Speaking of Kings (21:1-23:8) 121wise Jerusalem and the cities of Judah (27:17; 44:2, 6). "This house" refers to
the royal palace (Duhm; Cornill; cf. 17:27), not the "house of David." As in the
prior oracle (v 2), reference here is to the Sinai covenant, not the Davidic cove-
nant of 2 Samuel 7. Nevertheless, the king is being held responsible for up-
holding the Sinai covenant. If he and the royal house do not do justice and
righteousness, then the covenant curses will fall upon the house in which they
reside. Curses awaiting the king who fails to observe God's commandments are
the focus of one column of the Temple Scroll ( l lQT 59), where vocabulary and
phraseology from Deuteronomy and Jeremiah dominate (Yadin 1983: 265-70;
Brooke 1997: 202).MESSAGE AND AUDIENCE
The audience here is informed that Jeremiah was directed to go from the
Temple precinct down to the royal palace and there speak a word to the king.
Presumably this word was to be spoken at the palace gates, which are men-
tioned in the directive.
The first oracle is a command that the king and his house do justice and
righteousness and rescue any and every victim of oppression coming to their
attention. To the sojourner, orphan, and widow they are to do no wrong, no
violence, and they are definitely not to shed innocent blood, which the king
has power to do. Yahweh says that if they really do this, then the royal horses
and chariots carrying the Davidic king and his retinue will continue on festi-
val days and every ordinary day to pass through the palace gates. A second or-
acle follows with a conditional for noncompliance. If the royal house does
not heed these words of warning, Yahweh swears that he will make the royal
palace a ruin.
When the present oracles are heard in tandem with those preceding, the
words "Do justice and righteousness, and rescue the robbed from the oppres-
sor's hand" will echo words in 21: 12, which are nearly the same. They will
also anticipate Jeremiah's word in 22: 13-17, in which judgment falls hard on
one of Judah's last kings, who failed miserably in doing justice and righteous-
ness, being known rather for his cheating, shedding of innocent blood, and
acts of oppression.
These oracles and their introduction are best dated early in Jehoiakim's
reign (Volz; Rudolph; Holladay), perhaps the very beginning, when the
Temple Oracles were delivered (ca. 609-608 B.c.). They are similar also to the
Sabbath Oracle in 17 :24-27, which may have been delivered about the same
time. Volz and Weiser imagine a grand festival occasion for the delivery, which
is possible.
4. A Cutting in Lebanon South (22:6-9)
22 6 For thus said Yahweh concerning the house of the king of Judah:
Gilead you are to me
the top of Lebanon