Jeremiah 26:20-24

26:20 Now there was another man ¹  who prophesied as the Lord’s representative ²  against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. ³  26:21 When the king and all his bodyguards ⁴  and officials heard what he was prophesying, ⁵  the king sought to have him executed. But Uriah found out about it and fled to Egypt out of fear. ⁶  26:22 However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, ⁷  26:23 and they brought Uriah back from there. ⁸  They took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. ⁹ 

26:24 However, Ahikam son of Shaphan ¹⁰  used his influence to keep Jeremiah from being handed over and executed by the people. ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 26:1

Jeremiah Is Put on Trial as a False Prophet ¹² 

26:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah ¹³  at the beginning of the reign ¹⁴  of Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah.

Jeremiah 19:10

19:10 The Lord continued, ¹⁵  “Now break the jar in front of those who have come here with you.

Jeremiah 19:14

19:14 Then Jeremiah left Topheth where the Lord had sent him to give that prophecy. He went to the Lord’s temple and stood ¹⁶  in its courtyard and called out to all the people.

Jeremiah 19:2

19:2 Go out to the part of the Hinnom Valley which is near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. ¹⁷  Announce there what I tell you. ¹⁸ 

Jeremiah 24:1

Good Figs and Bad Figs

24:1 The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting before his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of Judah, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them to Babylon. ¹⁹ 

Jeremiah 36:16

36:16 When they had heard it all, ²⁰  they expressed their alarm to one another. ²¹  Then they said to Baruch, “We must certainly give the king a report about everything you have read!” ²² 

Nehemiah 9:26

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. ²³  They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.

Matthew 21:35-36

21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, ²⁴  killed another, and stoned another. 21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way.

Matthew 23:29

23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law ²⁵  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You ²⁶  build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves ²⁷  of the righteous.

Matthew 23:34-37

23:34 “For this reason I ²⁸  am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, ²⁹  some of whom you will kill and crucify, ³⁰  and some you will flog ³¹  in your synagogues ³²  and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, ³³  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, ³⁴  this generation will be held responsible for all these things! ³⁵ 

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ³⁶  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ³⁷  How often I have longed ³⁸  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ³⁹  you would have none of it! ⁴⁰ 

Mark 12:2-8

12:2 At harvest time he sent a slave ⁴¹  to the tenants to collect from them ⁴²  his portion of the crop. ⁴³  12:3 But ⁴⁴  those tenants ⁴⁵  seized his slave, ⁴⁶  beat him, ⁴⁷  and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴⁸  12:4 So ⁴⁹  he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. 12:5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. 12:6 He had one left, his one dear son. ⁵⁰  Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 12:7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 12:8 So ⁵¹  they seized him, ⁵²  killed him, and threw his body ⁵³  out of the vineyard. ⁵⁴ 

Luke 11:47-51

11:47 Woe to you! You build ⁵⁵  the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors ⁵⁶  killed. 11:48 So you testify that you approve of ⁵⁷  the deeds of your ancestors, ⁵⁸  because they killed the prophets ⁵⁹  and you build their ⁶⁰  tombs! ⁶¹  11:49 For this reason also the wisdom ⁶²  of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 11:50 so that this generation may be held accountable ⁶³  for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning ⁶⁴  of the world, ⁶⁵  11:51 from the blood of Abel ⁶⁶  to the blood of Zechariah, ⁶⁷  who was killed ⁶⁸  between the altar and the sanctuary. ⁶⁹  Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against ⁷⁰  this generation.

Luke 13:33-34

13:33 Nevertheless I must ⁷¹  go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is impossible ⁷²  that a prophet should be killed ⁷³  outside Jerusalem.’ ⁷⁴  13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ⁷⁵  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ⁷⁶  How often I have longed ⁷⁷  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ⁷⁸  you would have none of it! ⁷⁹ 

Acts 7:52

7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ⁸⁰  not persecute? ⁸¹  They ⁸²  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ⁸³  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ⁸⁴ 

Acts 7:1

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ⁸⁵ 

Acts 2:15

2:15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, ⁸⁶  for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ⁸⁷ 

[26:20]  ¹ sn This is a brief parenthetical narrative about an otherwise unknown prophet who was executed for saying the same things Jeremiah did. It is put here to show the real danger that Jeremiah faced for saying what he did. There is nothing in the narrative here to show any involvement by Jehoiakim. This was a “lynch mob” instigated by the priests and false prophets which was stymied by the royal officials supported by some of the elders of Judah. Since it is disjunctive or parenthetical it is unclear whether this incident happened before or after that in the main narrative being reported.

[26:20]  ² tn Heb “in the name of the Lord,” i.e., as his representative and claiming his authority. See the study note on v. 16.

[26:20]  ³ tn Heb “Now also a man was prophesying in the name of the Lord, Uriah son of…, and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah.” The long Hebrew sentence has been broken up in conformity with contemporary English style and the major emphasis brought out by putting his prophesying first, then identifying him.

[26:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “all his mighty men/soldiers.” It is unlikely that this included all the army. It more likely was the palace guards or royal bodyguards (see 2 Sam 23 where the same word is used of David’s elite corps).

[26:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “his words.”

[26:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “But Uriah heard and feared and fled and entered Egypt.”

[26:22]  ⁷ sn Elnathan son of Achbor was one of the officials who urged Jeremiah and Baruch to hide after they heard Jeremiah’s prophecies read before them (Jer 36:11-19). He was also one of the officials who urged Jehoiakim not to burn the scroll containing Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jer 36:25). He may have been Jehoiakim’s father-in-law (2 Kgs 24:6, 8).

[26:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “from Egypt.”

[26:23]  ⁹ sn The burial place of the common people was the public burial grounds, distinct from the family tombs, where poor people without any distinction were buried. It was in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 23:6). The intent of reporting this is to show the ruthlessness of Jehoiakim.

[26:24]  ¹⁰ sn Ahikam son of Shaphan was an official during the reign of Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah (2 Kgs 22:12, 14). He was also the father of Gedaliah who became governor of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem (Jer 40:5). The particle at the beginning of the verse is meant to contrast the actions of this man with the actions of Jehoiakim. The impression created by this verse is that it took more than just the royal officials’ opinion and the elders’ warnings to keep the priests and prophets from swaying popular opinion to put Jeremiah to death.

[26:24]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he would not be given (even more literally, ‘so as not to give him’) into the hand of the people to kill him.” “Hand” is often used for “aid,” “support,” “influence,” “power,” “control.”

[26:1]  ¹² sn Beginning with Jer 26 up to Jer 45 the book narrates in third person style incidents in the life of Jeremiah and prophecies (or sermons) he gave in obedience to the Lord’s commands. Baruch is the probable narrator, passing on information gleaned from Jeremiah himself. (See Jer 36:4, 18, 32; 45:1 and also 32:13-14 where it is clear that Baruch is Jeremiah’s scribe or secretary.) Chapters 26-29 contain narratives concerning reactions to Jeremiah’s prophecies and his conflict with the prophets who were prophesying that things would be all right (see, e.g., 14:14-15; 23:21).

[26:1]  ¹³ tn The words “to Jeremiah” are not in the Hebrew text. They are added by the Old Latin (not the Vulgate) and the Syriac versions. They are implicit, however, to the narrative style which speaks of Jeremiah in the third person (cf. vv. 7, 12). They have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[26:1]  ¹⁴ tn It is often thought that the term here is equivalent to a technical term in Akkadian (reshsharruti) which refers to the part of the year remaining from the death or deposing of the previous king until the beginning of the calendar year when the new king officially ascended the throne. In this case it would refer to the part of the year between September, 609 b.c. when Jehoiakim was placed on the throne as a puppet king by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kgs 23:34-35) and April, 608 b.c. when he would have been officially celebrated as king. However, it will be suggested below in conjunction with the textual problems in 27:1 and 28:1 that the term does not necessarily refer to this period.

[19:10]  ¹⁵ tn The words “And the Lord continued” are not in the text. However, they are necessary to take us clearly back to the flow of the narrative begun in vv. 1-2 and interrupted by the long speech in vv. 3-9.

[19:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “And Jeremiah entered from Topheth where the Lord had sent him to prophesy and he stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.”

[19:2]  ¹⁷ sn The exact location of the Potsherd Gate is unknown since it is nowhere else mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It is sometimes identified with the Dung Gate mentioned in Neh 2:13; 3:13-14; 12:31 on the basis of the Jerusalem Targum. It is probably called “Potsherd Gate” because that is where the potter threw out the broken pieces of pottery which were no longer of use to him. The Valley of Ben Hinnom has already been mentioned in 7:31-32 in connection with the illicit religious practices, including child sacrifice, which took place there. The Valley of Ben Hinnom (or sometimes Valley of Hinnom) runs along the west and south sides of Jerusalem.

[19:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the words that I will speak to you.”

[24:1]  ¹⁹ sn See 2 Kgs 24:10-17 (especially vv. 14-16). Nebuchadnezzar left behind the poorest people of the land under the puppet king Zedekiah. Jeconiah has already been referred to earlier in 13:18; 22:25-26. The deportation referred to here occurred in 597 b.c. and included the priest Ezekiel.

[36:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all the words.”

[36:16]  ²¹ tn According to BDB 808 s.v. פָּחַד Qal.1 and 40 s.v. אֶל 3.a, this is an example of the “pregnant” use of a preposition where an implied verb has to be supplied in the translation to conform the normal range of the preposition with the verb that is governing it. The Hebrew text reads: “they feared unto one another.” BDB translates “they turned in dread to each other.” The translation adopted seems more appropriate in this context.

[36:16]  ²² tn Heb “We must certainly report to the king all these things.” Here the word דְּבָרִים (dÿvarim) must mean “things” (cf. BDB 183 s.v. דָּבָר IV.3) rather than “words” because a verbatim report of all the words in the scroll is scarcely meant. The present translation has chosen to use a form that suggests a summary report of all the matters spoken about in the scroll rather than the indefinite “things.”

[9:26]  ²³ tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”

[21:35]  ²⁴ sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.

[23:29]  ²⁵ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:29]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated.

[23:29]  ²⁷ tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).

[23:34]  ²⁸ tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[23:34]  ²⁹ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:34]  ³⁰ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[23:34]  ³¹ tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[23:34]  ³² sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:35]  ³³ sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[23:36]  ³⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[23:36]  ³⁵ tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”

[23:37]  ³⁶ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[23:37]  ³⁷ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[23:37]  ³⁸ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[23:37]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[23:37]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[12:2]  ⁴¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

[12:2]  ⁴² tn Grk “from the tenants,” but this is redundant in English, so the pronoun (“them”) was used in the translation.

[12:2]  ⁴³ tn Grk “from the fruits of the vineyard.”

[12:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[12:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “But they”; the referent (the tenants, v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “seizing him, they beat and sent away empty-handed.” The referent of the direct object of “seizing” (the slave sent by the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The objects of the verbs “beat” and “sent away” have been supplied in the translation to conform to English style. Greek often omits direct objects when they are clear from the context.

[12:3]  ⁴⁷ sn The image of the tenants beating up the owner’s slave pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.

[12:3]  ⁴⁸ sn The slaves being sent empty-handed suggests that the vineyard was not producing any fruit – and thus neither was the nation of Israel.

[12:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ mistreatment of the first slave.

[12:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “one beloved son.” See comment at Mark 1:11.

[12:8]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[12:8]  ⁵² tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

[12:8]  ⁵³ tn Grk “him.”

[12:8]  ⁵⁴ sn Throwing the heir’s body out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.

[11:47]  ⁵⁵ sn The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” (The Sayings of Jesus, 101).

[11:47]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “you are witnesses and approve of.”

[11:48]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:48]  ⁶⁰ tn “Their,” i.e., the prophets.

[11:48]  ⁶¹ tc The majority of mss list a specific object (“their tombs”), filling out the sentence (although there are two different words for “tombs” among the mss, as well as different word orders: αὐτῶν τὰ μνημεῖα (autwn ta mnhmeia; found in A C W Θ Ψ 33 Ï) and τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν (tou" tafou" autwn; found in Ë^1,[13] 2542 pc). This suggests that early copyists had no term in front of them but felt the verb needed an object. But since a wide distribution of early Alexandrian and Western mss lack these words (Ì⁷⁵ א B D L 579 1241 it sa), it is likely that they were not part of the original text of Luke. Nevertheless, the words “their tombs” are inserted in the translation because of requirements of English style.

[11:49]  ⁶² sn The expression the wisdom of God is a personification of an attribute of God that refers to his wise will.

[11:50]  ⁶³ tn Or “that this generation may be charged with”; or “the blood of all the prophets… may be required from this generation.” This is a warning of judgment. These people are responsible for the shedding of prophetic blood.

[11:50]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “foundation.” However, this does not suggest a time to the modern reader.

[11:50]  ⁶⁵ tn The order of the clauses in this complicated sentence has been rearranged to simplify it for the modern reader.

[11:51]  ⁶⁶ sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.

[11:51]  ⁶⁷ sn It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25.

[11:51]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “who perished.”

[11:51]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “and the temple”; Grk “and the house,” but in this context a reference to the house of God as a place of sanctuary.

[11:51]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “required from.”

[13:33]  ⁷¹ tn This is the frequent expression δεῖ (dei, “it is necessary”) that notes something that is a part of God’s plan.

[13:33]  ⁷² tn Or “unthinkable.” See L&N 71.4 for both possible meanings.

[13:33]  ⁷³ tn Or “should perish away from.”

[13:33]  ⁷⁴ sn Death in Jerusalem is another key theme in Luke’s material: 7:16, 34; 24:19; Acts 3:22-23. Notice that Jesus sees himself in the role of a prophet here. Jesus’ statement, it is impossible that a prophet should be killed outside Jerusalem, is filled with irony; Jesus, traveling about in Galilee (most likely), has nothing to fear from Herod; it is his own people living in the very center of Jewish religion and worship who present the greatest danger to his life. The underlying idea is that Jerusalem, though she stands at the very heart of the worship of God, often kills the prophets God sends to her (v. 34). In the end, Herod will be much less a threat than Jerusalem.

[13:34]  ⁷⁵ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[13:34]  ⁷⁶ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[13:34]  ⁷⁷ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[13:34]  ⁷⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:34]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[7:52]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁸¹ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ⁸² tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ⁸³ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ⁸⁴ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:1]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[2:15]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “These men are not drunk, as you suppose.”

[2:15]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “only the third hour.”