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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - Jeremiah 14:1 - 14:1
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The Uselessness of Prayer on behalf of the People. - The title in Jer 14:1 specifies the occasion for the following discourse: What came a word of Jahveh to Jeremiah concerning the drought. - Besides here, אֲשֶׁר הָיָה is made to precede the דְבַר יהוה in Jer 46:1; Jer 47:1; Jer 49:34; and so, by a kind of attraction, the prophecy which follows receivers an outward connection with that which precedes. Concerning the matters of the droughts. בַּצָּרֹות, plur. of בַּצָּרָה, Psa 9:10; Psa 10:1, might mean harassments, troubles in general. But the description of a great drought, with which the prophecy begins, taken along with Jer 17:8, where בַּצֹּרֶת occurs, meaning drought, lit., cutting off, restraint of rain, shows that the plural here is to be referred to the sing. בַּצֹּרֶת (cf. עַשְׁתָּרֹות from עַשְׁתֹּרֶת), and that it means the withholding of rain or drought (as freq. in Chald.). We must note the plur., which is not to be taken as intensive of a great drought, but points to repeated droughts. Withdrawal of rain was threatened as a judgment against the despisers of God's word (Lev 26:19.; Deu 11:17; Deu 28:23); and this chastisement has at various times been inflicted on the sinful people; cf. Jer 3:3; Jer 12:4; Jer 23:10; Hag 1:10. As the occasion of the present prophecy, we have therefore to regard not a single great drought, but a succession of droughts. Hence we cannot fix the time at which the discourse was composed, since we have no historical notices as to the particular times at which God was then punishing His people by withdrawing the rain.