The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;
Ver. 1. The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah against the Gentiles.] God had at first set him over the nations and over the kingdoms - as a plenipotentiary - "to root out and to pull down, and to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant." Jer 1:10 This power of his the prophet had put forth and exercised against his own nation of the Jews, whom he had doomed to destruction, and lived to see execution done accordtngly. Now he takes their enemies, the neighbour nations, to do, telling them individually what they shall trust to. And this indeed the prophet had done before in part, and in fewer words, under the type of a cup of wine to be divided among and drunk up by the nations, Jer 25:15-33 but here to the end of Jeremiah 51:1,64. more plainly and plentifully. Isaiah had done the same in effect (Isaiah 13:1,22; Isaiah 14:1,32; Isaiah 15:1,9; Isaiah 16:1,14; Isaiah 17:1,14; Isaiah 18:1,7; Isaiah 19:1,25; Isaiah 20:1,6; Isaiah 21:1,17; Isaiah 22:1,25; Isaiah 23:1,18; Isa 24:1-23), Ezekiel also, from Ezekiel 25:1,17; Ezekiel 26:1,21; Ezekiel 27:1,36; Ezekiel 28:1,26; Ezekiel 29:1,21; Ezekiel 30:1,26; Ezekiel 31:1,18; Ezekiel 32:1,32; Ezekiel 33:1,33, that by the mouth of three such witnesses every word might stand, and this burden of the nations might be confirmed. Jeremiah beginneth fitly with the Egyptians, who besides the old enmity, had lately slain good King Josiah, with whom died all the prosperity of the Jewish people, who were thenceforth known, as the Thebans also were after the death of their Epaminondas, only by their overthrows and calamities.