Jeremiah 49:7-22

Jeremiah 49:7-Song of Solomon : . Edom.— For the land, and the relations of this people to Israel, see on Obadiah, from Jeremiah 49:1-Deuteronomy : of which the present prophecy has taken verbally Jeremiah 49:9, Jeremiah 49:14-Nehemiah :. This does not, in itself, disprove the Jeremianic authorship of other parts of this prophecy, e.g. Jeremiah 49:7 f., Jeremiah 49:10 f., Jeremiah 49:22. The Edomites are paralysed by disaster. Let the Dedanites (their southern neighbours, Ezekiel 25:13) flee to some inaccessible refuge (“ dwell deep” , Jeremiah 49:8). The foe will destroy Edom utterly ( Jeremiah 49:9 mg.; in different sense from that of its source, Obadiah 1:5). Yahweh Himself (“ I” is emphatic in Jeremiah 49:10) searches out Edom, and cannot be escaped, but He will care for the orphans and widows (of the slaughtered Edomites). Israel undeservedly has drunk the cup (of Yahweh’ s wrath, Jeremiah 25:15 ff.), and now it is Edom’ s turn; Bozrah and other Edomite cities shall be laid waste ( Jeremiah 49:13). The nations are combining against Edom, and she shall be humiliated; her pride in being inaccessible to the invader shall be shaken ( Jeremiah 49:14-Nehemiah :, see on Obadiah 1:1-Numbers :; “ as for thy terribleness,” not found there, should be “ O, thy shuddering!” ). Desolated Edom shall become an object of wonder ( Jeremiah 19:8), like the cities of the plain ( Genesis 19:24, Deuteronomy 29:23). The foe comes up like a lion from the Jordan jungle ( Jeremiah 12:5); through him, Yahweh will drive them forth ( mg. 3 ) as He chooses, for who can withstand Yahweh? The helpless Edomites shall be dragged off ( cf. Jeremiah 15:3, mg.); their calamity is known far and wide ( Jeremiah 49:21). Vulture-like will the foe swoop down ( Jeremiah 48:40) and Edom be in dire extremity ( Jeremiah 49:22).

Jeremiah 49:7 . Teman: the northern district of Edom.— vanished: better, “ spoilt” .

Jeremiah 49:13 . Bozrah: capital of Teman, Isaiah 34:6, perhaps Busaireh, 20 m. SE. of Dead Sea.

Jeremiah 49:19 . strong: should be “ permanent” , as mg.; Jeremiah 49:19-Ecclesiastes : recur in Jeremiah 50:44-1 Corinthians :, applied to Babylon.— appoint me a time: i.e. for trial or contest, Job 9:19.— shepherd: fig. for “ ruler” , Jeremiah 25:34 ff.

Jeremiah 49:20. Read 2nd and 3rd mg.