1. What is the purpose of the incident of the belt? Which is a truer description of you, verse 10 or verse 11?
2. Consider the images used to describe the coming judgment, and their usefulness for preaching today. See Notes below; and cf. Pss. 1:4; 60:3; Is. 8:22; 51:17; Mic. 3:6, 7; John 12:35; 2 Thess. 2:11, 12.
3. Verse 23. What answer does the New Testament give to this question? See Rom. 5:6; 2 Cor. 5:17.

Notes

1. Verses 13, 14. ‘Drunkenness’ is used in a figurative sense to describe mental fear and bewilderment, when men in their panic turn against each other.
2. Verse 16. ‘Give glory to the Lord’: a Hebrew expression for confession of sin, recognizing God’s holiness, and turning from sin to obedience. Cf. Josh. 7:19; Mal. 2:2; John 9:24.
3. Verse 18: i.e., Jehoiachin and his mother Nehushta (2 Kgs. 24:8, 9). Queen mothers regularly wielded great influence at court.
4. Verse 19. ‘The Negev’ is the area of Palestine south of Beersheba.

5. Verse 21. Another translation reads ‘he’, i.e., God instead of ‘they’ (Driver). Cf. Deut. 28:13, 44; Lam. 1:5.