52:34 And [for] his food, there was a {q} continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
(q) That is he had allowance in the court, and thus at length he had rest and quietness because he obeyed Jeremiah the Prophet, while the others were cruelly ordered that would not obey him.
52:34 All the days of his life - Here ends the history of the kingdom of Judah. I shall only observe the severe judgment of God upon this people, whose kingdom was made up of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and half the tribe of Manasseh. In the numbering of the persons belonging to these two tribes, Numb 1:27,35,37, (counting half of the number of the tribe of Manasseh) we find one hundred twenty - six thousand one hundred: Numb 26:22,34,41, we find of them one hundred forty - eight thousand four hundred and fifty. Here, ver.52:30, we find no more of them carried into captivity, than four thousand and six hundred. From whence we may judge what a multitude of them were slain by the sword, by the famine, and pestilence! It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, to mock his messengers, despise his words, and misuse his prophets, 'till there be no remedy, 2Chron 36:16.
52:31-34 See this history of king Jehoiachin in 2Ki 25:27-30. Those under oppression will find it is not in vain for them to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord. Our times are in God's hand, for the hearts of all we have to deal with are so. May we be enabled, more and more, to rest on the Rock of Ages, and to look forward with holy faith to that hour, when the Lord will bring again Zion, and overthrow all the enemies of the church.
