Jeremiah 37:2

Jer 37:2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.

Ver. 2. But neither he nor his servants did hearken.] And this was their undoing - scil., that they humbled not themselves before this holy prophet, speaking unto them from the mouth of the Lord. {2Ch 36:12}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, hand.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Amazing stupidity, that they were not admonished by the punishment of Jeconiah [CALVIN], (Ch2 36:12, Ch2 36:14)!

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(2) But neither he, nor his servants . . .—The verse gives a general survey of the character of Zedekiah’s reign preparatory to the actual history that follows, which falls towards its close, probably in the seventh or eighth year of his reign. It will be noted that the “servants” here, as in Jer_36:24, are the personal attendants of the king, his courtiers, as distinct from the “princes” of Judah and the “people of the land,” that is, the great body of unofficial laymen.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land,.... The king, his courtiers and subjects the royal family, nobility, and common people; they were all degenerate and corrupt. Jarchi observes, that Jehoiakim was wicked, and his people righteous; and that Zedekiah was righteous, and his people wicked but he seems to found his character on that single action of taking Jeremiah out of prison; whereas, according to this account, king and people were all wicked: for neither one or other

did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by Jeremiah the prophet; neither those which were spoken in the former nor in the latter part of his reign, concerning the destruction of the city by the Chaldeans. This short count is given to show how just it was to give up such a prince and people to ruin.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

This Zedekiah was little better than Jehoiakim; he seemeth by his story to be of a little better temper, not so cruel and bloody; but he no more regarded God’s word by his prophet than Jehoiakim had done.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. Neither he, nor… did hearken — “Amazing stupidity that they were not warned by the punishment of Jeconiah.” (Calvin.)

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR Vers. 2, 3. Vide Jer_21:1, 2 M.

HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY Vers. 2-4. "Give us of your oil.

Here we have King Zedekiah, his servants, and his people, asking the prayers of the prophet of God, whose word of counsel and warning they had all along despised. The verses remind us of the parable of the ten virgins; for, as there, the foolish say unto the wise, "Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out," so here the foolish king and people entreat the aid of the wise servant of God when, as the midnight cry came to those virgins, so the dread judgment of God came to them. "Pray now unto the Lord our God for us," say they who had refused to listen when he spoke to them from the Lord their God. Note

I HOW GRIEVOUSLY WICKED THE PEOPLE HAD BEEN. (Cf. ver. 2) It was with them as with the family of the rich man told of in Luke 16. He, being in torments, thought of his five brethren who were all of them living in sin. There, as here, there were none righteous. And so with Sodom and Gomorrah.

II YET HOW VERY ANXIOUS THEY WERE FOR THE PROPHET"S PRAYERS. Ver. 3, "Pray now," etc. Reasons of this were:

1. They had waked up to the conviction that the prophet"s message was true.

2. They were in sore peril, and knew not how to help themselves.

3. They knew that the prophet had power with God.

4. They felt they could not go to God in prayer themselves. How much of the asking for the prayers of God"s ministers on the part of those who are on their death bed is owing to like causes!

III HOW USELESS SUCH PRAYERS ARE. Did the prayer of Dives do any good? or of the five foolish virgins? or those of the prophet, for we may suppose that he did pray? Now, the reasons of their uselessness are such as these:

1. To have granted them would have defeated God"s purpose in regard to his people. That purpose was to purify them, to separate them from their sins. But they did not wish when they asked these prayers to be severed from sin, only to be relieved of trouble. But such desire could not be granted; therefore God held them down to the consequences of their sin.

2. Their request was an insult to God. Such men are well described in Mrs. H.W.B. Stowe"s book, "Uncle Tom"s Cabin," where one of them, Haley, is thus spoken to by a comrade: "After all, what"s the odds between me and you? "Tain"t that you care one bit more or have a bit more feelin"; it"s clean, sheer, dog meanness, wanting to cheat the devil and save your own skin, Don"t I see through it? And your "gettin" religion," as you call it, arter all, is too p"isin mean for any crittur; run up a bill with the devil all your life, and then sneak out when pay time comes! Boh!" Is there not a vast amount of this meanness? Its despicableness is only equaled by its uselessness.

3. It would make God the minister of sin.

CONCLUSION. Learn, unless there be true repentance, neither our own prayers nor those of other people, though they be the greatest saints of God, will avail us anything. Even coming to Christ apart from repentance will fail us. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit," etc. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.