Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 33:14

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

14 18. The Kingly and Priestly Offices shall be re-established.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14 26. See introd. summary to the section. This portion of the ch. is clearly later than Jeremiah’s time. The expression “Levitical priests” (see on Jer 33:18) is not one which he uses elsewhere. Moreover, there is a considerable amount of repetition in the passage (cp. Jer 33:14-16 with Jer 29:10, Jer 23:5 f., and Jer 33:17 with Jer 35:19, and Jer 33:20-26 with Jer 31:35 f.). Above all, it is lacking in the LXX. It is very improbable that those translators would have designedly omitted such a proclamation of the Messianic hope, of the permanence of David’s line, and of the importance of the priestly office. The generally hopeful character of the passage also would have appealed to them. Gi., though deciding against the genuineness of the passage, considers that the phrase “Levitical priests” is so suitable to Jeremiah’s time, that here it must be considered as an archaism employed by a later writer. Co. summarily rejects the passage, and substitutes Jer 23:7 f., as being most appropriate here, while at least suspicious in 23. in view of its varying position in MT. and LXX.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

That good thing – Better, the good word Jer 29:10, with reference to the promise already given Jer 23:5-6.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. Behold the days come] See Jer 52:5; Jer 31:31.

That good thing which I have promised] By my prophets: for those who have predicted the captivity have also foretold its conclusion, though not in such express terms as Jeremiah did. See Ho 1:10, c. Ho 2:15, c. Ho 6:11, c. Am 9:14, c., and Jer 3:12, c. The end of the captivity has been foretold by Micah, Mic 7:9, &c. Zephaniah, Zep 3:10, c. and by Jeremiah, Jer 16:15 Jer 23:3; Jer 29:10; Jer 32:37. The Targum explains verses 14, 15, and 16 of the Messiah.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The Lord is not yea and nay, he cannot lie nor repent. I speak not of the present time, but there shall be a time when God will justify every good word of this nature which he hath spoken to his ancient people.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

14. perform“I will maketo rise“; God’s promise having for a time seemed to “lie”dead and abortive [CALVIN].

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,…. Or, “are coming” t; future times are respected; yet such as would quickly come; five or six hundred years more, and then would be fulfilled what is after promised. This is ushered in with a “behold”, as being a matter of importance, and deserving attention, and even as calling for admiration. This is the principal of the great and mighty things the Lord promised to show to the prophet, Jer 33:3; even the coming of the Messiah, and what concerns his person and office:

that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah; or, “that good word” u; that gracious word concerning Christ and salvation by him; that mercy promised to the fathers; that good thing that came out of Nazareth: the good Shepherd that laid down his life for the sheep, preferable to the shepherds before spoken of: or rather, “that best word” w; the positive used for the superlative, as frequent in the Hebrew language. Many good words or promises are made before, concerning the spiritual welfare and prosperity of the church; but this is the best of all; this is the better thing provided for saints under the Gospel dispensation, and promised to them, who are meant by the houses of Judah and Israel; for these phrases, as the Jews themselves allow, show that the words belong to the times of the Messiah; and which God, that is true and cannot lie, and who is faithful, that has promised, and is able to perform, will do.

t “venientes”, Montanus, Schmidt. u “verbum bonum”, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius. w “Verbum optimum”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The re-establishment of the Davidic monarchy and of the Levitical priesthood. – Jer 33:14. “Behold, days are coming, saith Jahveh, when I will perform the good word which I have spoken to the house of Israel, and concerning the house of Judah. Jer 33:15. In those days and at that time will I cause to sprout unto David a sprout of righteousness, and he shall do judgment and righteousness in the land. Jer 33:16. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is how she shall be called, ‘Jahveh our righteousness.’ Jer 33:17. For thus saith Jahveh: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel. Jer 33:18. Nor shall the Levitical priests want a man before me to offer a burnt-offering, to burn a meat-offering, or to perform sacrifice every day.

Jer 33:19. “And the word of Jahveh came unto Jeremiah, saying: Jer 33:20. Thus saith Jahveh, If ye shall be able to break my covenant (with) the day and my covenant (with) the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their proper time, Jer 33:21. Then also shall my covenant with David my servant be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, my ministers. Jer 33:22. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites who serve me.

Jer 33:23. “And the word of Jahveh came to Jeremiah, saying: Jer 33:24. Hast thou not seen what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord hath chosen, these He hath rejected?’ and my people they have despised, so that they are no longer a nation before them. Jer 33:25. Thus saith Jahveh: If my covenant with day and night doth not exist, if I have not appointed the laws of heaven and earth, Jer 33:26. Then also will I reject the seed of Jacob and David my servant, so as not to take any of his seed as rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will turn their captivity, and take pity on them.”

Jer 33:14-21

Jer 33:14-18 contain the promise of the restoration of the monarchy and the priesthood. Jer 33:19-26 further present two special messages from God, in the form of supplements, which guarantee the eternal continuance of these institutions.

(Note: The portion contained within Jer 33:14-26 is wanting in the lxx; for this reason, and chiefly because of the promise of the eternal duration, not merely of the royal house of David, but also of the Levitical priests, and their innumerable increase, J. D. Michaelis and Jahn have considered it spurious. To these must be added Movers, who takes Jer 33:18, Jer 33:21-25 as later interpolations, and Hitzig, who treats the whole passage as a series of separate additions made in a later age. On the other side, Kueper, Wichelhaus, and Hengstenberg ( Christology, vol. ii. pp. 459-461 of Clark’s Translation) have shown the utter worthlessness of these reasons, and Graf also has defended the genuineness of the passage. So too has Ewald, who says ( Propheten, ii. 269), “Nothing can be so preposterous and unreasonable as to find in this passage, Jer 33:19-26, or in Jer 30-33 generally, additions by a later prophet.”)

The promise in Jer 33:14-16 has already been given in substance in Jer 23:5-6, and in our verses it is only formally extended, and thereby made more prominent. In Jer 33:14 it is designated as the establishment, i.e., the realization, of the good word which the Lord has spoken concerning Israel and Judah. “The good word” is, according to Deu 28:1-14, the blessing which the Lord has promised to His people if they obey His commands; cf. 1Ki 8:56. Here also must “the good word” be taken in the same general meaning; for our verse forms the transition from the promise of the restoration and blessing of Israel in the future (Jer 33:6-13) to the special promise of the renewal and completion of the Davidic monarchy (Jer 33:15.). In Jer 29:10, on the contrary, “the good word” is specially referred, by the following infinitival clause, to the deliverance of the people from Babylon. But it is unlikely that “the good word” refers to the “sprout” of David, which is expressly promised in Jer 23:5., and repeated here, Jer 33:15.; for here a like promise to the Levites follows, while there is none in Jer 23, and it is here so closely linked with the promise regarding David, that it must be viewed as a portion of the “good word.” In the change from to in Jer 33:14, we must not, with Hengstenberg, seek a real difference; for in Jeremiah these prepositions often interchange without any difference of meaning, as in Jer 11:2; Jer 18:11; Jer 23:35, etc. The blessing promised to the people in the “good word” culminates in the promise, Jer 33:15., that the Lord will cause a righteous sprout to spring up for David. On the meaning of this promise, see the remarks on Jer 23:5-6. The difference made in the repetition of that promise is really unimportant. instead of does not change the sense. , to cause to sprout of grow, corresponds to the figure of the , under which the Messiah is represented in both passages. is only a more sonorous expression for . The words “He shall rule as king and deal wisely,” which in Jer 23:5 bring into prominence the contrast between the kingdom of the Messiah and that of the godless shepherd of the people, were unnecessary for the connection of our passage. Besides, in Jer 23:6 Israel is named together with Judah, instead of which, we have here, in Jer 33:16, Jerusalem; accordingly, the name “ Jahveh Tsidkenu ” is referred to Jerusalem, while in Jer 23:6 it is predicated of the sprout of David. The mention of Jerusalem instead of Israel is connected with the general scope of our prophecy, viz., to comfort the covenant people over the destruction of Jerusalem (Jer 33:4.). But that, through the mention simply of Judah and its capital, the ten tribes are not to be excluded from participation in the coming prosperity, may be seen even from Jer 33:14, where “the good word” is referred to Israel and Judah, and still more plainly from Jer 33:24, Jer 33:26, where this promise is made sure to the whole seed of Israel. The transference of the name Jahveh Tsidkenu from the sprout of David to the city of Jerusalem is connected with the fact, that the name only expresses what the Messiah will bring to the people (see Jer 23:6); the righteousness which He works in and on Jerusalem may, without changing the substance of the thought, be attributed to Jerusalem itself, inasmuch as Jerusalem reflects the righteousness which is bestowed on her by the Messiah.

This promise is, Jer 33:17, further confirmed by the renewal of that which the Lord had given King David, through Nathan the prophet, 2Sa 7:12-16, and that, too, in the form in which David himself had expressed it in his address to Solomon, shortly before his death, 1Ki 2:4, and in which Solomon had repeated it, 1Ki 8:25 and 1Ki 9:5. The formula , “there never will be cut off from David one sitting,” etc., has the meaning, David will never want a descendant to occupy his throne; or, the posterity of David will possess the kingdom for ever. A temporary loss of the throne is not thereby excluded, but only such a permanent loss as would be caused by the family of David becoming extinct, or by the kingdom in Israel either passing over to some other family, or in some way or other coming to an end; see on 1Ki 2:4. – The very same promise is given to the Levitical priests, i.e., the priests of the tribe or family of Levi ( as in Deu 17:9, Deu 17:18; Deu 18:1, etc.). They shall never want one to bring and prepare an offering before the Lord. Burnt-offering, meat-offering, and sin-offering are the three species of sacrifice which were to be brought, according to the law, as in Jer 17:26. By means of the apposition “the Levites,” the priests are designated as the legitimate priesthood, established as such in virtue of God’s choice of the tribe of Levi, in contrast with priests such as Jeroboam appointed, out of the common people, for the worship set up by him. Not only shall Israel have priests, but priests out of the tribe of Levi, which was chosen by God for the sacerdotal office, as the medium of communicating His gracious gifts. The designation of the priests as “the Levites” corresponds, accordingly, to the kings of the family of David. Such a view explains this addition to our passage, to which critics such as Hitzig have taken objection. The Davidic kingdom and the Levitical priesthood were the two pillars and bases of the Old Testament theocracy, on which its existence and continuance depended. The priesthood formed the medium of approach for the people into divine favour. The kingdom assured them of the divine guidance.

(Note: Continebatur autem salus populi duabus istis partibus. Nam, sine rege, erant veluti corpus truncum aut mutilum; sine sacerdote mera erat dissipatio. Nam sacerdos erat quasi medius inter Deum et populum, rex autem representabat Dei personam. – Calvin.)

Both of these pillars were broken with the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple; the theocracy the appeared to have ceased to exist. At this time, when the kingdom, with its ordinances of justice and of grace, bestowed by God, was being dissolved, the Lord, in order to keep His people from despair, declares that these two institutions, in accordance with His promise, shall not fall to the ground, but shall stand for ever. By this, God’s own people received a pledge for the re-establishment and renovation of the kingdom of God. Such is the object of this promise. – As to the kind and mode of reinstitution of both of these ordinances, which were abolished when the state came to ruin, the prophecy now before us gives no explanation; but in the emphatic confirmation of the prophecy which follows, we find brief indications which clearly show that the restoration spoken of will not be a reinstitution of the old form which is now perishing, but a renovation of it, in its essential features, to a permanent existence.

The confirmations of these promises, which follow them in Jer 33:19-26, are each introduced by separate headings, perhaps not merely to render them more prominent, but because the Lord revealed them separately to the prophet; but it by no means follows from this that they are later additions, without any connection. Jer 33:20. “If ye shall break my covenant with the day,…then also will my covenant with David…be broken.” This if betokens the impossible; man cannot alter the arrangement in nature for the regular alternation of day and night. and are in apposition to , “my covenant the day – the night,” for “my covenant with regard to the day and the night, which is this, that day and night shall return at their appointed times.” The before is explanatory. are adverbs, “day and night,” for “the regular alternation of day and night.” These divine arrangements in nature are called a covenant; because God, after the flood, gave a pledge that they should uninterruptedly continue, in a covenant made with the human race; cf. Gen 9:9 with Gen 8:22. As this covenant of nature cannot be broken by men, so also the covenant of grace of the Lord with David and the Levites cannot be broken, i.e., annulled. The covenant with David consisted in the promise that his kingdom should endure for ever (see Jer 33:17); that with the Levites, in the eternal possession of the right to the priesthood. The institution of the priesthood is certainly not represented in the law as a covenant; it consisted merely in the choice of Aaron and his sons as priests by God, Exo 28:1. But, inasmuch as they were thereby brought into a peculiar relation to the Lord, and thus had vouchsafed to them not merely privileges and promises, but also had laid on them duties, the fulfilment of which was a condition of receiving the privileges, this relation might be called a covenant; and indeed, in Num 25:11., the promise given to Phinehas, that he should have the priesthood as an eternal possession, is called a covenant of peace and an eternal covenant of priesthood. This promise concerned the whole priesthood in the person of Phinehas, and the Levites also, inasmuch as the Levites were given to the priests; hence there is mention made in Mal 2:4, Mal 2:8, of a covenant with Levi. In this prophecy, too, mention is made of the priests alone. The general idea contained in the words “the Levites,” placed first, is more clearly defined by the apposition “the priests,” and restricted to the priests of the tribe of Levi.

Jer 33:22-26

In order to make still more impressive the pledge given, that the covenant with David and the Levitical priesthood can never be broken, the Lord adds the promise of a numerous increase of the seed of David and the Levites. as correlative to stands for ; for in the accusative lies the general reference to place, time, kind, and manner; cf. Ew. 360 a, 333 a. The comparison with the innumerable host of stars and the immeasurable quantity of the sand reminds us of the patriarchal promises, Gen 15:5; Gen 22:17. In this way, the promises that apply to all Israel are specially referred to the family of David and the Levites (“the Levites,” Jer 33:22, is abbreviated from “the Levites, the priests,” Jer 33:21). This transference, however, is not a mere hyperbole which misses the mark; for, as Jahn observes, an immense increase of the royal and priestly families would only have been a burden on the people (Graf). The import of the words of the verse is simply that the Lord purposes to fulfil the promise of His blessing, made to the patriarchs in favour of their whole posterity, in the shape of a numerous increase; but this promise will now be specially applied to the posterity of David and to the priests, so that there shall never be wanting descendants of David to occupy the throne, nor Levites to perform the service of the Lord. The question is not about a “change of the whole of Israel into the family of David and the tribe of Levi” (Hengstenberg); and if the increase of the family of David and the Levites correspond in multitude with the number of all the people of Israel, this increase cannot be a burden on the people. But the question, whether this promise is to be understood literally, of the increase of the ordinary descendants of David and the Levites, or spiritually, of their spiritual posterity, cannot be decided, as Hengstenberg and Ngelsbach think, by referring to the words of the Lord in Exo 19:6, that all Israel shall be a kingdom of priests, and to the prophetic passages, Isa 66:6, Isa 66:23., according to which the whole people shall be priests to God, while Levites also shall be taken from among the heathen. For this prophecy does not treat of the final glory of the people of God, but only of the innumerable increase of those who shall attain membership in the family of David and the Levitical priests. The question that has been raised is rather to be decided in accordance with the general promises regarding the increase of Israel; and in conformity with these, we answer that it will not result from the countless increase of the descendants of Jacob according to the flesh, but from the incorporation, among the people of God, of the heathen who return to the God of Israel. As the God-fearing among the heathen will be raised, for their piety, to be the children of Abraham, and according to the promise, Isa 66:20., even Levitical priests taken from among them, so shall the increase placed in prospect before the descendants of David and Levi be realized by the reception of the heathen into the royal and sacerdotal privileges of the people of God under the new covenant.

This view of our verse is confirmed by the additional proof given of the promised restoration of Israel, Jer 33:23-26; for here there is assurance given to the seed of Jacob and David, and therefore to all Israel, that they shall be kept as the people of God. The occasion of this renewed confirmation was the allegation by the people, that the Lord had rejected the two families, i.e., Israel and Judah (cf. Jer 31:27, Jer 31:31; Jer 32:20), called, Isa 8:14, the two houses of Israel. With such words they despised the people of the Lord, as being no longer a people before them, i.e., in their eyes, in their opinion. That those who spoke thus were Jews, who, on the fall of the kingdom of Judah, despaired of the continuance of God’s election of Israel, is so very evident, that Hengstenberg may well find it difficult to understand how several modern commentators could think of heathens – Egyptians (Schnurrer), Chaldeans (Jahn), Samaritans (Movers), or neighbours of the Jews and of Ezekiel on the Chebar (Hitzig). The verdict pronounced on what these people said, “they despise, or contemn, my people,” at once relieves us from any need for making such assumptions, as soon as we assign the full and proper force to the expression “ my people” = the people of Jahveh. Just as in this passage, so too in Jer 29:32, “this people” is interchanged with “my people” as a designation of the Jews. Moreover, as Graf correctly says, the expression “this people” nowhere occurs in the prophets of the exile as applied to the heathen; on the contrary, it is very frequently employed by Jeremiah to designate the people of Judah in their estrangement from the Lord: Jer 4:10; Jer 5:14, Jer 5:23; Jer 6:19; Jer 7:33; Jer 8:5; Jer 9:14; Jer 13:10; Jer 14:10; Jer 15:1, Jer 15:20, and often elsewhere. “My people,” on the other hand, marks Judah and Israel as the people of God. In contrast with such contempt of the people of God, the Lord announces, “If my covenant with day and night does not stand, if I have not appointed the laws of heaven and earth, then neither shall I cast away the seed of Jacob.” The is repeated a second time before the verb. Others take the two antecedent clauses as one: “If I have not made my covenant with day and night, the laws of heaven and earth.” This construction also is possible; the sense remains unchanged. is imitated from Jer 33:20. “The laws of heaven and earth” are the whole order of nature; cf. Jer 31:35. The establishment, institution of the order of nature, is a work of divine omnipotence. This omnipotence has founded the covenant of grace with Israel, and pledged its continuance, despite the present destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the temporary rejection of the guilty people. But this covenant of grace includes not merely the choosing of David, but also the choosing of the seed of Jacob, the people of Israel, on the ground of which David was chosen to be the ruler over Israel. Israel will therefore continue to exist, and that, too, as a nation which will have rulers out of the seed of David, the servant of the Lord. “The mention of the three patriarchs recalls to mind the whole series of the promises made to them” (Hengstenberg). The plural does not, certainly, refer directly to the promise made regarding the sprout of David, the Messiah, but at the same time does not stand in contradiction with it; for the revival and continued existence of the Davidic rule in Israel culminates in the Messiah. On cf. Jer 31:23; Jer 30:3, Jer 30:18, and the explanations on Jer 32:44. The Qeri rests on Jer 33:11, but is unnecessary; for makes good enough sense, and corresponds better to , in so far as it exactly follows the fundamental passage, Deu 30:3, where is joined with .

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Vs. 14-18: RESTORATION THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS

1. Here is re-assurance that the Lord will perform all He has promised to Israel and Judah, (vs. 14; comp. Jer 32:42; Isa 32:1-2; Eze 34:23-25).

2. The “Branch of Righteousness”, which He will raise up unto David, is THE CHRIST – Who will execute judgment ano righteousness in the land, (vs. 15a; Jer 23:5-6; Jer 30:9; Isa 11:1-5; Luk 1:31-33).

3. Though not giving as full a picture of the coming Messiah as was set forth by Isaiah, Jeremiah does provide numerous glimpses of him as:

a) The Fountain of Living waters, (Jer 2:13); b) the Good Shepherd, (Jer 23:4; Jer 31:10); c) the righteous Branch, (Jer 23:5); d) the Redeemer, (Jer 50:34); e) the Lord our Righteousness, (Jer 23:6); and f) David the King, (Jer 30:9).

4. It is through Him that Judah will be delivered, and Jerusalem will be a city of peace, (vs. 16a; comp. Jer 23:6; Isa 45:17; Isa 45:22); under the rule of “the LORD our righteousness” she will, henceforth, be called by His name, (vs. 16b; comp. 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21; Php_3:8-9) – being transformed by His righteous rule and power!

a. Those in a position to rejoice in such blessedness NOW are described by Paul as “Jerusalem which is above”, and “free” -the church, which he further describes as “the mother of us all”, (Gal 4:26).

b. This is in contrast to Hagar – “Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children: – the nation in its present rebellion and unbelief, (Gal 4:25).

c. If we claim to be a “covenant people” – identifying ourselves with the New Jerusalem – then we ought to be manifesting divine holiness (Eph 1:4; Eph 5:27; 1Th 4:3; 1Pe 1:15) and bearing witness to the righteousness of Christ in our daily walk.

5. Neither the throne of David nor the priesthood will lack a man to, faithfully, execute those offices again; the messianic David will be a priest upon His throne, (vs. 17-18; comp. Jer 23:5-6; Psa 110:4; Heb 5:510; Rev 5:9-13; 1Pe 2:9-10).

a. Verse 18 does not seem to require the restoration of literal blood sacrifices, upon a literal altar, in a literal temple, in Jerusalem.

b. As the restoration of the Davidic King and kingdom are to be fulfilled in the Christ, it seems reasonable to interpret this priesthood also finding its fulfillment in Him who sits as a priest upon His throne, (Heb 7:23-28; Zec 6:13).

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

Jeremiah now shews why God had promised that there would be a quiet habitation for shepherds, so that no one would by force take away their flocks. For God declares, that his promise would not be void, as its effects would shortly be evident, even when his mercy was known by the ten tribes and by the kingdom of Judah. Hence he says, The days shall come; for it behoved the faithful to look farther than to their present condition. As they were then exposed to slaughter, though the unbelieving still entertained vain hopes, yet the children of God saw thousand deaths; so that it could not be but that terror almost drove them to despair; and in their exile they saw that they were far removed from their own country, without any hope of a return. That the Prophet then might still support these, he bids them to extend their thoughts to a future time; and he had prefixed, as we have before seen, seventy years. It is the same then as though he had said, that the favor of which he predicts could not be laid hold on, except the faithful held their minds in suspense, and patiently waited until the time of the promised deliverance came.

Coming then are the days, and I will rouse, or as some render it, “and I will establish;” and both meanings may suit; for קום kum, means to rise, but here in an active or transitive sense it means to make to rise. However, its meaning sometimes is to establish, and sometimes to rouse, (90) so as to make that to appear which was before hidden. And this mode of speaking is fitly adopted as to the promises of God; for they seem for a time to he dormant without any effect, or seem to disappear or vanish away. Hence the stability of the promises then appears, and is seen when God raises them up, they being before hidden and concealed from the faithful. The meaning of the Prophet is, that God would at length render evident the power of his word, by fulfilling it.

But from this manner of speaking, a useful doctrine may be deduced: for we are thus reminded that the promises of God are not always so manifest, that their effect or accomplishment is evident to us, but on the contrary they may appear to be dead and void. When it is so, let us learn to exercise faith and patience, so that our souls may not tremble, though God’s promises may not every moment manifest their power by being actually fulfilled. In short, the true application of prophetic truth is, that we never lay hold on, and really embrace the promises of God, except we look forward to the days that are coming, that is, except we patiently wait for the time prefixed by God: and further, except our faith leans on the promises, when they seem to he dormant, it is not firm, and has no roots or foundations; for as the root which nourishes the tree is not seen, but lies hid in the earth, and as the foundation of a house is not visible to our eyes, so ought our faith to be in like manner founded, and to drive deep roots into God’s promises, so that its firmness may not be in the air, nor have a visible surface, but a hidden foundation. This then is the import and the proper application of this doctrine.

But God calls it his good word, because he had promised to be the deliverer of his people. The word of God, when it denounces all kinds of death, and contains nothing but terrors, is always good, if goodness be taken for what is just and right; and hence God, by Ezekiel, reproves the Jews, because his word was bitter to them, and says,

“

Are the ways of the Lord crooked and thorny? Ye are awry,” he says, “and not my word.” (Eze 18:25)

But here the goodness of the word is to be taken for the deliverance of the people; for when God shakes the despisers of his Law with terror, his word is called evil on account of its effect. At the same time, as I have already said, whether God offers to us his favor and mercy, or denounces vengeance on the unbelieving, his word is ever good and right, though it may not be pleasant. This then relates to the apprehensions of men when he says, I will rouse, or establish, my good word

He afterwards adds, which I have spoken;’ by which clause he confirms the doctrine of Jeremiah, for he shews that he was its author, and that Jeremiah brought nothing from himself, but faithfully testified of his mercy and of the liberation of the people according to the commission he had received. We are at the same time reminded, that we are not presumptuously to hope for anything, except God has spoken. Let us then learn to embrace his promises, so that none of us may look for this or that, but know that then only he will be propitious to us, when we lean on his word. He afterwards speaks of the kingdom of Israel, and of the kingdom of Judah, to intimate that he would be merciful to the whole people, though the ten tribes had been for a long time separated from the tribe of Judah, and from the half tribe of Benjamin, as it has been stated elsewhere. It follows —

(90) So is the Vulg., “ suscitabo,” “I will awake,” or rouse; and also the Sept. and the Targ. — Ed.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

3. Special promises (Jer. 33:14-26)

TRANSLATION

(14) Behold, days are coming (oracle of the LORD) when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. (15) In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous sprout to spring forth to David; and He will establish justice and righteousness in the land. (16) In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited; and this is the name by which she shall be called: The LORD our Righteousness. (17) For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; (18) and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn meal offerings, and to make sacrifice forever. (19) And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, (20) Thus says the LORD: If My covenant of the day and night can be broken so that there will no longer be day and night in their proper times, (21) then My covenant with David MY servant shall be broken so that he will have no son to reign upon his throne; and for the Levitical priests, MY ministers. (22) As the hosts of the heaven cannot be numbered nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I increase the descendants of David My servant and the Levites, My ministers. (23) And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, (24) Have you not considered what this people have said, saying, The two families which the LORD chose, He has rejected? Thus they despise My people that they no longer regard them as a nation. (25) Thus says the LORD: If My covenant with the day and night shall not stand, if I did not establish the statutes of the heaven and the earth, (26) then shall I reject the seed of Jacob and David My servant, and no longer take from his seed rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will reverse their fortunes and have mercy upon them.

COMMENTS

In the grandiose promises of this paragraph the Book of Consolation reaches its climax. Since these verses are absent in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, some liberal critics have questioned the genuineness of the passage. They are also quick to point out that Messianic concepts are introduced here which find no parallel in the rest of the Book of Jeremiah. But a prophet must be allowed freedom to express the Messianic hope in a variety of ways. The absence of the paragraph in the Septuagint version is difficult to explain no matter who is taken to be the author. Perhaps this paragraph was inserted into the book by Baruch after he emigrated to Babylon. If this was the case, then these verses would not be present in the Egyptian copy of the book from which the Septuagint translators made the Greek version. In any case this material certainly goes back to Jeremiah. Here the prophet focuses first on the grand Davidic Ruler of the future (Jer. 33:14-16) and then on the permanence of the royal and priestly offices in the new Israel (Jer. 33:17-26). In Jer. 33:14-16 the description of the happy future of Israel continues. The opening words Behold, the days come point to a certain but indefinite future. These words as used by Jeremiah become something of a Messianic pointer. God declares that He will certainly fulfill the good word that He has spoken to the covenant people. The good word probably refers back to the promise of a Righteous Sprout (Jer. 23:5-6). As if to remind Jeremiah of that promise, the Lord repeats it in Jer. 33:15. A Sprout of Righteousness shall spring from the stock of David who will restore justice and righteousness in the land. There can be scarcely any doubt that it is the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David and Messiah of Israel who is depicted here. In the days of Messiah the people of God, symbolized by Judah and Jerusalem,[295] will be delivered from their oppressors and enjoy peace and security. Literal Israel and Judah never regained political independence following the restoration to Palestine. They were dominated successively by the Persians, the Greeks, the Idumean Herodians and the Romans. Thus Judah and Jerusalem must be understood here spiritually of the church of Christ and the deliverance and safety promised should be regarded as spiritual blessings.

[295] In the parallel passage it is Judah and Israel which will experience salvation and safety in the Messianic age. The change from Israel to Jerusalem seems to be an intentional alteration in the promise in order to apply it more specifically to the dire straits in which Jerusalem found itself.

In those glorious days of which the prophet is speaking, spiritual Jerusalem, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, will actually wear the name of her Messiah and Master. She shall be called The Lord our Righteousness (cf. Jer. 23:6). It is altogether fitting and proper that the church being the bride of Christ should wear the same name of her divine husband. The holy city has taken on the character of her King.

In Jer. 33:17-18 the permanence of the kingly and priestly lines is affirmed. The expression shall never lack a man used twice in these verses is hardly meant to refer to a whole line of kings or priests. Rather this expression guarantees that the office of king and the office of priest is to be perpetual. The new Israel will have a throne and the one who will occupy that throne will be a descendant of David. The prophet reproduces almost verbatim the ancient promise made to David (1Sa. 7:16) and repeated by David in his parting words to Solomon (1Ki. 2:4). When that promise was first given the line of David was in all the freshness of its strength. But in the present circumstances the line of David seemed to be one on the verge of total extinction. The prophet, however, sees beyond the present tragedy. He is certain that the royal line will survive the destruction of Jerusalem and that the true king of Israel will always come from the house of David.

During the intertestamental period some of the Hasmoneans called themselves king but they were not universally recognized as such. The Herodian dynasty, which still retained some measure of power in the days of Jesus, was never acknowledged as sitting on the throne of Israel. When the new Israel of God came into being on Pentecost the sovereign Ruler was a son of David, a legitimate King.[296]

[296] See Luk. 1:32-33; Joh. 18:36; Eph. 1:20-23; Rev. 17:14.

The priestly office as well as the royal office will survive the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple. The terminology the priests the Levites (KJV) or the Levitical priests (NASV) points to the fact that under the old covenant the priestly functions were the exclusive right of the descendants of Levi (Num. 3:10; Num. 16:40; Num. 18:7). The New Testament categorically affirms that the Levitical priesthood has passed away (Heb. 7:11). That priesthood was replaced by a new and better one inaugurated by Christ who was made a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Furthermore, the New Testament affirms that those who have been baptized into Christ have become part of a holy priesthood (Heb. 10:19-22). Christians do not offer before God burnt-offerings and meal-offerings for the perfect sacrifice for sins was made upon the cross of Calvary. Rather the Christian priesthood offers the sacrifices of praise (1Pe. 2:5) and the sacrifice of the body (Rom. 12:1). Jeremiah himself hints at this dramatic change in the nature of the priesthood when he declares that the ark of the covenant will no longer be remembered in the Messianic age (Jer. 3:16). The removal of the ark of the covenant, which was so crucial in the rituals of Old Testament worship, points to a complete change in the nature of the priesthood.

In Jer. 33:19-22 the promise concerning David and the Levites is reproduced with even greater solemnity. These promises are placed on the same level of permanence as the God-ordained succession of day and night. As long as day follows night, God will be faithful to His commitment to guarantee the survival of the royal and priestly lines (Jer. 33:19-21).

The covenant with the line of David is given in 2Sa. 7:12-16. The covenant with the Levi, referred to again in Mal. 2:4-5; Mal. 2:8, is not so explicitly stated. Probably the reference is to the promise made to Phinehas in Num. 25:13. The argument of Jer. 33:19-22 is the same as in Jer. 31:35-37 except that here the argument is applied specifically to the monarchy and priesthood while in the earlier passage it is applied to Israel as a nation.

Jer. 33:22 affirms that the descendants of David and Levi will be innumerable. According to the prophecy of Isaiah all members of the Messianic Israel would be priests and ministers of the Lord. No longer would the priesthood be restricted to descendants of Levi, but any and every member of the nationeven Gentile convertswould be able to serve in the priestly capacities (Isa. 66:20-21). Just as Messiah is both priest and king, so also are his subjects. These Old Testament prophecies find their fulfillment in the New Testament concept of the royal priesthood (1Pe. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; Rev. 5:9-10). Christians offer the sacrifice of praise before the throne of grace continually (Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15-16; 1Pe. 2:5). Furthermore, Christians are said to reign with Christ (Revelations Jer. 5:10; Jer. 20:4; Jer. 20:6). Just as Christians are spiritually the seed of Abraham (Rom. 9:7-8; Gal. 3:29) so also are they envisioned in this prophecy as descendants of David and of Levi. Whatever may have been the thoughts of the prophet, one is justified in looking for the seed of David and the Levites in those who, by virtue of their union with Christ, are made both kings and priests (Rev. 1:6).

Apparently some found it hard to accept at face value these glorious promises regarding the future of the royal and priestly orders. God calls the attention of the prophet to the anguished cries of despair. God, it seemed, had altogether cast off his people. Gentiles looking upon the pitiful condition of Israel could only despise the people of God (Jer. 33:24). In response to the despondency of Israel and the disdain of Gentiles the prophet renews his assurance of the permanence of the kingly and priestly lines and in fact strengthens that assurance in three ways.

First, he mentions the names of the three great patriarchs of the race with whom God had already demonstrated His faithfulness in covenant keeping. Secondly, He connects his promises concerning David with a promise of a return from captivity (Jer. 33:26). When that return came, it would be the pledge of the yet greater blessings which were involved in the new and everlasting covenant. Finally, he repeats the analogy between His covenant with nature and His covenant with Jacob and David. As surely as God is responsible for the orderly processes of nature so surely has He ordained a glorious future for Jacob in general and David in particular.

Many prophecies of the Old Testament were never fulfilled. in a narrow, literalistic sense. The principle of interpreting every prophecy literally unless forced to do otherwise is not really valid in the light of the inspired interpretation of prophecy found in the New Testament. The prophets often used Mosaic terminology to describe the spiritual realities of the new covenant. So long as interpreters miss this point the prophetic books will remain an enigma and Messianic prophecies but utopian dreams. In painting his picture of the future the prophet of God utilized the forms, the terminology and concepts of his own day. That prophetic pictures of the Christian dispensation should be clothed in Jewish dress is not strange since this is the only form in which they could present any meaning to those to whom they were delivered. Those in the New Testament who were privileged to catch a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem exhausted the vocabulary of human language in describing the wonders they beheld. So the Old Testament prophets found it necessary to utilize the language of the old covenant worship to describe that of the new covenant. It is no doubt to such passages as Jeremiah 33 that Peter refers when he speaks of the prophets as inquiring and searching diligently . what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified before hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow (1Pe. 1:10-11).

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(14, 15) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord . . .The words are manifestly a conscious reproduction of Jer. 23:5-6. In I have promised we may indeed trace a distinct reference to that passage. Once more the Branch of righteousness (Isa. 4:2; Isa. 11:1)the coming heir of the throne of David, the true King who is to execute judgmentis put forward, as seen in the vision of the prophets hopes.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

The Setting Up Of The Shoot Of Righteousness Descended From David ( Jer 33:14-16 ).

YHWH now repeats His promise of a coming David who will introduce righteousness (compare Isa 9:7; Isa 11:1-4). The days are coming, on the assured word of YHWH, when He will perform the good word that He has spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. For in those days He will bring forth a shoot of righteousness to David, a righteous and true Davidic king, Who will bring about justice and righteousness among His people. The promise is basically Messianic. He will introduce a reign of righteousness.

Jer 33:14

“Behold, the days are coming, the word of YHWH, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.”

This is the fourth ‘days are coming’ of this series of passages. The first referred to the re-establishing of the people in the land (Jer 31:27-28), the second to the giving of the new covenant (Jer 31:31-34), and the third to the re-establishment of the new Jerusalem (Jer 31:38-40). Now all will be sealed by the setting up of God’s righteous King. It is a ‘good word’ indeed.

Jer 33:15

“In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Shoot of righteousness to grow up to David, and he will execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

The promise of the coming righteous king began in Gen 49:10. It was confirmed in 2Sa 7:12-13; 2Sa 7:16; and ripened in the prophecies of Isaiah (Isa 9:6-7; Isa 11:1-4). It has already been confirmed in Jer 23:5-6 in words similar to those used here. It was, of course, finally fulfilled in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring about righteousness and in the establishment of His eternal kingship (Mat 12:28; Mat 25:31-46; Mat 28:18; Luk 1:32-33; Act 2:35; Act 7:55-56; Rom 1:3-4; Heb 1:3-4; Rev 3:21; Rev 19:16).

Jer 33:16

“In those days will Judah be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely, and this is the name by which she will be called, ‘YHWH our righteousness’.”

While there was a shadow of a fulfilment after the exile when Judah was delivered and Jerusalem dwelt safely under a Davidic ruler, and an even greater fulfilment in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when His people were covered and endued with His righteousness under His Kingly Rule, it is only through His eternal Kingship, and the establishment of His heavenly kingdom, that this promise could be truly fulfilled. It is vain to look for it in an earthly kingdom. For it is only in a heavenly kingdom that His people can enjoy the perfect righteousness of YHWH. It is an idealistic state.

‘YHWH our righteousness.’ This name was originally given to the coming king of the house of David (Jer 23:6), now it is applied to His people as personified in Jerusalem. It is an indication that both will be revealed in God-likeness.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

YHWH Promises That In ‘The Days That Are Coming’ Both His Chosen (Davidic) Kingship and His God-Appointed (Levitical) Priesthood Will Be Maintained So As To Watch Over His People’s Future ( Jer 33:14-25 ).

The point in what follows is not so much the proper descent of the kings and priests mentioned, as the fact that they will be those who have been chosen and appointed by YHWH. Both the Davidic kingship and the Levitical priesthood had been chosen and appointed by YHWH in order to maintain a pure kingship and a pure priesthood, and that was why they were kept ‘in the family’. The theory was that they would be properly bred to their posts, inheriting the virtues of their ancestors. One thing in which northern Israel had so disastrously failed was in dispensing with the Davidic kingship and the Levitical priesthood, appointing instead kings and priests of their own choice who had soon proved their lack of worth. But Judah was also suffering because whilst they still had a Davidic kingship and a Levitical priesthood, their ‘Davidic kings’ did not walk in the ways of David, and their ‘Levitical priests’ did not walk in the ways of Aaron.

Thus YHWH’s promise is not only of a Davidic King, but of one who will be a Shoot of Righteousness. And His promise is not only of a Levitical priesthood, but of one that will offer sacrifices truly ‘before YHWH’. In other words He will provide true Kingship and true Priesthood of a type which is pleasing to Him. The main spotlight is, however, on the Righteous Shoot from the house of David, who is then described in more detail (Jer 33:15-16; Jer 33:25 a), with the true priesthood being a necessary adjunct so that true worship will be ensured.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

5. THE GLORIOUS KINGDOM AND PRIESTHOOD OF THE FUTURE

Jer 33:14-18

14Behold the days are coming, saith Jehovah, that I will fulfil

The good word that I have spoken of the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

15In those days and that time will I cause9

The sprout of righteousness to spring to David,
And he shall execute10 justice and righteousness in the land.

16In those days will Judah be saved and Jerusalem dwell safely,

And this will be her name, Jehovah our Righteousness.11

17For thus saith Jehovah, a man shall never be wanting to David,

Who may sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.

18And to the priests, the Levites, a man shall not be wanting before me,

Who may offer burnt-offerings and kindle meat-offerings,
And offer sacrifices continually.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Passing from the general to the particular, the circumference to the centre, the prophet further declares with respect to the happy future, that in it the promise previously announced will be fulfilled (Jer 33:4), a sprout of righteousness shall spring from the stock of David, who will restore justice and righteousness in the land (Jer 33:15), and by whom Judah and Jerusalem will be raised to such a height of prosperity that the latter will actually bear the name Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer 33:16). The race of David shall never die out (Jer 33:17), nor the priestly tribe of Levi and the priestly service ever cease.

Jer 33:14-16. Behold, the days our Righteousness. What is the good word in Jer 33:14? The expression occurs besides in Jeremiah only in Jer 29:10. There it refers, as is evident from the mention of the seventy years, to Jer 25:11. If the expression is to be taken there in a special sense, so also here. For here we have a still plainer reference to a former promise (Jer 23:5-6). The reference to the general salvation, i.e., to the most universal manifestation of salvation is thus not excluded. Though this view is favored by the circumstance that the prophet, as already remarked, proceeds in this chapter from the general to the special, yet the special salvation, to which Jer 33:15 sqq. refer, is the central point comprising all that has been said hitherto, being a condition of all salvation in the widest sense. Hengsenberg incorrectly accentuates the two prepositions and . According to the usage of our prophet they are so like each other in signification, that one frequently stands for the other (comp. Jer 25:1 coll.; Jer 7:1; Jer 11:1 etc.; Jer 26:15), or by the side of the other with absolutely identical meaning (Jer 11:2; Jer 18:11; Jer 23:35; Jer 25:2; Jer 27:19; Jer 44:20).

Jer 33:15. In those days, etc. In these words the chronological statement in Jer 33:14 is resumed after the interruption, so that in sense this beginning coincides with that in Jer 23:5. The addition and that time here as in Jer 1:4, 20 possesses a merely rhetorical significance. It serves to render the declaration more solemn. The alteration from in his days (Jer 23:6) is unimportant. It is however important to note the change of Israel into Jerusalem, this being founded in the connection of the chapter. While the general object of the prophet, as is seen in Jer 33:14, is to show that the comforting prophecy given in former times, still holds good, notwithstanding the comfortless circumstances in which Jerusalem then was, being sorely pressed by the Chaldeans, yet he cannot avoid somewhat modifying the prophecy in accordance with the present occasion. This occasion according to Jer 33:4 is the sight of the houses thrown down in defence. In view of this mournful spectacle he had in Jer 33:6-7 to promise healing of wounds, rebuilding of the city. He has also here the city of Jerusalem especially in view, though he does not by any means forget Israel, but on the contrary diligently sets forth its share in the promise given to Judah (Jer 33:14). Hence the alteration to Jerusalem.With this it is also connected that the last clause states the name which Jerusalem will bear as a significant symbolical inscription. Comp. rems. on Jer 23:6.

Jer 33:17-18. For thus saith Jehovah continually. The principal statement refers neither to Jer 33:15 nor to Jer 33:16 exclusively, but to both. Improbable as it must then have appeared at the time of Zedekiah that the house of David, which was reduced so low both inwardly and outwardly, should send forth so excellent and glorious a scion, equally so must the happy condition promised to the people in Jer 33:16 have appeared. Both however are shown to be possible by the announcement in Jer 33:17 of the everlasting continuance of the house of David and of its dominion over Israel. Observe, moreover, that it is not said on the throne of David nor on his throne (Jer 33:21; Jer 13:13; Jer 22:4), but on the throne of the house of Israel. The house of Israel is evidently here the whole of Israel, and the eternal duration of Davids rule over it involves both the inner and outer rejuvenescence of the Davidic race, and the welfare of the people, which essentially depends thereon, since it may be subjected not to foreign rulers, but to their own native royal family.A man shall never, etc. Comp. Jer 35:19. The sense of the expression is not, none shall ever be extirpated, but every one shall never be extirpated, so that none will be left. Herein is thus primarily contained only the promise of succession of rulers extending in perpetuum. Hengstenberg, however, calls attention to the circumstance (Christol., S. 516) [Eng. Tr., II., p. 461] that we are not to suppose a perfectly uninterrupted succession, but only one that is not broken off entirely. The prophet moreover reproduces almost verbatim the ancient promise given to the house of David, as it is repeated on the basis of 1Sa 7:16, by David in his parting words to Solomon (1Ki 2:4), and afterwards by the latter himself at his dedication of the temple (1Ki 8:25), and finally by the Lord Himself in His renewed promise to Solomon (1Ki 9:5).And to the priests, etc. A second pillar on which rests the redemption and secure continuance of Israel (Jer 33:16) is the normal permanence of the national priesthood. This is the Levitic.The Levites is therefore in apposition (comp. Deu 17:9; Deu 17:18; Jos 3:3; Eze 44:15 coll. Deu 21:5). The descendants of Levi, who according to the Mosaic law were alone eligible to the priesthood (Num 3:10; Num 16:40; Num 18:7), will be opposed to others who might possibly assume the priesthood to themselves. The question may here arise how this promise of the eternal continuance of the Levitic priesthood is related to other declarations, especially of the Epistle to the Hebrews, according to which this Levitical priesthood as only an inferior stage is to give way to a higher priesthood, viz., that after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7-9. coll. Jer 3:16; Psa 110:4). I believe that this question must be decided according to the standard of Mat 5:17-18. As not a tittle of the law is absolutely abrogated, and thrown aside as worthless, but is kept by being fulfilled and thus being elevated to a higher potency, so also the Levitical priesthood being absorbed by a higher, is lost in its outward, temporal and local form, but in its ideal character is now first established. Hence the expressions of this passage (as well as the related ones in Ezekiel 40-42) neither contradict former declarations of Jeremiah (as Jer 3:16; Jer 31:31-33), nor the doctrine of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Comp. rems. on Jer 33:22 and my review of BalmerRinck, The Prophet Ezekiels vision of the Temple in Reuters Repertorium, 1860, Heft. III., S. 152.Who may offer, etc. Comp. Exo 29:18; Lev 1:9; Lev 1:17; Lev 9:10; Num 18:17, etc.The three species of offerings are mentioned also in Jer 17:26; Num 15:3-4.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. On Jer 32:3. An effect of anger and a procedure almost like that of Ahab with the prophet Micah. The same spirit prevails now-a-days. For without entering on an investigation, with what right or reason men are found who often in pretty general expressions in a call to repentance, borrow from the prophet all sorts of judicial threatening and point to this or that city, we cannot avoid seeing why they are always put in arrest, viz.: for this cause, Why dost thou prophesy what we do not like to hear? When one is sure of his cause, a noble disdain of such people would be the best means to use against them. But men cannot bear a bad conscience and threatenings of all sorts together, and the fear that it may be true has the foolish effect, that they cause the bearers of such unpleasant tidings to come to a bad end, in order to affright others from coming with similar messages. Zinzendorf.

2. On Jer 32:7 sqq. Fundatur in hoc textu locus classicus de contractibus emtionis et venditionis, quos improbant Anabaptist, probat Scriptura, sicut ostendunt hc qu jam sequuntur documenta: Pro 31:14; Mat 13:3.Frster.

3. On Jer 32:15. The prophet had often enough declared the land lost to the Chaldeans. Here, however, he must testify that it is not lost forever: his purchase was to restore confidence in the future to other troubled souls. Thus the most afflicted servant of God must again be the most hopeful.When we are outwardly prosperous, we think no one can take our prosperity from us, and when trouble comes upon us, we again think that no one can help us. Both courses are, however, equally ungodly. Therefore Gods servants must contradict both those who are at ease, and those who are in despair. The reverse is always right. In good days humble thyself, and in bad days let thyself be exalted, for then it is a great thing to do. Diedrich.

4. On Jer 32:9; Jer 32:16; Jer 32:24-25. Jeremiah also contends, but as a servant of the Lord. First he obeys and afterwards speaks about it. This is a noble way, by which every teacher, who knows the Lord, may prove himself. As soon as he observes that the Lord wishes this or that, it is not the time to expostulate, but to act, not to call anything in question, but to set to work. If then any hesitation is left, or one and another scruple, it is time afterwards to consult with the Lord about it, when one has first shown obedience. Zinzendorf. [Though we are bound to follow God with an implicit obedience, yet we should endeavor that it may be more and more intelligent obedience. We must never dispute Gods statutes and judgments, but we may and must inquire, What mean these statutes and judgments? Deu 6:20. Henry.S. R. A.]

5. On Jer 32:25. Tertullian (c. Marc, L. IV., c. 40) sees in the words Buy thee the field for money, the prophetic passage to which Mat 27:9 refers, regarding the reading as correct. Comp. Euseb. Demonstr. Ev., L. X., c. 4; Augustin, De consensu Evang., L. III., c. 7.

6. On Jer 32:27. To God there is no wonder [miracle]. There are wonders only on the lower stage of existence. Every higher stage is a wonder to the lower. Or is there only one stage of existence, and accordingly only one order of nature? When the North American savages cruelly murdered one of their number who had been on a visit to the Great Father in Washington, and told them of the wonders of civilization, as a demoniacally possessed liar, were they less in the right than our highly civilized savages, to whom it is a fundamental axiom, that there is no other world, but that which they can reach with their five senses? It is certainly not proved that there is a living, personal, omnipotent God. But this is not to be proved, it is to be felt from the heart. He who is born of God heareth His voice. To him also miracles cease to be aught irrational. He knows well how to distinguish between true and false miracles, but the former come to him like a voice from the higher world, in which he feels truly at home. For the stages of existence and orders of nature are not hermetically sealed towards each other, but the higher break through in order to lift the lower up to themselves.

7. On Jer 32:36 sqq. On the fulfilment of this prophecy comp. the Comm. on Jer 13:14, and the Doctrinal notes on Jer 3:18-25, No. 8. As the threatening that Israel should be dispersed among all nations from one end of the earth to the other (Deu 28:64-66) has been literally fulfilled, why should not this promise also be literally fulfilled, that they shall be collected from all lands whither the Lord has cast them out? Why cannot this people be destroyed? Why do they retain their peculiarities with such tenacity, that neither the most raging fanaticism, nor the most humane cosmopolitanism, which is much more dangerous than the former, can mingle them with other nations; so that we can follow the course of their national stream through the sea of nations, as it is said of the Rhine that its water flows unmingled through the lake of Constance? Assuredly this people must yet have a future. Only thus much is correct; that the real kernel of these prophecies is offered to us in a shell which the prophets prepared from contemporary events, but it is difficult to determine where the shell ceases and the kernel begins. Comp. Rinck, The Scripturalness of the doctrine of the Millennial reign defended against Hengstenberg. Eberfeld, 1866, S. 45 sqq.

8. On Jer 32:36 sqq. Is the consummation of the redemptive work possible while Israel is rejected as a nation? According to the Old Testament this question must be unconditionally negatived. This knows only a temporary rejection of Israel, which at the same time has this result, that Israel does not perish as a nation, but is preserved for future restoration. Is this law aunulled since Israel despised the gracious visitation of the Messiah, the kingdom of God taken from them and given to a people which bring forth the fruits thereof? Are thus the predictions of the prophets, which treat of a glorification of Israel in the latter days, eternally abrogated on account of the nations sin? Or can their fulfilment be found only in a spiritual manner in the Christian church, the main trunk of which was formed by a chosen few from Israel? These questions are answered in the affirmative by Bertheau (Old Testament prophecy of Israels national glory in their own land. Jahrb. f. deutsche Theol., 1859 and 1860) in accordance with the older protestant theology (comp. especially Hollaz, Exam, theolog. ed. Teller, p. 1264 sqq.) as decidedly as according to our conviction they must, on the ground of Rom 1:25 sqq., be negatived. It seems to us to be irrefragably established that when the times of the world-nations are full (Luk 21:24), Israel will obey the gospel call, and thus be prepared to welcome the Messiah (Mat 23:39); that for this reason in its dispersion among the nations of the earth it has never been absorbed by them, but preserved in separate existence for its final destination, because Gods gifts of grace and calling are . Oehler in Herzog, R.-Enc., XVII., S. 658, 9.

9. On Jer 33:3. This is the Lords declaration to His obedient servant Jeremiah. My dear child, He says, thou hast acted according to my will, without knowing why. Thou hast done well. But I will make it clear to thee, so that thou wilt wonder no more; I will tell thee that and yet more, so that thou wilt at last say., Yes, let it be so. We find such connections a few times elsewhere in the Scriptures. The Lord says, How can I hide from Abraham the thing that I do! (Gen 18:17.) And the same Lord declares to His disciples, whence comes this inclination or predisposition to tell something new to His disciples, Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you (Joh 15:16). So also is it here with Jeremiah. Zinzendorf.

10. On Jer 33:6. Healing, restoration, joy and permanent prosperity are promised by the prophet to Jerusalem at a time when all seemed lost, and it seemed impossible to regain them. How desolate must it have then appeared in Jerusalem when one house after another was thrown down to furnish means of defence! How wildly raged the tumult of war, and how comfortless was the condition of the city shut in by the enemy and completely cut off from the rest of the country! To the mind of him, who then thought of Jerusalem in the future, pictures of destruction alone presented themselves. Jeremiah, however, whose sight was sharpened by the divine anointing, sees beyond the present abomination of desolation in the far distant future pictures of peace and, moreover, of everlasting peace, such as no eye has ever seen, nor hath it entered into the heart of man. There was the patience and faith of the saints (Rev 13:10). Impossible is a word, which does not occur in Gods language.

11. On Jer 33:8. After the stubborn race has been partly annihilated and partly humbled, God will turn the captivity of the nation, as a whole. Israel cannot perish eternally. God will purify the people from their sins, by forgiveness, the only way in which men can be really freed from sin. Grace and forgiveness are the only ground on which we stand as Christians. This seems nothing to the world, and yet it is more than heaven and earth. Diedrich.

12. On Jer 33:7-13. An important doctrine meets us in these words, that it is not the gifts of God which we should seek to apprehend, but the love of God which is manifested in that He imputes not our sin to us. Otherwise we treat the Divine benefits like the fishes which swallow the hook with the bait. Heim and Hofmann. The major prophets expounded for edification, 1839, S. 509.

13. On Jer 33:14-17. All Gods promises are at the same time fulfilled by the true man, the Son of Man, the pure sprout of David. He will be a King, in whom we have perfect protection from all destructive agencies, for He will help us from sin, procuring and executing on earth justice and righteousness for all mankind. As we all together inherited sin and death from Adam, so Jesus by His righteousness has brought justification of life for all men, if we would now only take it with joy. Jerusalem will itself bear the Kings name, as he was called in Jer 23:6 : Jehovah our Righteousness, i. e., that Jehovah bestows on us the righteousness, which is the bond, which at the same time unites us to the citizens of His celestial city. Diedrich.

14. On Jer 33:15-16. [The Lord our righteousness. This is to be explained by the union of the Church with Christ (see Rom 12:4-5; 1Co 10:17; 1Co 12:12; Eph 1:22; Eph 4:12; Eph 4:15-16; Eph 4:25; Eph 6:23; Col 1:18; Col 1:24) so that what belongs to Him is communicated to her (Calvin, Piscator, Muenster).Thus, by virtue of her mystical union with Christ, and by the imputation of His merits, and the infusion of His Spirit, the Name of the Church may be said to be The Lord our righteousness; she hides herself in Him, and is seen by God as in Him; she is clothed with Christ the Sun of righteousness (see Rev 12:1) and is accepted in the Beloved (Eph 1:6). Wordsworth.S. R. A.]

15. On Jer 33:17. [When the First-begotten was brought into the world it was declared concerning Him, The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David, Luk 1:32. Henry.S.R. A.]

16. On Jer 33:13-22. [Four words, each of them full of meaning, comprise the conceptions which we attribute to the Paradisaical state. They are these: Innocence, Love, Rural Life. Piety; and it is towards these conditions of earthly happiness that the human mind reverts, as often as it turns, sickened and disappointed, from the pursuit of whatever else it may have ever labored to acquire. The innocence we here think of is not virtue recovered, that has passed through its season of trial, but it is Moral Perfectness, darkened by no thought or knowledge of the contrary. This Paradisaical love is conjugal fondness, free from sensuous taint. This Rural Life is the constant flow of summer days, spent in gardens and afield, exempt from our exacted toil. This piety of Paradise is the grateful approach of the finite being to the Infinite,a correspondence that is neither clouded, nor is apprehensive of a cloud. Isaac Taylor, Spirit of Hebrew Poetry.S. R. A.]

17. On Jer 33:19-22. [The richest promises are confirmed by the strongest assurances. Cowles.S. R. A.] As Gods arrangements in nature do not fail, still less can His word fail in His kingdom of grace, and all His word refers to the divine Son of David and His eternal kingdom of grace. Yea, the whole innumerable Israel, Abrahams spiritual posterity, shall become Davids and Levites, i. e., priests and kings, as was designed even at the beginning of Israel. (Exo 19:6; 1Pe 2:9; Rev 5:6). Diedrich.

18. On Jer 33:18-22. [Wordsworth rejects Hengstenbergs explanation that these words are to be applied to all Christians indiscriminately, and approves of the argument derived by the ancient Christian fathers from the passage in favor of the threefold order of ministers in the Christian church. He adds The Gospel of Christ and the Church of Christ possess the spiritual essence of whatever was commanded in the Levitical dispensations. Whatever was local and personal in those dispensations has passed away. The Tabernacle, the Temple, their Sacrifices, their Sabbaths, their Annual Festivals, their threefold Ministry, all these have been spiritualized in the Gospel. Sinai is perpetuated in Zion. The glory of the Law has been absorbed into that of the Gospel. See Psa 68:17, the great Pentecostal Psalm.S. R. A.]

19. On Jer 33:23-26. In the first place they will not be warned, and afterwards they will not be comforted. The true prophet however announces death to sinners according to the law, but afterwards grace for renovation and for life. Despair is blasphemy. Gods kingdom stands and will be perfected, but the fainthearted will not enter it. God answers: so long as heaven and earth are preserved by Me, it is for the sake of My kingdom, and as a pledge that it will not fail. Israel or, what is the same thing, Davids seed shall be a royal seed, and the captivity which the people must now endure is transient. It is however impossible for the worldly to comprehend this, who persist in carnal repose as though no God could punish them, and again in affliction are so despondent, as though there were no God to help them any more. Diedrich. [Deep security commonly ends in deep despair; whereas those that keep up a holy fear at all times have a good hope to support themselves in the worst of times. Henry.S. R. A.]

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

1. On Jer 32:16. [Before Jeremiah went to prayer he delivered the deeds that concerned his new purchase to Baruch, which may intimate to us, that when we are going to worship God we should get our minds as clear as may be from the cares and encumbrances of this world.Note, Prayer is the salve of every sore. Henry.S. R. A.]

2. On Jer 32:17-25. The Divine promises our best consolation in every affliction. 1. There are promises of Divine help for every kind of distress in human life. 2. These promises often sound very wonderful (Jer 32:24-25). 3. Their fulfilment on the part of God is guaranteed by the perfection of the Divine nature (Jer 32:17-19). 4. Their fulfilment is on our part conditioned by faith.

3. On Jer 32:18-19. Harvest [Thanksgiving-day] Sermon. To what should our admiration of the power and grace of God in the present harvest lead us? 1. To thank God. 2. To trust all to Him, that He has promised us. 3. To obey His voice. Jentsch., Gesetz and Zeugniss, 1853.

4. On Jer 32:19. The very serious and important truth, the eyes of the Lord are open to all the paths of the children of men. This should 1, shake us and awake us from our security, if some of our ways are sinful and such as the Lord must certainly disapprove; 2, humble us, if we are indeed under the discipline of Gods Spirit, and yet turn to our own self made courses, and have not yet allowed a fixed and sure heart to be imparted to us; 3, be for our comfort and encouragement, when we are often led in dark and difficult paths. J. M. Mueller, Zeugnisse v. Christo. [Witnesses to Christ]. Neues Predigtbuch., Stuttgart, 1866, S. 757.

5. On Jer 32:19. [The greatness of Gods wisdom and the abundance of His power. Proved from His nature. Rem. 1. God hath the power of making the deepest affliction of His children produce their highest happiness. 2. The contrivances of tyrants to oppress the church procure its establishment. 3. The triumphs of Satan turn to the destruction of his empire. Saurin.S. R. A.]

6. On Jer 32:39. Wedding-sermon, The promise which the Lord gives to God-fearing couples. 1. One heart. 2. One way. 3. One blessing, which shall extend to their children. Florey, 1862.

7. On Jer 32:40. Wedding-sermon. The nature and fruit of a true marriage. 1. Its nature: it is a covenant which a man and a woman conclude in the Lord, and with the Lord (put My fear in their hearts;not depart from Me;everlasting covenant). 2. Its fruit: good from the Lord without ceasing.

8. On Jer 32:40. [Teachers may put good things into our heads, but it is God only that can put them into our hearts, that can work in us both to will and to do. Henry.S. R. A.]

9. On Jer 32:39-41. The greatest and dearest of all the promises of God to a marriage in the highest degree happy and delightful. G. Conr. Rieger.

10. On Jer 32:40-41. Baptismal Sermon. The gracious promises of God, which He gives to a child of man in holy baptism. Florey, 1862.

11. On Jer 32:42. In communion of suffering of pious Christians is also a blessed fellowship of consolation, since 1, when we as Christians bear with one another, we can also with each other and by each other obtain composure with respect to whatever has befallen us; 2, our heart is revived by what remains, viz., love on earth and hope in heaven; 3, we become strong for whatever duty is laid upon us, viz., labor and courage. Florey, 1863.

12. On Jer 33:1. [No confinement can deprive Gods people of His presence; no locks or bars can shut out His gracious visits, nay, oftentimes as their afflictions abound their consolations much more abound, and they have the most reviving communications of His favor then when the world frowns on them. Pauls sweetest Epistles were those that bare date out of a prison. Henry.S. R. A.]

13. On Jer 33:6. The disease of our times is no other than a rebellious spirit, and the cause of this is no other than a want of reverence for God and His law. Discourse on the Birth-day of the king by Deacon Hauber in Tbingen. Palmer, Ev Casualreden, 2te Folge, 1, 1850.

14. On Jer 33:14-16. Jesus Christ a King. 1. From what a noble royal stock did He proceed! (Raised by God, descending from David, both by His deity and humanity heir of the throne). 2. How well has He exercised His rule with judgment and righteousness (He Himself is the Lord, who is our righteousness). 3. How far does His dominion extend! (From Jerusalem to the ends of the earth). 4. How safely does His people dwell by His help in peace ! Naumann, in Gesetz u. Zeugn., 1860, March.

15. On Jer 33:14-16. Who is He announced to-day? 1. The long promisedwith reference to His historical appearance. 2. The Son of David and at the same time Gods Sonthis is His personal significance. 3. The Lord, who is our righteousnessthis relates to His holy office and work. Anacker, in Gesetz u. Zeugn., 1860, March.

Footnotes:

[9]Jer 33:15.. In Jer 23:5 we find . The former corresponds better with the following while the reading in Jer 23:5 is $$occioned by the preceding , Jer 33:4. Instead of we have here , but the meaning is the same. The change shows in this case, as in that of most other differences, merely that the prophet quotes freely from memory.

[10]Jer 33:15. . Before these words is omitted. No essential alteration of the sense is thus produced, for the royal nature of the is clear even, besides this passage, from Jer 33:17; Jer 33:21; Jer 33:26.

[11]Jer 33:16.The divergence of this passage from Jer 23:6, which is very troublesome to many of the old expositors, they seek either to paralyze by taking as a nominative referring to = and he who will call it (the Ecclesia. New Testament) is Jehovah, our righteousness (Frster)or by supplying after and taking as passive and as auctoris, and he is the one who the city of Jerusalem will be called: the Lord, who is our righteousness (Cramer).

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

I pray the Reader to compare this scripture with what was said to the same purport in Jer 1-52 and let the Reader pause over the blessedness of both, and remark from both, how much these grand things lay upon the heart of Jehovah. And I beseech the Reader not to overlook the varied expression in this passage, from that which was before. Here it is, She that is said to be called the Lord our Righteousness. And there it was He, who was to be known by that name. And wherefore is it so altered, but to show and prove also, that as the Lord Jesus, as the Husband and Head of his Church and people, becomes the Lord our Righteousness! so the Church as wife, interested and bearing part in all that belongs to him, takes his name also. Reader! the truth of this is undeniable, and the preciousness and blessedness is beyond all calculation. See these scriptures in confirmation: Isa 49:3 where Christ takes the Church’s name. And 1Co 12:12 and Jer 23:16 as well as here the Church is called by the Lord’s name. And from such a communication of names and interest, a oneness and union becomes undeniable.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Jer 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

Ver. 14. I will perform that good thing. ] Praestabo verbum istud optimum, as Tremellius well rendereth it. I will perform that best word or promise, viz., concerning Christ, in whom all the former and future promises are Yea and Amen, to the glory of God. 2Co 1:20

“ Haec dicenda bono sunt bona verba die. ”

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 33:14-18

14’Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she 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 before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices continually.’

Jer 33:14-16 This passage is absent in the LXX. Some scholars postulate that the reason it is omitted in Jeremiah 33 is because it seems to be a development and repetition of the same truth found in Jer 23:5-6 (this is a characteristic of the LXX; see notes at Jer 23:5-6). However, this is a tremendous Messianic passage which promises a future fulfillment, not only of the exiled seed of Abraham to the Promised Land, but also of the restoration of the Davidic seed and the restored temple.

R. K. Harrison is one of my favorite authors. In his commentary (Tyndale OT series) on Jeremiah he gives a list of all the descriptive titles and phrases Jeremiah uses of the coming Davidic seed/Messiah (p. 144).

1. the Fountain of living waters, Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13

2. the good Shepherd, Jer 23:4; Jer 31:10 (Jer 3:15, PLURAL)

3. the righteous Branch, Jer 23:5; Jer 33:15

4. the Redeemer, Jer 50:34

5. the Lord our righteousness, Jer 23:6; Jer 33:16

6. David the king, Jer 30:9

7. agent of the new covenant, Jer 31:31-34

Jer 33:15 In those days and at that time This refers to a future period. It and similar phrases are used often in chapters 30-33.

1. Jer 30:3; Jer 30:24

2. Jer 31:27; Jer 31:29; Jer 31:31; Jer 31:33; Jer 31:38

3. Jer 32:14

4. Jer 33:14-16

The exact time element is not stated but since it is the new covenant period, Christian scholars believe it refers to the New Testament and Jesus, while Jewish scholars believe it refers to the post-exilic period (i.e., Zerubbabel and Joshua). If it is post-exilic then even though it is not stated in the if. . .then format, it is a conditional covenant (i.e., future Seleucid and Roman defeats). Here, one’s meta-narrative structures the text to fit a particular worldview. My biases are spelled out in the Special Topic: YHWH’s Eternal Redemptive Plan .

I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth This is the same Davidic Messianic metaphor used in Jer 23:5-6; Jer 30:9-11. It was a favorite metaphor of

1. Isaiah, cf. Isa 4:2; Isa 53:3; also note Jer 11:1-5

2. Zechariah, cf. Zec 3:8; Zec 6:12-13

See Special Topic: The Branch of the Lord

Jer 33:16 the LORD is our righteousness This title of the Messiah (cf. Jer 23:6) is transferred to the repentant and obedient people of God (cf. Jer 31:31-34). The goal of God is a people who reflect His character to a lost and needy world!

For Hebrew people a change of name marked a significant event in the life of a person (cf. Gen 32:28). A significant, permanent change has occurred to the nation personified in this title (also note the title in Jer 31:23 for Jerusalem).

Jer 33:17 For thus says the LORD, ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel’ This goes back to the prophecy of 2Sa 7:11-16; 2Sa 23:5 (cf. Psa 89:30-37). However, we learn from history that Jerusalem did fall, the temple was destroyed and the Davidic seed was carried into captivity in Babylon. This section certainly reflects the Messiah (i.e., Jesus, the line of David, Matthew 1; Luke 2), but some see it as referring to Zerubbabel as the Davidic branch (i.e., Prince, possibly Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel are the same person or relatives, cf. Ezr 1:8; Ezr 5:14) who returned after the exile (cf. Zec 4:6-10; Zec 6:12).

Jer 33:18 the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me There has been much discussion about this promise of a renewed Levitical priesthood. Some say it means that there will be sacrifices in the end-time period. However, my understanding of Jesus as fulfilling both the roles of king and priest (cf. Heb 1:2-3) probably makes this a spiritual promise instead of one to be literally fulfilled. There are several places in the OT where the Messiah has both a priestly and royal aspect (cf. Psa 110:1-3 [royal], then 4 [priestly]; also Zerubbabel [royal] and Joshua [priestly], cf Zechariah 4, esp. Jer 33:14; Jer 6:9-15).

Remember that Melchizedek, in Gen 14:17-24, was the priest/king of Salem. The NT book of Hebrews, particularly chapters 5-7, asserts that the Messiah’s twin roles (priest/king) is foreshadowed in him. This same priest/king combination is revealed in Psalms 110 and Zechariah 3, 4. The Dead Sea Scroll community expected two Messiahs, one from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:8-12) and one from the tribe of Levi.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Jer 33:14-26

Jer 33:14-18

MESSIAH THE BRANCH IS PROMISED

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is [the name] whereby she shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness. For thus saith Jehovah: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

As noted in the chapter introduction, the only difficulty here is the apparent promise of the perpetual succession of his descendants upon the throne of David and also that of the permanent, unending restoration of the Levitical priests with their animal sacrifices, events which are denied absolutely by other passages of the Word of God. We have rejected the device which would remove this passage from God’s Word; and the best explanation of the true meaning, as we see it, is that of Payne Smith.

“The solution is probably as follows. It was necessary that the Bible should be intelligent to the people at the time when it was written, and in some degree to the writer. Neither writer nor the reader needed to know the whole meaning, but it must have had some meaning to them. But language can never rise above the ideas of the time; for words are merely symbols, taken at first from external objects, but gradually elevated and made to express mental emotions and spiritual conceptions. The Jew therefore could use only such symbols as he possessed; and in describing the perfections of the Christian Church, he was compelled to represent it as the state of things under which he had lived, freed from all imperfections. Thus we can form no idea of Deity except as a man freed from all human weakness … So here; the Davidic kingdom and the Levitical priesthood are symbols that represented to the Jew all that was most dear to his heart in the state of things under which he lived.”

The limitation of language itself has been frequently mentioned in my series of commentaries. “The waters above the firmament” in the Creation narrative, for example, actually refer to “moisture in the atmosphere, or clouds”; but the Jews had no word for “vapor”; therefore, the waters (liquid) were beneath the firmament, and the waters (vapor) were above the firmament.

Also, read the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation’s last two chapters. “Transparent gold” is an impossibility.

Language often breaks down as an inadequate vehicle for the conveyance of the thoughts of God; and so we believe is the case here. The continuity of a succession of rulers on the literal throne of David and the perpetual ministrations of the Levitical order in their offerings of burnt-offerings, etc., represented to the Jew the full and perpetual restoration of his national life, along with freedom from oppressive foreign rule, and restoration of all the rights and privileges of his holy religion: Furthermore, it was impossible for the Jewish mind to have comprehended such marvelous blessings apart from such promises as are found in these five verses.

Nevertheless, we believe that the words are also literally true when properly understood. How about all of those “kings” and “priests” which are promised here? They are those who have been loosed from their sins and cleansed in the blood of Christ. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins, in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:5-6, KJV).

KINGS AND PRIESTS UNTO GOD

These are Christians, called by the apostle Peter “a royal priesthood” (1Pe 2:9), and of whom the prophecy declares that “They live and reign with Jesus Christ a thousand years!” (Rev 20:6). And just who are these? They are those who participated in the “first resurrection.” They are those who experienced the new birth (Rev 20:5).

And how about those “sacrifices” which are to be offered perpetually? “Ye (Christians) … are a spiritual house, a royal (or holy) priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1Pe 2:5).

And the burnt-offerings … what about them? When the true sacrifice for sins, even Christ our Lord, died upon Calvary, the whole institution of animal sacrifices perished forever, never to be renewed. Therefore the perpetual sacrifices mentioned here refer not to burnt offerings, etc, but to “spiritual sacrifices,” as indicated in the above paragraph. And exactly what are those spiritual sacrifices? They are the songs, the prayers, the charities, the good deeds, the faithful lives of true Christians. They are described in Hebrews.

“Through him (Christ) then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips that make confession to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb 13:15-16).

These New Testament passages clear up completely any problems that are alleged to appear in these verses. Again we have proof that when radical critics wish to expunge some verse or some chapter from the Bible, it is merely because they cannot understand the passage; and for many of them, their failure is due to their apparent ignorance of everything in the New Testament.

THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH

I will cause a Branch of righteousness to arise unto David…

(Jer 33:16). This prophecy parallels that of Jer 23:1-8. (See notes on this above). It is amazing that Jehovah Our Righteousness, which is given there as the name of the Righteous Branch (The Messiah), appears here as the name of Jerusalem. This is no contradiction, because the New Jerusalem is the Church of God, completely identified with the True Israel who is Jesus Christ, a truth which becomes crystal clear in the New Testament. This designation of Jerusalem as Jehovah Our Righteousness makes it mandatory to read Jerusalem here as The New Jerusalem. All will admit the total impropriety of associating a name like that with the literal earthly Jerusalem.

Although his prophecies of the Messiah are not as extensive as those of Isaiah, Jeremiah nevertheless often spoke of the coming of the Messiah. “He spoke of the Messiah as ‘The Spring of Living Waters’ (Jer 2:13), ‘The Good Shepherd’ (Jer 23:4; Jer 31:10), ‘The Righteous Branch’ (here and in Jer 23:5 f), ‘The Redeemer’ (Jer 50:34), ‘The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jer 23:6), ‘David the King’ (Jer 30:9), and as ‘The Agent of the New Covenant’ (Jer 31:31-34).”

Thus, we find no fault whatever with what the holy prophet has written here; and we believe that the full understanding of it is clear enough in the marvelous words of the New Testament. The literal interpretation which sees here a promise, not of One Davidic King alone, namely the Messiah, “but a series of Davidic descendants to occupy the throne of David” is incorrect. As Jellie noted, “It was impossible, and now is impossible, to restore: (1) either a literal reign of David’s descendants or (2) the Levitical priesthood, for two reasons: (a) Their genealogical tables have been irrecoverably lost, and (b) nothing short of a direct decision from God Himself could distinguish the descendants of David or Levi from the descendants of any other of the twelve tribes of ancient Israel.”

Furthermore, it should be particularly noted that this chapter says nothing at all about any “succession” of Davidic kings, or any series of such rulers, but that he shall have “a son to reign upon his throne.” That son is the Son of God, the Messiah. But how about the plurality that seems to be here implied? Well, Christ himself said of the Twelve Apostles, “Ye shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Mat 19:28), a reference, of course, to the spiritual authority of the Apostles in God’s Church.

Jer 33:19-22

PROMISE OF INNUMERABLE DESCENDANTS

And the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

“The promise of an innumerable posterity once given to the patriarchs, as in Gen 13:16; Gen 15:5; Gen 22:17, etc., is here applied to the descendants of David and to the number of God’s ministers.” This means that the numbers of people who will serve the Messiah shall indeed be, “A great multitude which no man could number, out of every nation and all tribes and peoples’ and tongues” (Rev 7:9).

And how are all these “descendants of David?” By virtue of all Christians being “in Christ,” they are thereby sons of David and also sons of Abraham (Mat 1:1; Gal 3:29). Also, we have already noted how all Christians are priests unto God.

Jer 33:23-26

PERPETUAL NATURE OF GOD’S PROMISES

And the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying, Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which Jehovah did choose, he hath cast them off? thus do they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them. Thus saith Jehovah: If my covenant of day and night [stand] not, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them.

Take of his seed to be rulers…

(Jer 33:26). That there will indeed be of the seed of David (Christians) those who will be rulers (plural) over the seed of Abraham (once racial Israel, but now all Christians everywhere) is an unwavering promise of God; and, at this very moment it is being fulfilled all over the world in the Apostles of Christ and in all Christians who are reigning with Christ.

Things looked very dark indeed for Israel at this sad juncture in their lives. They were about to be deported into a shameful exile in Babylon for a period of seventy years. All of their ancient glory which they remembered from the Solomonic empire had been blotted out forever; and, for many of the people, it seemed like the end of all hope. But God knew what he was doing. Descendants of David would indeed return from the captivity; and, in the fullness of time, Mary the betrothed wife of Joseph, one of the descendants of David through Nathan, would lay the infant Messiah in the Bethlehem manger!

3. Special promises (Jer 33:14-26)

In the grandiose promises of this paragraph the Book of Consolation reaches its climax. Since these verses are absent in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, some liberal critics have questioned the genuineness of the passage. They are also quick to point out that Messianic concepts are introduced here which find no parallel in the rest of the Book of Jeremiah. But a prophet must be allowed freedom to express the Messianic hope in a variety of ways. The absence of the paragraph in the Septuagint version is difficult to explain no matter who is taken to be the author. Perhaps this paragraph was inserted into the book by Baruch after he emigrated to Babylon. If this was the case, then these verses would not be present in the Egyptian copy of the book from which the Septuagint translators made the Greek version. In any case this material certainly goes back to Jeremiah. Here the prophet focuses first on the grand Davidic Ruler of the future (Jer 33:14-16) and then on the permanence of the royal and priestly offices in the new Israel (Jer 33:17-26). In Jer 33:14-16 the description of the happy future of Israel continues. The opening words Behold, the days come point to a certain but indefinite future. These words as used by Jeremiah become something of a Messianic pointer. God declares that He will certainly fulfill the good word that He has spoken to the covenant people. The good word probably refers back to the promise of a Righteous Sprout (Jer 23:5-6). As if to remind Jeremiah of that promise, the Lord repeats it in Jer 33:15. A Sprout of Righteousness shall spring from the stock of David who will restore justice and righteousness in the land. There can be scarcely any doubt that it is the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David and Messiah of Israel who is depicted here. In the days of Messiah the people of God, symbolized by Judah and Jerusalem, will be delivered from their oppressors and enjoy peace and security. In the parallel passage it is Judah and Israel which will experience salvation and safety in the Messianic age. The change from Israel to Jerusalem seems to be an intentional alteration in the promise in order to apply it more specifically to the dire straits in which Jerusalem found itself. Literal Israel and Judah never regained political independence following the restoration to Palestine. They were dominated successively by the Persians, the Greeks, the Idumean Herodians and the Romans. Thus Judah and Jerusalem must be understood here spiritually of the church of Christ and the deliverance and safety promised should be regarded as spiritual blessings.

In those glorious days of which the prophet is speaking, spiritual Jerusalem, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, will actually wear the name of her Messiah and Master. She shall be called The Lord our Righteousness (cf. Jer 23:6). It is altogether fitting and proper that the church being the bride of Christ should wear the same name of her divine husband. The holy city has taken on the character of her King.

In Jer 33:17-18 the permanence of the kingly and priestly lines is affirmed. The expression shall never lack a man used twice in these verses is hardly meant to refer to a whole line of kings or priests. Rather this expression guarantees that the office of king and the office of priest is to be perpetual. The new Israel will have a throne and the one who will occupy that throne will be a descendant of David. The prophet reproduces almost verbatim the ancient promise made to David (1Sa 7:16) and repeated by David in his parting words to Solomon (1Ki 2:4). When that promise was first given the line of David was in all the freshness of its strength. But in the present circumstances the line of David seemed to be one on the verge of total extinction. The prophet, however, sees beyond the present tragedy. He is certain that the royal line will survive the destruction of Jerusalem and that the true king of Israel will always come from the house of David.

During the intertestamental period some of the Hasmoneans called themselves king but they were not universally recognized as such. The Herodian dynasty, which still retained some measure of power in the days of Jesus, was never acknowledged as sitting on the throne of Israel. When the new Israel of God came into being on Pentecost the sovereign Ruler was a son of David, a legitimate King. See Luk 1:32-33; Joh 18:36; Eph 1:20-23; Rev 17:14.

The priestly office as well as the royal office will survive the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple. The terminology the priests the Levites (KJV) or the Levitical priests (NASV) points to the fact that under the old covenant the priestly functions were the exclusive right of the descendants of Levi (Num 3:10; Num 16:40; Num 18:7). The New Testament categorically affirms that the Levitical priesthood has passed away (Heb 7:11). That priesthood was replaced by a new and better one inaugurated by Christ who was made a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Furthermore, the New Testament affirms that those who have been baptized into Christ have become part of a holy priesthood (Heb 10:19-22). Christians do not offer before God burnt-offerings and meal-offerings for the perfect sacrifice for sins was made upon the cross of Calvary. Rather the Christian priesthood offers the sacrifices of praise (1Pe 2:5) and the sacrifice of the body (Rom 12:1). Jeremiah himself hints at this dramatic change in the nature of the priesthood when he declares that the ark of the covenant will no longer be remembered in the Messianic age (Jer 3:16). The removal of the ark of the covenant, which was so crucial in the rituals of Old Testament worship, points to a complete change in the nature of the priesthood.

In Jer 33:19-22 the promise concerning David and the Levites is reproduced with even greater solemnity. These promises are placed on the same level of permanence as the God-ordained succession of day and night. As long as day follows night, God will be faithful to His commitment to guarantee the survival of the royal and priestly lines (Jer 33:19-21).

The covenant with the line of David is given in 2Sa 7:12-16. The covenant with the Levi, referred to again in Mal 2:4-5; Mal 2:8, is not so explicitly stated. Probably the reference is to the promise made to Phinehas in Num 25:13. The argument of Jer 33:19-22 is the same as in Jer 31:35-37 except that here the argument is applied specifically to the monarchy and priesthood while in the earlier passage it is applied to Israel as a nation.

Jer 33:22 affirms that the descendants of David and Levi will be innumerable. According to the prophecy of Isaiah all members of the Messianic Israel would be priests and ministers of the Lord. No longer would the priesthood be restricted to descendants of Levi, but any and every member of the nation-even Gentile converts-would be able to serve in the priestly capacities (Isa 66:20-21). Just as Messiah is both priest and king, so also are his subjects. These Old Testament prophecies find their fulfillment in the New Testament concept of the royal priesthood (1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6; Rev 5:9-10). Christians offer the sacrifice of praise before the throne of grace continually (Rom 12:1; Heb 13:15-16; 1Pe 2:5). Furthermore, Christians are said to reign with Christ (Revelations Jer 5:10; Jer 20:4; Jer 20:6). Just as Christians are spiritually the seed of Abraham (Rom 9:7-8; Gal 3:29) so also are they envisioned in this prophecy as descendants of David and of Levi. Whatever may have been the thoughts of the prophet, one is justified in looking for the seed of David and the Levites in those who, by virtue of their union with Christ, are made both kings and priests (Rev 1:6).

Apparently some found it hard to accept at face value these glorious promises regarding the future of the royal and priestly orders. God calls the attention of the prophet to the anguished cries of despair. God, it seemed, had altogether cast off his people. Gentiles looking upon the pitiful condition of Israel could only despise the people of God (Jer 33:24). In response to the despondency of Israel and the disdain of Gentiles the prophet renews his assurance of the permanence of the kingly and priestly lines and in fact strengthens that assurance in three ways.

First, he mentions the names of the three great patriarchs of the race with whom God had already demonstrated His faithfulness in covenant keeping. Secondly, He connects his promises concerning David with a promise of a return from captivity (Jer 33:26). When that return came, it would be the pledge of the yet greater blessings which were involved in the new and everlasting covenant. Finally, he repeats the analogy between His covenant with nature and His covenant with Jacob and David. As surely as God is responsible for the orderly processes of nature so surely has He ordained a glorious future for Jacob in general and David in particular.

Many prophecies of the Old Testament were never fulfilled. in a narrow, literalistic sense. The principle of interpreting every prophecy literally unless forced to do otherwise is not really valid in the light of the inspired interpretation of prophecy found in the New Testament. The prophets often used Mosaic terminology to describe the spiritual realities of the new covenant. So long as interpreters miss this point the prophetic books will remain an enigma and Messianic prophecies but utopian dreams. In painting his picture of the future the prophet of God utilized the forms, the terminology and concepts of his own day. That prophetic pictures of the Christian dispensation should be clothed in Jewish dress is not strange since this is the only form in which they could present any meaning to those to whom they were delivered. Those in the New Testament who were privileged to catch a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem exhausted the vocabulary of human language in describing the wonders they beheld. So the Old Testament prophets found it necessary to utilize the language of the old covenant worship to describe that of the new covenant. It is no doubt to such passages as Jeremiah 33 that Peter refers when he speaks of the prophets as inquiring and searching diligently . what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified before hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow (1Pe 1:10-11).

Promise of Restoration – Jer 33:1-26

Open It

1. How do you feel when you have misplaced something you value highly, and then you find it?

2. What laws of nature are commonly used by writers, speakers, or other communicators to illustrate a point?

Explore It

3. Where was Jeremiah when God spoke to him? (Jer 33:1)

4. How did God identify Himself to Jeremiah? (Jer 33:2)

5. On what basis did God assert His authority to speak? (Jer 33:2)

6. What invitation did God issue to Jeremiah? (Jer 33:3)

7. What outcome did Jeremiah predict in the current war in which Babylon was besieging Jerusalem? (Jer 33:4-5)

8. How did God promise to reverse His actions in the more distant future? (Jer 33:6-7)

9. How would God satisfy His own righteousness with regard to the sin and rebellion of Judah? (Jer 33:8)

10. How did God predict that the rest of the world would react to a restored Judah? (Jer 33:9)

11. How did Jeremiah contrast the sights, sounds, and moods in Jerusalem before and after Gods merciful intervention? (Jer 33:10-11)

12. What common sight of everyday life in Jeremiahs time would serve as a sign of Gods restoration? (Jer 33:12-13)

13. What promise did God make that should have given great hope to Jeremiahs hearers? (Jer 33:14-16)

14. What promise did God make to David and reiterate to Jeremiah? (Jer 33:17-18)

15. What did God offer as the guarantee of His promises? (Jer 33:19-22)

16. What conclusions were foreign nations drawing about Gods people as they were being punished? (Jer 33:23-24)

17. How did God assure His people that He would indeed have compassion on them? (Jer 33:23-26)

Get It

18. What may have been helpful about the fact that God revealed the near and distant future to Jeremiah at the same time?

19. What difference does it make that some of the prophecies about the Messiah were given to an imprisoned prophet in a besieged city?

20. How does Gods Lordship over Creation help us understand His power over human affairs?

21. What is an example of a “great and unsearchable thing” that has been revealed to us by God?

22. Why is God concerned when people misunderstand His nature?

Apply It

23. What example of Gods faithfulness in nature can inspire your understanding of His constant love for you?

24. What unanswered question of your heart will you call out to God?

Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Thirty-Three

By Brent Kercheville

1 Where is Jeremiah still (Jer 33:1)?

2 What is Gods message in Jer 33:2-9? What is the hope God offers?

3 What were the people saying (Jer 33:10-13)? What was God saying?

4 What does God promise to do (Jer 33:14-18)?

Write down all of the promises and their meaning.

What is significant about the prophecy in Jer 33:17?

5 What is the hope for the people (Jer 33:19-22)?

6 What were the people saying (Jer 33:23-26)? What was Gods promise?

TRANSFORMATION:

How does this relationship change your relationship with God?

What did you learn about him?

What will you do differently in your life?

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

Jer 23:5, Jer 29:10, Jer 31:27, Jer 31:31-34, Jer 32:38-41, Gen 22:18, Gen 49:10, 1Ch 17:13, 1Ch 17:14, Isa 7:14, Isa 9:6, Isa 9:7, Isa 32:1, Isa 32:2, Eze 34:23-25, Dan 2:44, Dan 7:13, Dan 7:14, Dan 9:25, Amo 9:11, Mic 5:2, Zep 3:15-17, Hag 2:6-9, Zec 9:9, Zec 9:10, Mal 3:1, Luk 1:69, Luk 1:70, Luk 2:10, Luk 2:11, Luk 10:24, Act 13:32, Act 13:33, 2Co 1:20, Heb 11:40, 1Pe 1:10, Rev 19:10

Reciprocal: Jer 30:3 – the days Jer 31:1 – of Eze 37:22 – and one Mat 7:11 – good Luk 24:27 – and all Luk 24:44 – in the prophets Act 2:30 – he Act 2:36 – all Act 26:6 – the promise

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jer 33:14. The bracket concludes very much as it began, with a prediction of the general prosperity that was to follow the captivity.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jer 33:14-16. Behold, the days come that I will perform that good thing, &c. The Lords word is not yea and nay: he cannot lie, or repent. There shall come a time when he will verify every good word which he hath spoken to, or concerning, his people. In those days will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up to David The kings they had hitherto had of the line of David were most of them unrighteous men; but God here promises that after the captivity they should have a branch of David that would execute judgment and righteousness in the land, for the protection and government of those that feared him. If this passage point at all to Zerubbabel, who was a good man, a descendant of David, and, though not a king, a ruler of the Jews, after their return from Babylon, and who governed with equity and not as Jehoiakim had done; yet it can only refer to him as a type of the Messiah, the branch out of the stem of Jesse, Isa 11:1; the branch of the Lord that was to be beautiful and glorious, Isa 4:2; and the righteous branch that was to be raised up unto David, as he is described Jer 23:5, a passage exactly similar to this, and undoubtedly meant of the same person. See the notes on these passages. In those days shall Judah be saved, &c. If, a temporal salvation be here at all intended, it must be, not that which the Jews enjoyed for a short season under the government of Zerubbabel, a deliverance and protection from, or security against their enemies, which was very imperfect, and frequently interrupted; but that more perfect salvation, peace, and prosperity, which they shall enjoy in the latter days, after their conversion to Christianity, and restoration to their own land, according to the predictions contained in this and the three preceding chapters. But a spiritual and eternal salvation undoubtedly is chiefly intended here, as well as in the parallel passage, Jer 23:6. And this is the name wherewith ye shall be called, The Lord our righteousness According to this reading it is here foretold, that the name which properly belongs to the Messiah shall be given to Jerusalem, that is, to the church; to signify, says Lowth, that it is in a peculiar manner dedicated to him, he having chosen it for the place of his residence, (see Eze 48:35,) and that all the righteousness of the faithful, both their justification and sanctification, is derived from him. this seems, adds he, to be the genuine sense of the words, as may appear to any that will compare the original phrase here, , with Isa 62:4; Isa 62:12, where it is said of Zion, Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, or, my delight is in her, and sought out, a city not forsaken. Nor is there any greater impropriety in giving the name Jehovah to a city, than in calling an altar Jehovah-nissi, that is, Jehovah my banner, (Exo 17:15,) and Jehovah-shalom, Jehovah peace, (Jdg 6:24,) in token that the Lord was the author of those mercies of which the said altars were designed to be monuments. So the servants of God are described as having his name written upon their foreheads, Rev 3:12; Rev 14:1; but several interpreters, particularly Huetius, and our learned Bishop Pearson, (in his Exposition of the Creed, p. 165,) render the words thus: He that shall call her [to be his peculiar people] is the Lord our righteousness. Thus also Dr. Waterland and others. But Blaney, who renders the last clause of Jer 23:6, This is the name by which Jehovah shall call him, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, translates this, And this is he whom Jehovah shall call OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, judging that the in , rendered her, is not the feminine pronoun affix, but the masculine, after the Chaldee form.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The restoration of David’s dynasty and the legitimate priesthood 33:14-26

This section consists of a small collection of messianic prophecies.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Future days would come, the Lord promised, when He would fulfill His promises concerning the restoration of all Israel.

"The predicted restoration (’the days are coming’) is not, however, to be looked for in the immediate time of the return from the Captivity. Only in a limited and preliminary way were these promises fulfilled in Zerubbabel and Sheshbazzar after the Captivity (cf. Ezr 1:8; Ezr 2:2; also Ezr 2:40-54; Ezr 8:15-20). Ultimately, they are combined in the highest sense in Christ (cf. Psa 110:4) and are yet to be fulfilled in the reign of Messiah on earth." [Note: Feinberg, p. 591. See also Kaiser, "Evidence from . . ." pp. 114-16; and Jensen, p. 93.]

"Days are coming" (Heb. hinneh yamim ba’im) has appeared 16 times so far in Jeremiah referring to coming judgment on Judah and the surrounding nations. In the remaining nine occurrences of the phrase in the book, it points to a time of future blessing for Israel. [Note: See Dyer, "Jeremiah," p. 1176.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)