The Yoke of Babylon
- 27:1 “beginning of the reign of Zedekiah[*]” LXX omits 27:1, which
is the same as 26:1. Most Hebrew manuscripts say Jehoiakim. Verses 3
and 12 make it very clear that 27:1 should either be omitted or
say Zedekiah (as does the ESV).
- 27:2 “make yourself a yoke” - like for oxen pulling a plow, although
sometimes smaller ones were used for a man to pull or carry a load.
- 27:3 “send word to the kings” - in this case through their envoys
in Jerusalem discussing rebellion as Nebuchadnezzar was occupied
with other problems: Elam (Iran) was attacking and Syria was rebelling.
- 27:6 “I have placed all these lands under the authority of Nebuchadnezzar” -
what a shock this was to patriotic Jews.
- 27:7 “until the time of his own land comes” - a time limit for Chaldean
rule. Remember “last of all the king of Sheshack will drink” in chapter 25.
- 27:12 “serve him and live” - the way of life and the way of death.
“Whom the Lord loves, he chastens.”
James 4:7
- 27:13 “sword, famine, and plague” - their punishment was to serve a foreign
nation. Do not add yet more judgement.
- 27:16 “articles … brought back from Babylon” - in fact, if they don’t
repent and obey, the remaining articles will be taken and the temple
destroyed.
- 27:17 “serve the king of Babylon and live” - the way of life and way
of death.
- 27:18 “if they are indeed prophets” - God lays out a test of whether
they are false prophets. Will the remaining temple articles remain
when Nebuchadnezzar returns? Pray that they do. The penalty for
false prophecy is death.
- 27:22 “then I will bring them back” - Ezra describes rebuilding the temple
(a pale shadow of Solomon’s, so that the people mourned who remembered
the original), financed in large part by the Persian empire.