Tyndale Open Study NotesJeremiah 47

This message from the Lord was about the Philistine cities on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and their allies to the north. The Lord decided these cities would be destroyed during the Babylonian invasion.

an overflowing torrent: This metaphor describes the Babylonian armies moving into the coastal area. This began in 609 BC and peaked in 605 BC (compare Jeremiah 1:11–14).

• For the day has come to destroy: The Lord decided what would happen and when events would occur.

• The Philistines arrived in the southeastern coastal areas from the island of Crete between 1200 and 1100 BC. The northern cities, Tyre and Sidon, were colonized around the same time by distant relatives of the Philistines who mixed with the native Canaanites.

• Gaza was a major Philistine city.

• shave their heads: The people expressed their grief by shaving their heads (compare Isaiah 15:2; Micah 1:16).

• Ashkelon, another Philistine city a few miles north on the coast, would become empty.

O sword of the LORD: God used the Babylonians to carry out his justice. This request might have come from the Philistine cities under attack by the Babylonians. The people wanted the attacks to stop.

The punishment would continue for a while. The judge had made his decision, and his mission was clear: Ashkelon must be destroyed.