have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the 'Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, "The LORD our righteousness.

17 For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;

18 Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

19¶ And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying,

20 Thus saith the LORD; "If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

21 Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not

Isa. 11. 1, and 4. 2. Chap. 23. 5. 7 Heb. Jehovah-tsidkenu.

have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

22 As "the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

23 Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

24 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

25 Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

8 Heb. There shall not be cut off from David. 92 Sam. 7. 16 1 Kings 2. 4. 10 Isa. 54. 9. Chap. 31. 36. 11 Chap. 31. 37.

Verse 13. "The flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them.”—Chardin thinks that this telling of the flocks was for the purposes of tribute, it being customary in the East to count the flocks, in order to take the third of the increase and young ones for the king. This is true as to the custom, and it is possible that the telling of the flocks is sometimes in Scripture to be understood to bear this allusion. But as, in the present instance, it is not clear how an enumeration for the purpose of taxation should be promised as a blessing, it more probably refers to the counting of the flocks by the owner or his steward, when they were sent out to the pastures, or when they returned.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

1 Jeremiah prophesieth the captivity of Zedekiah and the city. 8 The princes and the people having dismissed their bondservants, contrary to the covenant of God, reassume them. 12 Jeremiah, for their disobedience, giveth them and Zedekiah into the hands of their enemies.

THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, 'when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,

2 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with

fire:

3 And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and

'he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:

5 But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD.

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

12 Kings 25. 1, &c. Chap. 52. 1. Heb. the dominion of his hand.

7 When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the

Chap. 32. 4. 4 Heb. his mouth shall speak to thy mouth.

people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim | man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty unto them; liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

7 Or, hath sold himself. 8 Heb. to day.
11 Deut. 28. 64. Chap. 29. 18. 12 Chap. 7. 33, and 16. 4.

Verse 5. "With the burnings of thy fathers."-See the note on 1 Sam. xxxi. 12, where the reader will find that a question has been raised on the present and other texts of Scripture (as 2 Chron. xvi. 14; xxi. 19; Amos vi. 10), whe ther the body itself was burnt or only the odours. The Talmudists are strongly for the latter alternative, apparently regarding the other as a heathen practice, which they were not willing to have supposed had ever prevailed in their nation. It however remains difficult to explain Amos vi. 10, so as to mean anything but the burning of the body; and this, as the most distinct text, may be taken to explain the others. The body of Saul certainly was burnt; but there are circumstances in that case which might be said to except it from the support of a general conclusion, if it stood alone. In the present verse, it is not said that any "odours" were burnt, that word being supplied in our version. The only one of Zedekiah's royal ancestors in connection with whose funeral the burning is mentioned, is Asa; but that it was cus tomary among the later kings of Judah appears from the present text, which intimates that the omission would have been a dishonour to the royal remains; and, in like manner, Jehoram having been a wicked king, we are told tha "his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers." As the text which refers to Asa is that which may be quoted to decide the less distinct passages to the alternative for the burning of odours only, in about the same degree that the text in Amos might determine such passages to mean the burning of the body, it becomes necessary to see whether it admits of an explanation compatible with the more obvious meaning of the latter passage. The verse is "They buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the be which was filled with sweet odours, and divers kind (of spices) prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made very great burning for him." Here it is not said what the burning was: no odours are mentioned as being burned, but only that he was laid upon a bed of odours and aromatics, and besides these no others are noticed. If therefore the burning refers to anything in the text itself, it would intimate that the body was burned together with the odours on

which it was laid, which was in fact an ancient custom, and is a still subsisting custom in India. Then the only remaining difficulty is in the first clause, which says that he was buried. But this does not imply anything of itself, further than to state where his remains were deposited: and burying is compatible with burning; for it was and is usual to collect the bones and ashes, and dispose of or preserve them after various fashions, of which burying was one. Therefore, although we should not like to be very positive on the point, the resulting conclusion seems to be, that since the burning of odours alone on such occasions is nowhere mentioned in Scripture, whereas the burning of bodies is distinctly mentioned in 1 Sam. xxxi. 12 and Amos vi. 10, it is easier to explain 2 Chron. xvi. 14 to refer to the burning of the body, than to conclude that all the passages of Scripture in which funeral burning is noticed, refer to the burning of odours only. See further under Amos vi. 10.

It appears from the present prophecy, that although after Zedekiah had seen Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, he was blinded and sent as a captive to Babylon, he there received an honourable funeral at his death, whenever that happened. Josephus says that Nebuchadnezzar kept him in prison till he died, and then bestowed a magnificent funeral on his remains. (Antiq. 1. 10, c. 8.) He probably bore the expenses and supplied the means of rendering the honours of royalty to the remains of the captive king; but the Jews were probably allowed to make his funeral conformable to their own rites and customs, as the present text seems to intimate.

8. "This is the word," &c.-The prophecy which occupies the preceding portion of this chapter is obviously dated when Nebuchadnezzar was engaged in carrying on the siege of Jerusalem and of the cities Lachish and Azekah, that is, most probably, towards the end of the ninth year of Zedekiah, the siege having been commenced in the tenth month of that year. The time of the second prophecy, which begins here and occupies the remainder of the chapter, is not so clearly indicated in the text; but it appears to have been soon after the above, when the Chaldeans had broken off the siege, and marched against the Egyptian army, which made a show of coming to the relief of Jerusalem. The prospect of this relief led the persons of substance to rescind that wise and just measure, of liberating their bond-servants, which they had taken, and confirmed by oath, under the immediate pressure of danger and alarm. Whether this liberating measure had been taken out of professed regard to the law of Moses, by which it was imperatively commanded, or merely from prudential considerations, is not very clear; but, viewing the result, the latter seems the most probable supposition.

18. “ They cut the calf in twain,” &c.—See the note on Gen. xv. 9.

CHAPTER XXXV.

1 By the obedience of the Rechabites, 12 Jeremiah condemneth the disobedience of the Jews. 18 God blesseth the Rechabites for their obedience.

THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

2 Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

4 And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the 'door:

5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye

wine.

6 But they said, Wc will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for

ever:

7 Neither shall ye build house, nor sow

seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

9 Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11 But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.

12 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

13 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.

14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken

I Heb. threshold, or vessel,

unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabithearkened not unto me.

15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, 'Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened

unto me.

16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto

me:

17 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will

ants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

18 And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

19 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

Chap. 18. 11, and 25. 5. Heb. There shall not a man be cut off from Jonadab the son of Rechab to stand, &c.

Verse 2. "Go unto the house of the Rechabites," &c.—The rules of the Rechabites. as afterwards stated, obliged them to live in tents, and necessarily, from the circumstances connected with their mode of life, in the open country: but at this time they had come into Jerusalem for safety, on the approach of the Chaldean army (verse 12). There they may have been obliged to live in houses, though this is by no means certain, as the word so rendered is of very large signification, equivalent to "habitation" or "abode ;" and it is possible that they may have lived in their tents, in some open place in the city.

From 1 Chron. ii. 55, we learn that the house of Rechab was indentical with, or a section of the family of, the Kenites, who were of the family of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, and came with the Hebrews into Palestine, and there continued to lead their former mode of life, as appears from the instance of Heber the Kenite (Judges iv. 11), living in tents and following pastoral occupations. As Jonadab lived at a much later date-if we suppose him to be. as is generally conceived, the same person to whom Jehu was anxious to show his zeal for the Lord (2 Kings x.)-it follows that he did not found a mode of life entirely new; but took measures to preserve and confirm in the family of Rechab the ancient usages-adding some new regulations calculated to give perpetuity to old practices. It is possible that the Kenites, about that time, were becoming disposed to exchange their mode of life for the more settled, and, as it might seem to them, more comfortable, one of the Hebrews; and that Jonadab opposed this change, by his patriarchal authority, in the Rechabite branch of the family. In these regulations it is not necessary to suppose that he had any religious objects in view, as a merely prudential one is assigned for them in verse 7,-" that you may live many days in the land where you are strangers:" and for this purpose these rules were well calculated, since, from the manner in which the land was lotted out among the Hebrews, it does not appear how they could have acquired land, or applied themselves to cultivation, without giving umbrage to the Jews; who also might have disliked their engaging and succeeding in the principal business in which they were themselves employed; and by the circumstances of unpleasant collision thence arising, be at last incited to expel them from the country, by which they would have been deprived of the religious advantages they then enjoyed. Under this view, the prohibition of wine may possibly have been intended to take away from them one inducement to plant and cultivate vineyards.

It seems that the Rechabites, being taken in Jerusalem, were sent into captivity with the Hebrews, with whom it is generally supposed that at least a portion of them returned to Palestine when the seventy years had expired. But on this subject the Scripture affords no certain information; as they are not mentioned subsequently to the captivity, unless in the difficult verse 1 Chron. ii. 55, which is thought by some to refer to their condition after their return. Some, however, suppose they were the same as the sect known in later times by the name of Essenes, Ebionites, Assideans, &c.; but, although this sect was distinguished by many peculiarities from those of the mass of the Jews, it seems difficult to identify their usages with those of the Rechabites, as stated in the present chapter.

"Bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers.”—This was probably to the place where the wine for the drink offerings was preserved. It will be recollected that Jeremiah was a priest, and in that character had doubtless free access to the Temple and its offices. The mention of wine-drinking and wine-vessels in the context affords us an opportunity of introducing a figure of the ladle which was anciently employed in taking wine from the jar; and another of the strainer, by which it was cleared for immediate use. (See the notes under Psalm lxxv.)

STRAINER AND LADLE FOR WINE.

19. "Jonadab.... shall not want a man to stand before me for ever."-This has been very variously explained. Some suppose that Jonadab's descendants were actually introduced, in some subordinate capacity, into the service of the

J

e; but it seems better to understand, by "standing before God," that they, or at least some of them, should ever #nd among those who feared and worshipped God. Then, the "for ever" is explained by some to mean only a ime-for ages to come; while others extend it to the end of time. The promise is of course involved, that the ty of Jonadab should not fail "for ever." But it does not necessarily follow that they should for ever keep the f their ancestor, or that they should for ever be recognised as his descendants: and yet, if his posterity should e found existing, and acting on his rules, this would form an interesting example of the literal fulfilment of cy, while it would furnish a living commentary on the whole chapter.

Jew Benjamin of Tudela professed to have discovered the descendants of the Rechabites in Arabia, where they I a powerful and independent state, governed by a prince of the race of David, and occupying a large and fine y, called Theima, of which they were the sole masters. Benjamin's account is curious; and although, like f his other statements, it is highly exaggerated and embellished, it does appear to have been at least founded on Niebuhr obtained information concerning a tribe of Jews inhabiting the mountains to the north-east of Meknown by the name of Beni Kheiber, who had independent sheikhs of their own, were divided into three tribes, aintained no intercourse with the other Jews dispersed over Asia. This notice in Niebuhr having attracted the of Joseph Wolff, the well-known Jewish missionary, he was led to make inquiries on the subject at Jerusalem. king a well informed Jew, Rabbi Mose Secot, whether he knew any thing of the Jews near Medina, the Rabbi Yes, they were the Beni Kheiber. Delighted at having taken the right clue, Wolff further asked whether they me to Jerusalem. The Rabbi replied, No; but they came there in the time of Jeremiah the prophet. On being how he knew this, he referred to the present chapter, the eleven first verses of which they read together. Mr. then proceeds:-"You see by this that Rabbi Mose Secot is quite certain that the Beni Kheiber are the descendf the Rechabites. To this present moment they drink no wine, and have neither vineyard nor field, nor seed, ell like Arabs in tents and are wandering nomades. They believe and observe the law of Moses by tradition, ey are not in possession of the written law." He further ascertained that the Rabbi considered the name er, to be the same as that of Heber, denoting their descent from that Kenite. Afterwards the Rabbi showed passage in the Talmud which describes the Beni-Kheiber as descended from Jethro, the remoter ancestor. onary Journal,' 1824, p. 257, 261.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

emiah causeth Baruch to write his prophecy,
and publicly to read it. 11 The princes, having
Aligence thereof by Michaiah, send Jehudi to
h the roll, and read it.
19 They will Buruch
ide himself and Jeremiah. 20 The king Je-
ikim, being certified thereof, heareth part of

and burneth the roll. 27 Jeremiah denounceth
judgment. 32 Baruch writeth a new copy.
it came to pass in the fourth year of
iakim the son of Josiah king of Judah,
this word came unto Jeremiah from
LORD, saying,

Take thee a roll of a book, and write
in all the words that I have spoken
thee against Israel, and against Judah,
against all the nations, from the day
ike unto thee, from the days of 'Josiah,
unto this day.

It may be that the house of Judah will
all the evil which I purpose to do unto
1; that they may return every man from
evil way;
that I may forgive their ini-

*y and their sin.

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son eriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which ad spoken unto him, upon a roll of a

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, sayI am shut up; I cannot go into the ose of the LORD:

⚫ Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, h thou hast written from my mouth, the'

1 Chap. 25.3.

words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD's house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

7 It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people.

8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD's house.

9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house, in the ears of all the people.

11 ¶ When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,

12 Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gema