Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 33:4
For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;
4. mounts ] See on Jer 6:6.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
4, 5. These vv., as they stand, are evidently corrupt; for “they” (seeing that the word cannot, as strict grammar demands, mean “the houses”), as applied to the defenders of the city, would require the verb go out instead of “come.” There is something like an agreement among commentators that “the Chaldeans” were originally the subject, not the object, in Jer 33:5. Thus the general sense is given in Co.’s emendation of the passage, viz. “which are broken down, against which the Chaldaeans come with mounds and swords to fight and to fill them with the dead bodies, etc.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
4 9. See introd. summary to section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
By … by – Rather, against … against. As the works of the enemy approached the walls, houses were pulled down to build inner fortifications. Swords are mentioned in Eze 26:9 (translated, axes), as used for breaking down the towers in the walls. See Jer 5:17, note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 4. Thus saith the Lord] This is a new confirmation of what has already been said, viz., The city shall fall, a number of the inhabitants shall perish, the rest shall be carried into captivity; but the nation shall be preserved, and the people return from their captivity.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That is, which in part are thrown dawn, and shall yet further be thrown down, by the engines of war which the Chaldeans use to batter down the city: see before, Jer 32:24. Some read for the mounts, as if they were thrown down by the citizens to make room for the citizens to cast up defensive mounts. The word translated sword may be as well translated hammers or mattocks, as it is 2Ch 34:6. It is translated axes, Eze 26:9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. houses . . . thrown down by themountsnamely, by the missiles cast from the besiegers’ mounds(Jer 32:24); “and by thesword” follows properly, as, after missiles had prepared theway, the foe next advanced to close quarters “with the sword.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel,…. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, which was now fulfilling, is here mentioned as a pledge of the accomplishment of spiritual blessings after spoken of; and to assure the prophet, that as he would with his own eyes see the fulfilment of the prophecies he had delivered out in the name of the Lord concerning that, so likewise as certainly would the other be brought to pass:
concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which were thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword; by “the mounts”, which the Chaldeans raised without the city; or by the engines they placed there, by which they cast out stones into the city, to the demolishing of the houses in it; not in common only, but particularly the houses of the king and nobles, which they especially directed their shot at; and by “the sword”, hammers, axes, and mattocks, for which sometimes this word is used, when they entered into the city. Though some render the words, “which are thrown down for mounts, and for the sword” r; that mounts might be made of them within, on which the Jews might fight and defend themselves against the Chaldeans. So the Targum,
“which they pulled down, and threw up mounts to strengthen the wall, against those that kill with the sword;”
and so Jarchi interprets it.
r “ad aggeres et vastitatem”, Tigurine version; “in missilia catapultaria, et in gladium”, Junius Tremellius “ad catapultas, et ad gladium”, so some in Calvin.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Repair of the injuries and renewal of the prosperity of Jerusalem and Judah. – Jer 33:4. “For thus saith Jahveh, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down because of the besiegers’ mounds and because of the sword, Jer 33:5. While they come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the corpses of men, whom I have slain in my wrath and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city: Jer 33:6. Behold, I will apply a bandage to it and a remedy, and will heal them, and will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth. Jer 33:7. And I will turn again the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel, and will build them up as at the first. Jer 33:8. And I will purify them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against me, and will pardon all their iniquities, by which they have sinned and have transgressed against me. Jer 33:9. And it (the city) shall become to me a name of joy, a praise, and an honour among all the people of the earth that shall hear all the good which I do them, and shall tremble and quake because of all the good and because of all the prosperity that I show to it. Jer 33:10. Thus saith Jahveh: Again shall there be heard in this place-of which ye say, ‘It is desolate, without man and without beast,’-in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, which are laid waste, without men, and without inhabitants, and without beasts, Jer 33:11. The voice of gladness and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, ‘Praise Jahveh of hosts, for Jahveh is good, for His mercy is for ever,’ who bring thank-offerings into the house of Jahveh. For I will turn again the captivity of the land, as in the beginning, saith Jahveh. Jer 33:12. Thus saith Jahveh of hosts: In this place, which is laid waste, without man and beast, and in all its cities, there will yet be pasture-ground for shepherds making their flocks lie down in. Jer 33:13. In the cities of the hill-country, in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south, in the land of Benjamin, and in the environs of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flock shall yet pass under the hand of one who counts them, saith Jahveh.” With Jer 33:4 begins the statement concerning the great and incomprehensible things which the Lord will make known to His people; it is introduced by , which marks the ground or reason – so far as the mere statement of these things gives reason for the promise of them. The word of the Lord does not follow till Jer 33:6 and onwards. In Jer 33:4 and Jer 33:5 are mentioned those whom the word concerns – the houses of Jerusalem (Jer 33:4), and the people that defend the city (Jer 33:5). Corresponding to this order, there comes first the promise to the city (Jer 33:6), and then to the people. Along with the houses of the city are specially named also the houses of the kings of Judah; not, perhaps, as Hitzig thinks, because these, being built of stone, afforded a more suitable material for the declared object – for that these alone were built of stone is an unfounded supposition – but in order to show that no house or palace is spared to defend the city. “Which are broken down” refers to the houses, not only of the kings, but also of the city. They are broken, pulled down, according to Isa 22:10, in order to fortify the walls of the city against the attacks of the enemy, partly to strengthen them, partly to repair the damage caused by the battering-rams directed against them. This gives the following meaning to the expression : in order to work against the mounds, i.e., the earthworks erected by the enemy, and against the sword. The sword is named as being the chief weapon, instead of all the instruments of war which the enemy employs for reducing the city; cf. Eze 26:9. It is against the laws of grammar to understand as referring to the destruction of the enemy by the siege material; for, on such a supposition, would require to designate the efficient cause, i.e., to stand for (cf. Jer 4:26), but neither nor can mean this. – The first half of Jer 33:5 is difficult, especially , which the lxx have omitted, and which Movers and Hitzig would expunge, with the absurd remark, that it has come here from Jer 31:38; this is an easy and frivolous method of setting aside difficulties. All other ancient translations have read , and have attempted to point out how its genuineness is ascertained on critical grounds.
(Note: The different attempts to solve the difficulty by conjectures are of such a nature as scarcely to deserve mention. Ewald would change into otni , “that are broken down opposite the earthworks and the cannons.” But the plural of is , Eze 26:21, and cannot possibly mean cannons. E. Meier would read , “and for the destruction of those who are pressing in.” Then must be the enemy who are pressing in; but how does this agree with what follows, “in order to fight with the Chaldeans”? Lastly, Ngelsbach would change into , to obtain the idea that the earthworks and the sword come for the purpose of contending against Jerusalem (!).)
To connect closely with what precedes is impossible; and to understand it as referring to the houses, quae dirutae adhibentur ad dimicandum cum Chaldaeis (C. B. Michaelis), is incompatible with the idea contained in . Still more inadmissible is the view of L. de Dieu, Venema, Schnurrer, Dahler, and Rosenmller: venientibus ad oppugnandum cum Chaldaeis ; according to this view, must be the nominative or subject to can only signify, “to contend with the Chaldeans” (against them); cf. Jer 32:5. According to this view, only the Jews can be the subject of . “They come to make war with the Chaldeans, and to fill them (the houses) with the dead bodies of men, whom I (the Lord) slay in my wrath.” The subject is not named, since it is evident from the whole scope of the sentence what is meant. We take the verse as a predication regarding the issues of the conflict – but without a copula; or, as a statement added parenthetically, so that the participle may be rendered, “while they come,” or, “get ready, to fight.” , used of the approach of an enemy (cf. Dan 1:1), is here employed with regard to the advance of the Jews to battle against the besiegers of the city. The second infinitival clause, “to fill them,” represents the issue of the struggle as contemplated by the Jews, in order to express most strongly its utter fruitlessness; while the relative clauses, “whom I have slain,” etc., bring out the reasons for the evil consequences. Substantially, the statement in Jer 33:5 is parallel to that in Jer 33:4, so that we might supply the preposition ( ): “and concerning those who come to fight,” etc. Through the attachment of this second predication to the first by means of the participle, the expression has become obscured. In the last clause, is to be connected with .
In view of the destruction of Jerusalem now beginning, the Lord promises, Jer 33:6, “I will apply to it (the city) a bandage (see Jer 30:17) and a remedy,” i.e., a bandage which brings healing, “and heal them” (the inhabitants); for, although the suffix in might be referred to the houses, yet the following clause shows that it points to the inhabitants. Hitzig takes in the meaning of , “I roll to them like a stream,” and appeals to Amo 5:24; Isa 48:18; Isa 66:12, where the fulness of prosperity is compared to a stream, and the waves of the sea; but this use of is as uncertain here as in Jer 11:20. We keep, then, to the well-established sense of revealing, making known (cf. Psa 98:2, where it is parallel with ), without any reference to the figure of sealed treasure-chambers (Deu 28:12), but with the accessory notion of the unfolding of the prosperity before all nations (Jer 33:9), as in Psa 98:2. is here to be taken as a noun, “fulness, wealth,” from , an Aramaizing form for , to be rich (Eze 35:13). does not mean “prosperity and stability,” but “peace and truth;” but this is not to be toned down to “true peace,” i.e., real, enduring happiness (Ngelsbach). is the truth of God, i.e., His faithfulness in His promises and covenants, as in Psa 85:11-12, where mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, are specified as the gracious benefits with which the Lord blesses His people.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 4-6: DESTRUCTION WILL LEAD TO CLEANSING
1. Under the desperation of a terrible siege, the inhabitants of Jerusalem have torn down the royal buildings to build barricades and to reinforce the walls of the city against the embankments which the Babylonians have raised to the height of the city walls,(vs. 4; comp. Isa 32:13-14; Jer 32:24; Eze 4:1-3; Eze 21:22-23; Hab 1:5-10).
2. Because of her great wickedness, the Lord will bring an end to Jerusalem. (vs. 5a; Jer 21:4-7; Jer 32:5).
a. He will hide His face from her for a time, (vs. 5b; Jer 21:10; Isa 59:1-2; Mic 3:4).
b. She will be filled with the bodies of those whom He slays in His furious wrath against her long accumulated iniquities.
c. It is often necessary for God to “pull down” and “destroy” before He can heal and build up!
3. But, God answers Jeremiah that He will bind up and heal the wound of His people, (vs. 6a; comp. Jer 17:14; Jer 30:17; Hos 6:1-3) -revealing to them an abundance of peace and prosperity, (vs. 6b; Isa 48:18; Isa 66:12; Psa 72:3-7).
4. It is always God’s desire that His people know joy, peace and gladness of heart (Joh 14:27; Joh 16:33; Gal 5:22-23), and He takes such steps as are necessary to the ultimate experience of such in our lives.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
He now expresses what these hidden things were, As to the houses, he says, (so it is literally) thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, as to the houses of this city, and as to the houses of the kings of Judah The proposition; על, upon, often means with regard to, concerning. He names the houses of the kings, for the kings of Judah were not satisfied, as it is well known, with one palace, but had many houses without the city. As to the houses, he says, which had been thrown down This is variously explained; the houses, say some, had been pulled down for the warlike engines, that is, that these engines might be made from the materials, and for the sword. The sense, however, would appear more obvious were we to take this view, that the houses had been thrown down by the warlike engines, and also by the sword, that is, by the violence of the enemies. The word, סללת sallut, as it has been already stated, is rendered by some fortifications; but when the storming of cities is spoken of, it means no doubt warlike machines, such as the engines to throw darts, or battering-rams: but we know not in what form they were made by the Jews and the Chaldeans.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
2. General promises (Jer. 33:4-13)
TRANSLATION
(4) For thus says the Lord the God of Israel concerning the houses of this city, and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been torn down so as to provide protection against the siege instruments and the sword(5) as men are coming to fight the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have smitten in My wrath and anger, and I have hidden My face from this city on account of all their evil: (6) Behold, I will bring to her healing and cure, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. (7) I will reverse the fortune of Judah and Israel, and I will build them as they were at the first. (8) I will cleanse them from all their iniquity which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all of their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me, and in which they have transgressed against Me. (9) And it shall be for a name of joy, praise, and glory before all nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good which I am doing for them, and they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and the well-being which I will make for her. (10) Thus says the LORD: Once again in this place which You say is desolate without man or beast, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem which are desolate without man or inhabitant or cattle (11) shall be heard the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and bride, saying, Give thanks unto the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, and His mercy endures forever; while they are bringing their thank offerings to the house of the LORD. For I will reverse the fortunes of the land and make it as in the beginning, says the LORD. (12) Thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again there shall be in this place which is desolate, without man or beast, in all its cities, pasture for shepherds who rest their flocks. (13) In the cities of the hill country, the lowland, the Negev, the land of Benjamin, the environs of Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, flocks shall once again pass under the hand of the one who counts them, says the LORD.
COMMENTS
The general promises contained in the verses now under consideration are in reality but a continuation and expansion of concepts in the preceding prophecy. God promises here to restore the people to the land (Jer. 33:4-9) and to restore prosperity to the land (Jer. 33:10-13).
When Jeremiah received this message of hope from the Lord the situation within Jerusalem was very grim. The houses of the city including the royal palaces had been torn down in order to strengthen Jerusalem against the mounds[290] and weapons[291] of the Chaldeans (Jer. 33:4). Perhaps some houses near the city walls had to be removed in order to give the defenders more maneuverability. Part of the timber and stone taken from the houses would be used to strengthen the walls, and part would serve to plug the breaches made by the enemy battering rams. The Judeans rushed to defend their walls in a heroic but futile attempt to defend the city but their resistance only added to the heaps of slain (Jer. 33:5), As one reads Jer. 33:4-5 he can feel the sense of desperation that prevailed within Jerusalem as the city prepared to make its final stand.
[290] Ramps of debris and dirt which enabled the attackers to fight on more or less the same level as the defenders. Such ramps also enabled the battering rams to move close and batter the upper and weaker part of the city walls.
[291] The word sword in Jer. 33:4 as frequently denotes the entire arsenal of weapons.
After painting this rather gloomy picture of the present conditions of Jerusalem the Lord outlines the glorious future He has planned for His people. After the day of wrath has accomplished its purpose the people of God will receive healing (Jer. 33:6-7), cleansing (Jer. 33:8) and blessing (Jer. 33:9). Destruction would be the gateway to restoration; death the gateway to life. Old Israel dies; a new Israel arises.
Though the Judeans had suffered a grievous wound at the hands of the Chaldeans, God would apply to the city a bandage which would result in healing (Jer. 33:6). The divine Healer will reveal or make manifest to them a superabundance of peace and truth. The word peace conveys the idea of physical and spiritual well-being; the word truth, the idea of Gods faithfulness to His promises. The nature of the healing is spelled out in Jer. 33:7. God will reverse the captivity of both Israel and Judah i.e., He will reverse the fortunes of the whole covenant nation. The wretchedness and misery of the moment will give way to permanent happiness and well-being. God will build them up as a nation and they will again know the prosperity of the Golden Age of David and Solomon.
That the healing is spiritual as well as physical and material is made clear by Jer. 33:8. The restoration of Israel to Palestine is never depicted in the Old Testament as a purely political event. A spiritual dimension is always present. The glorious vision of Jerusalem restored and flourishing is not allowed to overshadow the yet more glorious vision of a nation cleansed and purified. The Messianic cleansing here depicted has already been strongly emphasized in Jer. 31:34 and will again be discussed in Jer. 50:20.
Among the surrounding nations there will be two reactions to the external and internal renovation of Israel. The first reaction is one of joy. Jerusalem will develop into a city over which men will rejoice whenever her name is mentioned. The nations of the world will render praise and glory to the God of Israel for so blessing His people. The second reaction among the nations is fear. They shall behold all the good that God does for Jerusalem and they shall come to have that reverential awe that leads to conversion and salvation.[292]
[292] A popular but manifestly wrong interpretation of the fear in Jer. 33:9 is as follows: The heathen infer that the God who so honors Israel will punish with equal emphasis those who disregard Him. The first part of the verse makes it clear that the fear mentioned here is a positive fear, a fear growing out of joy.
Jer. 33:10-13 tend to amplify the picture of prosperity which was painted in the previous verses. Here the prophet becomes more specific, showing how the joy and prosperity will affect the city (Jer. 33:10-11) and the country (Jer. 33:12-13). Throughout this chapter prosperity follows purification. Spiritual health is the key to material well-being.
Three times previously in the Book of Jeremiah the curse of God has been pronounced over Judah and Jerusalem: I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste (Jer. 7:34; Jer. 16:9; Jer. 25:10-11). Here he announces that the day will come when that curse will be removed. The streets of Jerusalem will once again echo with the sound of mirth and marriage. The majestic strains of the Temple liturgy will also be heard again and worshipers will bring their offerings as expressions of their praise for the Lord[293] (cf. Jer. 17:26).
[293] That the three clauses Praise the Lord of host: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endures forever are liturgical forms used in Temple services seems to be indicated by 2Ch. 5:13; 2Ch. 7:3; 2Ch. 7:6; Ezr. 3:11; Psa. 106:1 :
Passing from the joyous scenes within the cities, the Lord turns to the prosperity which will characterize the rural areas in the day of restoration. In those areas of the land which are presently so desolate sheep will once again find pasture (Jer. 33:12 cf. Jer. 9:10; Jer. 6:2). Once again the populace would see the familiar sight of sheep passing under the hand each morning and evening as the shepherd numbered his flock (Jer. 33:13).[294]
[294] The various geographical areas mentioned in Jer. 33:13 are not particularly important. This is another example of the literary technique already met in Jer. 32:44.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(4) Concerning the houses of this city . . .The words point to the incident which was the occasion of the prophecy. The houses referred to had either been destroyed by the invaders, or, more probably, by the besieged, in order to erect a counter-work against the mounts which the Chaldans had set against it. The swords (the word is translated by axes in Eze. 26:9) include tools used for breaking down walls.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. By the mounts, and by the sword Literally, against, or on account of. The houses had been pulled down to strengthen the walls of the city and repair the breaches. Swords are here mentioned as being the leading, and so the most representative, weapon of offensive warfare.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Conditions Of The Siege Which Have Caused Jeremiah To Despair ( Jer 33:4-5 ).
YHWH recognises that Jeremiah might be confused at what he is experiencing as the siege approaches its final intensity, and describes the scenes with vivid reality, before adding His assurance that this causes Him no problems.
Jer 33:4-5
“For thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defence against the mounds and against the sword, while they come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in my anger and in my wrath, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city,”
In a vivid, but abbreviated description, Jeremiah depicts under YHWH’s guidance the awful cost of defending the walls against the besieging army, and he draws attention to the fact that it all arises as a result of the wickedness of those very people (its citizens) who were now dying or facing death, for it was their wickedness that had drawn down on the city the anger and fury of YHWH. It is clear that he was well aware as he sat in his prison, of the ferment in the city as houses were being torn down in order to strengthen the fortifications that were the main target of the besiegers, and he would have been especially so as it directly affected the palace complex where the most substantial stones would be found which were suitable for the purpose. As the siege progressed, the battering rams, dragged by the besiegers up the mounds which enabled the rams to reach the weaker parts of the walls, gradually did their work of weakening the defences. The consequence was that the walls, once thought to be sufficiently substantial, were now crumbling before them, and in such circumstances it was common practise to strengthen such walls from the inside by adding layers of stones and other building materials, which would be obtained by breaking down suitable buildings. It was all a part of the cost of the defence of the city in the face of the daily activity of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) against the walls. And on the other side the enemy would be tearing down houses outside the walls in order to build their siege mounds, adding to the overall final cost. War was not cheap.
‘Against the sword (instrument of war).’ The noun used signifies siege axes as well as swords, and indeed all instruments used by the attackers in order to achieve a breach in the walls, and which the defenders had to constantly face in defending those walls. During a fierce siege nothing stood still, and all kinds of weapons and instruments were used.
The account is necessarily very much abbreviated and telescoped, but it vividly brings out the mayhem and devastating effects of the continual fighting. We can visualise the siege engines being dragged up the mounds to attack the walls, accompanied by other instruments of war as men fought from siege towers, with the defendants fighting back gallantly, and their dead being dragged away to be laid in heaps in the remnants of the destroyed buildings near the wall. This is the explanation of the ‘dead bodies of men’ who were probably those slain defending the walls, and who would be dragged away when there was a lull in the fighting, in order to be laid in the ruins of the houses. This was so that they would be out of the way, and would also have the purpose of treating them with a rough kind of respect. War was a cruel thing, but even in the midst of hostilities, men still respected their fallen comrades as best they could. They did not leave them just lying around. The numerous bodies that lay there, piled up in the broken down ruins of the buildings, would be a constant reminder of the cost of the siege.
But they were also a reminder, as YHWH Himself points out, of YHWH’s anger against Jerusalem, and of His punishment of men whose wickedness had contributed to the demise of the city, a wickedness which had caused Him to hide His face from them rather than defending them. It was because of this wickedness that He had handed them over to the slaughter.
Vividly aware as he would have been of such conditions we can understand why Jeremiah was finding it difficult to reconcile them with YHWH’s promises of future deliverance. He would be gaining the impression that once the fighting was over, there would be little left to restore. He would not, of course, have been the only one afflicted with a sense of deep gloom, nevertheless, having no part to play in the fighting, he would have time to think of it more than most. And it was into such gloomy prognostications that the assurance of YHWH came.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 33:4. Which are thrown down by the mounts Which are thrown down for the raising of mounts; Jer 33:5 and to give space for those who are about to come to fight with the Chaldeans; and to fill up the number of the dead bodies of men, &c. Houbigant. Others readMounts, and by the sword of the Chaldeans, coming to fight, and to kill them.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2. Destruction in the Present. Nevertheless glorious Internal and External Rebuilding in the Future
Jer 33:4-9
4For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel,
Concerning the houses of this city,
And concerning the houses of the kings of Judah,
Which were thrown down against the ramparts and against the sword,
5Which are come to fight against the Chaldeans,1
And to fill them with the dead bodies of men,
Whom I have slain in my anger and in my fury,
And for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city:
6Behold, I bring it health2 and cure, and heal them,
And reveal3 unto them an abundance4 of peace and truth.
7And I turn the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel,
And build them as in the beginning.
8And I cleanse them from all their guilt, with which they have sinned against me,
And pardon all their transgressions, with which they have sinned and transgressed5 against me.
9And it [the city] shall be to me a name of joy,
A praise and an honor before 6 all the nations of the earth,
Who shall hear all the good that I do unto them;7
And shall tremble and quake on account of all the goodness,
And on account of all the prosperity, that I procure unto it.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
In connection with the view which the city of Jerusalem then afforded, with many houses thrown down in the interest of defence (Jer 33:4-5), the prophet promises the city healing and peace (Jer 33:6), the return of all the exiles, restoration (Jer 33:7) and forgiveness of all sin (Jer 33:8). Jehovah will again make Jerusalem the object of His joy and His glory in view of all the nations of the earth, who will be most powerfully impressed by this marvel of restoration to peace and prosperity (Jer 33:9).
Jer 33:4. 5, For thus saith Jehovah from this city. By for at the beginning of Jer 33:4 the prophet introduces the specification of the great and wonderful facts of redemption promised in general in Jer 33:2-3. This is thus the key of the whole chapter.Concerning the houses. From Isa 22:10 we see that houses were thrown down in sieges, to repair or strengthen the walls. It was natural that those houses should be used for this purpose which were nearest the walls, whether private or royal property, and it is unnecessary, with Hitzig, to explain the prominence of the royal houses from the greater ease in obtaining them or the superiority of their materials. It is clear that we cannot render for ramparts and for sword, for in the first place, as has been repeatedly remarked, the Hebrew does not signify ramparts of defence but of attack (comp. Jer 32:24; Jer 6:6; 2Sa 20:15; 2Ki 19:32; Eze 4:2; Eze 17:17; Eze 21:27; Eze 26:8; Dan 11:15), and in the second place, for sword would not be appropriate. We are not justified in rendering this singular in any other than the usual sense, especially as it is not at all certain that the plural , Eze 26:9, has any other than the usual meaning. Comp. Haevernick, in loc.To take for and to attribute a causal meaning to it so that it is equivalent to through, is altogether arbitrary. It cannot be urged that the prophet here speaks of all the houses of Jerusalem as being destroyed. Jeremiah only takes occasion, in a view of the houses destroyed in behalf of the defence, to set over against this gloomy picture of the present, which certainly was the prelude of entire destruction, the most glorious picture of the future restored city. is here therefore = against.Sword is evidently used by synecdoche for all manual weapons, while the ramparts also include the machines erected upon them, so that these two words comprise the totality of the implements of attack. Comp. Eze 21:24-25.Which are come, etc. Comp. Textual Notes. As the text now stands it is declared of the houses that they are come (1) to fight with the Chaldeans, (2) to fill them (viz., the houses) with corpses. Now though the first may be said, in so far as by a bold hyperbole, the houses thrown down would be designated as moved forward into line of battle and taking part in the fray, still the second is in the highest degree surprising. For how can the houses come to fill them with corpses? This them must either denote themselves, which would be grammatically and logically incorrect, or it must be referred to the other houses, which would be doing violence to it, seeing that the other houses have not been previously mentioned. Then also the filling, etc., must be regarded as the unintended result, which seems forced. Since, then, the present text proves to be incapable of giving us a satisfactory sense, nothing further is left us but to resort to an emendation. We have mentioned in the Textual Notes attempts already made, none of which, however, meet with our approval. Perhaps it would be better to read Jerusalem (Jer 37:10), or to Jerusalem (Jer 34:1-7 coll. Jer 32:24; Jer 32:29) instead of the Chaldeans. Then the words are come would refer to ramparts and sword. The circumstance that these substantives are feminine is of no account. For the masculine come may be referred to the persons, to whom the ramparts and sword serve as implements. (Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 60, 4).Them after fill would then be referred to the idea of houses, which is prominent enough in Jer 33:4 to justify such a construction. Perhaps also we might read to fill it (comp. Jer 33:6). The alteration into the Chaldeans might be explained by the difficulty of understanding are come of the ramparts and sword, and by the idea that it might refer to the houses of the city or their inhabitants. Perhaps also the remembrance of Jer 32:5 may have as sisted in this. Meanwhile I confess that I perceive the difficulties attending this conjecture also, and therefore will gladly receive better instruction.
Jer 33:6-7. Behold I bring as in the beginning. In opposition to tearing down in Jer 33:4 the prophet promises bandages or healing, instead of filling with corpses he promises cure.Peace and truth, i. e. genuine, lasting prosperity. Comp. Jer 14:13; Psa 85:11.Build them. Comp. Jer 24:6; Jer 31:4. The expression is chosen with reference to the occasion of the prophecy, Jer 33:4. Yet the idea is not to be taken merely in the narrower sense.As in the beginning. The phrase is used proleptically, comp. Jer 33:11. It is not the building which is compared with the building of the beginning, but the result of the building is compared with the original state of things. Comp. besides Isa 1:26; 1Ki 13:6.
Jer 33:8-9. And I cleanse procure unto it. In Jer 33:8 the internal, heart-restoration is described. Comp. Jer 31:18-20; Jer 31:34.Which they have sinned. Comp. Zep 3:11.
Jer 33:9. And it shall be. The subject is the city. Comp. Jer 33:6.A name of joy. , which reminds us of (Psa 45:8; Isa 61:3), is joyful renown, renown which brings joy. On the subject-matter comp. Jer 13:11; Zep 3:19-20; Deu 26:19.Before all the nations. How far Jerusalem will extend the Lords glory among the nations is declared in the following clause. The view of all the good which the Lord is preparing for Jerusalem will fill them with dread. At any rate with a wholesome fear, for after they have in their terror perceived that they have neglected the almighty and benevolent God for vain idols, they will turn again to the former. Comp. Num 14:13-15; Deu 29:24; Isa 2:2-4; Isa 11:10; Isa 19:17.
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:
[1]Jer 33:5. . This passage is a difficult one. Movers and Hitzig strike out entirely, after the example of the LXX., by which the sense certainly becomes easy. But how can this difficult word have got into the text ? Ewald emends into , which he takes, after Eze 26:9, in the sense of heavy siege weapons, artillery. But the plural of is never . Meier reads , and translates and against the desolation of the invaders. Both this use of the infinitive, however, and the mode of expression (the ramparts are erected by the invaders not for the purpose of hindering the desolation of the invaders) render the alteration suspicious. If we adhere to the text the question is, To what does refer? It has been referred to the Chaldeans (veniunt ad pugnandum Chaldi, De Dieu, Schnurrer, Rosenmueller). In this case, however, would be nota nominativi, which is impossible. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 69, 1, Anm. 1.Others refer it to the Jews. So Jerome, Chald., Syr., Seb. Schmidt, Venema, J. D. Michaelis, and these translate either veniunt or venientium, referring $$ to the persons implied in the city. In the first case there is no subject designated, and in the second the connection with is very harsh, apart from the circumstance that the expression is not appropriate to the inhabitants of the city, and that presents great difficulty with regard both to the suffix and the prefix. As the text now stands, we can take only as co-ordinate with in second apposition to . The absence of the article is certainly not normal, but yet not without analogy. Comp. Jer 2:27; Jer 10:12; Jer 10:23; Psa 104:2-4; Psa 135:7; Zec 12:1; Naegelsb. Gr., 97, 2 a.
[2]Jer 33:6.On $$ comp. Comm. on Jer 8:22. The suffixes in and refer to the same object as the suffix in , i.e. to the holy city. It is the same constructio ad sensum as in . See rems. on this.
[3]Jer 33:6.. In itself there is nothing to hinder this word from being derived from , to reveal. Yet comparison with , Jer 11:20; Jer 20:12, leads us to think that the form may be traced to , to roll (Hitzig), or with Fuerst to II., synonymous with . Comp. Amo 5:24; Isa 48:18; Isa 66:12.
[4]Jer 33:6. is . . For the verb comp. Pro 27:6; Eze 35:13.
[5]Jer 33:8. radically means: to break, from which is developed the meaning: to revolt. It is stronger than . is the accusative of the instrument. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 70, i.
[6]Jer 33:9.. The preposition as in , Jer 28:1; Jer 28:5; Jer 28:11; Jer 32:12. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 112, 5, b. e.
[7]Jer 33:9. may stand for (Jer 1:16), but it may also be the accusative of the object. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 69, 2 d.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Jer 33:4 For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;
Ver. 4. Which are thrown down by the mounts. ] Or, Catapults, or engines of demolition, used to batter with. See Jer 32:24 .
And by the sword.
“ Destruite, ex imis subvertite fundamentis: ”
Down with it, down with it, even to the ground.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the LORD, the God of Israel. See note on Jer 11:3. God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
thrown down, &c.: i.e. demolished to serve as a fence against the mounts and the sword.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
thrown: Jer 32:24, Eze 4:2, Eze 21:22, Eze 26:8, Hab 1:10
Reciprocal: Deu 20:20 – thou shalt build 2Sa 20:15 – cast up Lam 2:7 – given up Eze 23:47 – the company Dan 11:15 – cast up
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 33:4. Houses of this city and of the kings means the families in those places. They thought to retain possession of the houses but had failed; they had been thrown down by the ‘mounts. For explanation of this word see the comments at ch. 32: 24.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 33:4-5. Thus saith the Lord concerning the houses of this city Not excepting those of the kings of Judah, thrown down by the mounts Namely, by the battering engines placed upon the mounts, which were raised against the walls of the city; and by the sword By the violence of war. The Hebrew word generally rendered sword may mean any instrument of iron, and particularly such as were used in demolishing any building. It is rendered a mattock by our translators, 2Ch 24:6, and axes, Eze 26:9. They come to fight with the Chaldeans Most interpreters understand this as spoken of the Jews sallying forth against the Chaldeans, to beat them off from the siege, which they attempted to do in vain, and to their own destruction, only thus filling the houses of Jerusalem with the dead bodies of their men, who died of the wounds received from the Chaldeans in making those sallies. And the verse is thought to come in by way of parenthesis, between the fourth and sixth, to show that at present God would not prosper any efforts that were made for the defence of the city, though he would restore it hereafter to its former splendour.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
33:4 For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the {c} mounts, and by the sword;
(c) Read Jer 32:24 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord would do something to the city, which at this time was full of houses that the Jerusalemites had demolished, in order to provide material to build up the city walls, so that the Chaldeans could not break through them. They had also used some of the palace wood and stone for this purpose (cf. Jer 22:5).