel turns to the Lord, God will deliver her and set her in her proper place of honour among the nations, with our Lord Jesus Christ as her glorious King. Then these broken nations will be delivered too. Reappearing according to God's gracious promises, they will form the national garden of Eden again… the paradise of administrative beauty and excellence of which Christ will be the honoured Centre.
- Throne. God sets His own seat of rule in Elam. No crime is listed; the throne itself is the reason given, and the judgment is done in justice.
- Throne over thrones. God removes the king and officials from the very place where He sets His throne. One rule replaces another.
- Throne without borders. Elam stood far from Jerusalem, unlike the near neighbours judged in this chapter. God's word still reached it.
- Throne in history. The blow fell when God gave Nebuchadnezzar world empire. The recovery waits for that imperial system to end under God's judgment.
- Throne of mercy. God promises Elam a return in the latter days; Edom has no such promise. Mercy rejoices against judgment when the kingdom comes.
But it shall come to pass at the end of the days, I will turn the captivity of Elam, saith Jehovah.
This chapter ends with a word about Elam, a people far to the east of Judah. Jeremiah moves from broken bows and scattering winds to a promise of return. Why does God empty a land and then pledge to fill it again? And when is that pledge due?
Elam sat east of Babylon. It was the home of an old and powerful kingdom, and its name later stands for Persia.
Son of Shem. He settled in a highland area east of Babylonia, and it became the centre of a powerful kingdom... In the days of Abraham, Chedorlaomer king of Elam was able to make war as far off as the Dead Sea. Later it came under the great power of the Chaldeans and Assyrians. When Assyria declined, its Persian neighbours conquered Elam... In Scripture the name Elam often stands for Persia. Daniel was at Shushan, which was in the province of Elam.
Distance sets Elam apart from the other nations named in this chapter.
In Jeremiah 49 the judgment of the Ammonites comes together with Damascus and others, even Elam. Elam differs from the rest: it lies a long way from Jerusalem, while the others were fairly near.
The judgment and the reversal stand far apart in time. One came with Babylon's rise. The other waits for the end of the world empires. Older translations word the promise as bringing back Elam's captivity, where the ESV speaks of restoring her fortunes.
I believe the judgment of Elam, like that of the other nations spoken of here, took place when God in His sovereignty gave Nebuchadnezzar a worldwide empire. Her return from captivity, like that of the others (apart from those formally excepted for special reasons), will come when the imperial system ends under God's judgment. That system is pictured by the image in Daniel 2. Then the last beast falls, and the Son of Man, coming in His everlasting kingdom, will openly set him aside. His fall makes way for the ten tribes of Israel to appear again, and with them most of those nations that long ago had dealings with Israel.
The phrase is not vague. It is a fixed marker used a set number of times across the Old Testament, and it always points to the same stretch of time.
Some nations in these chapters get this closing promise; others get none. The difference comes down to land and to conduct.
There is a difference in the way those nations are restored in the last days. Egypt, Elam, Moab, Ammon, are restored in the last days; Edom, Damascus, Philistia, Hazor, are not. The reason for this is easily seen. Egypt and Elam form no part of the land of Israel. God in His goodness will have compassion on those countries. People will live in them again, and He will bless them under His government... Edom, though, had been spared... yet its hatred of Israel had no limits, so it will be utterly destroyed in the judgment of that day.
Kelly puts the same difference from the other side. Elam never got in the way of what God had planned for Israel. He also rejects the idea that this promise was already fulfilled in Acts 2.
Here mercy rejoices at length against judgment. Elam's territory did not stand in the way of what God had reserved for Israel in the latter day, as Philistia, Damascus and Hazor did. And God will show His goodness towards Elam when the kingdom comes. Some, like Calvin, treat Acts 2:9 as its fulfilment. That only shows how little such men enter into either the old or the new.
The promise to Elam waits on Israel's own turning. These nations rise again together, around one centre.
One day Israel will turn to the Lord. God will deliver her and set her in her proper first place among the nations, with our Lord Jesus Christ as her glorious King. Then these broken nations will be delivered too. Coming back according to God's gracious promises, they will form the national garden of Eden again, the one Ezekiel speaks of — the paradise of beautiful and excellent government, with Christ as its honoured Centre.
- Judgment came. God broke Elam's bow when He handed Nebuchadnezzar a worldwide empire.
- Mercy answers. The chapter's last word about Elam is not ruin but return. Mercy rejoices against judgment.
- Mercy is dated. "The latter days" is a fixed prophetic marker. It points to the close of Jacob's trouble and the setting up of the Millennial kingdom.
- Mercy is selective. God promises a return to Egypt, Elam, Moab and Ammon, but not to Edom, Damascus, Philistia or Hazor. Edom's hatred of Israel had no limits.
- Mercy has a centre. These nations reappear only when Israel turns to the Lord and Christ reigns as King. The restored world gathers around Him.