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“You there! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “because I have spread you out like the four winds of the heavens,” declares the Lord.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and led the people of Israel into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.
A third you shall burn in the fire at the center of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and a third you shall scatter to the wind; for I will unsheathe a sword behind them.
Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.
A third of you will die by plague or perish by famine among you, a third will fall by the sword around you, and a third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.
“However, I will leave a remnant, in that you will have those who escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be taken captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which committed infidelity with their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. Then they will know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster on them.” ’
And I will scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them.
Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands,
And I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among the lands, and I will eliminate your uncleanness from you.
“When they sin against You (for there is no person who does not sin) and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, distant or near;
And it shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
As a shepherd cares for his flock on a day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.
I will also scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have put an end to them.”
I will make them an object of terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a disgrace and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all the places where I will scatter them.
Then the king of Assyria led Israel into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you.
Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;
‘For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;
For I will completely destroy all the nations where I have scattered you,
Only I will not destroy you completely.
But I will discipline you fairly
And will by no means leave you unpunished.’
Hear the word of the Lord, you nations,
And declare it in the coastlands far away,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him,
And He will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”
Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the people.
And as for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had deserted to him and the rest of the people who remained, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard took them into exile in Babylon.
then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight; and I will make it a proverb and an object of scorn among all peoples.
So all Israel was enrolled in genealogies; and behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile to Babylon for their infidelity.
“Israel is a scattered flock, the lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has gnawed his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
For the shepherds have become stupid
And have not sought the Lord.
Therefore they have not prospered,
And all their flock is scattered.
And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your enemies
In the land which you do not know;
For you have kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
‘Like an east wind I will scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will show them My back and not My face
In the day of their disaster.’ ”
You turn us over to be eaten like sheep,
And have scattered us among the nations.
behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations; and I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and hissing, and an everlasting place of ruins.
This entire land will be a place of ruins and an object of horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
Why should you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine, and plague, as the Lord has spoken to the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
for I have not sent them,” declares the Lord, “but they are prophesying falsely in My name, so that I will drive you away and that you will perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had departed from Jerusalem.)
I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with plague; and I will make them an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and an object of horror and hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them,
Behold, I am going to gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and have them live in safety.
The presence of the Lord has scattered them,
He will not continue to look at them;
They did not honor the priests,
They did not favor the elders.
Then the Lord said, “In this way the sons of Israel will eat their bread unclean among the nations where I will scatter them.”
Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries where they had gone.” ’
And that He would bring down their descendants among the nations,
And scatter them in the lands.
Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come out to you, and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the disaster which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.
All the choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
You, however, I will scatter among the nations, and I will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become ruins.
And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn oaths. But he makes guilt known, so that they may be seized.
‘This is what the Lord God says: “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations, then they will live on their land which I gave to My servant Jacob.
Fulfillment of prophecies that Israel Scattered
Deuteronomy 4:27 The peoples and nations most immediately in view are the Assyrians and Babylonians, who took Israel and Judah captive in 722 and 586 BC, respectively. Since then, Greece, Rome, and other world powers have successively uprooted the Jewish people for various reasons, including their violation of the covenant the Lord made with them (vv. 23, 25; cp. 2Kg 17:7–41; 2Ch 36:15–19).11 Merrill, Eugene H. “Deuteronomy.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 272. Print.
the Lord will scatter you. Moses warned Israel that the judgment for idolatry would be their dispersion among the nations by the Lord (see 28:64–67).11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
2 Kings 17:5–6a Shalmaneser besieged the city for three years and then deported the population to points north and east of Israel. Sargon II, the next king of Assyria, may have expedited some of the deportations.11 Bowling, Andrew C. “2 Kings.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 580. Print.
2 Kings 17:6 After three years of siege, Samaria fell to the Assyrians, and the days of Israel as a sovereign power were over (18:10). Many of the Israelites were taken captive and deported to Assyrian cities (v. 23; 18:11). Sargon II (722–705 b.c.), who succeeded Shalmaneser V, took credit for the victory and boasted that he carried away 27,290 people from Samaria.11 Criswell, W. A. et al., eds. Believer’s Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991. Print.
The Assyrian monarch Shalmaneser (727-722 b.c.) initiated the fall of Samaria, but it is believed that his successor Sargon II (722-705 b.c.) actually seized Samaria and captured its people. Thus, the northern kingdom of Israel ended in approximately 722 b.c. and was taken captive by Assyria.11 Hayford, Jack W., ed. Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997. Print.
king of Assyria. Sargon II (see note on 17:3). carried Israel away. The capture of Samaria marked the end of the northern kingdom. According to Assyrian records, the Assyrians deported 27,290 inhabitants of Israel to distant locations. The relocation of populations was characteristic of Assyrian policy during that era. The Israelites were resettled in the upper Tigris-Euphrates Valley and never returned to the Promised Land. “Halah” was a city NE of Nineveh. The “Habor” River was a northern tributary of the Euphrates. The “cities of the Medes” were NE of Nineveh. Samaria was resettled with foreigners (v. 24). God did what He said He would do in Deut. 28. The Jews were carried as far E as Susa, where the book of Esther later took place.11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
2 Kings 17:6b The Assyrians deported the Hebrews to several different areas. Halah was in the general area of Gozan. Some were settled along the Habor River, a tributary of the Euphrates that flowed south from the region of Haran and Gozan to the Euphrates. This region was only about four hundred miles northeast of Israel. However, other Israelites were settled in the territory of the Medes in mountain country east and northeast of the plains of Babylon and Assyria. These exiles were almost a thousand miles from home.11 Bowling, Andrew C. “2 Kings.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 580. Print.
2 Chronicles 36:15–17 After God had graciously offered the people of Judah many opportunities to repent, he finally sent Nebuchadnezzar to eradicate Jerusalem and carry the people off to Babylon. When individual kings repented, God repeatedly provided a remedy (lit “healing”; 7:14; 30:20), but the accumulation of wrath against evil finally reached the tipping point. This passage is similar to the comment the Chronicler made about some of the northern tribes (1Ch 5:25–26).11 Corduan, Winfried. “2 Chronicles.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 695. Print.
Psalm 106:24–27 Rather than following the reports of Joshua and Caleb about the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, Israel showed a lack of trust and rejected the promised land (78:59, 67; Nm 11:20; 14:11). Consequently, Israel’s descendants experienced exile and dispersion (Lv 26:33; Dt 4:26–27; 28:64–65; Ezk 20:23). Compare Ps 106:24–27 with Nm 13:25–14:45; Dt 1:21–33.11 Warstler, Kevin R. “Psalms.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 912–913. Print.
The sad list now moves to what happened when the 12 spies returned from their mission to scout out the land that God had promised (Num. 13:32–14:38). Ten of them gave a bad report, which led Israel to give in to fear. As a result, they refused God’s command to enter the land to conquer it (Ps. 106:24). This section closes with a worrying indication about the singers’ current situation: just as God made the Israelites fall in the wilderness, so he would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands (see v. 47).11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
This portion recounts 1) the nation’s rejection of Joshua’s and Caleb’s positive report from the Land, and 2) their desire to return to Egypt (cf. Num. 14:1–4). God responded with judgment (Num. 14:11–38).11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Jeremiah 9:16 God’s declaration I will scatter them among the nations is just what Moses had warned would happen if the people abandoned the Lord (Lv 26:33; Dt 28:36, 64).11 Kaiser, Walter, Jr. “Jeremiah.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1157. Print.
Jeremiah 10:21 The imagery of shepherds (Judah’s leaders) who were stupid and a flock that was scattered is expanded in Ezk 34. Ezekiel described a good shepherd who would gather in the scattered flock. If the people would seek the Lord and his word, things would turn out differently.11 Kaiser, Walter, Jr. “Jeremiah.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1159. Print.
The shepherds are the rulers, and the flocks are the people.1
1 Hayford, Jack W., ed. Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997. Print.
shepherds. Judah’s leaders (see note on 3:15).11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
Jeremiah 31:10 The nations, all Gentiles, are to be told that the one who scattered Israel will gather them.11 Kaiser, Walter, Jr. “Jeremiah.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1189. Print.
God, Israel’s great shepherd (Isa. 40:11), will gather and keep (guard) his sheep.11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
Jeremiah 39:9–10 The Babylonians deported the people of Judah to Babylon. This was the final deportation, coming eleven years after King Jehoiachin was taken away in 598 BC. The poor people who owned nothing were given vineyards and fields. The word for “fields” has an uncertain meaning and could be translated “wells” or “watering places.”11 Kaiser, Walter, Jr. “Jeremiah.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1202. Print.
The people who were left in the city and those who had deserted were taken to Babylon. Not every Judean was taken, for the poorest people, who owned nothing, were given what remained in Judea.11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
Jeremiah 43:4–7 These verses are bookended in a paragraph that has at its beginning and end the words “they did not obey the Lord” (see vv. 4, 7). The rebellious group arrived in Egypt at Tahpanhes, a fortified city on the northern border of Lower Egypt where one of Pharaoh’s palaces was situated. It was probably modern Tell el-Dafenneh. Ironically, the remnant of Jews fled back to the land they had escaped from about nine hundred years earlier.11 Kaiser, Walter, Jr. “Jeremiah.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1208. Print.
Jeremiah 43:7 Tahpanhes: See note on 2:16.1
1 Hayford, Jack W., ed. Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997. Print.
Tahpanhes. A location in the eastern delta region of Egypt.11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Lamentations 4:16 The Lord himself … scattered them. See 1:4, 19; 4:13; 5:12. . .11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
Ezekiel 5:1–4 a barber’s razor. The sign in shaving his hair illustrated the severe humiliation to come at the hand of enemies, emphasizing calamities to three segments of Jerusalem due to the Babylonian conquest. Some were punished by fire, i.e., pestilence and famine (v. 12), others died by the enemy’s sword, and some were dispersed and pursued by death (cf. v. 12). A small part of his hair clinging to his garment (v. 3) depicted a remaining remnant, some of whom were subject to further calamity (v. 4; cf. 6:8; Jer. 41–44).11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Ezekiel 5:2 Burn with fire: This is defined more specifically as pestilence and famine in v. 12. When the days of the siege are finished is after the 390 symbolic days of 4:5.1
1 Hayford, Jack W., ed. Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997. Print.
Two-thirds of the population would be killed in the invasion, and one-third would be taken into exile.11 Rooker, Mark F. “Ezekiel.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1253. Print.
Ezekiel 5:8–10 .. Down through the centuries had come the threats of Lev. 26:29 and Deut. 28:53, taken up by Jeremiah (Jer. 19:9; Lam. 2:22; 4:10; cf. Is. 9:20), and sealed in the life of the disobedient nation. Even the remnant would be scattered and suffer.11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Ezekiel 5:12 The 4 well known judgments (cf. vv. 2–4) of pestilence, famine, sword, and scattering were their judgment. They had no place to offer atoning blood, thus bearing their sins without relief.11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Ezekiel 11:14–21 Ezekiel’s outcry in v. 13 apparently prompts one of the most important statements of hope in the book, one closely connected to the “new heart” passage in 36:22–32. In 11:15 the voice of those left in Judah taunts the exiles. God’s response in v. 16 shows that God’s own action brought about the exile (I removed … I scattered); it also redefines the relationship between God and the remnant remaining in Judah: the real sanctuary is not the temple but God himself. That new relationship is marked by a new spirit and a heart of flesh (v. 19) provided by God himself. This enables faithful living, which was impossible with a heart of stone. Ezekiel stresses both God’s provision (here and in 36:26–27) and the importance of a correct human response (“make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit,” 18:31).11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
Ezekiel 12:14–16 God’s hand was to be with the enemy as His rod of correction, with only a few left.11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Ezekiel 12:14–15 Some of the people would escape to other countries.11 Rooker, Mark F. “Ezekiel.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1261. Print.
Ezekiel 20:23–24 Third, the Lord swore to disperse the people because they persisted in rebellion, desecrating “My Sabbaths” (vv. 13, 16, 20–21, 24). God chose 70 years for the captivity because of their repeated desecration of the Sabbath and the sabbatical year (Ex 20:8–11; 2 Ch 36:21; see five cycles of rebellion in Lv 26:14–35; 2 Ch 36:21).1
1 Cabal, Ted et al. The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007. Print.
Ezekiel 22:15–16 The residents of Jerusalem will be scattered all over the world (among the countries) if they continue to pursue disobedience. Moses had warned Israel that continual national disobedience would lead to dispersion (Lv 26:27–39; Dt 28:64–68).11 Rooker, Mark F. “Ezekiel.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1277. Print.
Ezekiel 28:24–26 This hopeful note occurs precisely at the halfway point in Ezekiel’s oracles against other nations (chs. 25–32). The defeat of God’s enemies will result in the well-being of God’s own people. Since “scattering” is one of the primary judgments on Israel (e.g., Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:64), “gathering” (Ezek. 28:25) is one of God’s distinctive saving responses (compare Deut. 30:3). This theme will be repeated throughout the latter part of Ezekiel.11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
Ezekiel 34:12 While most exiles were sent to Babylon, this was not the only foreign country that received displaced Israelites (Jr 43:1–7).11 Rooker, Mark F. “Ezekiel.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1296. Print.
Zechariah 2:6–13 The extent of the divine declarations in these verses suggests that they are not a continuation of the vision in vv. 1–5 but are a pause in the action. The progression of thought moves quickly. Instead of dwelling in Babylon, God called for a return to the land of promise where he would once again dwell with his people.11 Sandy, D. Brent. “Zechariah.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1454. Print.
Zechariah 2:6–9 The prophet turned from the distant future (vv. 4, 5) to the present, summoning those Israelites still in Babylon (referred to as the land of the north, cf. v. 7, because of the direction from which it invaded Israel) to flee before God poured out His judgment on it. This also implied a future call to leave a future Babylon (cf. Rev. 17:3–5; 18:1–8).11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Zechariah 2:6 Continuing the theme of reversal (cp. 1:18–21), God appealed to exiles to return from the land of the north, the very people whom he had scattered like the four winds of heaven. The initial return in 537 BC preceded Zechariah’s prophecies (Ezr 2:64–67; Neh 7:66–69). At least two more groups made the long journey (458 BC and 445 BC), while many remained behind in the dispersion.11 Sandy, D. Brent. “Zechariah.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1454. Print.
I have spread you. According to 2 Kin. 17:6, they were scattered from the Gozan River, 200 mi. W of Nineveh, to Media, 300 mi. E. Some had even taken refuge in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Egypt (cf. Jer. 40:11, 12; 43:7).11 MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Ezekiel 4:11 One-sixth of a hin: Two-thirds of a quart.1
1 Hayford, Jack W., ed. Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997. Print.
The sixth part of a hin is roughly equivalent to 1.4 pints (0.6 liters).11 Packer, J. I., Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, eds. ESV Global Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. Print.
