Read & Study the Bible Online - Bible Portal
John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 40:6

Verse 6 Here is shown to us the firmness of the Prophet, that he hesitated not to reject, what Nebuzaradan kindly offered to him, and yet he might have committed a great offense in making light, as it were, of Chaldea. It was, as we know, a very pleasant country, and very fertile; and tyrants cannot bear their bounty to be despised; for when they are pleased to honor any one, however little may be what they offer, if he refuses, they regard it as a dishonor done to them. The Prophet, then,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 40:7

Verse 7 Mention has been before made of Gedaliah. We have seen that the Prophet was once rescued from death through his kindness, for he interposed for him when almost all with one consent doomed the holy Prophet to death. (119) And God bestowed on him no common honor, that while he was seeking nothing, Nebuchadnezzar should set him as governor over the land. He did not, indeed, enjoy power for any length of time; but it was yet God’s will to extend his hand to the pious man, so that he might... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 40:8

Verse 8 They then and their men, came to Gedaliah, when they heard that the king of Babylon had set Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, over Judea, and that men, women, and children were committed to his power or keeping. And then he adds, from the poverty of the land, that is, from the dregs of the people, even from those who had not been removed to Babylon: they came, even Ishmael, etc.; who, as we shall hereafter see, became a traitor. He was, as the Prophet says, of the royal family. His spirits... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 40:9

Verse 9 Here, as I have hinted, is explained the great humanity of Gedaliah, and also his pious solicitude for his own nation, in order that the perfidy and cruelty of the son of Nethaniah might appear the more detestable, who slew a man so well deserving in his conduct to him and to others, having been led to do so by reward. The Prophet says that he swore to them; nor was it strange to interpose an oath in a state of things so disturbed. Hardly could Ishmael and the rest have any confidence,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 40:1-5

Jeremiah's release. I. THE INNOCENT OFTEN SUFFER WITH THE GUILTY . It would seem that orders had been given in Jerusalem for the liberation of the prophet ( Jeremiah 39:11-14 ), but that, in the confusion of the sack of the city, inferior officers had led off Jeremiah in chains with the rest of the captives. Thus he shared the indignities and hardships of companions who deserved a fate from which his innocence should have saved him. It is part of the discipline of life that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 40:2-6

Jeremiah a free agent. We have here an expansion of verses 13 and 14 of the previous chapter. I. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS A MAN CAN HAVE IS FULL INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY . The royal master of the captain of the guard was anxious to do the best he could for the prophet; and he seems to have understood fully that only the prophet could decide on this best. The captain of the guard, in all he says, is but the mouthpiece of the king. Very likely the captain, if he had been... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 40:4-5

A strait betwixt two. St. Paul tells how he was in such strait. He was willing to stay, but ready to depart home to his eternal rest, which would be far better. And oftentimes we are in perplexities as to choice in the common events and circumstances of our lives. It is so difficult to see what we ought to do, what it would be best to do. Here we have an instance. The patriotic prophet had a perplexing choice put before him. Consider— I. THE ALTERNATIVES PROPOSED . 1 . He ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 40:5

Now while he was not yet, etc. This rendering, however, seems against the Hebrew usage. Two renderings are open to us. 1. "But since one returneth not from Babylon, then go back to Gedaliah," etc.; so Hitzig. 2. Taking Jeremiah 40:5 as a continuation of "but if it seemeth ill to thee," etc; "forbear" (in Jeremiah 40:4 ), and, supplying, "I have spoken the word," continue, "and it shall not be reversed; yea, go back;" so Graf, regarding the passage as an explanation of the... read more

Group of Brands