Jeremiah 49:28 - Meaning and Application

These verses predict the ruin that Nebuchadnezzar and his army would bring on the people of Kedar, who came from Kedar the son of Ishmael and lived in part of Arabia the Stony. They also speak of the smaller kingdoms of Hazor that had joined them, perhaps people who were once Canaanites. Some think these were from the old kingdom of Hazor in northern Canaan, where Jabin was king, but after being driven out, they settled in the deserts of Arabia and joined the Kedarenes.

We may first notice their present way of life. They lived in tents, not in walled cities. They had no fortified towns, no gates, and no bars (Jeremiah 49:20, Jeremiah 49:31). They were shepherds, so their wealth was not money or goods in store, but flocks and camels. They had no soldiers, because they felt no threat from invaders. They had no merchants either, because they lived apart from other nations and were content with what their own land gave them.

Yet they were truly rich in their way. Even though they had no trade and no stored treasure, they are called a wealthy nation (Jeremiah 49:31). They had enough for life’s needs, and they were satisfied with it. People are truly rich when they have what is enough and know when enough is enough. We do not need the wealth of kings or merchants to find people who are well off. Shepherds in tents may be wealthy too.

They also lived with little worry. They dwelt without care. Their wealth was not the kind that made others jealous, and if anyone wanted it, they could have lived quietly as they did. So they feared no one. Those who live honestly and without harm to others can often live safely, even without gates or bars.

Then the king of Babylon turned against them. He had planned their attack and formed a purpose against them (Jeremiah 49:30). That proud ruler did not want to leave even these tent-dwellers unconquered after taking so many strong cities. It was strange that such a great eagle would stoop to catch such small prey, but ambitious greed will take whatever comes its way. A person may avoid wrongdoing and still suffer from the violence of others. Simply causing no offense does not always protect a person from a Nebuchadnezzar.

Still, though Nebuchadnezzar acted wickedly, God was righteous in ordering it. These people had lived peacefully among their neighbors, as many do, yet they were still guilty before God. God sent judgment on them for their sins when he said, “Rise, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east” (Jeremiah 49:28). The Chaldeans would do this from greed and ambition, but God would use it to correct an unthankful people and warn a careless world not to feel too secure. He says to the Chaldeans, “Rise, go up to the wealthy nation that lives without care; go and alarm them” (Jeremiah 49:31). No one should think their strength is so great that it cannot be shaken.

This attack would throw them into great fear and leave them in ruins. Their cries would spread the alarm through the whole country, and panic would fill everything. They would cry out, “Terror is on every side,” meaning the enemy had surrounded them. That fear alone would drive them to flee, and none of them would have courage to resist. The enemy would spread terror all around them, and they would be shouted out of their tents (Jeremiah 49:29).

At the first alarm, they would run away and hide as far as they could, living in deep places and remote spots, like the Edomites did (Jeremiah 49:8). Their fear would prove real, because disaster would come on them from every side (Jeremiah 49:32). It is no wonder there is fear on every side when enemies are on every side.

Their goods would become plunder for the Chaldeans. The invaders would take their curtains and vessels, though those were only plain and rough things, and even though they already had better of their own. They would seize them out of spite, just to spoil them. They would carry off their tents and flocks (Jeremiah 49:29), and their camels would become booty for those who came for nothing else (Jeremiah 49:32).

It is not said that any of them were killed, because they made no resistance, and their tents and flocks were accepted in place of their lives. But they would be driven out and scattered. Though they lived in the farthest corners, out of the way and, they thought, out of danger, they would be scattered to every wind, into every part of the world. Privacy and obscurity do not always protect a person. Many who try to stay away from the world are still forced into it by unexpected events. Those who live quietly may end up sharing the same fate as those who live openly and are exposed to danger.

Their land would also become empty. Since it was far from main roads and had no cities or fields that would attract settlers, no one would want to take their place. So Hazor would become a ruin forever (Jeremiah 49:33). When busy, powerful people are removed, others often rush to take their place because they lived grandly. But when quiet and modest people are displaced, no one cares to live where they did, because they lived so simply.