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Texts -- Jeremiah 32:1-27 (NET)

Context
Jeremiah Buys a Field
32:1 In the tenth year that Zedekiah was ruling over Judah the Lord spoke to Jeremiah . That was the same as the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar . 32:2 Now at that time , the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem . The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse attached to the royal palace of Judah . 32:3 For King Zedekiah had confined Jeremiah there after he had reproved him for prophesying as he did. He had asked Jeremiah, “Why do you keep prophesying these things ? Why do you keep saying that the Lord says , ‘I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon ? I will let him capture it. 32:4 King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians . He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon . He must answer personally to the king of Babylon and confront him face to face . 32:5 Zedekiah will be carried off to Babylon and will remain there until I have fully dealt with him. I, the Lord , affirm it! Even if you continue to fight against the Babylonians , you cannot win .’” 32:6 So now, Jeremiah said , “The Lord told me, 32:7 ‘Hanamel , the son of your uncle Shallum , will come to you soon. He will say to you, “Buy my field at Anathoth because you are entitled as my closest relative to buy it.”’ 32:8 Now it happened just as the Lord had said! My cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guardhouse . He said to me, ‘Buy my field which is at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin . Buy it for yourself since you are entitled as my closest relative to take possession of it for yourself.’ When this happened, I recognized that the Lord had indeed spoken to me. 32:9 So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel . I weighed out seven ounces of silver and gave it to him to pay for it. 32:10 I signed the deed of purchase, sealed it, and had some men serve as witnesses to the purchase. I weighed out the silver for him on a scale . 32:11 There were two copies of the deed of purchase . One was sealed and contained the order of transfer and the conditions of purchase. The other was left unsealed . 32:12 I took both copies of the deed of purchase and gave them to Baruch son of Neriah , the son of Mahseiah . I gave them to him in the presence of my cousin Hanamel , the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase , and all the Judeans who were housed in the courtyard of the guardhouse . 32:13 In the presence of all these people I instructed Baruch , 32:14 ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says , “Take these documents , both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy . Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to come.”’ 32:15 For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says , “Houses , fields , and vineyards will again be bought in this land .”’
Jeremiah’s Prayer of Praise and Bewilderment
32:16 “After I had given the copies of the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah , I prayed to the Lord , 32:17 ‘Oh , Lord God , you did indeed make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength . Nothing is too hard for you! 32:18 You show unfailing love to thousands . But you also punish children for the sins of their parents . You are the great and powerful God who is known as the Lord who rules over all . 32:19 You plan great things and you do mighty deeds . You see everything people do. You reward each of them for the way they live and for the things they do . 32:20 You did miracles and amazing deeds in the land of Egypt which have had lasting effect. By this means you gained both in Israel and among humankind a renown that lasts to this day . 32:21 You used your mighty power and your great strength to perform miracles and amazing deeds and to bring great terror on the Egyptians. By this means you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt . 32:22 You kept the promise that you swore on oath to their ancestors . You gave them a land flowing with milk and honey . 32:23 But when they came in and took possession of it, they did not obey you or live as you had instructed them. They did not do anything that you commanded them to do . So you brought all this disaster on them. 32:24 Even now siege ramps have been built up around the city in order to capture it. War , starvation , and disease are sure to make the city fall into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. Lord, you threatened that this would happen . Now you can see that it is already taking place. 32:25 The city is sure to fall into the hands of the Babylonians . Yet, in spite of this, you , Lord God , have said to me, “Buy that field with silver and have the transaction legally witnessed .”’”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah’s Prayer
32:26 The Lord answered Jeremiah . 32:27 “I am the Lord , the God of all humankind . There is, indeed, nothing too difficult for me.

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Baruch

    [ebd] blessed. (1.) The secretary of the prophet Jeremiah (32:12; 36:4). He was of the tribe of Judah (51:59). To him Jeremiah dictated his prophecies regarding the invasion of the Babylonians and the Captivity. These he read to t...
    [isbe] BARUCH - ba'-ruk, bar'-uk (baruk; Barouch, "blessed"): (1) Son of Neriah and brother of Seraiah, King Zedekiah's chamberlain (Jer 51:59). He was the devoted friend (Jer 32:12), the amanuensis (36:4 ff,32) and faithful attend...
    [smith] (blessed). Son of Neriah, the friend, (Jeremiah 32:12) amanuensis, (Jeremiah 26:4-32) and faithful attendant of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 36:10) ff. (B.C. 603.) He was of a noble family, comp. (Jeremiah 51:59) Bar. 1:1, and of dis...
    [nave] BARUCH 1. An amanuensis of Jeremiah, Jer. 32:12-16; 36:4-32; 43:3-6; 45:1, 2. 2. Son of Zabbai, Neh. 3:20; 10:6. 3. A descendant of Pharez, Neh. 11:5.

  • Jeremiah

    [ebd] raised up or appointed by Jehovah. (1.) A Gadite who joined David in the wilderness (1 Chr. 12:10). (2.) A Gadite warrior (1 Chr. 12:13). (3.) A Benjamite slinger who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:4). (4.) One of the chi...
    [smith] (whom Jehovah has appointed) was "the son of Hilkiah of the priests that were in Anathoth." (Jeremiah 1:1) History. --He was called very young (B.C. 626) to the prophetic office, and prophesied forty-two years; but we have h...
    [nave] JEREMIAH 1. Of Libnah, grandfather of Jehoahaz, 2 Kin. 23:31; 24:18; Jer. 52:1. 2. A chief of Manasseh, 1 Chr. 5:24. 3. An Israelite who joined David at Ziklag, 1 Chr. 12:4. 4. Two Gadites who joined David at Ziklag, 1 Ch...

  • AGRARIAN LAWS

    [isbe] AGRARIAN LAWS - a-gra'-ri-an loz: 1. The Sabbath Year 2. The Jubilee 3. Its Object 4. The Legal Rules 5. Ideas and Circumstances of the Legislation 6. Form of the Legislation 7. Its Operation and Extension 8. Other Laws Affe...

  • ZEDEKIAH (2)

    [isbe] ZEDEKIAH (2) - (tsidhqiyahu, "Yah my righteousness"; name changed from Mattaniah (mattanyah, "gift of Yah"; Sedekias): I. SOURCES FOR HIS REGION AND TIME 1. Annalistic 2. Prophetic II. THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE LAST KING OF ...

  • JEREMIAH (2)

    [isbe] JEREMIAH (2) - jer-e-mi'-a: 1. Name and Person 2. Life of Jeremiah 3. The Personal Character of Jeremiah 4. The Prophecies of Jeremiah 5. The Book of Jeremiah 6. Authenticity and Integrity of the Book 7. Relation to the Sept...

  • PENTATEUCH, 2B

    [isbe] PENTATEUCH, 2B - 3. Answer to the Critical Analysis: (1) The Veto of Textual Criticism. The first great objection that may be made to the higher criticism is that it starts from the Massoretic text (MT) without investigation...

  • Hanameel

    [ebd] whom God has graciously given, the cousin of Jeremiah, to whom he sold the field he possessed in Anathoth, before the siege of Jerusalem (Jer. 32:6-12).
    [smith] (whom God graciously gave), son of Shallum and cousin of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 32:7,8,9,12) and comp. Jere 32:44 (B.C. 589.)
    [nave] HANAMEEL, cousin of Jeremiah, to whom he sold a field in Anathoth, Jer. 32:7-12.

  • Symbols and Similitudes

    [nave] SYMBOLS AND SIMILITUDES Trees of life and knowledge, Gen. 2:9, 17; 3:3, 24; Rev. 22:2. Rainbow, Gen. 9:12, 13. Circumcision, of the covenant of Abraham, Gen. 17:11; Rom. 4:11. Passover, of the sparing of the firstborn, an...

  • Witness

    [smith] Among people with whom writing is not common the evidence of a transaction is given by some tangible memorial or significant ceremony: Abraham gave seven ewe-lambs to Abimelech as an evidence of his property in the well of Be...
    [nave] WITNESS, Lev. 5:1; Prov. 18:17. Qualified by oath, Ex. 22:11; Num. 5:19, 21; 1 Kin. 8:31, 32; by laying hands on the accused, Lev. 24:14. Two necessary to establish a fact, Num. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:16; John...

  • Land

    [nave] LAND Appeared on third creative day, Gen. 1:9. Original title to, from God, Gen. 13:14-17; 15:7; Ex. 23:31; Lev. 25:23. Bought and sold, Gen. 23:3-18; 33:19; Acts 4:34; 5:1-8. Sale and redemption of, laws concerning, Lev....

  • Anathoth

    [ebd] the name of one of the cities of refuge, in the tribe of Benjamin (Josh. 21:18). The Jews, as a rule, did not change the names of the towns they found in Palestine; hence this town may be regarded as deriving its name from t...
    [isbe] ANATHOTH - an'-a-thoth (`anathoth; Anathoth): A town which lay between Michmash and Jerusalem (Isa 10:30), in the territory of Benjamin, assigned to the Levites (Josh 21:18). It was the native place of Abiathar (1 Ki 2:26), ...
    [nave] ANATHOTH 1. A Levitical city in Benjamin, Josh. 21:18; 1 Chr. 6:60. Abiathar confined in, 1 Kin. 2:26. Birthplace of Jeremiah, Jer. 1:1; 32:7-12; of Abiezer, 2 Sam. 23:27; of Jehu, 1 Chr. 12:3. Prophecies against, Jer. 11...

  • SALVATION

    [isbe] SALVATION - sal-va'-shun: I. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT 1. General 2. Individualism 3. Faith 4. Moral Law 5. Sacrifices 6. Ritual Law II. INTERMEDIATE LITERATURE 1. General 2. The Law III. THE TEACHING OF CHRIST 1. The Baptist 2. ...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

  • Prayer

    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • HANAMEL

    [isbe] HANAMEL - han'-a-mel (hanam'el; the King James Version Hanameel, ha-nam'el): The son of Shallum, Jeremiah's uncle, of whom the prophet, while in prison, during the time when Jerusalem was besieged by the Chaldeans, bought a ...

  • Seal

    [isbe] SEAL - sel (substantive chotham, "seal," "signet," Tabba`ath, "signet-ring"; Aramaic `izqa'; sphragis; verb chatham, (Aramaic chatham); (sphragizo), (katasphragizomai, "to seal"): I. Literal Sense. A seal is an instrument of...
    [smith] The importance attached to seals in the East is so great that without one no document is regarded as authentic. Among the methods of sealing used in Egypt at a very early period were engraved stones, graved stones, pierced th...
    [nave] SEAL 1. A stamp used for signifying documents. Given as a pledge, Gen. 38:18. Engraved, Ex. 28:11, 21, 36; 39:6, 14, 30; 2 Tim. 2:19. Decrees signified by, 1 Kin. 21:8; Esth. 8:8. Documents sealed with: Ahab's letter, 1 K...

  • Zedekiah

    [ebd] righteousness of Jehovah. (1.) The last king of Judah. He was the third son of Josiah, and his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, and hence he was the brother of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31; 24:17, 18...
    [nave] ZEDEKIAH 1. Made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kin. 24:17, 18; 1 Chr. 3:15; 2 Chr. 36:10; Jer. 37:1. Throws off his allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kin. 24:20; 2 Chr. 36:13; Jer. 52:3; Ezek. 17:12-21. Forms an allianc...

  • Contracts

    [nave] CONTRACTS Between Abraham and Abimelech, concerning wells of water, Gen. 21:25-32; violated, Gen. 26:15. First contract between Laban and Jacob for Laban's daughter, Gen. 29:15-20, 27-30; violated, Gen. 29:23-27; second con...

  • Prophecy

    [nave] PROPHECY Concerning Jesus, See: Jesus. Concerning church, See: Church, Prophecies Concerning Prosperity of. Relating to various countries, nations, and cities, see under their respective titles. Respecting individuals, see...

  • EVIDENCE; EVIDENT; EVIDENTLY

    [isbe] EVIDENCE; EVIDENT; EVIDENTLY - ev'-i-dens, ev'-i-dent-li cepher; elegchos, phaneros): In Jer 32:10,11,12,14,16,44, cepher, "a writing," is translated (the King James Version) "evidence" (of the purchase of the field in Anath...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Chapters 18 and 19 constitute one integrated story, but we shall consider it section by section. Like the Flood story, it has a chiastic structure this time focusing on the announcement of the destruction of Sodom (19:12-13)....
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • The Israelites were not to exploit one another (vv. 35-38). They were not to charge one another interest on loans (v. 37; cf. Exod. 22:25; Deut. 23:19-20). This policy would have enabled a poor farmer to buy enough seed for t...
  • Baxter, J. Sidlow. Explore the Book. 6 vols. London: Marshall, Morgan, and Scott, 1965.Bromiley, Geoffrey W. God and Marriage. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1980.Bullock, C. Hassell. An Introduction to the Poe...
  • In contrast to Ahaz, who refused to listen to and obey God, the Lord would raise up a faithful king who would be born and reign in the future (the Millennium). This pericope climaxes the present section (7:1-9:7) dealing with...
  • Jeremiah's purpose was to call his hearers to repentance in view of God's judgment on Judah, which would come soon from an army from the north (chs. 2-45). Judgment was coming because God's people had forsaken Yahweh and had ...
  • The Book of Jeremiah is not theologically organized in the sense that it develops a certain theological emphasis as it unfolds, as Isaiah does. Rather it presents certain theological truths in greater or lesser degree through...
  • I. Introduction ch. 1A. The introduction of Jeremiah 1:1-3B. The call of Jeremiah 1:4-191. The promise of divine enablement 1:4-102. Two confirming visions 1:11-19II. Prophecies about Judah chs. 2-45A. Warnings of judgment on...
  • 1:4 The prophet now began speaking to his readers and telling them what the Lord had said to him. Throughout this book, an indication that the Lord had told Jeremiah something is often the sign of a new pericope, as here (cf....
  • This is the first of several symbolic acts that Jeremiah performed to communicate divine messages (cf. 16:1-4; 18:1-12; 19:1-2, 10-11; 27:1-28:17; 32:1-15; 43:8-13; 51:59-64). Other prophets did the same thing (cf. Isa. 20:2-...
  • This passage probably dates from the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 588-586 B.C. (vv. 2, 4; cf. 2 Kings 25). King Zedekiah sought advice from Jeremiah more than once (cf. 37:3-10, 17-21; 38:14-28). This passage consists of ...
  • This section consists of four parts: a summary of Jeremiah's Temple Sermon (vv. 2-6), the prophet's arrest and trial (vv. 7-16), the elders' plea for his life (vv. 17-19, 24), and the incident involving Uriah and his executio...
  • Two things mark these first two chapters of the Book of Consolation, one having to do with content and the other with style. Most of the dozen or so prophecies in this section deal with the Northern Kingdom, as is clear from ...
  • The second part of the Book of Consolation (chs. 30-33) is entirely prose material, not mainly poetry as were chapters 30-31. It describes conditions just before the fall of Jerusalem, not conditions quite a while before then...
  • All of chapter 32 centers around one event in Jeremiah's life. By this time he had given many prophecies about the restoration of Israel to her land. Something happened that challenged his faith in those promises. The chapter...
  • This was another of Jeremiah's symbolic acts (cf. 16:1-4; 18:1-12; 19:1-2, 10-11; 27:1-28:17; 43:8-13; 51:59-64).32:1 A message came to the prophet from the Lord about 587 B.C., the year before Jerusalem fell.32:2 Jerusalem w...
  • The prayer begins with a long ascription of praise to Yahweh (vv. 17-23) and concludes by expressing incredulity that the Lord had commanded His servant to buy the land in Anathoth (vv. 24-25; cf. Neh. 9:6-37; Dan. 9:4-19).42...
  • The Lord's response to the prophet's prayer assured him that He would indeed restore Israel to her land. Jeremiah had not made a mistake buying the property.32:26-27 The Lord began His reply by affirming His universal deity a...
  • 33:1 Jeremiah received another message from the Lord while he was still confined in the court of the guard (cf. 32:2).33:2 The Lord introduced Himself as the Creator and Establisher of the earth (cf. 32:17; Gen. 1). This was ...
  • This section consists of a small collection of messianic prophecies.33:14 Future days would come, the Lord promised, when He would fulfill His promises concerning the restoration of all Israel."The predicted restoration (the ...
  • The Book of Consolation contained messages of future hope for Judah (chs. 30-33). Now Jeremiah returned to document her present judgment. Chapters 34-45 continue the theme of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem from chapters 2-29...
  • This incident happened during the respite in the siege, as did those recorded in 32:1-15; 37-38; and 39:15-18 (cf. vv. 21-22). The year was about 588 B.C.34:8-9 The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Zedek...
  • The theme of Judah's faithlessness carries over from chapter 34. The promise-breakers in 34:8-22 contrast with the promise-keepers in chapter 35. The events described in chapters 35 and 36 preceded those in chapters 32-34 chr...
  • 36:1 The Lord sent a message to Jeremiah in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim's reign, sometime between April of 605 and April of 604 B.C. (cf. 25:1)36:2 Jeremiah was to write on a scroll (Heb. megillath sepher) all the proph...
  • 37:11-12 During the lifting of the siege of Jerusalem just described (v. 5), Jeremiah left the city to conduct some personal business concerning the purchase of some property in the territory of Benjamin. This may have been t...
  • 37:17 Zedekiah secretly sent for Jeremiah and brought him into the palace. The king feared his nobles who were "hawks"militarily and hostile to Jeremiah. Zedekiah asked the prophet if the Lord had given him any message in res...
  • This chapter continues the narrative begun at 41:4. The remnant leaders asked Jeremiah to obtain the Lord's word concerning their proposed flight to Egypt (vv. 1-6).42:1-3 Then Johanan and his fellow leaders of the refugees a...
  • This chapter belongs after chapter 36 chronologically, either after 36:8 or 36:32. It serves as an appendix to the historical incidents recorded there. Perhaps the writer or final editor placed it here to show that Yahweh exe...
  • Jeremiah wrote almost as much about Babylon's future as he did about the futures of all the other nations in his other oracles combined. The length of this oracle reflects the great importance of Babylon in his ministry as we...
  • This is one of four accounts of the fall of Jerusalem in the Old Testament (cf. 2 Kings 25; 2 Chron. 36:11-21; Jer. 39:1-14). The repetition underlines the importance of the event.52:1 Zedekiah (Mattaniah, 2 Kings 24:17) was ...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. London: Collier Macmillan Publishers; and New York: Macmillan Publishers Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The Archaeology of Palestine. Revis...
  • This book does not identify its writer. The common view that Jeremiah wrote it rests on a preface in the Greek Septuagint, which the Latin Vulgate adopted and elaborated on. The Septuagint version of Lamentations begins, "And...
  • Ezekiel concluded his oracles against foreign nations with seven messages the Lord gave him concerning the fate of Egypt, one of Israel's most ancient and powerful enemies (cf. Isa. 31:1; Jer. 2:36; 46:1-26). God controls eve...
  • 38:1-2 The Lord commanded Ezekiel to utter an oracle of judgment against Gog (cf. 1 Chron. 5:4; Rev. 20:8), who was the prince (king) over Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. His land was Magog (cf. Gen. 10:2; Rev. 20:8).The identity o...
  • 1:4 Yahweh announced that He would stretch out His hand in judgment against Judah and the people of Jerusalem. Stretching out the hand is a figure of speech that implies a special work of punishment (cf. Exod. 6:6; Deut. 4:34...
  • 2:1-2 In the next scene of his vision, Zechariah saw a man (i.e., an angel who looked like a man) with a measuring line in his hand (cf. 1:11; 6:12; Ezek. 40:2-3). When the prophet asked him where he was going, he replied tha...
  • The preceding vision described the future removal of individual sinners from the land through divine judgment, and this one pictures the eventual removal of all wickedness from the future "holy land"(2:12; cf. 3:9)."In line w...
  • 1:28 The fact that Gabriel greeted Mary as he did and did not greet Zechariah the same way shows Mary's favored position. Gabriel's greeting was customary: Hail! or Greetings! (Gr. chaire). Mary was highly "favored"(Gr. kecha...
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