Jeremiah 49
February 25, 2024 4:10 PM
Solitary Man
solitaryman.substack.com
20240225
Jer 49:1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir (yaw-rash – occupy)? why then doth their king inherit (yaw-rash occupy) Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
We now turn our attention to Ammon, the other descendant from Lot. A much shorter judgment is given. The chapter is divided along this fashion:
Verses 1-6 – Ammon
Verses 7-22 – Edom
Verses 23-27 – Syria (Damascus)
Verses 28-33 – Kedar (Arabian bedouins descended from Ishmael (Gen 25:13)), and Hazor (uncertain lineage, possibly the Hazarmaveth from Joktan (Gen 10:26)).
Verses 34-39 – Elam (generally part of Persia, though somewhat separate)
In summarizing the history of Ammon, I am hard pressed to improve upon Ellicott’s commentary for English readers:
The history of this people was, to a great extent, parallel with that of the Moabites. They had been conquered by Sihon, the great Amorite king, and when that monarch was, in his turn, conquered by the Israelites (Num 21:21-31) their territory was assigned to the tribes of Gad and Reuben (Num 32:34-38). In Judg 11:12-33 we have the record of an unsuccessful attempt to recover their lost territory, and like attempts appear to have been made by Nahash (1Sam 11:1-11), and Hanun (2Sam 10:6-14, 12:26-31). On the deportation of the Trans-jordanic tribes by Tiglath-pileser (2Ki 15:29; 1Chr 5:6, 5:26), they made a more successful effort, and their king Baalis appears as prompting the conspiracy of Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah (Jer 40:14). The prophecy on which we now enter was probably delivered before that time, in or about the fourth year of Jehoiakim (Jer 25:21). Its opening words recall the long-standing territorial controversy. “Had Israel no heir?” Was the land he had occupied so long to pass into the possession of a stranger?
What the question means is that God gave this territory to Gad, when the Amorites (not the Ammonites) held it (Num 32:24-38). God is asking if Israel has totally ceased to exist now that Ammon is claiming this land for itself. This is an interesting point. Assyria had long ago wiped Israel off the map. The first area to fall was the area of the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan. Even though well over a hundred years had passed since Gad had occupied that land, God still claims it belongs to them. So much for replacement theology, or kingdom now, which subtly tries to deny modern Israel most, if not all, the land given to them by God. God sees these Ammonites as trespassers on his people’s property. Something to keep in mind today. If God claims this land as his people’s hundreds of years later, is it any less likely that he still claims it thousands of years later? With God, there is no clock that runs out on his eternal covenants.
I must digress briefly, as the Lord has put on my heart this current war that Israel is engaged in. There are several very prominent Christian alternative media commentators that cannot stop condemning Israel out of all proportion in comparison with any other country currently at war. They toss around the term genocide like candy. Getting all their talking points from mainstream media such as Al-Jazeera, they have become mouthpieces for muslim propaganda. It breaks my heart to realize that I cannot listen to them anymore, despite the fact that they have in the recent past been used by God to reveal many critical truths about the jab and the new world order. It is as if they have zero knowledge of the true history of Islam over the last 1400 years, or any idea what Israel faces on a day to day basis.
An example is the fact that Israel is forced to attack hospitals in Gaza. No matter how many videos that they show of Hamas terror tunnels specially built under hospitals and all public infrastructure, they cannot stop spewing Jewish hatred on their programs. Israel has put up with these inhuman tactics since 1948 (and earlier). They have finally said enough. It is time to pay whatever price in order to make our country livable.
What was impressed upon my spirit is that God moved them to act. God is still moving them to act. If these Christians want to keep accusing the Jews of being the worst of criminals, I suggest they take it up with the almighty himself. He will not be very amused at their antics.
How will Israel become surrounded by enemies? Something has to happen in the world for the entire world to turn against them. Well, it is happening. At this time, God has moved them to declare all out war against their muslim neighbors. This is going to inflame not only the entire muslim world, but almost all of the rest of the world. The result will be that in the natural, Israel will truly face unwinnable odds, and they will be facing extinction. After two thirds of their population gets wiped out (maybe its higher in Israel itself), they finally look upon him whom they have pierced and God will intervene and save them in one day. That will be the second coming. We think the second coming is all about us, but read Revelation carefully. Jesus is not coming to save America, he is coming to rescue Israel at the battle of Armageddon.
As we are learning in the book of Jeremiah, it is going to take something uniquely extraordinary to get Israel to recognize their Messiah. They are in the process of being taken to the brink.
This is the way that I see it, anyway. Whether or not you see it a little differently, is perfectly ok. First, let us not strive with one another over future events that no one can possibly know for certain. Two, let us not be found to fight against God by unilaterally denouncing God’s people. You can’t get away with saying that you love the Jews but hate everything their government and their army is doing. In God’s eyes, there is not such a definite distinction. We love the idea of separation of church and state, but the old testament teaches us something different, especially when it concerns Israel. You do not have to agree with every decision of Israel, but why do you tempt God by taking the same side as the mainstream media, when you know better than to take their side on any other issue in the world today? What makes you think that they are correct in this one issue, when you know they are 100% wrong on every other issue? If the whole world is screaming for Jewish blood, do you think it’s a good idea to join the majority out there? Why aren’t you calling America a genocidal race for supplying all the weapons to Ukraine, who uses so much of it to intentionally bomb civilian areas that have no military value? When Israel bombs a hospital, it is because Hamas is using it as a military base. They do all they can to warn the civilians to get out. If they don’t, then it’s on them. 70% or more of the Palestinians support Hamas. If we don’t understand the true nature of Islam, then we will never understand what is going on in Israel.
Jer 49:2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm (battle cry) of war to be heard in Rabbah (great) of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir (yaw-rash – occupiers) unto them that were his heirs (yaw-rash), saith the LORD.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Rabbah was Ammon’s capital (Dt 3:11, 2 Sam 11:1, 12:26). The judgment sounds particularly severe. Some say daughters refer to Rabbah’s sister cites, but I see no need to allegorize here. People make these kinds of statements because they are squeamish, and their image of Yehovah that they have idolatrously set up in their heart does not match the Yehovah of the bible. The Yehovah of the bible says he will pass a verdict on Ammon. That verdict includes their daughters being burnt. Most people cannot stomach that. Too bad.
Let us look at Amos 1:13-14:
Amo 1:13 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:
Amo 1:14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:
For territorial gain, Ammon slit open the pregnant bellies of Jewish women. Is God’s punishment a little more palatable now? Even as muslims over the last 1400 years raped, tortured, enslaved, and murdered literally hundreds of millions of innocents, no one ever talks about the ongoing 1400 year and counting genocide against humanity that Islam commands their followers to engage in. No, only the Jews get that label, and only after a few weeks of finally saying enough is enough, and choosing war, which they know will cost them so dearly, but have been forced to enter into.
Ammon chose excessive cruelty. So God pays them back in kind. Remember this if you are ever tempted to engage in some sort of wilful sin.
Jer 49:3 Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.
This is not the Ai spoken of in Joshua, but another city with the same name in the territory of Ammon. Not only was Jeremiah a fan of Isaiah, but he must of been reading Amos as well, as look at this verse:
Amo 1:15 And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD.
God is confirming a word given around 100 years ago. Just because it hasn’t been fulfilled yet, does not mean that God has forgotten all about it. We forget the promises of God, but God never does. This is one the hardest aspects of living the Christian faith, to reset our time pieces according to the clocks of heaven rather than that of earth. So many preachers speak of things that they believe are imminent, and years and years later, we still are waiting. Even the apostle Paul spoke as if he was living in the last generation (1 Cor 7:29)! Therefore don’t feel bad if your prediction has jumped the gun by a few years, at least you haven’t missed it by millennia, as Paul seemed to have!
The idea of this verse is one of general torment and great sorrow. This is what judgment is all about.
Jer 49:4 Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding (apostate) daughter? that trusted (hid for refuge) in her treasures (armory), saying, Who shall come unto me?
I find it intriguing that Ammon is called a backslider. Why would God consider her a backslider, and not someone who never knew the Lord? Perhaps it is because Israel once occupied the land, so they should of been familiar with the one true God, but rejected him once they took charge of the territory.
Here again is another nation that trusted in her armoury, her military might. She became proud. Pride led to complacency. Complacency leads to blindness. Blindness leads to defeat.
Jer 49:5 Behold, I will bring a fear (pakh-ad – terror, sudden alarm) upon thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts, from all those that be about (encircle) thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth (you shall be cast out face to face); and none shall gather up him that wandereth (driven away).
Doesn’t the bible say that God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7)? This is why we need to examine all verses on a topic, and read precisely. It says God does not give his own people who are in fellowship with him a spirit of fear. It says nothing about what he gives the wicked or the backslidden. God often sent panic into the enemy ranks in the old testament, causing Israel’s enemies to turn on one another, or to flee. Can we not rightly see that God sent a fear of plague on mankind in 2020, making them do things that they would never consider doing in normal times? Was not 2020 one of the most supernatural years this earth has ever witnessed? But because the church has been trained to only see the supernatural in positive things such as healings or revivals, we fail to see the hand of God at work in his judgments (Dan 4:37). God is just as interested in punishing the wicked as he is in saving the righteous.
When your time is up, the hedge comes down and the enemy will surround you. There will be no way out. You will be driven out of your inheritance. As you wander, you will find no one that will have compassion on you. No one to help. Christians are being set up to become the enemy of the world like never before. Expect little help from Babylon’s denizens. Our help must come from the Lord.
Jer 49:6 And afterward I will bring again (shoob) the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the LORD.
This verse contains the same promise given to Moab in Jer 48:47. The exception being that it does not say it will occur in the latter days. Yet I think it would be a safe assumption to believe it is implied. Why? Because it has not yet been fulfilled (and how would we even know if it had, as who is Ammon today)? And second, Moab and Ammon are so often treated together in the bible.
Jer 49:7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent (discerning)? is their wisdom vanished?
Again, Ellicott’s commentary for English readers provides a succinct history of Edom that one would be hard pressed to improve upon:
A short survey of the past history is necessary that we may enter into the force of the prophet’s words. On the journey of the Israelites to Canaan the Edomites were left unmolested (Num 14:21, Deu 2:4). Conquered by Saul (1 Sam 14:47), and yet more completely by David (2 Sam 8:14), they made an unsuccessful attempt to throw off the yoke in the time of Solomon (1 Ki 11:14-22), but finally revolted with success in that of Joram (2 Ki 8:20-22, 2 Chr 21:8). Amaziah and Uzziah endeavoured to reassert dominion over them (2 Ki 14:7, 2Ki 14:22), but under Ahaz they invaded Judah (2 Chr 28:17), and in the reign of Zedekiah appear as an independent power seeking to ally themselves with that king against their common enemy Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 27:3). Soon, however, they allied themselves with the Chaldaeans, and were conspicuous for their triumphant exultation in the destruction of Jerusalem (Lam 4:21, Ez 35:15, 36:5). Obadiah had prophesied against them.
The exact location of Teman is not known. Gen 36:15 lists a duke Teman as one of the descendants of Esau. Apparently Teman was proverbially known as a place of wisdom, so the phrase used in this verse would be equivalent to someone saying they’re an Einstein or a Rhodes scholar today. Eliphaz the Temanite appears as the chief speaker among Job’s three friends (Job 2:11, 4:1).
The gist of the verse is God inquiring whether all common sense has vanished from the land of Esau. I think we are all asking the same thing about our nations today.
Jer 49:8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.
Ezekiel 25:13 speaks of Dedan being in league with Edom and Teman. Dedan was a nomadic tribe that often dwelt within the borders of Edom. God is advising them to get as far away from Edom into the deep wilderness as you can. Why? Because the calamity of Esau is about to manifest. Ironically, we need to go to the book of Hebrews to find the clearest statement on the profanity of Esau (Heb 12:16-17):
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Here is one of those sobering verses (and in the new testament, no less!). Esau was denied the grace of repentance. How can that be? Does not the scripture say: ‘Whosoever will’? It does, but it also says Esau was not to be counted as one of those whosoevers. Why? Because he was profane (beb-ay-los – heathenish, wicked). He despised his inheritance, thinking it worth only one paycheque.
Let us fear lest God find any of us disdaining our inheritance in Christ, trading it for one more mortgage payment, or exchanging it for the right to retain our pension.
God is saying the time for Edom’s reckoning is now. Babylon has come.
Jer 49:9 If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.
God asks a rhetorical question. If someone was harvesting your crops, or even if thieves showed up, they wouldn’t take every last grape.
Jer 49:10 But I have made Esau bare (naked), I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed (posterity) is spoiled (ravaged, destroyed), and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not (and his brothers and neighbors cease to exist).
However God has a special bone to pick with Esau. Because of the decision of one man, an entire bloodline has to pay the price. The sin of Esau is much more grievous in God’s eyes than in man’s. What I see here is for those who despise their inheritance. You could apply this to all the people in the west, who have despised the unprecedented and unequalled benefits of western civilization. How about those of us in Canada and America in particular who have taken oh so lightly living in the 2 best countries in the world? How about the Laodicean church, despising the true doctrines of Christ, of self sacrifice and total devotion to Him? How about the individual believer who despises the inheritance we have in Christ, that was so hard won by the shedding of his precious blood on the cross? Do we now catch a glimpse of why God is so angry with us? How many believers sold their birthright to keep their jobs? How about simply not to be shunned or criticized on facebook? And what did God do to them? He blinded them to the covid deception. They spoiled their posterity, by destroying their immune systems forever. By sterilizing themselves and their seed. As more and more die suddenly, our brethren, and our neighbors, are no more.
Jer 49:11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.
Commentators are once again (surprise!) divided over what this means. The consensus thinks that a small window of mercy is being extended by God toward the more innocent of this land. Others think this is a cruel mocking of one whose fate is to be utterly consumed (see verses 17,18). Some even see a reference to Israel’s captives thrown in here, perhaps captured as Edom’s slaves. I throw in my lot with the consensus this time. God’s mercy is always a possibility, even in the bleakest of situations. No matter how many comprehensive and all encompassing predictions of utter annihilation, who really knows who God will decide to spare?
Jer 49:12 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
It seems to always catch man by complete surprise that God has actually targeted them for judgment.
1 Pet 4:17 states that judgment must begin with the house of God. If that is the case, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? The spoiled western church of today consistently believes that they are exempt from judgment, Jesus having taken all judgment for us at the cross. How many times do we have to be told before it sinks in? Jesus died for all sins. When you accept Christ, all sins up to that moment are forgiven. If you sin after that, we have an advocate with the Father. If your future sins were all totally taken care of the cross, then what need would there be for confession and repentance after you’ve come to Christ. Yes, that same sacrifice is still available to pay for those future sins, but only if you avail yourself of it via confession (1 Jn 1:9) and repentance (Rev 3:19).
Don’t be like the Edomites, thinking no judgment would ever come your way. All sin will have its day in court. You do not want to be found anywhere except under the cross of Christ.
Jer 49:13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes (a desolation forever).
Bozrah was one of the chief cities in Edom (Is 34:6, 63:1). Today we would say New York, London, Toronto, or Paris. Yet not only Bozrah, but all of Edom’s cities are destined for destruction.
While Babylon may of been a partial fulfillment of this total judgment, I believe we need to look a little further down in history to see its ultimate fulfillment. The Nabateans forced the Edomites to move to southern Palestine, where they became the Idumeans. Herod was an Idumean, and claimed to be a Jew but was not (see Rev 2:9, 3:9). They were destroyed along with Judea in 70 AD by the Romans, and disappear from history.
So intent was God on wiping the Edomites off the face of the earth, that he swore by himself.
Something about Esau sure ticked God off. I hope to never find my creator in the same mood when he is looking at me!
Jer 49:14 I have heard a rumour (news report) from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.
God has sent out a news bulletin. Come one, come all. Edom is up for grabs. Which of the goy will respond the quickest, and thus benefit from the spoils? Sort of sounds like what is happening at America’s southern border. Which people from which nation can get there quicker to gobble up the spoil?
Jer 49:15 For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.
Edom will become of no political importance, and would eventually disappear from history.
Jer 49:16 Thy terribleness (fearfulness) hath deceived thee (led you astray), and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.
Terribleness is not found anywhere else in the Hebrew, thus it is open to interpretation. Some translate it idol. However I think fearfulness is sound, as they lived in inaccessible clefts of the rock, so they could swoop down and attack and then retreat to impregnable heights before anyone could respond. This led them to overconfidence. They thought that they were eternally safe. You are only as safe as God allows. You may of found the most remote, off the grid, self sufficient compound that you can imagine. Yet if God says its time to call you to account, you will face him.
Jer 49:17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
This is a common theme. Shame and honor are such fundamental concepts in eastern culture. While the west had created a far superior foundation in creating a system of law and punishment, God realizes that the thing most feared by an easterner was to be shamed. Nothing could be worse than to lose face in your community. Men would do anything to restore their honor. That is why muslims kill their offspring so easily if they shame the family by converting to Christianity. Or why they are so quick to murder should they be insulted, which makes them look weak. God’s threat of being an object of shame, contempt, and ridicule would make any easterner quake more fiercely than almost any other consequence.
Jer 49:18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
Admah and Zeboim were also destroyed in that ancient cataclysm (Dt 29:23). Unlike Moab and Ammon, this cursed place would have no future. Surely, some human would always dwell on the physical land, but eventually no Edomite would ever be found again. Because God is using the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah for comparison, we can safely assume that he means to destroy every Edomite, rather than taking the statement as one of hyperbole, meaning almost all. Because of the qualifier of the past event, we may safely believe that every Edomite will be destroyed.
Jer 49:19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen (acceptable, appointed) man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
I believe the first sentence refers to Nebuchadnezzar coming in like a lion against the strongholds of Edom. Edom may of thought it was impervious to assault due to its geography, but God has different ideas. God will make Edom flee suddenly, instead of stand and fight. The rest of the verse I feel, is best taken as if God is mocking Edom. God asks who is there in Edom that can lead her? Who is a match for me? Who will call me to battle? Which shepherd (leader) will face me?
Jer 49:20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes (intentions), that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least (youngest, most ignoble) of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.
If God sends the least of Babylon’s armies, they will be able to flush Edom out of their supposedly impregnable strongholds. He could depopulate them by using the meanest of Nebuchadnezzar’s forces.
Do we ever wonder how a bunch of cave dwellers like the Taliban could ultimately chase the American army home? How is it possible that a bunch of goat herders could defeat the most technologically sophisticated army that the world has ever seen? It’s easy if God is fighting on your behalf. What, God fighting for the Taliban against Christian America? Now you’ve totally lost it. If that’s the case, then you come up with a better explanation!
Jer 49:21 The earth is moved (trembles) at the noise of their fall (naphal – overthrow, lostness), at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.
There goes Yehovah again, using that hyperbole to make his point! I’m not sure that the entire earth trembled at the fall of Edom, but perhaps in some sort of hidden spiritual fashion, just like it is said the whole of creation groans and travails, waiting for the revealing of the sons of God (Rom 8:19). In any case, the noise of their destruction was heard a long way off.
Jer 49:22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Nebuchadnezzar is now depicted as an eagle, as he was previously as a lion. No high place is inaccessible for an eagle. He will totally encompass the land. The reality of judgment will finally penetrate the pride and arrogance of all the gibborim, the mighty men, of Edom. Their confidence will melt away. They will become as fearful as a woman at the outset of her labor, knowing what ordeal she is about to face, and even the dangers thereof.
Reality set in for Canadians in February 2022, when the greatest moment of patriotism in Canadian history turned into the most frightful moment of tyranny with the declaration of martial law. No one since then has risen up in mass protest. America’s moment of fear came on January 6th, 2021. Since then, no mass movement has yet arisen, though I suspect something will have to give in 2024.
Jer 49:23 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded (confused, made pale, ashamed), and Arpad: for they have heard (shama) evil (rah) tidings (news reports): they are fainthearted (moog – melted); there is sorrow (anxiety, carefulness) on the sea; it cannot be quiet (still).
We now turn our attention to Syria. Its three principal cities are named. Hamath is thought to be Antioch of Syria today. The rumour mill is in full throttle. Wars and rumours of wars abound. It is causing much moog. Wherever hearts begin to melt, anxiety is in the midst. They can’t sit still.
Is this not what the cabal has accomplished all over the earth today?
Jer 49:24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
The prophet loves to use and reuse the imagery of a woman in labor. Only a woman could really appreciate the agony and fear associated with the process, but the men can sure hear the screams! When one realizes that a foe stronger than you is about to invade your land, I am sure the terror must be something that is hard to replicate. Will we be facing this sort of terror in our once safe and secure lands in a short while?
Jer 49:25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
Damascus was known as a worldly city that enjoyed much trade and commerce. Whatever it once was, it was to become something different.
Jer 49:26 Therefore her young men shall fall (naphal) in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off (daw-mam – silenced, made dumb, perish) in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
I proclaim that this verse has been fulfilled in front of your eyes today! The young men have fallen (died suddenly). All the bold and brash patriots are locked up as j6’ers, or the coutts 4, or the Canadian pastors arrested. As a result of these criminal actions, many, many more have been intimidated into silence.
Jer 49:27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.
Benhadad meant son of Hadad, an idol. It was the equivalent to president or prime minister. Thus we see many Banhadads in the scripture. It is not a man’s name, but his title. The seat of Syrian government is going to be burned up. It’s power will perish.
Jer 49:28 Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil (ravage) the men of the east.
Kedar was a Bedouin tribe, descended from Ishmael (Gen 25:13). Hazor is the name of more than one city in Palestine, but here it represents some district in Arabia, most likely. Some think Hazor was Petra itself. However the command is to ravage the men of the east, so the safest course is to assume that these are Arabian kingdoms, perhaps mobile ones.
Jer 49:29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them (or they shall call out to each other), Fear is on every side.
You wonder why Nebuchadnezzar would bother with these Bedouin tribes. They owned no land, they moved from place to place, there wasn’t much wealth or recurring taxes to be had. Why would he expend time and energy to go after these people? My guess is that tyrants lust for power and domination that can never be fully slaked. It just keeps growing and growing. It was the principle of the thing. He wanted to be lord of all. Sort of like why would the cabal go and incinerate some no name town in the northwest territories of Canada with a direct energy weapon? Sure, it’s a good, secluded place for a test. But it also serves to put everyone on notice that there is no place on earth that is safe from their reach. They can strike anywhere and at any time. They want it all, and they will not stop until they succeed, or they are stopped.
Jer 49:30 Flee, get you far off (disappear speedily), dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
We see that phrase again – dwell deep. This obviously was some sort of slang of the day that meant to get to the furthest reach of the desert wilderness that you could get to. Sort of like get off the grid as far as you could get. This could be the verse all the preppers could rally around. Disappear speedily and get off the grid as far as you can get! The Nebuchadnezzars of today have also taken counsel and conceived a plan against us.
Jer 49:31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy (tranquil, peaceable, careless) nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.
Wealthy is definitely not a good translation in this context by the King James crew. These nomads had no real physical wealth. They did live in relative tranquility, being so off the grid that they had no hostile neighbors. They live in tents, so they have no security systems like walled villages would. They keep to themselves, so they would have no natural allies either. However God exhorts Nebuchadnezzar to get up and go after them. Judgment time is judgment time. None shall be spared.
Jer 49:32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the LORD.
All those prepping supplies will be confiscated. What is to stop the government from declaring martial law and nationalizing all the wealth of its citizens? Nothing! We see and understand exactly how lawless our governments have become. They have no more limits. They will stop at nothing to seize total control, and to keep it. 2024 is not going to be a very nice year. Especially if God decides to have the same attitude towards us as he is displaying over tribes such as these, who have lived so carelessly, without a real worry in the world, up until now.
Jer 49:33 And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons (tan-neem – a sea serpent or monster), and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.
Now we hit one my greatest pet peeves. I know that there has been found irrefutable evidence that dinosaurs lived alongside of man. They did not become extinct 65 million years ago, because there was nothing in existence 65 million years ago. Noah preserved dinosaurs on the ark. Soft tissue has been found inside dinosaur bones. Up until a few hundred years ago, many credible accounts of dragons may be found in historical archives. Yet I find a very peculiar phenomenon amongst most sincere, well meaning, yet deluded believers.
The delusion is that each saint will go to a certain point in believing the bible, and no further. For example, we have spoken ad infinite um on how many just cannot accept the plain meaning of the text where it says over and over again that God sends evil. That is just a bridge too far for most.
Well another bridge too far is evolution. So many born again believers believe in some form of macro evolution. Whether its the gap theory, or intelligent design, or guided evolution, these misguided souls try to combine Genesis with Darwin. That’s like trying to get Trump and AOC to run on the same ticket. It just can’t be done. They are opposites.
Every new translation will not translate tan-neem as dragon. They insert jackal, for no linguistic reason whatsoever. Simply because they believe evolution’s lie of millions of years. Jurassic Park is the bible when it comes to the final word on dinosaurs.
Give me a break. If you want to get God’s dander up, just slander him in regards to his role as creator. Go ahead and worship the creatures instead of him, and you will find yourself on the fast track to hell aka Romans chapter one. What a massive insult it must seem to Yehovah when someone takes his impossibly intricate creation and gives all the glory to random chance, which in effect is giving all the glory to nothing! We rather believe that in the beginning was nothing. Nothing exploded for some unknown reason and out of it came everything.
That is all you need to know about the theory of evolution. Enough said.
To get back to this verse, only the fiercest of monsters would dwell there, as the place will be unfit for human habitation. These nomads of these tribes at least, will be wiped out. God does not play games.
Jer 49:34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
We now come to the final people group in this chapter. It is significant in that this is the only prophecy in this chapter that has a definitive date. Zedekiah began to reign in 597. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Elam in 596. Elam is generally the area of modern Iran today. It was associated mostly with Persia back then, though the area would be somewhat broader. Cyrus of Persia conquered Elam and incorporated Elamites into the Persian forces that conquered Babylon (in 539 BC). Its capital, Susa, was the residence of Darius and became the center of the Persian Empire (Neh 1:1, Dan. 8:2). Elam has a very ancient history, as we can go back to the battle of the kings in Genesis chapter 14 and find mention of them there.
Jer 49:35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might (the most prominent aspect of their strength).
Isaiah 22:6 seems to indicate that the Elamites were famous for their archery. God was going to take their superweapon and render it moot. Reminds me of a news article I saw this very day, in that Britain tried to test fire one of their submarine nuclear missiles, and it failed. If God strikes the weapon from your hand, how will you fight against his will?
Jer 49:36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds (ruach) from the four quarters (corners, extremities) of heaven, and will scatter (disperse) them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
The Elamites are promised a scattering just like Israel and Judah faced. At least they weren’t slated for total destruction, like Edom. We need to be grateful for whatever evil God keeps us from. He may not keep us from all bad things, but who knows how many things the devil wanted to throw at us that God would not allow.
These people would be found in every nation on earth. Whether Persians may be found everywhere, I will leave for someone else to research. The point is that they would be scattered everywhere.
Here is one of those places that flat earthers will try to ‘prove’ that the earth is flat. Anytime they see 4 corners or 4 quarters of the earth, that to them proves the flatness. However every map that a flat earther produces is always circular, a 2 dimensional circular map. I have yet to see one try to prove a flat, square earth. That is what you would need to believe if you feel 4 quarters means 4 sides. Otherwise, regardless if the earth is a flat circle or a spherical ball, where exactly are these 4 corners the bible talks about? There are no corners in a circle. So, assuming we all believe the earth is circular, all verses that speak of corners are merely figures of speech.
Jer 49:37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed (to prostrate, to be terrified) before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil (rah) upon them, even my fierce (burning) anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:
We see common patterns in judgment. Fear comes. They don’t fight like they are capable of, because the Lord fights against them. God sends evil. He sends some combination of his 4 judgments – sword, famine, pestilence, evil beasts. The unfortunate saps are wasted.
Next.
Jer 49:38 And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
Nebuchadnezzar was God’s servant. Daniel 8:2 states that Shushan was where the palace of his was located in Elam. Since God gave Nebuchadnezzar dominion, any temporal throne given to him can be rightly called God’s. Cyrus the Persian was given it next, followed by Alexander the Great. When man forgets that any authority given is given by God, he risks ending up like Nebuchadnezzar did in Daniel chapter 4. As an aside, I wonder how many of our so called leaders today are experiencing a variation of Nebuchadnezzar’s punishment of a lost mind? I am thinking of Canada, America, the creature that used to run New Zealand, and others. I would not be surprised if they all started to grow feathers and sprout claws at some point. Instead of eating grass, I guess they will be eating bugs, if the WEF gets their way!
Jer 49:39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.
Here is another people group that will be spared total extinction. Why God spares some and not others is his prerogative. We are given reasons, such as for Edom, and we need to be content and accept the explanations given as sufficient. If we have a need to know more, God will tell us more.
In the next 2 chapters we will turn our attention to a very lengthy judgment on the Gentile nation of greatest biblical interest – Babylon.
Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/
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