Jeremiah 22:15

22:15 Does it make you any more of a king

that you outstrip everyone else in ¹  building with cedar?

Just think about your father.

He was content that he had food and drink. ² 

He did what was just and right. ³ 

So things went well with him.

Jeremiah 23:5

23:5 “I, the Lord, promise ⁴  that a new time will certainly come ⁵ 

when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, ⁶  a descendant of David.

He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding ⁷ 

and will do what is just and right in the land. ⁸ 

[22:15]  ¹ tn For the use of this verb see Jer 12:5 where it is used of Jeremiah “competing” with horses. The form is a rare Tiphel (see GKC 153 §55.h).

[22:15]  ² tn Heb “Your father, did he not eat and drink and do justice and right.” The copulative vav in front of the verbs here (all Hebrew perfects) shows that these actions are all coordinate not sequential. The contrast drawn here between the actions of Jehoiakim and Josiah show that the phrase eating and drinking should be read in the light of the same contrasts in Eccl 2 which ends with the note of contentment in Eccl 2:24 (see also Eccl 3:13; 5:18 [5:17 HT]; 8:15). The question is, of course, rhetorical setting forth the positive role model against which Jehoiakim’s actions are to be condemned. The key terms here are “then things went well with him” which is repeated in the next verse after the reiteration of Josiah’s practice of justice.

[22:15]  ³ sn The father referred to here is the godly king Josiah. He followed the requirements for kings set forth in 22:3 in contrast to his son who did not (22:13).

[23:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”

[23:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).

[23:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).

[23:5]  ⁸ sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).