31.2 Found grace in the wilderness refers to the period of wandering in the Sinai after the exodus from Egypt and before entrance into Canaan (see Exodus; Numbers). In Hosea and Jeremiah the time in the wilderness was a period of intimacy between the Lord and Israel (Jer 2.2–3; Hos 2).
31.6 In the restoration, North and South will be united and will worship God in Jerusalem.
31.7–9 In this oracle of salvation, Israel’s return from the Diaspora is praised in hymnic celebration (see Second Isaiah, i.e., Isa 40–55).
31.9 Father, a common metaphor for God in the Hebrew Bible (see esp. Jer 3.19; 31.20; Hos 11.1). Israel is designated as the Lord’s firstborn, a designation of election (Ex 4.22). In Israel the firstborn was privileged with a double share of the father’s estate, received the paternal blessing, and succeeded him in authority.
31.10–14 Exiles rejoice as they return. Another oracle of salvation in which Israel returns from exile and in Jerusalem praises God for many blessings. The lamentation during periods of peril will turn into thanksgiving.
31.15–22 Rachel’s weeping and the return of her children.
31.15 In biblical tradition, Rachel, the more favored wife of Jacob (Israel, Gen 35.10), was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Along with her sister Leah and their handmaidens, Rachel is one of the matriarchs of the nation (see Gen 25–35). Ramah (modern er-Ram), located five miles north of Jerusalem, appears to have been the place where the exiles were gathered for deportation to Babylon (40.1, 4). According to one tradition (1 Sam 10.2), Rachel’s grave was located in the territory of Benjamin, thus to the north of Jerusalem. For an alternate location, see Gen 35.16–20; 48.7; Mt 2.18. The dead Rachel is heard weeping over her children, who were either killed or deported.
31.22 The verb in the last line of the poem, a woman encompasses a man, is subject to many translations and interpretations: “a woman protects a man,” “the woman woos the man,” “the woman sets out to find her husband again,” “the woman must encompass the man with devotion,” and “a woman is turned into a man.” The NRSV translation suggests two possibilities: in a reversal of traditional roles, the woman (Israel?) embraces the man (God?); or, in contrast to Rachel bereaved of children, Virgin Israel will bear a son, a posterity, and thus have a future.
31.23–26 The restoration of Judah. This oracle of salvation anticipates the restoration of worship in the destroyed temple in Jerusalem and the resettlement of Judah.
31.26 An editor placed these words in Jeremiah’s mouth to indicate he had been dreaming of the future restoration.
31.27–30 The repopulation of Israel and Judah and individual retribution.
31.27 The land of Israel and Judah will be repopulated with people and herds (Ezek 36.9–11).
31.28 See note on 1.10.
31.29–30 These words and thoughts are borrowed from Ezekiel (see Ezek 18.1–32).
31.31–34 The new covenant. See Lk 22.20; 1 Cor 11.25; 2 Cor 3.5–14; Heb 8.8–12; 10.16–17. In this prose oracle of salvation, Jeremiah promises a new covenant, not a new law. The old (Mosaic) covenant had been broken, but the new covenant will continue because of an inward transformation of the human heart that will allow the people to know God intimately and to be obedient to the commandments. And God will forgive and forget the people’s sins.
31.33 I will make, lit. “I will cut.” “Cutting a covenant” involved the sacrifice of animals and a ceremony in which the covenant partners walked between the slaughtered animals (see 34.18; Gen 15.7–21).
31.35–37 The continuation of Israel. This oracle of salvation makes use of hymnic language praising the God of creation. The power of God revealed in the endless cycle of days and seasons and the unfathomable character of the heavens and the earth guarantees Israel’s continuation (see Isa 40.12, 26; 42.5; 44.24; 45.7, 18; 54.10).
31.38–40 Jerusalem will be rebuilt and enlarged, and the areas desecrated by death will be purified (see Zech 14.10–11). The boundaries of Jerusalem are mentioned: the tower of Hananel in the northeast (Neh 3.1), the Corner Gate in the northwest (2 Kings 14.13), the southern boundary of Hinnom (7.31–32), the eastern boundary of Kidron (2 Kings 23.4, 6), and the Horse Gate in the southeast corner (Neh 3.28). Gareb, Goah, unknown. Valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, most likely the valley of Hinnom, where child sacrifice was practiced (see 7.31–32; 19.2, 6; 32.35; 2 Kings 23.10).
JEREMIAH 32
Jeremiah Buys a Field During the Siege
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 3where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the LORD: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4King Zedekiah of Judah shall not escape out of the hands of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye; 5and he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I attend to him, says the LORD; though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed?”
6Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me: 7Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.” 8Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
9And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. 11Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; 12and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 14Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 15For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.
Jeremiah Prays for Understanding
16After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: 17Ah Lord GOD! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. 18You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation,a but repay the guilt of parents into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of hosts, 19great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of mortals, rewarding all according to their ways and according to the fruit of their doings. 20You showed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all humankind, and have made yourself a name that continues to this very day. 21You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22and you gave them this land, which you swore to their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or follow your law; of all you commanded them to do, they did nothing. Therefore you have made all these disasters come upon them. 24See, the siege ramps have been cast up against the city to take it, and the city, faced with sword, famine, and pestilence, has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has happened, as you yo
urself can see. 25Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.
God’s Assurance of the People’s Return
26The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 27See, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me? 28Therefore, thus says the LORD: I am going to give this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall take it. 29The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come, set it on fire, and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and libations have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger. 30For the people of Israel and the people of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; the people of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their hands, says the LORD. 31This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built until this day, so that I will remove it from my sight 32because of all the evil of the people of Israel and the people of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets, the citizens of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33They have turned their backs to me, not their faces; though I have taught them persistently, they would not listen and accept correction. 34They set up their abominations in the house that bears my name, and defiled it. 35They built the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter my mind that they should do this abomination, causing Judah to sin.
36Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, “It is being given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence”: 37See, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety. 38They shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me. 41I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
42For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good fortune that I now promise them. 43Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, It is a desolation, without human beings or animals; it has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans. 44Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, of the hill country, of the Shephelah, and of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, says the LORD.
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a Or to thousands
32.1–44 Jeremiah’s purchase of a field in Anathoth, another symbolic act, illustrates Jeremiah’s preaching (see note on 13.1–11).
32.1 This prose narrative is set in 588 BCE, during the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadrezzar.
32.2 Jeremiah was imprisoned for attempting to leave the city to go to Anathoth when the siege was temporarily lifted. He was accused of deserting to the enemy (see 37.11–21).
32.3–5 Zedekiah accused Jeremiah of treason and insurrection (see Am 7.10–17).
32.6–8 Right of redemption, a means to prevent the threatened loss of family property (see Lev 25.25–28).
32.9–15 Seventeen shekels of silver, an amount by weight (about 7 ounces), not coins; coins were probably not used until the Persian period (beginning in 539 BCE). The official copy of the scroll was rolled up and sealed, while the open copy was unsealed for easy reference. Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary (amanuensis) and companion (see chs. 36, 45). The purchase of a field at the time of conquest and threatened exile underscores the prophet’s faith in a future restoration.
32.16–25 A prayer of Jeremiah. See Neh 9.6–38. This prose prayer is similar to hymns praising God for great acts of salvation (Pss 78; 105; 106; 135;136).
32.26–44 This response of God to Jeremiah’s prayer lists the sins of the people as the basis for the fall of Jerusalem. It is a history of disobedience (see Ezek 20.1–32). Yet God also promises a restoration in which the covenant will be renewed (cf. vv. 39–40; 31.31–34). Even as Jeremiah purchased his field, so once again fields will be bought in the land.
JEREMIAH 33
Healing after Punishment
1The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard: 2Thus says the LORD who made the earth,a the LORD who formed it to establish it—the LORD is his name: 3Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 4For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against the siege ramps and before the sword:b 5The Chaldeans are coming in to fightc and to fill them with the dead bodies of those whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness. 6I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundanced of prosperity and security. 7I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. 8I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. 9And this cityeshall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.
10Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, “It is a waste without human beings or animals,” in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without inhabitants, human or animal, there shall once more be heard 11the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD:
“Give thanks to the LORD of hosts,
for the LORD is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!”
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD.
12Thus says the LORD of hosts: In this place that is waste, without human beings or animals, and in all its towns there shall again be pasture for shepherds resting their flocks. 13In the towns of the hill country, of the Shephelah, and of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD.
The Righteous Branch and the Covenant with David
14The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”
17For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18and the levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to make grain offerings, and to make sacrifices for all time.
19The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20Thus says the LORD: If any of you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their appointed time, 21only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken, so that he would not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with my ministers the Levites. 22Just as the host of heaven cannot be
numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will increase the offspring of my servant David, and the Levites who minister to me.
23The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 24Have you not observed how these people say, “The two families that the LORD chose have been rejected by him,” and how they hold my people in such contempt that they no longer regard them as a nation? 25Thus says the LORD: Only if I had not established my covenant with day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26would I reject the offspring of Jacob and of my servant David and not choose any of his descendants as rulers over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes, and will have mercy upon them.
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a Gk: Heb it
b Meaning of Heb uncertain
c Cn: Heb They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans
d Meaning of Heb uncertain
33.1–26 Promises of future restoration. Continuing the theme of salvation in chs. 30–32, this chapter consists of various sections that speak of future restoration.
33.1–9 Destroyed Jerusalem will be rebuilt.
33.1 See ch. 32.
33.2–3 The prose sermon begins with a hymnic acclamation of the Lord as Creator (see 31.35–37).
33.4–5 The imminent destruction of Jerusalem is reaffirmed.
33.6–9 Nevertheless, Israel and Judah will be forgiven and restored, and Jerusalem rebuilt.
33.10–11 This oracle of salvation announces the return of gladness to a desolate land. For thank offerings and thanksgiving psalms, see Lev 7.11–18; Ps 107. The poetic quotation (v. 11b) comes from Ps 136.1, a thanksgiving psalm that praises God for mighty acts of salvation.
HarperCollins Study Bible Page 286