Jeremiah 40:2

Jer 40:2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.

Ver. 2. And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah.] Took him and loosed him, as he should have done before.

Saying, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.] Oratio militaris, sed bene theologica. A strange speech to come out of such a man’s mouth. How could the captives present hear it, and not be affected with it? Thus Balaam’s ass sometimes rebuked his master’s madness, but to little good effect.

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.

Jer 40:2-4. The captain of the guard said, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil, &c. — Although each of the Gentile or heathen nations worshipped its peculiar god or gods, yet they did not reject or deny the gods of other nations; and therefore the captain of the guard speaks here to Jeremiah of Jehovah as his God, and the God of the Jews, and attributes all the calamities which had befallen this people to the indignation of this their God against them, because they had not obeyed and served him as they ought to have done. This seems a much more probable interpretation of Nebuzar-adan’s words than to understand them as expressive of his faith in the living and true God, of whom it is likely he knew little or nothing. And now, behold, I loose thee this day, &c. — This captain of the guard, like a faithful servant, remembers his princes’s orders about the prophet, and offers to him greater favour than to any of the other prisoners. With respect to them, he uses the power which conquest had given him over them, and they must go whither the king of Babylon pleased to send them; but he gives Jeremiah liberty to choose whether he would go along with him to Babylon, or stay in his own country, assuring him that if he would go to Babylon he would take particular care of him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

40:2-3 The captain of the guard quoted the prediction of the Lord through Jeremiah that had now been fulfilled.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

From this second verse unto Jer. 42:7, it seemeth to be as a parenthesis, and separated matter: and there this story beginneth again, and this vision is declared what it was.

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

The Babylonians were in some measure aware, through Jeremiah's prophecies (Jer 39:11), that they were the instruments of God's wrath on His people.

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

Verse 2. The Lord thy God hath pronounced] I know that thou art a true prophet, for what thou hast predicted from thy God is come to pass.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah,.... When he mustered his prisoners, to his great surprise he found the prophet among them, whom he took out from them, and set him free; though, before he dismissed him, he had the following conversation with him:

and said unto him, the Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil on this place; the city of Jerusalem; from whence the prophet and the rest of the captives were just brought, and which now lay in ruins; the houses burnt; the walls broken down; and the inhabitants spoiled and carried captive. This was the evil which the Lord, he says, had "decreed", as the Targum renders it; had purposed to bring upon it; and which he had declared and pronounced by the mouth of Jeremiah, whose Lord God he was, being his prophet, and a worshipper of him: this Nebuzaradan was apprized of by the Jews that deserted to the Chaldeans; and particularly, as is probable, by Gedaliah.

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

2. The captain… said unto him — This message is certainly a most remarkable one. The language is not heathen, but Jewish. Probably Nebuzaradan had become fully possessed of the substance of Jeremiah’s predictions, and had come to feel that they were really from God.

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 S. CONWAY Vers. 2, 3. The blind seeing, the seeing blind.

This heathen captain, who could not be expected to know the truth, who was, as it were, born blind as to the truth of God, sees clearly that truth, and declares it; whilst the people of Judah and Jerusalem, their kings, their priests, their nobles, all of whom regarded themselves as knowing the truth, who, as in Joh_9:41, said, "We see," are found to be completely blind as to that truth. Note herein

I HOW CLEAR WAS THE RECOGNITION OF GOD. He ascribes all to "the Lord thy God." He recognizes the prophet as sent of God (ver. 3), "According as he hath said" He traces their calamities to their true cause sin against God. He recognizes that Babylon and her troops are but ministers of God to do his will.

II THE PROBABLE SOURCES OF HIS KNOWLEDGE. Perhaps:

1. The general belief that each nation had its own deity.

2. Yet more, the prophecies of Jeremiah.

3. Also the strength of Jerusalem. Never, apart from the people"s sin, has such a fortress been overthrown.

4. The madness of the people. Quem deus vult perdere prius dementat. Only a God forsaken people could have thrown away their well being as these had done.

5. The judgments that came upon them.

III WHAT SUCH FACTS AS THESE the blind seeing, etc. REVEAL.

1. How clear the light of truth which God has given! Were it not so clear, such as this heathen would not see it.

2. How dense the darkness which persistent sin spreads over the soul! Hence the "seeing blind.

3. How awful the doom of those who seeing, see not! Cf. Matthew 11, "Woe unto thee, Chorazin," etc.! C.

HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG Vers. 2-6. Jeremiah a free agent.

We have here an expansion of vers. 13 and 14 of the previous chapter.

I ONE OF THE BEST THINGS A MAN CAN HAVE IS FULL INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY. The royal master of the captain of the guard was anxious to do the best he could for the prophet; and he seems to have understood fully that only the prophet could decide on this best. The captain of the guard, in all he says, is but the mouthpiece of the king. Very likely the captain, if he had been left to decide, would have said, "What better thing can happen to this man than go to Babylon with me?" and so, meaning well enough, he might have done ill. Good intentions are not enough in providing for others. We go rather by our notion of what they want than by what they really want; and thus we are disappointed in our efforts. There never can be anything wrong in giving a man the largest scope to settle his path for himself. We may easily become cramped as a result of the ignorant kindness of others.

II THERE WAS AN INCREASED RESPONSIBILITY FOR JEREMIAH. For a long time he had been in prison, and all he had to do was to endure captivity in a patient, trustful way. But now comes liberty, and in his case a peculiar responsibility. Few men, perhaps not even a single one, had the liberty enjoyed by him at this moment. Others had not been asked whether they would go to Babylon or stay. The conquerors settled all that. But Jeremiah has free choice, and he has to decide in very altered conditions of the land. Freedom brings human judgment into full strength and exercise.

III JEREMIAH WAS SURE TO DECIDE RIGHTLY. Why? Because the first thing he would look to was the will of Jehovah. What lesson had he been learning all through his prophetic life but this, that negligence of the will of Jehovah brought incalculable mischief? Here is the necessity for us to keep in a state of discernment with respect to the will of God. As a general rule, we do not need special intimations of the Divine will; right is seen to be right and wrong to be wrong. But there are also times when, as we need such special intimations, they are sure to be given. Y.

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

“The Lord your God spoke” Why are you troubled about them? Did you not prophesy to them and they did not hearken? As it is stated in Pesikta d’Rav Kahana (p. 113a).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.