Jeremiah 24:1 - Exposition

Two baskets of figs were set before , etc. (comp. Amos 8:1-3 ). The description is apparently based on the law of firstfruits (comp. Deuteronomy 26:2 ), where the "basket" is mentioned, though not the word here used. The baskets were set down in readiness to be examined by the priests, who rigorously rejected all fruit that was not sound. The princes of Judah . A short phrase for all the leading men, whether members of the royal family or heads of the principal families (comp. Jeremiah 27:20 ). The carpenters and smiths ; rather, the craftsmen and smiths ("craftsmen" includes workers in stone and metal as well as wood; the Hebrew word is rendered "smith" in 1 Samuel 13:19 ).