Jeremiah 47:1

JEREMIAH 47

THE PROPHECY AGAINST PHILISTIA

This little chapter deals with the prophecy against the Philistines, and also the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon, in other words, the western coastline of Palestine.

The big problem to which commentators usually address most of their comments on this chapter regards Jeremiah 47:1.

Jeremiah 47:1

"The word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza."

"Before that Pharaoh smote Gaza ..." (Jeremiah 47:10). What makes this difficult is that there is no hint here of "which Pharaoh" is meant. Three different dates are suggested for the capture of Gaza mentioned here. (1) Pharaoh-Necho marched against Babylon in 609 B.C., that being when Josiah opposed him and was killed at Megiddo. It is not certainly known, but it is supposed that Pharaoh-Necho might have taken and fortified Gaza at the beginning of that campaign in order to secure his eventual retreat. (2) It has also been suggested that this same Pharaoh-Necho, severely defeated at Carchemish, took Gaza and fortified it, as a bastion against Nebuchadnezzar's following him into Egypt. (3) Another king, Pharaoh-Hophra (588-570 B.C.) is alleged to have taken Gaza in an expedition against Tyre and Sidon. J. R. Dummelow mentions all three of these possibilities.[1]

The trouble with finding any certainty in the answer is due to, "Our ignorance of contemporary history."[2]

Other dates for Pharaoh's capture of Gaza, as mentioned here, have been proposed as 608 B.C.,[3] and 605-604 B.C.[4]

Our own preference for the date is grounded in our conviction that the Jeremiahic prophecy of the Babylonian campaign against Jerusalem, Egypt, Philistia, and the whole region was written well in advance of the actual advance of the Babylonians, and in fact, at a time when Egypt, not Babylon, was the power most people feared. The weight of this first verse, as we understand it is, therefore: "At a time when Pharaoh of Egypt was the dominating power, even at that early time, Jeremiah prophesied the great flood of the Babylonian invasion `from the north.'"

Another excellent reason for dating this prophecy prior to 609 B.C., is seen in the fact that, according to the Babylonian Chronicle for the year 604 B.C., "Nebuchadnezzar marched against Ashkelon, took its king captive, carried off booty, and prisoners, turning the city into ruins and a heap of rubble."[5] This of course, is a complete fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy.

We cannot believe that Jeremiah's prophecy of that destroying flood from the north was a "prophecy after the event," but that it came long before the actual destruction; and that conviction limits this writer to the conclusion that the date of the prophecy was before the death of Josiah in 609 B.C. Certainly, our guess on this is as good as anyone's! We are glad to note that R. K. Harrison, writing in the Tyndale Commentaries also favored this date.[6]

Jeremiah is not the only one who prophesied against the Philistines. Amos 1:6-8; Ezekiel 25:15-17; Isaiah 14:28-31; and Zephaniah 2:4-7, are others.

HISTORY OF THE PHILISTINES

The Philistines were a vigorous people who migrated to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea from the Island of Crete in very early times, in fact, giving their name (Palestine) to the whole area. Israel never was able to drive them out of the land; but, under king David, they did submit to the government of Israel.

However, in the days of the divided kingdom, they quickly regained their independence, which they maintained through many military operations against them through the ages, which gradually weakened them, leading to their final conquest by the Maccabees in the second century B.C. From this time, they seem to have been totally merged with Israel.

Their principal cities were Ekron, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Gaza.