Jeremiah 22 Explained

Jeremiah 22 is the twenty-second chapter of the Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets.

Text

The original text of this chapter is written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 30 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e., 4QJer^a (4Q70; 225-175 BCE^{[1] [2]}) with extant verses 3‑16,^[3] and 4QJer^c (4Q72; 1st century BC)^[4] with extant verses 4‑6, 10‑28, 30 (similar to Masoretic Text).^{[5] [6]}

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

ak{G} ^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ak{G} ^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ak{G} ^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ak{G} ^Q; 6th century).

Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex.^[7] Jeremiah 22 is a part of the Eighth prophecy (Jeremiah 21-24) in the section of Prophecies of Destruction (Jeremiah 1-25). : open parashah; : closed parashah.

[{S} 21:11-14] 22:1-5 22:6-9 22:10-12 22:13-17 22:18-19 22:20-27 22:28-30

Structure

The New King James Version groups this chapter into:

• 2 Jeremiah = Prophecies Against the Kings of Judah (continuing from 2 Jeremiah)
• 2 Jeremiah = Message to the Sons of Josiah
• 2 Jeremiah = Message to Coniah

Prophecies against the kings of Judah (22:1–10)

Verse 1

Thus says the Lord: "Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word"^[8]

Verse 6

Though you are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make you like a wasteland, like towns not inhabited.^[9] The overthrow of the monarchy is foretold. Biblical commentator A. W. Streane suggests that verses 6–7, on the downfall of Jerusalem, are written "in Ḳinah metre".^[10]

Message to the sons of Josiah (22:11–23)

Verse 11

For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: "He shall not return here anymore"^[11]

• "Shallum the son of Josiah" was the fourth son of king Josiah, when he was anointed as king by the people of Judah to succeed Josiah (;) in 609 BC, but dethroned after three months by Pharaoh Necho, imprisoned, taken captive to Egypt, and died without returning from there (–34; -4;), fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy in this chapter.^[12]

Verse 18

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

"They shall not lament for him,

Saying, 'Alas, my brother!' or 'Alas, my sister!'

They shall not lament for him,

Saying, 'Alas, master!' or 'Alas, his glory!'"^[13]

• "Jehoiakim the son of Josiah": is the second son of king Josiah, also called Eliakim before he was made king of Judah by Pharaoh Necho to replace Jehoahaz (;) in 609/608 BC,^[12] reigning eleven years, until 598 BCE.^{[14] [15]} Rabbinical literature describes Jehoiakim as a godless tyrant who committed atrocious sins and crimes. He is portrayed as living in incestuous relations with his mother, daughter-in-law, and stepmother, and was in the habit of murdering men, whose wives he then violated and whose property he seized. He also had tattooed his body.^[14] Jeremiah criticised the king's policies, insisting on repentance and strict adherence to the law.^[16] Another prophet, Uriah ben Shemaiah, proclaimed a similar message and Jehoiakim ordered his execution (2 Jeremiah).^[17] His despicable character earned him no respect from the people, as in 598 BC to end the siege of Jerusalem, the priests of Sanhedrin delivered him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^[14] who "bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon."^[18] and he died without proper funeral, described by Jeremiah that "he shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 22:19) "and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night" .^[19]

Verse 19

He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey,

Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.^[20] Josephus wrote that Nebuchadnezzar slew Jehoiakim along with high-ranking officers and then commanded Jehoiakim's body "to be thrown before the walls, without any burial."^[21]

Message to Coniah (22:24–30)

Verse 24

"As I live," says the Lord, "though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off"^[22]

• "Coniah": a spelling of the name Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, who succeeded his father, Jehoiakim, for three months and ten days as the king of Judah (;) in 597 BC,^[12] until he and his family members (including his mother as noted in 22:25 KJV; 24:15 KJV) as well as a number of officers were exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, while the king of Babylon placed Zedekiah on the throne of Judah (24:11-17 KJV; –10;). The spelling "Coniah" (Hebrew: Hebrew: כניהו is found only in Jeremiah 22:24,28 and,^[23] whereas the spelling Jeconiah (Hebrew: Hebrew: יכניהו in ; or Hebrew: יכוניה in 27:20 KJV; 28:4; 29:2; ;) and Jehoiachin (Hebrew: Hebrew: יהויכין in 24:6 KJV, 36:8 KJV,, or Hebrew: יויכין in). For 36 years Jeconiah remained in prison at Babylon, and the archeological evidence of his presence in Babylon was found in form of rations tablets bearing his name and title. When Nebuchadnezzar died, his son Evil-merodach released Jeconiah and gave him an honorable seat at his own table (–30; –34).^[14]

Verse 28

"Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol—

A vessel in which is no pleasure?

Why are they cast out, he and his descendants,

And cast into a land which they do not know?"^[24]

• "Coniah": a spelling of the name Jeconiah found in Jeremiah 22:24, 28 and .^[25]

Verse 30

"Thus says the Lord:

Write this man down as childless,

A man who shall not prosper in his days;

For none of his descendants shall prosper,

Sitting on the throne of David,

And ruling anymore in Judah."^[26] Jeconiah has seven sons according to 2 1 Chronicles, but the Davidic lineage of kingship did not extend to his heirs. This prophecy starts with the "threefold address" of "earth" (Hebrew: ארץ) in 2 Jeremiah (similar to the use with "holy" in and "overthrown" in 2 Ezekiel) to place a strong emphasis that "no descendant of Jeconiah shall rule Judah."^[12]

See also

• Related Bible parts: 2 Kings 23, 2 Kings 24, 1 Chronicles 3, 2 Chronicles 36, Jeremiah 36, Ezekiel 19

Bibliography

• Book: Ulrich. Eugene. The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. 2010. Brill.
• Book: Würthwein, Ernst . Ernst Würthwein . The Text of the Old Testament . Wm. B. Eerdmans . Grand Rapids, MI . 1995 . Erroll F.. Rhodes . 978-0-8028-0788-5 . January 26, 2019.

External links

Jewish

• Jeremiah 22 Hebrew with Parallel English

Christian

• Jeremiah 22 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate

Notes and References

1. Cross, F.M. apud Freedman, D.N.; Mathews, K.A. (1985). The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll (11QpaleoLev). Winona Lake, Indiana. p. 55
2. Book: Sweeney , Marvin A. . Form and Intertextuality in Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature. 45. Forschungen zum Alten Testament. 0940-4155. reprint. Wipf and Stock Publishers. 2010. 66. 9781608994182.
3. Book: Fitzmyer, Joseph A.. A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. Joseph Fitzmyer . William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2008 . 37 . 9780802862419 . Grand Rapids, MI . February 15, 2019.
4. "The Evolution of a Theory of the Local Texts" in Cross, F.M.; Talmon, S. (eds) (1975) Qumran and the History of Biblical Text (Cambridge, MA - London). p.308 n. 8
5. Tov. Emanuel . The Jeremiah Scrolls from Qumran . Revue de Qumrân. 2 (54). 189–206. Editions Gabalda. 14. 1989. 0035-1725. 24608791.
6. Book: Ulrich . Eugene . Eugene Ulrich . The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants . 2010 . 570–573 . Brill . May 15, 2017 . 9789004181830.
7. As reflected in the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English.
8. 2 Jeremiah NKJV
9. 2 Jeremiah NIV
10. Streane, A. W. (1911), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Jeremiah 22, accessed 10 February 2019
11. 2 Jeremiah NKJV
12. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition, New Revised Standard Version, Indexed. Michael D. Coogan, Marc Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, Editors. Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2007. p. 1112-1114 Hebrew Bible.
13. 2 Jeremiah NKJV
14. Web site: JEHOIAKIM - JewishEncyclopedia.com. www.jewishencyclopedia.com.
15. Dan Cohn-Sherbok, The Hebrew Bible, Continuum International, 1996, page x.
16. 2 Jeremiah
17. James Maxwell Miller, John Haralson Hayes, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah (Westminster John Knox Press, 1986) page 404-405.
18. 2 2 Chronicles
19. Note on Jeremiah 22:19 in NET Bible
20. 2 Jeremiah NKJV<
21. Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews. Book X, chapter 6, part 3.
22. 2 Jeremiah NKJV
23. Note [a] on Jeremiah 22:24 in NET Bible
24. 2 Jeremiah NKJV
25. Note on Jeremiah 22:28 in NKJV linked to note [a] on Jeremiah 22:24 in NET Bible
26. 2 Jeremiah NKJV