Jer. 21 King Zedekiah in the siege sendeth to Jeremiah to inquire of the event, Jer. 21:1–2. He foretelleth a hard siege and miserable captivity, Jer. 21:3–7. He counselleth the people to fall to the Chaldeans, Jer. 21:8–10; and upbraideth the king’s house, Jer. 21:11–14.

God at sundry times, and in diver’s manners, spake in times past to the fathers by the prophets, Heb. 1:1. The two principal were visions and dreams, Num. 12:6. How the following word came to Jeremiah is not expressed, it is enough that he knew it came from the Lord.

Zedekiah, as he was none of the best, so he was none of the worst, of the kings of Judah; be had some convictions and impressions (possibly from his education) not worn off; and having some reverence of God, he sends to the prophet to inquire of the Lord, because the king of Babylon was come up to…

The honour that the king of Judah had put upon the prophet, in sending these special messengers to him, is no temptation to this good prophet to prophesy smooth and pleasing things, for which he had no warrant from God.

I will fight against you, ( as a prince is said to fight against a nation whose captains fight against it, though himself stirreth not from his royal palace; yea, more than so,) animating and influencing the Babylonians and Chaldeans, whom I have sent to fight against you, and discouraging and…

Still God proclaimeth himself this people’s enemy. Pestilences are but the usual consequents of long sieges, through the scantness and unwholesomeness of food; but God is the first cause of such sore judgments, though there be other second causes.

Afterward; after that many of the people of this city shall be destroyed, some by the enemy assaulting and skirmishing with them; others by the famine that shall be amongst them through a want of victuals, being all spent with the long siege; others by the pestilence.

I tell you the way that you should take if you would save your lives, and the course which if you take you will certainly lose your lives.

But certainly, if ever any man spake high treason, this prophet now did it, when there was an enemy besieging them, telling them, that if they would save their lives, they must revolt from their king, and join with their enemies.

I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good; that is, I will set myself against it, I will be an enemy to it. See the like phrase Lev. 17:10, Lev. 20:5.

By the house of the king of Judah he means the house of Zedekiah, the court, or those (as appeareth by the next verse) who were the magistrates. These, how great soever, are not excused from the common obligation upon all to listen to and to obey the revelations of the Divine will.

He calls these the house of David, either checking them, who were indeed so in a lineal descent, or minding them what they ought to be in imitation of their father, David.

Inhabitant of the valley; the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem are those here intended, Ps. 125:2. The mountains were round about Jerusalem, yea, Jerusalem itself was builded in part upon the rocky mountain of Zion; but a great part was in the valley, and the higher mountains about Mount Zion…

I will punish you; in the Hebrew it is, I will visit upon you. God’s visitations are either of mercy, Ps. 80:14, Ps. 106:4, or of judgment; therefore the sense is here rightly given by our translators punish.