Jeremiah 29:2-3

2, 3. The queen Rather, the queen-mother, Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan. See Jeremiah 13:18, and 2 Kings 24:8; 2 Kings 24:15.

The eunuchs, the princes The absence of the conjunction between these nouns would seem to imply that they are in apposition. If so, instead of “eunuchs” we ought to read officers, a sense which, according to Furst, but not to Gesenius, the original word has in several places: e,g., Jeremiah 20:7; Jeremiah 41:16; 2Ki 24:12 ; 2 Kings 25:19. But it is possible that Keil’s conception of this sentence is correct, in that he finds here enumerated three general classes: 1) The court class, namely, the king, queen, and eunuchs. 2) The official class the princes of Judah and Jerusalem. 3) The artisan class carpenters and smiths; and, hence, the copula is omitted, marking the transition from the first to the second.

Elasah the son of Shaphan In chap. Jeremiah 26:24, Ahikam is so called, indicating that they were brothers. One of Ahikam’s sons was made governor by the Chaldeans. Jeremiah 39:14. It would hence appear that this was an influential family, and one sympathizing with Jeremiah. Of Gemriah we know nothing outside of this passage. But we must not confound him with that Gemariah, “son of Shaphan,” out of the window of whose room Jeremiah read Jehoiakim’s roll. Jeremiah 39:14.

Whom Zedekiah… sent Zedekiah himself went to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. That he should also, on this occasion, have sent a formal embassy but illustrates how completely dependent he felt himself on the king of Babylon. As to the time of this embassy we have no knowledge.