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Jeremiah Set Free
v. 1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, this being the heading or superscription of the entire next section of Jeremiah's book of prophecies, of which chapters 40 and 41 are the historical introduction, after that Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him, being bound in chains, fetters for the hands or arms such as were used to tie captives together on the march, among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon. The command to release Jeremiah seems to have been given while he was still in the court of the prison in Jerusalem, but He was not actually set at liberty until the company of captives reached the city of Ramah.
v. 2. And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said unto him, The Lord, thy God, hath pronounced this evil upon this place, for the Chaldean general was evidently familiar with the prophecies concerning the destruction of the Jewish capital.
v. 3. Now, the Lord hath brought it, let the calamity come upon Judah, and done according as He hath said; because ye have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. The Chaldean general expressed it as his conviction that the evil which had come upon the Jews was the result of their disobeying the command of the Lord.
v. 4. And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand, those of the Jews which had been placed upon him in malicious persecution as well as those of the Chaldeans which he had carried along on account of the negligence or ignorance of his Chaldean captors. If it seem good unto thee to come with me unto Babylon, come, and I will look well unto thee, taking good care of him; but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, that is, if it did not please Jeremiah for any reason whatever, forbear. The matter was entirely for the prophet to decide, and no one would interfere with his choice. Behold, all the land is before thee; whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go. Thus Nebuzar-adan carried out the command of Nebuchadnezzar concerning Jer_39:12.
v. 5. Now, while he was not yet gone back, that is, when Jeremiah hesitated about making up his mind, while he was trying to reach a decision, he said, in suggesting a solution, Go back also to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, as the victor's representative in a province now entirely in his hand, and dwell with him among the people; or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals, a supply of food for the return journey, and a reward and let him go.
v. 6. Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, to Mizpah, the city in Benjamin known from the history of Samuel and Saul, 1Sa_7:15 ff; 1Sa_10:17, and dwelt with him, Gedaliah, among the people that were left in the land. Jeremiah showed himself a true patriot in choosing to remain in his own country in the midst of adverse conditions and in spite of the ingratitude of the Jews, rather than to enjoy honors and pleasures at a heathen court. Christian patriotism is properly patterned after this behavior of the prophet.