JEREMIAH 30 COMMENTARYEDITED BY GLENN PEASE

Restoration of Israel1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

BARNES, "In Jer. 30–39, not all written at the same time, are gathered together whatsoever God had revealed to Jeremiah of happier import for the Jewish people. This subject is “the New covenant.” In contrast then with the rolls of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, we here have one containing the nation’s hope. A considerable portion was written in the 10th year of Zedekiah, when famine and pestilence were busy in the city, its capture daily more imminent, and the prophet himself in prison. Yet in this sad pressure of earthly troubles Jeremiah could bid his countrymen look courageously onward to the fulfillment of those hopes, which had so constantly in his darkest hours comforted the heart and nerved the arm of the Jew. The scroll consists of three portions:

(1) “a triumphal hymn of Israel’s salvation,” Jer. 30–31;(2) Jer. 32; and(3) Jer. 33.

CLARKE, "The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord - This prophecy was delivered about a year after the taking of Jerusalem; so Dahler. Dr. Blayney supposes it and the following chapter to refer to the future restoration of both Jews and Israelites in the times of the Gospel; though also touching at the restoration from the Babylonish captivity, at the end of seventy years. Supposing these two chapters to be penned after the taking of Jerusalem, which appears the most natural, they will refer to the same events, one captivity shadowing forth another, and one restoration being the type or pledge of the second.

GILL, "The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord,.... The word of prophecy, us the Targum. Some make this to be the "thirteenth" sermon of the prophet's; it is a consolatory one, as Kimchi observes: saying; as follows:

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HENRY 1-3, "Here, I. Jeremiah is directed to write what God had spoken to him, which perhaps refers to all the foregoing prophecies. He must write them and publish them, in hopes that those who had not profited by what he said upon once hearing it might take more notice of it when in reading it they had leisure for a more considerate review. Or, rather, it refers to the promises of their enlargement, which had been often mixed with his other discourses. He must collect them and put them together, and God will now add unto them many like words. He must write them for the generations to come, who should see them accomplished, and thereby have their faith in the prophecy confirmed. He must write them not in a letter, as that in the chapter before to the captives, but in a book, to be carefully preserved in the archives, or among the public rolls or registers of the state. Daniel understood by these books when the captivity was about coming to an end, Dan_9:2. He must write them in a book, not in loose papers: “For the days come, and are yet at a great distance, when I will bring again the captivity of Israel and Judah, great numbers of the ten tribes, with those of the two,” Jer_30:3. And this prophecy must be written, that it may be read then also, that so it may appear how exactly the accomplishment answers the prediction, which is one end of the writing of prophecies. It is intimated that they shall be beloved for their fathers' sake (Rom_11:28); for therefore God will bring them again to Canaan, because it was the land that he gave to their fathers, which therefore they shall possess.

JAMISON, "Jer_30:1-24. Restoration of the Jews from Babylon after its capture, and raising up of Messiah.

K&D 1-3, "Introduction, and Statement of the Subject - Jer_30:1. "The word which came to Jeremiah from Jahveh, saying: Jer_30:2. Thus hath Jahveh the God of Israel said: Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book; Jer_30:3. For, behold, days come, saith Jahveh, when I shall turn the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith Jahve, and I shall bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."

Jer_30:1 contains the heading not merely of Jer_30:2 and Jer_30:3, as Hitzigerroneously maintains, but of the whole prophecy, in Jer 30 and 31. Jer_30:2 and Jer_30:3 form the introduction. Jeremiah is to write the following word of God in a book, because it refers to times still future, - regards the deliverance of Israel and Judah from exile, which will not take place till afterwards. In assigning the reason for the command to write down the word of God that had been received, there is at the same time given the subject of the prophecy which follows. From this it is further evident that theexpression "all the words which I have spoken to thee" cannot, like Jer_36:2, be referred, with J. D. Michaelis, to the whole of the prophecies which Jeremiah had up till that time received; it merely refers to the following prophecy of deliverance. The perfect ִּדַּבְרִּתי is thus not a preterite, but only expresses that the address of God to the prophet precedes the writing down of the words he received. As to the expression ׁשּוב see ,ְׁשבּותon Jer_29:14.

CALVIN, "This and the next chapter contain, as we shall see, a most profitable 2

truth; and that the people might be the more attentive, God introduced these prophecies by a preface. Jeremiah spoke many things which afterwards, as it has elsewhere appeared, had been collected and inserted in one volume by the priests and Levites; but God reminds us in these words, that the prophecies which are to follow respecting the liberation of the people, were especially to be remembered.There is, however, another circumstance to be noticed. We have seen that such was the stubbornness of the people, that Jeremiah spent his labor among them in vain, for he addressed the deaf, or rather stocks and stones, for they were so possessed by stupor that they understood nothing, for God had even blinded them, a judgment which they fully deserved. Such was the condition of the people. We must further bear in mind the comparison between the doctrine of Jeremiah and the fables of those who fed the miserable people with flatteries, by giving them the hope of a return after two years. God knew what would be the event; but the people ceased not to entertain hope and to boast of a return at the end of two years. Thus they despised God’s favor, for seventy years was a long period: “What! God indeed promises a return, but after seventy years who of us will be alive? Hardly one of us will be found then remaining, therefore so cold a promise is nothing to us.” They, at the same time, as I have said, were filled with a false confidence, as with wind, and behaved insolently towards God and his prophets, as though they were to return sound and safe in a short time.But profane men always run to extremes; at one time they are inflated with pride, that is, when things go on prosperously, or when a hope of prosperity appears, and they carry themselves proudly against God, as though nothing adverse could happen to them; then when hope and false conceit disappoint them, they are wholly disheartened, so that they will receive no comfort, but plunge into the abyss of despair. God saw that this would be the case with the people, except he came to their aid. Hence he proposes here the best and the fittest remedy — that the Prophet, as he had effected nothing by speaking, should write and convert as it were into deeds or acts what he had spoken, (1) so that after the lapse of two years they might gather courage, and afterwards acknowledge that they had been deceived by unprincipled men, and thus justly suffered for their levity, so that they might at length begin to look to God and embrace the promised liberation, and not wholly despond. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet was commanded to write the words which he had before declared with his mouth.Now, as we understand the design of God, let us learn that when it happens that we go astray and wander after false imaginations, we are not on that account to cast away the hope of salvation; for we see that God here stretches forth his hand to those who had erred, and who had even wilfully cast themselves into ruin, for they had been more than enough admonished and warned by true and faithful prophets; their ears they had stopped; their hearts they had hardened; and yet when they had sought as it were designedly to ruin themselves, we see how God still recalled them to himself.

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COFFMAN, "Verse 1JEREMIAH 30ALL ISRAEL RESTORED UNDER MESSIAHThis and the following three chapters are called by some "The Book of Consolation"; but for our study, it is just as well to consider the chapters independently as they appear in the text. While true enough that there is indeed a concentration in these four chapters of many glorious prophecies for Israel, these glorious prophecies are by no means limited to these chapters. Jeremiah 29:10-14 (of the previous chapter) is but one example.Cheyne mentioned that passages akin to these four chapters also "occur in earlier chapters of Jeremiah 3:14-19; 16:14,15, and Jeremiah 23:3-8."[1]There are three dates which are seriously proposed for these four chapters, the majority of current scholars seeming to prefer the tenth year of Zedekiah, near the end of the final siege of Jerusalem, circa 587 B.C., just before the collapse of the city.[2] Still others find a date late in the exile and, "Suppose that they were written by someone other than Jeremiah; but such theories lean heavily upon critical reconstructions of Isaiah which are based entirely upon unwarranted and unproved conclusions."[3] That type of "dating" Biblical books we reject as totally untrustworthy. A third date was proposed by Naegelsbach who dates the first two chapters here (Jeremiah 30 and Jeremiah 31), "as the oldest part of the whole Book of Jeremiah, along with Jeremiah 3-6."[4] We suggest that no one knows for sure exactly when various chapters in this prophecy were written, unless the text indicates it; and again, we raise the question, "What difference does it make anyway?"Our own preference of a date is that which places these chapters shortly before the final capture of Jerusalem. It seems very appropriate that, "When the siege was drawing to an end, famine and pestilence were ravaging the city, its capture more and more evident every day, with all hope of rescue past, and Jeremiah himself in prison - that in this sad pressure of earthly troubles, Jeremiah bade his countrymen look courageously to the fulfillment of the high hopes expressed in these chapters,"[5]These chapters speak of the perpetuity of Israel, the calling of the Gentiles, the amalgamation of Jew and Gentile alike under one New Covenant, the coming of Messiah, the Branch, the Son of David, the Mediator between God and man, Jehovah Our Righteousness, who as both Priest and King would bring a new age of prosperity to Israel. A comprehensive title for all four of these chapters, according to Smith, is "`The New Covenant,' the very name by which the Gospel is known in most languages, though we call it the New Testament."[6]

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Jeremiah 30:1-3"The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will turn again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith Jehovah; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.""Write all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book ..." (Jeremiah 30:2). We can find no grounds whatever for agreement with the usual scholarly proposition that this commandment regarding the placing of Jeremiah's prophecies in a book applied only to this chapter and perhaps two or three other chapters additionally. Do those chapters include "all the words that God spoke to Jeremiah?" No matter what men say, the answer to that is negative.What we have here is exactly the same commandment found again in Jeremiah 36:2, where God said to Jeremiah: "In the fourth year of Jehoiachim ... the word came from Jehovah to Jeremiah, saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day."This passage, along with what is written here, indicates that all of Jeremiah's prophecies were carefully written down and preserved by him in a book. How else, do the scholars suppose we now possess his book, after so many centuries have fled away? The very existence of the book of Jeremiah in the sacred Hebrew Canon is the only proof needed that Jeremiah did what God commanded him to do. Of course, this glimpse of the truth plays havoc with all the speculative editors, redactors, and interpolators used in the imaginative guesses of Bible critics.Keil mentioned a Dr. J. D. Michaelis who took the same view of these passages as the one taken here; and although Keil disagreed with him, he gave no reason whatever for doing so.[7]"The days are coming ..." (Jeremiah 30:3). "These words look toward eschatological times. Jeremiah is contemplating the distant, not the near, future of the nation; and these words strike the keynote for the entire group of four chapters beginning here."[8]Yes, there is a definite promise here of the return of Israel to "the land" which God gave to their fathers; but the real fulfillment of this came, not in the return of a few Jews to Jerusalem, but in the ingathering of Jews and Gentiles alike into the kingdom of heaven under the preaching of the Gospel of Christ."I will turn again the captivity of my people ..." (Jeremiah 30:3). "This expression

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in the Bible is sometimes used where no captivity of any kind is in view (Job 42:10; Ezekiel 16:53)."[9] In many passages, therefore, where this expression occurs, the meaning is, "I will reverse or restore the fortunes."[10] It was the "captivity" of Israel in their sins that was the principal concern of the Lord, as indicated by Jesus' use of similar words in Luke 4:18."My people Israel and Judah ..." (Jeremiah 30:3). Thompson was impressed with the use of both these designations here and thought that, "It indicates that both the southern and northern kingdoms of Israel were included in God's plans for the future."[11] However, the unification of "all Israel" in this passage has no reference whatever to the two "kingdoms." It is the New Israel which will accomplish the fulfillment of God's will in the future; and that Israel will not only include all of racial Israel, including both the northern tribes and the southern kingdom, but also the Gentiles as well.COKE, "IntroductionGod sheweth Jeremiah the return of the Jews. After their trouble they shall have deliverance: he comforteth Jacob. Their return shall be gracious. Wrath shall fall on the wicked.Before Christ 606.THERE are many prophesies in various parts of the Old Testament, which announce the future restoration of Israel to their own land, and the complete re-establishment of both their civil and religious constitution in the latter days, meaning the times of the Gospel dispensation. These two chapters contain a prophesy of this kind, which must necessarily be referred to those times, because it points out circumstances which certainly were not fulfilled at the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, nor have hitherto had their completion. For the people who returned from Babylon were chiefly, if not entirely, the people of Judah and Benjamin only, who had been carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar; but here it is foretold, that not the captivity of Judah only should be restored, but the captivity of Israel also, meaning those ten tribes that were carried away before by Shalmaneser king of Assyria, and who still remain in their several dispersions, having never returned, in a national capacity at least, to their own land, whatever some few individuals have done. But the terms of the prophesy entitle us to expect, not an obscure and partial, but a complete and universal restoration, when God will manifest himself, as formerly, the God and patron of all the families of Israel, and not of a few only. Again, it is promised, that after this restoration they should no more fall under the dominion of foreigners, but be governed by princes and magistrates of their own nation, independent of any but God and David their king. But this was not the case with the Jews who returned from Babylon. They then indeed had a leader, Zerubbabel, one of their own nation, and also of the family of David. But both the nation and their leader continued still in a state of vassalage and the most servile dependence upon the Persian monarchy. And when the Grecian

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monarchy succeeded, they changed their masters only, not their condition; till at length, under the Asmonaean princes, they had for a while an independent government of their own, but without any title to the name of David. At last they fell under the Roman yoke, since which time their situation has been such, as not to afford the least ground to pretend, that the promised restoration has yet taken place. It remains therefore to be brought about in future, under the reign of the Messiah, emphatically distinguished by the name of David; when every particular circumstance predicted concerning it will, no doubt, be verified by a distinct and unequivocal accomplishment.There is no particular date annexed to this prophesy, whereby to ascertain the precise time of its delivery. But it may not unreasonably be presumed to have followed immediately after the preceding one, in which the restoration of the people from their Babylonish captivity is in direct terms foretold. Hence the transition is natural and easy to the more glorious and general restoration, which was to take place in a more distant period, and was designed for the ultimate object of the national hopes and expectations. Both events are frequently thus connected together in the prophetic writings, and perhaps with this design, that when that which was nearest at hand should be accomplished, it might afford the strongest and most satisfactory kind of evidence, that the latter, how remote soever its period, would in like manner be brought about by the interposition of Jehovah in its due season.But though this prophesy relates wholly to one single subject, it seems naturally to divide itself into three distinct parts. The first part, after a short preface, in which the prophet is required to commit to writing the matters revealed to him, commences with representing, in a style of awe and energy, the consternation and distress which in some future day of visitation should fall upon all nations, preparatory to the scene of Jacob's deliverance, Jeremiah 29:5-9. Israel is encouraged to confide in the divine assurances of restoration and protection, Jeremiah 29:10-11. He is prepared previously to expect a severe chastisement for the multitude of his sins, but consoled with the prospect of a happy termination, Jeremiah 29:12-17. This is followed by an enumeration at large of the blessings and privileges to which the Jews should be restored upon their re-admission into God's favour, Jeremiah 29:18-22. Again however it is declared, that the anger of JEHOVAH would not subside, till his purposed vengeance against the wicked should have been fully executed, and then, but not till then, an entire reconciliation would take place between him and all the families of Israel, Jeremiah 29:23 to Jeremiah 31:1.The second part of this prophesy begins chap. Jeremiah 31:2 and is marked by a sudden transition to a distant period of time, represented in a vision, and embellished with a variety of beautiful scenes and images. God announces the renewal of his ancient love for Israel, and promises them in consequence thereof a speedy restoration of their former privileges and happiness, Jeremiah 31:2-5. Already the heralds have proclaimed on mount Ephraim the arrival of the joyful day; they summon the people to re-assemble once more in Zion; and promulge by

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special command the glad tidings of salvation which God had accomplished for them. God himself declares his readiness to conduct home the remnant of Israel from all parts of their dispersion, to compassionate and relieve their infirmities, and to provide them with all necessary accommodations by the way, Jeremiah 31:6-9. The news is carried into distant lands, and the nations are summoned to attend to the display of God's power and goodness, in rescuing his people from their stronger enemies, and in supplying them after their return with all manner of good things, to the full extent of their wants and desires, Jeremiah 31:10-14.Here the scene changes, and two new personages are successively introduced, in order to diversify the same subject, and to impress it more strongly. Rachel first; who is represented as just risen from her grave, and bitterly bewailing the loss of her children, for whom she looks about her in vain, for none are to be seen. Her tears are dried up, and she is consoled with the assurance that they are not lost for ever, but shall in time be brought back to their ancient borders, Jeremiah 31:15-17.Ephraim comes next. He laments his past undutifulness with great contrition and penitence, and professes an earnest desire of amendment. These symptoms of returning duty are no sooner discerned in him, than God acknowledges him once more as a darling child, and resolves with mercy to receive him, Jeremiah 31:18-20.The virgin of Israel is then earnestly exhorted to hasten the preparations for her return, and encouraged with the prospect of having a signal miracle wrought in her favour, Jeremiah 31:21-22. And the vision closes at last with a promise, that the divine blessing should again rest upon the land of Judah, and that the men of Judah should once more dwell there, cultivating it according to the simplicity of ancient institutions, and fully discharged from every want, Jeremiah 31:23-26.In the third part, by way of appendix to the Vision, the following gracious promises are specifically annexed: That God would in time to come supply all the deficiencies of Israel and Judah; and would be as diligent to restore, as he had ever been to destroy them; and would not any more visit the offences of the fathers upon the children, Jeremiah 31:27-30. That he would make with them a better covenant than he had made with their forefathers, Jeremiah 31:31-32. That they should continue a nation by an ordinance as firm and lasting as that of the heavens, that is to say, they should never be dispersed again, Jeremiah 31:35-37 and that Jerusalem should again be built, enlarged in its extent, and secure from future desolation, Jeremiah 31:30-32.Verse 1-2Jeremiah 30:2. Write thee all the words, &c.— See ch. Jeremiah 36:1-2.TRAPP, " The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,Ver. 1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord.] This chapter and the next are Jeremiah’s thirteenth sermon, as some reckon them, and it is wholly

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consolatory. The author of it he showeth to be the "God of all consolation"; and this the prophet inculcateth six different times in the five first verses, pro maiori efficacia, that it may take the better.EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMENTARY, "Verses 1-24CHAPTER XXXIVRESTORATION VREVIEWJeremiah 30:1-24; Jeremiah 31:1-40; Jeremiah 32:1-44; Jeremiah 33:1-26IN reviewing these chapters we must be careful not to suppose that Jeremiah knew all that would ultimately result from his teaching. When he declared that the conditions of the New Covenant would be written, not in a few parchments, but on every heart, he laid down a principle which involved the most characteristic teaching of the New Testament and the Reformers, and which might seem to justify extreme mysticism. When we read these prophecies in the light of history, they seem to lead by a short and direct path to the Pauline doctrines of Faith and Grace. Constraining grace is described in the words: "I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me." [Jeremiah 32:40] Justification by faith instead of works substitutes the response of the soul to the Spirit of God for conformity to a set of external regulations-the writing on the heart for the carving of ordinances on stone. Yet, as Newton’s discovery of the law of gravitation did not make him aware of all that later astronomers have discovered, so Jeremiah did not anticipate Paul and Augustine, Luther and Calvin: he was only their forerunner. Still less did he intend to affirm all that has been taught by the Brothers of the Common Life or the Society of Friends. We have followed the Epistle to the Hebrews in interpreting his prophecy of the New Covenant as abrogating the Mosaic code and inaugurating a new departure upon entirely different lines. This view is supported by his attitude towards the Temple, and especially the Ark. At the same time we must not suppose that Jeremiah contemplated the summary and entire abolition of the previous dispensation. He simply delivers his latest message from Jehovah, without bringing its contents into relation with earlier truth, without indeed waiting to ascertain for himself how the old and the new were to be combined. But we may be sure that the Divine writing on the heart would have included much that was already written in Deuteronomy, and that both books and teachers would have had their place in helping men to recognise and interpret the inner leadings of the Spirit.In rising from the perusal of these chapters the reader is tempted to use the prophet’s words with a somewhat different meaning: "I awaked and looked about me, and felt that I had had a pleasant dream." [Jeremiah 31:26] Renan, with cynical frankness, heads a chapter on such prophecies with the title "Pious Dreams." While Jeremiah’s glowing utterances rivet our attention, the gracious words fall like balm

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upon our aching hearts, and we seem, like the Apostle, caught up into Paradise. But as soon as we try to connect our visions with any realities, past, present, or in prospect, there comes a rude awakening. The restored community attained to no New Covenant, but was only found worthy of a fresh edition of the written code. Instead of being committed to the guidance of the ever-present Spirit of Jehovah, they were placed under a rigid and elaborate system of externals-"carnal ordinances, concerned with meats and drinks and divers washings, imposed until a time of reformation." [Hebrews 9:10] They still remained under the covenant "from Mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children." [Galatians 4:24-25]For these bondservants of the letter, there arose no David, no glorious Scion of the ancient stock. For a moment the hopes of Zechariah rested on Zerubbabel, but this Branch quickly withered away and was forgotten. We need not underrate the merits and services of Ezra and Nehemiah, of Simon the Just and Judas Maccabaeus; and yet we cannot find any one of them who answers to the Priestly King of Jeremiah’s visions. The new growth of Jewish royalty came to an ignominious end in Aristobulus, Hyrcanus, and the Herods, Antichrists rather than Messiahs.The Reunion of long-divided Israel is for the most part a misnomer; there was no healing of the wound, and the offending member was cut off.Even now, when the leaven of the Kingdom has been working in the lump of humanity for nearly two thousand years, any suggestion that these chapters are realised in Modern Christianity would seem cruel irony. Renan accuses Christianity of having quickly forgotten the programme which its Founder borrowed from the prophets, and of having become a religion like other religions, a religion of priests and sacrifices, of external observances and superstitions. It is sometimes asserted that "Protestants lack faith and courage to trust to any law written on the heart, and cling to a printed book, as if there were no Holy Spirit-as if the Branch of David had borne fruit once for all, and Christ were dead. The movement for Christian Reunion seems thus far chiefly to emphasise the feuds that make the Church a kingdom divided against itself."But we must not allow the obvious shortcomings of Christendom to blind us to brighter aspects of truth. Both in the Jews of the Restoration and in the Church of Christ we have a real fulfilment of Jeremiah’s prophecies. The fulfilment is no less real because it is utterly inadequate. Prophecy is a guide post and not a milestone; it shows the way to be trodden, not the duration of the journey. Jews and Christians have fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecies because they have advanced by the road along which he pointed towards the spiritual city of his vision. The "pious dreams" of a little group of enthusiasts have become the ideals and hopes of humanity. Even Renan ranks himself among the disciples of Jeremiah: "The seed sown in religious tradition by inspired Israelites will not perish; all of us who seek a God without priests, a revelation without prophets, a covenant written in the heart are in many

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respects the disciples of these ancient fanatics" (ces vieux egares).The Judaism of the Return, with all its faults and shortcomings, was still an advance in the direction Jeremiah had indicated. However ritualistic the Pentateuch may seem to us, it was far removed from exclusive trust in ritual. Where the ancient Israelite had relied upon correct observance of the forms of his sanctuary, the Torah of Ezra introduced a large moral and spiritual element, which served to bring the soul into direct fellowship with Jehovah. "Pity and humanity are pushed to their utmost limits, always of course in the bosom of the family of Israel." The Torah moreover included the great commands to love God and man, which once for all placed the religion of Israel on a spiritual basis. If the Jews often attached more importance to the letter and form of Revelation than to its substance, and were more careful for ritual and external observances than for inner righteousness, we have no right to cast a stone at them.It is a curious phenomenon that after the time of Ezra the further developments of the Torah were written no longer on parchment, but, in a certain sense on the heart. The decisions of the rabbis interpreting the Pentateuch, "the fence which they made round the law," were not committed to writing, but learnt by heart and handed down by oral tradition. Possibly this custom was partly due to Jeremiah’s prophecy. It is a strange illustration of the way in which theology sometimes wrests the Scriptures to its own destruction, that the very prophecy of the triumph of the spirit over the letter was made of none effect by a literal interpretation.Nevertheless, though Judaism moved only a very little way towards Jeremiah’s ideal, yet it did move, its religion was distinctly more spiritual than that of ancient Israel. Although Judaism claimed finality and did its best to secure that no future generation should make further progress, yet in spite of, nay, even by means of, Pharisee and Sadducee, the Jews were prepared to receive and transmit that great resurrection of prophetic teaching which came through Christ.If even Judaism did not altogether fail to conform itself to Jeremiah’s picture of the New Israel, clearly Christianity must have shaped itself still more fully according to his pattern. In the Old Testament both the idea and the name of a "New Covenant," superseding that of Moses, are peculiar to Jeremiah, and the New Testament consistently represents the Christian dispensation as a fulfilment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Besides the express and detailed application in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper as the Sacrament of His New Covenant-"This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood"; and St. Paul speaks of himself as "a minister of the New Covenant." [2 Corinthians 3:6] Christianity has not been unworthy of the claim made on its behalf by its Founder, but has realised, at any rate in some measure, the visible peace, prosperity, and unity of Jeremiah’s New Israel, as well as the spirituality of his New Covenant. Christendom has its hideous blots of misery and sin, but, on the whole, the standard of material comfort and intellectual culture has been raised to a high average throughout the bulk of a vast population. Internal order and international concord have made enormous

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strides since the time of Jeremiah. If an ancient Israelite could witness the happy security, of a large proportion of English workmen and French peasants, he would think that many of the predictions of his prophets had been fulfilled. But the advance of large classes to a prosperity once beyond the dreams of the most sanguine only brings out in darker relief the wretchedness of their less fortunate brethren. In view of the growing knowledge and enormous resources of modern society, any toleration of its cruel wrongs is an unpardonable sin. Social problems are doubtless urgent because a large minority are miserable, but they are rendered still more urgent by the luxury of many and the comfort of most. The high average of prosperity shows that we fail to right our social evils, not for want of power, but for want of devotion. Our civilisation is a Dives, at whose gate Lazarus often finds no crumbs.Again Christ’s Kingdom of the New Covenant has brought about a larger unity. We have said enough elsewhere on the divisions of the Church. Doubtless we are still far from realising the ideals of chapter 31, but, at any rate, they have been recognised as supreme, and have worked for harmony and fellowship in the world. Ephraim and Judah are forgotten, but the New Covenant has united into brotherhood a worldwide array of races and nations. There are still divisions in the Church, and a common religion will not always do away with national enmities; but in spite of all, the influence of our common Christianity has done much to knit the nations together and promote mutual amity and goodwill. The vanguard of the modern world has accepted Christ as its standard and ideal, and has thus attained an essential unity, which is not destroyed by minor differences and external divisions.And, finally, the promise that the New Covenant should be written on the heart is far on the way towards fulfilment. If Roman and Greek orthodoxy interposes the Church between the soul and Christ, yet the inspiration claimed for the Church today is, at any rate in some measure, that of the living Spirit of Christ speaking to the souls of living men. On the other hand, a predilection for Rabbinical methods of exegesis sometimes interferes with the influence and authority of the Bible. Yet in reality there is no serious attempt to take away the key of knowledge or to forbid the individual soul to receive the direct teaching of the Holy Ghost. The Reformers established the right of private judgment in the interpretation of the Scriptures; and the interpretation of the Library of Sacred Literature, the spiritual harvest of a thousand years, affords ample scope for reverent development of our knowledge of God.One group of Jeremiah’s prophecies has indeed been entirely fulfilled. In Christ God has raised up a Branch of Righteousness unto David, and through Him judgment and righteousness are wrought in the earth. [Jeremiah 33:15]PETT, "Verses 1-3Because Of The Certainty Of Future Restoration Jeremiah Is To Record All His Words In A Book (Jeremiah 30:1-3)

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The importance of the words spoken here for recognising the true authorship of the bulk of Jeremiah can hardly be overstated, although we do know that he was assisted in his work by Baruch. For, unless Jeremiah was totally disobedient, we learn here that he added to the ‘book’ (scroll) that he had previously authored (Jeremiah 36:31; Jeremiah 45:1), subsequent prophecies, at least up to the date of the siege of Jerusalem (at least part of the account below appears to be given at a time when there was no reigning Davidic monarch). He would certainly have had plenty of time for writing while he was in the royal guard room, and assuming that he had disciples in Judah, would surely have communicated his prophecies to them. He could then have completed it in Egypt, from where it would be sent to exiles in all parts. Thus apart from minor editing we may see from this that most of the book came directly from Jeremiah. And it is YHWH Who here stresses the necessity for this precisely because of the coming anticipated restoration to the land of both Israel and Judah. Jeremiah’s prophecies were therefore to be an essential part of the restoration, for along with the older prophets, they explained why Judah and Israel had had to go through their sufferings, and yet could still be offered hope.Jeremiah 30:1‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,’This is the usual formula with which Jeremiah opens a subsection of his work. and emphasises that what he is writing here consists of a new word of YHWH.PETT, "Verses 1-26SECTION 2 (Jeremiah 26:1 to Jeremiah 45:5). (continued).As we have seen this Section of Jeremiah from Jeremiah 26:1 to Jeremiah 45:5 divides up into four main subsections, which are as follows:1. Commencing With A Speech In The Temple Jeremiah Warns Of What Is Coming And Repudiates The Promises Of The False Prophets (Jeremiah 26:1 to Jeremiah 29:32).2. Following The Anguish To Come Promises Are Given Of Eventual Restoration, Central To Which is A New Covenant Written In The Heart (Jeremiah 30:1 to Jeremiah 33:26).3. YHWH’s Continuing Word of Judgment Is Given Through Jeremiah, And Its Repercussions Leading Up To The Fall Of Jerusalem Are Revealed (Jeremiah 34:1 to Jeremiah 39:18).4. Events Subsequent To The Fall Of Jerusalem Are Described (Jeremiah 40:1 to Jeremiah 45:5).

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We have already commented on Subsection 1). in Jeremiah 4. We must now therefore consider subsection 2). This subsection, with its emphatic promises of hope for the future, is the most positive subsection from a long term view in his prophecy.Subsection 2 (Jeremiah 30:1 to Jeremiah 33:26). Following The Anguish To Come Promises Are Given Of Eventual Restoration, Central To Which Is A New Covenant Written By YHWH In The Hearts Of His People, Together With The Establishment Of The New Jerusalem As The Eternal City (Jeremiah 30:1 to Jeremiah 33:26).This Subsection places a great emphasis, not only on the coming anguish, but even more on the glorious restoration that will follow. It presents a final picture of a wholly restored nation which has been spiritually transformed.It may be seen as divided up into two parts on the basis of the phrase ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH --’ (Jeremiah 30:1; Jeremiah 32:1). (Jeremiah 33:1; Jeremiah 33:19, on the other hand, open with ‘and’ (waw), signifying continuation rather than a new part). The first part deals with promises of glorious restoration and spiritual renewal ending up with the establishment of a new Jerusalem as the eternal city (compare Revelation 21:1 to Revelation 22:5). The second part contains an acted out prophecy in which Jeremiah purchases a piece of hereditary land in order to demonstrate his confidence in the final future of Judah, and gives further assurances of restoration.Part 1). ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH --’ (Jeremiah 30:1). Out of the anguish of Israel/Judah is to come restoration, when YHWH will bring His people from all the places of exile to which He has scattered them, and will replant them and build them up in the land, establishing with them a new covenant, written not on stone but in their hearts. All will know Him and all will be made holy, and God’s holy city will be established for ever (Jeremiah 30:1 to Jeremiah 31:40).We will now consider this part in detail.PULPIT, "Verses 1-24EXPOSITIONThis and the three next chapters form a kind of book in themselves, which contrasts admirably with Jermiah 27-29. In the latter Jeremiah aimed at casting down the delusive hope that the time of trial would soon be over and the captives restored; here he assumes that all are aware of the sad reality, and concentrates himself on the happier topics of comfort and encouragement. Jeremiah 30:1-24; Jeremiah 31:1-40. shine out among all Jeremiah's prophecies; there is a combination of softness and vigour which, even from a purely literary point of view, is most attractive. Strictly speaking, they ought to form but one chapter; they represent (as verse 4 states) the revelation from Jehovah "concerning Israel and concerning

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Judah." It is, indeed, most touching, this yearning of the inspired prophet for the reunion of the two branches of the nation (comp. Je 3:1-4:2). A "union in spirit" was not enough for him; there must be a visible drawing together, to prove to all men that, as God is one, so his people is one. God's love is imperishable, and, his election of Israel cannot be reversed. The very extent of Israel's misery is a pledge that her God will not leave her to herself too long. And how is the restoration of Israel to be conceived? Surely nothing less than a new covenant will satisfy the conditions of the problem—a new covenant written in the heart. Something akin to this encouraging prophecy may be traced here and there in earlier chapters (see Jeremiah 3:14-19; Jeremiah 16:14, Jeremiah 16:15; Jeremiah 23:3-8; but here the prophet is entirely absorbed in that glorious future which could alone save him from utter despondency.

2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.

BARNES, "Write ... in a book - To be read and meditated upon by them in private. This makes it exceedingly probable that the date of these two chapters was also the 10th year of Zedekiah, immediately after the purchase of the field from Hanameel.

All the words - i. e., the scroll was to be a summary of whatever of hope and mercy had been contained in previous predictions.CLARKE, "Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a

book - The book here recommended I believe to be the thirtieth and thirty-first chapters; for among the Hebrews any portion of writing, in which the subject was finished, however small, was termed ספר sepher, a Book, a treatise or discourse.

GILL, "Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel,.... Who is their covenant God; has not forgotten them; still has a regard for them; and speaks after the following comfortable manner concerning them: saying, write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book; being things of consequence, that they might remain to after ages; and be read to the use, comfort, and edification of the Lord's people, in times to come; and be a support to their faith and hope, as well as be a testimony of the truth and faithfulness of God. Some think

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this charge refers to all the prophecies that go before, as well as follow after, to put them all together in a book or roll, that they might be preserved; though others think it refers only to the present prophecy; and so Kimchi interprets it, write all the words "that I am now speaking unto thee" (o) in a book; which should come to pass in the latter day. So John is bid to write in a book what he saw; the things that are, and shall be hereafter, Rev_1:11. JAMISON, "Write ... in a book — After the destruction of Jerusalem Jeremiah is

not ordered as heretofore to speak, but to write the succeeding prophecy (Jer_30:4, etc.), so as thereby it might be read by his countrymen wheresoever they might be in their dispersion.CALVIN, "He says that God had commanded him to write in a book all the words which he had heard; and the reason follows, For, behold, come shall the days, saith Jehovah, in which I will restore the captivity of my people Israel and Judah (2) There is to be understood a contrast between the restoration mentioned here and that of which the false prophets had prattled when they animated the people with the hope of a return in a short time; for, as I have said, that false expectation, when the Jews sought unseasonably to return to their own country, was a sort of mental inebriety. But when they found that they had been deceived, despair only remained for them. Hence the Prophet recalls them here to a quietness of mind, even that they might know that God would prove faithful after they found out that they had rashly embraced what impostors had of themselves proclaimed We then see that there is here an implied comparison between the sure and certain deliverance which God had promised, and the false and stolid hope with which the people had been inebriated: come, then, shall the days Now it appears that two years had taken away every expectation; for they believed the false prophets who said that God would restore them in two years; after the end of that time all the hope of the people failed. Therefore the Prophet here removes that erroneous impression which had been made on their minds, and he says that the days would come in which God would redeem his people; and thus he indirectly derides the folly of the people, and condemns the impiety of those who had dared to promise so quick a return. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.Ver. 2. Write thee all the words that I have spoken to thee in a book.] For the use of posterity, {as Habakkuk 2:2} and that the consolations may not be forgotten. {as Hebrews 12:5}“ Vox audita perit: littera scripta manet. ”PETT, "Jeremiah 30:2‘Thus speaks YHWH, the God of Israel, saying, “Write you all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.”

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With YHWH’s most imposing title being applied, Jeremiah is now called on to write down all the words that YHWH has spoken to him, in a book or scroll. This need for Jeremiah to write down his prophecies has in fact constantly been emphasised (Jeremiah 36:2; Jeremiah 36:28; Jeremiah 45:1), and suggests that he felt under a divine urge to record his prophecies.PULPIT, Jeremiah 30:2Write thee all the words … in a book. The form of expression leaves it doubtful whether a summary of all Jeremiah's previous discourses is intended, or merely of the promises concerning Israel and Judah which he had just received. There are, no doubt, numerous allusions to preceding chapters, but verse 5 seems rather to favour the latter view. The word rendered "book" will equally suit a short discourse like the present (comp. Jeremiah 51:60) and a large collection of prophecies as in Jeremiah 36:2. Observe, the discourse was to be written down at once, without having been delivered orally; it was to be laid up as a pledge that God would interpose for his people (comp. Isaiah 30:8; Habakkuk 2:2, Habakkuk 2:3).

3 The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[a] and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

CLARKE, "The days come - First, After the conclusion of the seventy years. Secondly, Under the Messiah.

That I will bring again the captivity of Israel - The ten tribes, led captive by the king of Assyria, and dispersed among the nations.And Judah - The people carried into Babylon at two different times; first, under Jeconiah, and, secondly, under Zedekiah, by Nebuchadnezzar.

GILL, "For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord,.... And they are yet to come; the prophecy is not yet fulfilled. Kimchi says this belongs to the days of the Messiah; but not to his first coming, or to his coming in the flesh, which the Jews vainly expect; but to his spiritual coming in the latter day:

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that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord; which cannot be understood of their return from the Babylonish captivity; for, as Kimchi rightly observes, only Judah and Benjamin returned from thence; and though there were some few of the other tribes that came with them, especially of the tribe of Levi, yet not sufficient to answer to so great a prophecy as this, which refers to the same time as that in Hos_3:5; as appears by comparing that with Jer_30:9; and when, as the Apostle Paul says, "all Israel shall be saved", Rom_11:25; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it; the land of Canaan, given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and which shall be again by the Jews their posterity; for, without that the Jews upon their call and conversion shall return to their own land, in a literal sense, I see not how we can understand this, and many other prophecies.JAMISON, "For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord,.... And they are yet to come; the prophecy is not yet fulfilled. Kimchi says this belongs to the days of the Messiah; but not to his first coming, or to his coming in the flesh, which the Jews vainly expect; but to his spiritual coming in the latter day: that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord; which cannot be understood of their return from the Babylonish captivity; for, as Kimchi rightly observes, only Judah and Benjamin returned from thence; and though there were some few of the other tribes that came with them, especially of the tribe of Levi, yet not sufficient to answer to so great a prophecy as this, which refers to the same time as that in Hos_3:5; as appears by comparing that with Jer_30:9; and when, as the Apostle Paul says, "all Israel shall be saved", Rom_11:25; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it; the land of Canaan, given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and which shall be again by the Jews their posterity; for, without that the Jews upon their call and conversion shall return to their own land, in a literal sense, I see not how we can understand this, and many other prophecies.CALVIN, "We now, then, see why he says, come shall the days; for every hope after two years would have been extinguished, had not God interposed. Come, then, shall the days in which I wll restore the captivity of Israel and Judah The ten tribes, we know, had been already led into exile; the tribe of Judah and the half tribe of Benjamin only remained. Hence the ten tribes, the whole kingdom of Israel, are mentioned first. The exile of Israel was much longer than that of Judah. It afterwards follows, — COKE, "Jeremiah 30:3. For, lo, the days come— Though the prophesy in this chapter contains many circumstances which refer to the return of the Jews from Babylon, yet there are many others, which so suit the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of his church, particularly in the last days, that there is no giving

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them literally any other sense; and even the clearest and most express prophesies for the deliverance from Babylon, are very naturally to be explained of Jesus Christ and his faithful followers, and the final return of the Jews. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.Ver. 3. I will bring again the captivity (a) of Israel and Judah.] This promise, Oecolampadius thinketh, was written in the book in greater letters than the rest; it was fulfilled according to the letter in carnal Israel sent back by Cyrus (upon Daniel’s prayer, who understood by that book here mentioned that the time of deliverance, yea, the set time was come, Daniel 9:2), but more fully in those "Jews inwardly," [Romans 2:29] those "Israelites indeed" who are set at liberty by Christ, [John 8:36] and shall be much more at the last day. PETT, "Jeremiah 30:3“For, lo, the days come, the word of YHWH, that I will turn again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, the word of YHWH, and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.”And the reason for writing down his words is in readiness for the fact that ‘according to the assured word of YHWH’ (twice stressed) the days were coming when YHWH would ‘turn again’ the captivity of His people, both Israel and Judah, and cause them to return to the land of their fathers and possess it. It would be at that stage that they would need Jeremiah’s prophecies of hope. This ‘turning again’ would begin with the return of exiles from Babylon (Ezra 1:1 ff.), but it would continue on through the undocumented period following Malachi to such an extent that, by the time of Jesus Christ, Palestine (Galilee and Judaea) was well populated with people connected with the ‘twelve tribes’ in one way or another (see e.g. Luke 2:36).

4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:

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GILL, "And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel, and concerning Judah. Which follow in this chapter and the next; first concerning Israel, the ten tribes; and then concerning the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, even concerning all Israel; whereas, if this prophecy only respects the return from the captivity in Babylon, there is very little in it which concerns the ten tribes, or but a very few of them. The words may be rendered, "unto Israel, and unto Judah"; as being the persons to whom they were directed, as well as were the subjects of them.

HENRY 4-9, "He is directed what to write. The very words are such as the Holy Ghost teaches, Jer_30:4. These are the words which God ordered to be written; and those promises which are written by his order are as truly his word as the ten commandments which were written with his finger. 1. He must write a description of the fright and consternation which the people were now in, and were likely to be still in upon every attack that the Chaldeans made upon them, which will much magnify both the wonder and the welcomeness of their deliverance (Jer_30:5): We have heard a voice of trembling - the shrieks of terror echoing to the alarms of danger. The false prophets told them that they should have peace, but there is fear and not peace, so the margin reads it. No marvel that when without are fightings within are fears. The men, even the men of war, shall be quite overwhelmed with the calamities of their nation, shall sink under them, and yield to them, and shall look like women in labour, whose pains come upon them in great extremity and they know that they cannot escape them, Jer_30:6. You never heard of a man travailing with child, and yet here you find not here and there a timorous man, but every man with his hands on his loins, in the utmost anguish and agony, as women in travail, when they see their cities burnt and their countries laid waste. But this pain is compared to that of a woman in travail, not to that of a death-bed, because it shall end in joy at last, and the pain, like that of a travailing woman, shall be forgotten. All faces shall be turned into paleness. The word signifies not only such paleness as arises from a sudden fright, but that which is the effect of a bad habit of body, the jaundice, or the green sickness. The prophet laments the calamity upon the foresight of it (Jer_30:7): Alas! for that day is great, a day of judgment, which is called the great day, the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joe_2:31, Jud_1:6), great, so that there has been none like it. The last destruction of Jerusalem is thus spoken of by our Saviour as unparalleled, Mat_24:21. It is even the time of Jacob's trouble, a sad time, when God's professing people shall be in distress above other people. The whole time of the captivity was a time of Jacob's trouble; and such times ought to be greatly lamented by all that are concerned for the welfare of Jacob and the honour of the God of Jacob. 2. He must write the assurances which God had given that a happy end should at length be put to these calamities. (1.) Jacob's troubles shall cease: He shall be saved out of them.Though the afflictions of the church may last long, they shall not last always. Salvation belongs to the Lord, and shall be wrought for his church. (2.) Jacob's troublers shall be disabled from doing him any further mischief, and shall be reckoned with for the mischief they have done him, Jer_30:8. The Lord of hosts, who has all power in his hand, undertakes to do it: “I will break his yoke from off thy neck, which has long lain so heavy, and has so sorely galled thee. I will burst thy bonds and restore thee to liberty and ease, and thou shalt no more be at the beck and command of strangers, shalt no more serve them, nor shall they any more serve themselves of thee; they shall no more

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enrich themselves either by thy possessions or by thy labours.” And, (3.) That which crowns and completes the mercy is that they shall be restored to the free exercise of their religion again, Jer_30:9. They shall be delivered from serving their enemies, not that they may live at large and do what they please, but that they may serve the Lord their God and David their king, that they may come again into order, under the established government both in church and state. Therefore they were brought into trouble and made to serve their enemies because they had not served the Lord their God as they ought to have done, with joyfulness and gladness of heart, Deu_28:47. But, when the time shall come that they should be saved out of their trouble, God will prepare and qualify them for it by giving them a heart to serve him, and will make it doubly comfortable by giving them opportunity to serve him. Therefore we are delivered out of the hands of our enemies, that we may serve God, Luk_1:74, Luk_1:75. And thendeliverances out of temporal calamities are mercies indeed to us when by them we find ourselves engaged to and enlarged in the service of God. They shall serve their own God, and neither be inclined, as they had been of old in the day of their apostasy, nor compelled, as they had been of late in the day of their captivity, to serve other gods. They shall serve David their king, such governors as God should from time to time set over them, of the line of David (as Zerubbabel), or at least sitting on the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David, as Nehemiah. But certainly this has a further meaning. The Chaldee paraphrase reads it, They shall obey (or hearken to) the Messiah(or Christ), the Son of David, their king. To him the Jewish interpreters apply it. That dispensation which commenced at their return out of captivity brought them to the Messiah. He is called David their King because he was the Son of David (Mat_22:42) and he answered to the name, Mat_20:31, Mat_20:32. David was an illustrious type of him both in his humiliation and in his exaltation. The covenant of royalty made with David had principal reference to him, and in him the promises of that covenant had their full accomplishment. God gave him the throne of his father David; he raised him up unto them, set him upon the holy hill of Zion. God is often in the New Testament said to have raised up Jesus, raised him up as a King, Act_3:26; Act_13:23, Act_13:33. Observe, [1.] Those that serve the Lord as their God must also serve David their King,must give up themselves to Jesus Christ, to be ruled by him. For all men must honour the Son as they honour the Father, and come into the service and worship of God by him as Mediator. [2.] Those that are delivered out of spiritual bondage must make it appear that they are so by giving up themselves to the service of Christ. Those to whom he gives rest must take his yoke upon them.

K&D 4-9, "The judgment on the nations for the deliverance of Israel. - Jer_30:4. "And these are the words which Jahveh spake concerning Israel and Judah: Jer_30:5. For thus saith Jahveh: We have heard a cry of terror, fear, and no peace. Jer_30:6. Ask now, and see whether a male bears a child? Why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in childbirth, and every face turned to paleness? Jer_30:7. Alas! for that day is great, with none like it, and it is a time of distress for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it. Jer_30:8. And it shall come to pass on that day, saith Jahveh of hosts, that I will break his yoke from upon thy neck, and I will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more put servitude on him; Jer_30:9. But they shall serve Jahveh their God, and David their king, whom I shall raise up to them. Jer_30:10. But fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith Jahveh, neither be confounded, O Israel; for, behold, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and

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Jacob shall return, and be at rest, and be secure, and there shall be none making him afraid. Jer_30:11. For I am with thee, saith Jahveh, to save thee; for I will make an end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, yet of thee will I not make an end, but I will chastise thee properly and will not let thee go quite unpunished."With Jer_30:4 is introduced the description of Israel's restoration announced in Jer_30:3. This introduction is not absolutely necessary, but neither is it for that reason spurious and to be expunged, as Hitzig seeks to do; it rather corresponds to the breadth

of Jeremiah's representation. The ִּכי in Jer_30:5 is explicative: "Thus, namely, hath Jahveh spoken." With the lively dramatic power of a poet, the prophet at once transports the hearers or readers of his prophecy, in thought, into the great day to come, which is tobring deliverance to all Israel. As a day of judgment, it brings terror and anguish on all those who live to see it. ל ק ",A voice (sound) of trembling (or terror) we hear" ,ֲחָרָדהviz., the people, of whom the prophet is one. ַּפַחד does not depend on ָׁשַמְענּו, but forms with ְוֵאין ם ָׁשל an independent clause: "There is fear and not peace" (or safety). Jer_30:6. What is the cause of this great horror, which makes all men, from convulsive pains, hold their hands on their loins, so as to support their bowels, in which they feel the pangs, and which makes every countenance pale? In Jer_30:7 the cause of this horror is declared. It is the great day of judgment that is coming. "That (not hits) day" points to the future, and thus, even apart from other reasons, excludes the supposition that it is the day of the destruction of Jerusalem that is meant. The words "that day is great" refer to Joe_2:11, and "there is none like it" is an imitation of Joe_2:2; in the latter passage the prophet makes use of a judgment which he had seen passed on Judah - its devastation by locusts - and for the first time presents, as the main element in his prophecy, the idea of the great day of judgment to come on all nations, and by which the Lord will perfect His kingdom on this earth. This day is for Jacob also, i.e., for all Israel, a time of distress; for the judgment falls not merely on the heathen nations, but also on the godless members of the covenant people, that they may be destroyed from among the congregation of the Lord. The judgment is therefore for Israel as well as for other nations a critical juncture, from which the Israel of God, the community of the faithful, will be delivered. This deliverance is described more in detail in Jer_30:8. The Lord will break the yoke imposed on Israel, free His people from all bondage to strangers, i.e., the heathen, so that they may serve only Him, the Lord, and David, His king, whom He will raise up. The suffix in ֻעּל is referred by several expositors (Hitzig, Nägelsbach) to the king of Babylon, "as having been most clearly before the minds of Jeremiah and his contemporaries;" in support of this view we are pointed to Isa_10:27, as a passage which may have been before the eyes of Jeremiah. But neither this parallel passage nor ַצָּואֶר(with the suffix of the second person), which immediately follows, sufficiently justifies this view. For, in the second half also of the verse, the second person is interchanged with the third, and ֶתי ְסר requires us to refer the suffix in ,ֻעּל which is parallel with ,מthe latter word to Jacob, so that "his yoke" means "the yoke laid on him," as in 1Ki_12:4; Isa_9:3. It is also to be borne in mind that, throughout the whole prophecy, neither Babylon nor the king of Babylon is once mentioned; and that the judgment described in these verses cannot possibly be restricted to the downfall of the Babylonian monarchy, but is the judgment that is to fall upon all nations (Jer_30:11). And although this judgment begins with the fall of the Babylonian supremacy, it will bring deliverance to the people of God, not merely from the yoke of Babylon, but from every yoke which strangers have laid or will lay on them.

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Jer_30:9Then Israel will no longer serve strangers, i.e., foreign rulers who are heathens, but their God Jahveh, and David the king who will be raised up to them, i.e., the Messiah, the righteous sprout that Jahveh will raise up to David; cf. Jer_23:5. The designation of this sprout as "David their king," i.e., the king of the Israelites, points us back to Hos_3:5.

CALVIN, "Both Jews and Christians pervert this passage, for they apply it to the time of the Messiah; and when they hardly agree as to any other part of Scripture, they are wonderfully united here; but, as I have said, they depart very far from the real meaning of the Prophet.They all consider this as a prophecy referring to the time of the Messiah; but were any one wisely to view the whole context, he would readily agree with me that the Prophet includes here the sum of the doctrine which the people had previously heard from his mouth. In the first clause he shews that he had spoken of God’s vengeance, which rested on the people. But it is briefly that this clause touches on that point, because the object was chiefly to alleviate the sorrow of the afflicted people; for the reason ought ever to be borne in mind why the Prophet had been ordered to commit to writing the substance of what he had taught, which was, to supply with some comfort the exiles, when they had found out by experience that they had been extremely perverse, having for so long a time never changed nor turned to repentance. The Prophet had before spoken at large of the vices of the people, and many times condemned their obstinacy, and also pointed out the grievous and dreadful punishment that awaited them. The Prophet then had in many a discourse reproved the people, and had been commanded daily to repeat the same thing, though not for his own sake, nor mainly for the sake of those of his own age, or of the old. But after God had destroyed the Temple and the city, his object was to sustain their distressed minds, which must have otherwise been overwhelmed with despair. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet here touches but slightly on the vengeance which awaited the people. There is, however, as we shall see, great force in this brevity; but he is much fuller as to the second part, and for this end, that the people might not succumb under their calamities, but hope in the midst of death, and even begin to hope while suffering the punishment which they deserved. COFFMAN, ""And these are the words that Jehovah spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith Jehovah: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child; wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.""Alas for that day ..." (Jeremiah 30:7). Payne Smith, and others have understood this day to be the day when the armies of the Medo-Persians approached Babylon to destroy it;[12] but we cannot believe that was "the day of Jacob's trouble." That

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was evidently the day of Babylon's trouble!"That day is great ... there is none like it ..." (Jeremiah 30:7) The unique day in view here, it appears to us, must be understood as the Judgment of the Great Day. See Amos 5:18f and the first two chapters of Zephaniah. The great day mentioned here is not the day of the destruction of Jerusalem, nor the day of the destruction of Babylon. "It is the Day of the Lord, a significant eschatological theme."[13] Keil agreed with this, pointing out that the passage is an imitation of Joel 2:2. where that prophet, for the first time presents the idea of the great day of Judgment to come on all nations."[14]RAPP, "Jeremiah 30:4 And these [are] the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.Ver. 4. And these are the words.] These are the contents of this precious book; every leaf, nay, line, nay, letter whereof, droppeth myrrh and mercy.That the Lord spake.] See on Jeremiah 30:1.PETT 4-7, "Verses 4-7The Dark Days About To Come On Judah, And Already being Experienced by Many From Both Judah and Israel In Exile, Are Vividly Portrayed (Jeremiah 30:4-7).Jeremiah 30:4‘And these are the words that YHWH spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.’At the time when Jeremiah was speaking Judah was populated, not only by men of Judah and Benjamin, but also by large numbers of refugees and ‘immigrants’ from northern Israel, who for one reason or another, some for religious reasons, and others for political reasons, had taken up their abode in Judah. It thus represented what officially remained of both Israel and Judah in Palestine itself. These words, however, would appear to encompass not only those in Palestine, but also the exiles from both Israel and Judah scattered abroad around the world (Isaiah 11:11).

5 “This is what the Lord says:“‘Cries of fear are heard—

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terror, not peace.

BARNES, "Better, as in the margin. The prophet places his hearers in the center of Babylon, and describes it as convulsed with terror as the armies of Cyrus draw near. The voice of trembling is the war-cry of the advancing host: while fear and no peace implies that even among the exiles there is only alarm at the prospect of the city, where they had so long dwelt, being destroyed.

CLARKE, "We have heard a voice of trembling - This may refer to the state and feelings of the people during the war which Cyrus carried on against the Babylonians. Trembling and terror would no doubt affect them, and put an end to peace and all prosperity; as they could not tell what would be the issue of the struggle, and whether their state would be better or worse should their present masters fall in the conflict. This is well described in the next verse, where men are represented as being, through pain and anguish, like women in travail. See the same comparison Isa_13:6-8.

GILL, "For thus saith the Lord,.... Yet what follows are the words of others; wherefore some supply it, "for thus saith the Lord, the nations shall say" (p); so Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it as what the Gentiles will say in the times of the Messiah; but it might be better supplied, "ye shall say"; that is, Israel and Judah; to whom the words of the Lord are spoken in Jer_30:3; or else the Lord here represents his people, saying: we have heard a voice of trembling, ear, and not of peace; which is to be understood, of the fear and dread injected into them by the Babylonians when they besieged their city, and burned that, and their temple; nor of the fear and dread which came upon the Babylonians at the taking of their city by Cyrus, upon which followed the deliverance of the Jews. Kimchi interprets this of something yet future, the war of Gog and Magog, which he supposes wilt be when their Messiah comes; and Jarchi sans it is so understood in their Midrash Agadah. This distress, I think, refers to the slaying of the witnesses, and to that hour of temptation which shall come upon all the earth to try the inhabitants of it; and which will be followed with the destruction of antichrist; and that will make way for the call and conversion of the Jews.

JAMISON, "We have heard ... trembling — God introduces the Jews speaking that which they will be reduced to at last in spite of their stubbornness. Threat and promise are combined: the former briefly; namely, the misery of the Jews in the Babylonian captivity down to their “trembling” and “fear” arising from the approach of the Medo-Persian army of Cyrus against Babylon; the promise is more fully dwelt on; namely, their “trembling” will issue in a deliverance as speedy as is the transition from a woman’s labor pangs to her joy at giving birth to a child (Jer_30:6).CALVIN, "Now he says, Thus saith Jehovah, A cry, or, the voice of trembling, or of

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fear, have we heard. The word חרדה, cherede, is thought to mean properly that dread which makes the whole body to tremble, and is therefore rendered trembling. God speaks, and yet in the person of the people. Why? In order to expose their insensibility; for as they were obstinate in their wickedness, so they were not terrified by threatenings, however many and dreadful. God dictated words for them, for they were altogether void of feeling. We now see why God assumed the person of those who were secure, though Jeremiah daily represented to them God’s vengeance as near at hand. The meaning is, that though the people were asleep in their sins, and thought themselves beyond the reach of danger, even when God was displeased with them, yet the threatenings by which God sought to lead them to repentance would not be in vain. Hence God says, We have heard the voice of fear; that is, “Deride and scoff as you please, or remain insensible in your delusions, so as to disregard as the drunken what is said, being destitute of feeling, reason, and memory, yet God will extort from you this confession, this voice of trembling and fear.”TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:5 For thus saith the LORD We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.Ver. 5. We have heard a voice of trembling.] We were at first in a pitiful plight, scil., when the city was taken and the temple burnt (and this is elegantly here set forth, and in the two next verses); but better times are at hand:“ Flebile principium melior fortuna sequetur. ”PETT, "Jeremiah 30:5‘For thus says YHWH,“We have heard a voice of trembling,Of fear, and not of peace.”YHWH declares that all is not well for Israel and Judah, either at home or abroad. From among both peoples comes a voice, not of wellbeing and peace, but of trembling and fear (compare Leviticus 26:36-39). Judah is

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approaching its final death throes, whilst many of the exiles are experiencing hard times (compare Deuteronomy 28:65-67). ‘We’ probably has in mind YHWH and the heavenly council, although it may simply be an anonymous and impersonal ‘we’.PULPIT, "Jeremiah 30:5-11The great judgment of Israel's deliverance. It is nothing less than the "day of Jehovah" which the prophet sees in spirit—a day which is "great" (Jeremiah 30:7; comp. Joel 2:11; Zephaniah 1:14) and terrible (Jeremiah 30:5, Jeremiah 30:6; comp. Amos 5:18, Amos 5:20; Isaiah 13:6; Joel 2:1, Joel 2:11) for Israel, a day of "trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7), but for his enemies of destruction.Jeremiah 30:5A voice of trembling; rather, a sound of trembling, a sound causing men to tremble; doubtless it is "the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war" (Jeremiah 4:19). Of fear, and not of peace; rather, there is fear, and no peace. "Peace," as usual, means the harmony of a well ordered, secure, and peaceful community. Literally, it is wholeness; its opposite is "breaking," i.e. outward ruin and inward anguish.

6 Ask and see: Can a man bear children?Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale?

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GILL, "Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child?.... Look into the histories of former times, inquire of those most versed in them, whether ever there was such a thing in the world as that a man should travail with child; ask one and, another you see in distress, whether that is their case or not, which looks so much like it; and since there never was such an instance, nor is it possible that there should: wherefore do I see every man with his hands his loins, as a woman in travail; the usual posture of women in such a condition, trying hereby to abate their pain, and ease themselves. This metaphor is made use of, both to express the sharpness and shortness of this distress; as the pains of a woman in travail are very sharp, yet short, and, when over, quickly forgotten; and so it wilt be at this time; it will be a sharp trial of the church and people of God; but it will last but for a short time; and the joy and happy times that will follow will soon cause it to be forgotten: and all faces are turned into paleness? at the departure of the blood, through fear and trembling. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it "the yellow jaundice"; their faces were of the colour of such persons that have that disease upon them; or, as others, the green sickness. Some render it, "the king's evil" (q).

JAMISON, "Ask — Consult all the authorities, men or books, you can, you will not find an instance. Yet in that coming day men will be seen with their hands pressed on their loins, as women do to repress their pangs. God will drive men through pain to gestures more fitting a woman than a man (Jer_4:31; Jer_6:24). The metaphor is often used to express the previous pain followed by the sudden deliverance of Israel, as in the case of a woman in childbirth (Isa_66:7-9).

paleness — properly the color of herbs blasted and fading: the green paleness of one in jaundice: the sickly paleness of terror.

CALVIN, "He then adds, and not of peace This is emphatically subjoined, that the Prophet might shake off from the people those foolish delusions with which they were imbued by the false prophets. He then says, that they in vain hoped for peace, for they could not flee from terror and fear. He enhances this fear by saying, Inquire and see whether a man is in labor? Some one renders this absurdly, “Whether a man begets?” by which mistake he has betrayed a defect of judgment as well as ignorance; he was indeed learned in Hebrew, but ignorant of Latin, and also void of judgment. For the Prophet here speaks of something monstrous; but it is natural for a man to beget. he asks here ironically, “Can a man be in labor?” because God would put all men in such pains and agonies, as though they were women travailing with child. As, then, women exert every nerve and writhe in anguish when

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bringing forth draws nigh, so also men, all the men, would have their hands laid on their loins, on account of their terror and dread. Then he says, and all faces are turned into paleness; that is, God would terrify them all.We now understand the meaning of the Prophet; for as the Jews did not believe God’s judgment, it was necessary, as the Prophet does here, to storm their hardness. If he had used a common mode of speaking, they would not have been moved. Hence he had respect to their perverseness; and it was on this account that he was so vehement. Inquire, then, he says, and see whether a man is in labor? God would bring all the men to a condition not manly, such as that of a woman in labor, when in her last effort to bring forth, when her pain is the greatest and the most bitter. Men would then be driven into a state the most unbecoming, strange, and monstrous. It follows: —COKE, "Jeremiah 30:6. Ask ye now, &c.— "Is it usual for men to be with child, and to suffer the pangs of travail? Whence then do I see you, Chaldeans and Babylonians, in a similar posture?" The prophet uses this figure, to represent the fear of the Babylonians, and their extreme surprise, when the forces of the Medes and Persians should come upon them. The next verse refers to the same. But though it was a time of trouble to the Babylonians, and to the Jews, as connected with them; yet were the latter saved out of it. Cyrus, in the first year of his reign over Babylon, gave them liberty to return to their own country.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?Ver. 6. Ask ye now, and see, &c.] Was it ever heard of in this world that a male did bear? The poets indeed fable that Minerva was born of Jupiter ’s brain:“ Pictoribus atque poetis,Quidlibet audendi fas est. ”

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Wherefore do I see every man.] Heb., Every strong or mighty man.With their hands on their loins.] And not on their weapons.And all faces turned into paleness.] Through extreme fear, the blood running to the heart, and the heart fallen into the heels. The Septuagint, for "paleness," have the yellow jaundice; the Vulgate, gold yellowness; Piscator, morbus regius; the royal sickness, the Hebrew properly implieth the colour of blasted corn. [Deuteronomy 28:22] It importeth that the most stout-hearted warriors should be enervati et exangues, more parturientium, bloodless and spiritless, as travailing women.PETT, "Jeremiah 30:6“Ask you now, and see whether a man travails with child.Why do I see every man with his hands on his abdomen,Like a woman in labour pains,And all faces are turned pale?”Indeed things are so bad that it is as though even the males in Israel and Judah are in labour pains for they are holding their abdomens in their distress, and their faces have gone deathly white. They are like women undergoing labour pains as a result of the distress in which they find themselves, to such an extent that it makes onlookers ask, ‘are the men also in labour?’.This depth of suffering suggests either a period near the end of Zedekiah ’s reign when the great judgment was looming over them, or the period following when Jerusalem had been destroyed and the land was in darkness and despair.

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PULPIT, "Jeremiah 30:6Whether a man doth travail with child. Great, indeed, must be the terror when no adequate figure suggests itself but that of a woman in her pangs (comp. Jeremiah 6:24; Jeremiah 13:21; Jeremiah 22:23; Isaiah 13:8). All faces are turned into paleness. So Joel (Joel 2:6) and Nahum (Nahum 2:10), "All faces withdraw their colour." For "paleness" the Septuagint has "jaundice"—a possible meaning of the Hebrew; comp. ען קכשס , "pale, bilious looking'' in medical writings, but properly "greenish-yellow," like the Hebrew noun.

7 How awful that day will be! No other will be like it.It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.

BARNES, "That day - i. e., the day of the capture of Babylon.It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble - Rather, and it is a time of trouble to Jacob, i. e., of anxiety to the Jews, for the usages of war were so brutal that they would be in danger when the enemy made their assault.

CLARKE, "Alas! for that day is great - When the Medes and Persians with all their forces shall come on the Chaldeans, it will be the day of Jacob’s trouble - trial, dismay, and uncertainty; but he shall be delivered out of it - the Chaldean empire shall fall, but the Jews shall be delivered by Cyrus. Jerusalem shall be destroyed by the Romans, but the Israel of God shall be delivered from its ruin. Not one that had embraced Christianity

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perished in the sackage of that city.

GILL, "Alas! for that day is great,.... For sorrow and distress: so that none is like it; such were the times of Jerusalem's siege and destruction by the Romans; and which was an emblem of those times of trouble from antichrist in the latter day; see Mat_24:21; it is even the time of Jacob's trouble: of the church and people of God, the true Israel of God; when Popery will be the prevailing religion in Christendom; when the outward court shall be given to the Gentiles; the witnesses shall be slain; antichrist will be "in statu quo"; and the whore of Rome in all her glory; though it shall not last long: but he shall be saved out of it; shall come out of those great tribulations into a very happy and comfortable estate; the spirit of life shall enter into the witnesses, and they shall live and ascend to heaven; the vials of God's wrath will be poured upon the antichristian states; the kings of the earth will hate the whore, and burn her with fire; the Gospel will be preached everywhere; the Jews will be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles be brought in; and an end be put to all trouble; of which there will be no more, nor any occasion of it: or, "therefore he shall be saved out of it" (r); as the effect of the divine compassion to him in such great trouble.

JAMISON, "great — marked by great calamities (Joe_2:11, Joe_2:31; Amo_5:18; Zep_1:14).

none like it ... but he shall be saved — (Dan_12:1). The partial deliverance at Babylon’s downfall prefigures the final, complete deliverance of Israel, literal and spiritual, at the downfall of the mystical Babylon (Revelation 18:1-19:21).

CALVIN, "The Prophet goes on in this verse to describe the grievousness of that punishment for which the people felt no concern, for they disregarded all threatenings, as I have already said, and had now for many years hardened themselves so as to deem as nothing so many dreadful things. This, then, was the reason why he dwelt so much on this denunciation, and exclaimed, Alas! great is that day: “great” is to be taken for dreadful; and he adds, so that there is none like it It was a dreadful spectacle to see the city destroyed, and the Temple partly pulled down and partly consumed by fire: the king, with all the nobility, was driven into exile, his eyes were put out, and his children were slain; and he was afterwards led away in a manner so degraded, that to die a hundred times would have been more desirable than to endure such indignity. Hence the Prophet does not say without reason, that that day would be great, so that none would be like it: and he said this,

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to shake away the torpidity of the people, for they thought that the holy city, which God had chosen for his habitation, could not fall, nor the Temple perish, he further says, that it would be a time of distress to the people. But at the end of the verse he gives them a hope of God ’s mercy, even deliverance from this distress. We now, then, see the design of the Prophet in these verses. (3) — There will be no Lecture tomorrow on account of the Consistory.4.Even these are the words which Jehovah hath said respecting Israel and respecting Judah:5.Verily thus hath Jehovah said — (The voice of trembling have we heard, Of fear and not of peace:6.Ask ye now and see, Does a man travail with child? How is it? I see every man With his hands on his loins like a woman in travail, And turned are all faces to paleness:)7.Hark! for great shall be that day, none like it; Though a time of distress shall be to Jacob, Yet from it shall he be saved:8.And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, That I shall break, etc.. etc..The parenthesis accounts for what is said at the end of the 7th verse (Jeremiah 30:7) and is intended as a contrast with the great day of deliverance that is promised. —Ed.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.Ver. 7. Alas! for that day is great,] i.e., Troublesome and terrible, somewhat like the last day, the day of judgment, which is therefore also called the "great day," because therein the great God will do great things, &c.It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble.] Such as never befell him before. Those very days shall be "affliction," so Mark expresseth the last desolation; [Jeremiah 13:19] not "afflicted" only, but "affliction" itself. But though it be the time of Jacob’s troubles, let it be also the time of his trust, for there will be shortly a day of his triumph.

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But he shall be saved out of it.] Not from it, but yet out of it; the Lord knoweth how to deliver his: [2 Peter 2:9] and though Sense say it will not be; Reason it cannot be; yet Faith gets above and says it shall be; I see the land.PETT, "Jeremiah 30:7“Alas! for that day is great,So that none is like it,It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble,But he will be saved out of it.”This idea then leads on to a vivid picture of the anguish that must follow the destruction of Jerusalem and precede the restoration, the ‘time of Jacob’s trouble’, which is the period of suffering prior to restoration, a time of trembling and fear in full accordance with the warning given in Leviticus 26:32-45. Note in Leviticus the prominent mention of ‘Jacob’ (Leviticus 26:42), and of ‘faintness’ (Leviticus 26:36) and of the restoration of the covenant (Leviticus 26:42; Lev_26:45), all features of this passage. The phrase ‘Jacob’s trouble’ is itself drawn from the warning of ‘trouble’ for a disobedient Israel in Deuteronomy 30:17; and its reference to ‘Jacob’ may be found in Isaiah 43:28; Hosea 12:2. For the idea of their distress and fear compare Deuteronomy 28:65-67.So their anguish will be because of the dreadfulness of what is coming. It is the time spoken of by Moses and the prophets, the time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’resulting from their idolatry and the breaking of the covenant (Leviticus 26:32-45; Deuteronomy 28:58-67; Deuteronomy 30:17; Isaiah 43:28; Hosea 12:2). It would result initially in the besieging of Jerusalem with all the human costs that that involved (Deuteronomy 28:52-55), and continue on in the misery of the exiles (Leviticus 26:36-39; Deuteronomy 28:58-67), something never before experienced. The princes of the sanctuary will be

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profaned and ‘Jacob’ will become a curse (Isaiah 43:28). ‘Jacob’ will be punished according to his ways, and recompensed according to his doings (Hosea 12:2).And this occurred because the people had rejected YHWH in their hearts, and had gone after other gods and allied themselves with godless nations. Only a remnant would be delivered out of it. (A similar story would repeat itself when the nation rejected Jesus Christ. The Idolatrous Desolator (Abomination of Desolation) would destroy Jerusalem, and the people would be scattered into exile, facing a tribulation the like of which had not ever been known before (Matthew 24:15-21; Luke 21:20-24).).Jacob (the people of Judah and the exiles of Israel and Judah as still not transformed), would be troubled because of the tumults in the world, as well as because they were strangers in a foreign land. It was not easy living in that area at that time. As we read of the movements of armies and of battles in history we can often tend to overlook the misery and suffering that was being brought on the people in the parts of the world where they took place. Every mile of advance of an army was at a tremendous human cost, as ‘innocent’ people were caught up in the terror that had come upon them. And in mind here are the particularly bad times, probably having in mind the times when the Babylonian kings had to quell rebellions, often in places where many of the exiles were to be found, and that even if they had not themselves been a part of the rebellion. These would most often occur as one king died and was replaced by another, something which would cause friction between contenders, and hopes of freedom (even if hopeless) among tributaries. At such times vengeance could be non-discriminatory. Indeed from what follows it would appear to have especially in mind the tumults that would arise as a result of the activities of the Persians and the Medes as, under Cyrus, they would challenge the mighty Babylonian Empire. It was a day so great and so awful that none could remember anything like it (compare a similar idea in Joel 2:2), and it would cause great trouble to‘Jacob’, that is, to the exiles in Babylonia, Elam and Assyria, the ‘troubles’forecast by Moses and the prophets (Deuteronomy 30:17). For such‘troubles’ for God’s nominal people resulting from rampant idolatry compare

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Deuteronomy 31:17; Deuteronomy 31:21, and for its being related directly to‘Jacob’ see Isaiah 43:28; Hosea 12:2. Thus it is the time anticipated by the earlier prophets when YHWH would punish His people for their idolatry. But, unexpectedly, out of it would come deliverance and the opportunity to return home, thanks humanly speaking to the humaneness of Cyrus ’ policies, a king whom God had raised up for the purpose. They would be ‘saved out of’ the great troubles that were coming on them and on the world.There are no good grounds for referring the words here specifically to what we call ‘the end times’ (we do love to think that no one mattered but us and‘our times’, which incidentally may well turn out not to be the end times) except in so far as Jeremiah probably saw them as the end times followed by final restoration. He would not be expecting a complicated future. (He was not to know that it was the first stepping stone in a long history. The words were intended to apply to the situation in which the people in those days could expect to find themselves. Prophecy is not to be seen as a kind of crystal ball looking into the long distant future and irrelevant to the age in which it was given. Jeremiah was considering what immediately lay ahead. Of course, troubles arose for God’s people throughout all ages, and they would often be seen as ‘beyond compare’, although, of course, from the prophetic perspective their hope each time was that it would then issue in perfect peace for Israel. Thus they hoped that they would be the ‘end time’troubles. They did not realise that there would be many such times of‘Jacob’s trouble’, as Daniel in fact brings out, (and also a number of desolations of Jerusalem, e.g. by Nebuchadnezzar, by Antiochus Epiphanes, by Titus) before the end came. They simply knew that before blessing must come trouble because of the sinfulness of God ’s people, and that this would be so to the end. Nor could they have visualised the new Israel (Matthew 21:43) that would arise out of such troubles in Jesus ’ day, an Israel which would also continue to experience ‘much tribulation’ as the word of God spread throughout the world in accordance with Isaiah 2:3. All of this was awaiting the setting up of the everlasting kingdom when there will be no more trouble.

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BI, "It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.Jacob’s troubleThere is not a malady in human life, but we find its antidote in the Bible; not a wound, but we find its balm; not a spiritual sickness, but we find its remedy there. If there is no time of trouble to Jacob, what deliverance could Jacob want? Of what use is a promise of rest to the weary and heavy laden, unless a man finds himself burdened and oppressed? A promise of salvation is only of value for those who feel their need of it; and an assurance of deliverance is only precious to such as are made sensible of their danger. The language of our text relates primarily and literally to the languishing state of the Church—to the captivity of Israel’s tribes—to Jacob’s trouble on account of the desolation of their city, and the destruction of their temple; and it is not only promised to them that their trouble should be blessed to them, but also that they should be saved out of it. We notice, first, the time of Jacob’s trouble; secondly, the timely deliverance promised, “He shall be saved out of it”; and thirdly, the evidence and display of the truth and faithfulness of God towards Israel and Jacob.

1. Some may inquire why the truth and faithfulness of God should be brought forward. I do not intend to present you with a catalogue of Jacob’s troubles; they are too numerous. I will, however, mention a few.(1) The trouble here spoken of is of a public nature. In its literal sense, it was the distress, calamity, degeneracy, of the Lord’s people—the scattering and desolation of His inheritance by captivity. I have but a sorry opinion of that man’s spirituality who is not troubled for Jacob’s, not grieved for Joseph’s, not afflicted for Zion’s low, degenerate, sunken, miry condition. It is to my mind, amid all the enjoyments of my soul in Christ, a source of daily trouble. But this degeneracy is not the worst feature in Jacob’s trouble. There is such an awful determination evinced to unite the Church and the world, to amalgamate two whom God has separated in His Word, purposes, and dispensations, with the highest and broadest wall of separation.(2) But Jacob’s trouble is not only of a public character; it is also of a personal nature. There is spiritual trouble when a man is first awakened—when the Lord Jesus convinces him of sin, and discovers the spirituality and extent of the Divine law. This is, indeed, a time of trouble; but here is the mercy—he shall be delivered out of it. He that melted your heart will form Christ there, the hope of glory. He that gave you the knowledge of your sins will also give you the knowledge of His Son. Again, it is a time of trouble when the soul is in legal bondage. What a time of trouble, of fear, sorrow, anxiety, dread, gloom, and dismal forebodings do souls in legal bondage pass through, till the Son of God comes Himself and makes them flee. Again, it is a time of personal trouble when the soul is led into the field of battle, and foiled by the enemy. Again, it is a time of personal trouble when we are called to walk in darkness.(3) Again, there is a time of providential trouble. It was a time of providential trouble to Joseph when sold by his brethren, falsely accused by his mistress, thrown into a dungeon by his master. It was a time of providential trouble to David, when he was hunted by Saul, betrayed by Doeg, threatened to be stoned by his own people, when Ziklag was burned, when driven into the wilderness as a fugitive, and expelled from his throne, family, and palace by his wicked son—but

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he shall be saved out of it. There were times and troubles to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Paul, and all the apostles.2. The timely deliverance. He shall be saved out of it. There is a threefold method in which God saves Jacob out of his trouble. Sometimes by causing his troubles to terminate with a word. He speaks the word, “Peace, be still,” and not s wave rolls, nor s wind breathes. Sometimes He causes their troubles to terminate by taking the sons of Jacob out of them to glory, and raising them above the reach of them for ever. Sometimes by teaching them how to trust and triumph in Himself; as David says, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble Thou wilt revive me.” What a marvellous deliverance God effected for His people in the days of bloody Mary. Then there were multitudes of godly men in prison, under sentence to the fire, and expecting the faggots every moment to be kindled, when God suddenly summoned that cruel queen into His presence. Elizabeth succeeded, and His people were rescued Remember, whether trial is domestic, personal, spiritual, temporal, or circumstantial, a Father’s wisdom directs it, a Father’s love superintends it, and a Father’s word will scatter it. And remember, whatever method God may adopt to save you out of your trouble, you, as a son of Jacob, will be enabled to say, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” Sometimes He delivers them by teaching them how to trust Him, and triumph in Him in the midst of troubles. Look at Gideon and his conquest over the Midianites, without a spear, a bow, dart, javelin, sword, arrow, lance, or any weapon of war—with nothing but lamps and pitchers he overcomes them. How different are the troubles of Jacob and Esau, of Isaac and Ishmael, of the Christian and the worldling, of a child and an enemy. The troubles of the worldling are not few. He is liable to all the calamities of life. He has no God to flee to, no sympathising High Priest. Place a Christless man in my circumstances, despair and anguish will be his portion; but s man that shall be saved if he has my God. Is there any relation to, any likeness to, Jacob’s sons to be found in you? Is there any distinction between you and Esau? Is there any personal, spiritual difference between you and the world? Can you give an affirmative answer to these questions? If so, the promise and oath of God are on your side; and, however deep or long your troubles may be, you shall be saved out of them. (J. Iron.)

8 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necksand will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them.

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BARNES, "Bonds - See Jer_27:2 note.Shall no more serve themselves - i. e., shall no more exact forced labor of him Jer_22:13.

CLARKE, "I will break his yoke - That is, the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar.Of him - Of Jacob, (Jer_30:7), viz., the then captive Jews.

GILL, "For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts,.... When the time is come for Jacob to be saved out of his trouble: that I will break his yoke from off thy neck; not the yoke of the king of Babylon, but of antichrist, and of all the antichristian states, by whom the people of God have been oppressed; so the Targum, "I will break the yoke of the peoples (the antichristian nations) from off your necks.'' Jarchi interprets it of the yoke of the nations of the world from off Israel; and Kimchi of the yoke of Gog and Magog, or of every nation: and will burst thy bonds; by which they were kept in bondage, both with respect to civil and religious things; but now he that led into captivity shall go into captivity himself, Rev_13:10; and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him; this shows that this prophecy cannot be understood of deliverance from the Babylonish captivity; because, after this, strangers did serve themselves of the Jews, and they were servants unto them; as to the Persians, and Grecians, and especially the Romans, by whom they were entirely subdued and ruined; and to this day all nations almost serve themselves of them; but when they shall be called and converted, as they shall be free from the yoke of sin and Satan, and from the yoke of the ceremonial law, and the traditions of their elders, in a religious sense; so from the yoke of the nations of the world, in a civil sense.

JAMISON, "his yoke ... thy neck — his, that is, Jacob’s (Jer_30:7), the yoke imposed on him. The transition to the second person is frequent, God speaking of Jacob or Israel, at the same time addressing him directly. So “him” rightly follows; “foreigners shall no more make him their servant” (Jer_25:14). After the deliverance by Cyrus, Persia, Alexander, Antiochus, and Rome made Judah their servant. The full of deliverance meant must, therefore, be still future.

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CALVIN, "Jeremiah proceeds with what he touched upon in the last verse, even that the Lord, after having chastised his people, would at length shew mercy to them, so as to receive them into favor. He says, in short, that their captivity would not be perpetual. But we must remember what we have before stated, that is, that deliverance is only promised to the faithful, who would patiently and resignedly submit to God and not disregard his paternal correction. If, then, we desire God to be propitious to us, we must suffer ourselves to be paternally chastised by him; for if we resist when goaded, no pardon can by any means be expected, for we then, as it were, wilfully provoke God by our hardness.He therefore says, in that day, that is, when the appointed time was completed. The false prophets inflamed the people with false expectation, as though their deliverance was to take place after two years. God bade the faithful to wait, and not to be thus in a hurry; he had assigned a day for them, and that was, as we have seen, the seventieth year. He then mentions the yoke, that is, of the king of Babylon, and taking another view, the chains The yoke was what Nebuchadnezzar laid on the Jews; and the chains of the people were those by which Nebuchadnezzar had bound them. At last he adds, And rule over them shall no more strangers The verb עבד, obed, is to be taken here in a causative sense; even the form of the sentence shews this, and they who render the words, “and strangers shall not serve them,” wrest the meaning; for it could not be a promise; and this is inconsistent with the context, and requires no confutation, as it is evidently unsuitable. If the verb be taken in the sense of serving, then “strangers” must be in the dative case. We have seen before a similar phrase in Jeremiah 25:14, where the Prophet says that neither kings nor strong nations would any longer rule over the Jews. The same verb is used, and the same form of expression. Strangers, then, shall make them serve no more; that is, they shall not rule over them so as slavishly to oppress them. (4)We now perceive the design of the Prophet; he exhorts the Jews to patience, and shews that though their exile would be long, yet their deliverance was certain. It follows, —

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I render the verse as follows, —8.And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, That I shall break his yoke from thy neck, And thy chains will I burst: And make him to serve shall strangers no more: 9. But serve shall they Jehovah, etc..The transition from the second to the third person, “thy” and “him,” and from the singular to the plural, “him” and “they,” is very common in the Prophets. On the last line in the 8th verse (Jeremiah 30:8). — Ed.COFFMAN, ""And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more make him thy bondman; but they shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith Jehovah; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to save thee: for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, but I will not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and will in no wise leave thee unpunished.""Yoke from off thy neck ..." (Jeremiah 30:8). "Only in the most preliminary way can this refer to the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar on the neck of Jacob. What is meant is the liberation of God's people from all foreign oppressors; and that could be accomplished only by the glorious intervention of Israel's Messianic king."[15] The remainder of this chapter is devoted to the further exploration of that theme.Caesar was the name of a Roman emperor; but the name, in time, became a title for many subsequent emperors. Among the Jews, the same thing happened. David was the name of one of their kings; but, in time, it came to be the title of Messiah himself, "The Son of David" (Matthew 1:1). "It is very significant that in the prophetic scriptures the resurrection of David himself is never predicted as an antecedent to the rule of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, on the Davidic throne."[16]

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"They shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king ..." (Jeremiah 30:9). Note the parallelism. David their king, Messiah, is indeed God come in the flesh. Serving Christ is serving God. Some have missed the point here. Henderson noted that, "The prophecy that the Jews would serve Messiah has hitherto had only a very partial fulfillment, yet the time is coming when they all shall adore him as their Saviour and their King."[17] Such a comment overlooks the truth that "All Israel," that is, "All the true Israel" are already serving Messiah. To construe this prophecy as a notion that all racial Israel shall ever adore Christ is a gross mistake."Jacob my servant ..." (Jeremiah 30:10). Theme of Jacob, or Israel, as God's servant is more fully developed in Isaiah in the series of passages called "The Servant Songs." (Isaiah 41:8-14; 43:1-7; 44:1-2; 51:1f; Isaiah 53, etc.)."Full end of all the nations ... not a full end of thee ..." (Jeremiah 30:11). Ammon, Moab, Edom, Assyria, etc. no longer exist; but the nation of Israel is still on earth. How do critics explain this without designating it a "predictive prophecy?"COKE, "Jeremiah 30:8. And strangers, &c.— And they shall no more serve him among strangers. This prophesy has not yet received its full accomplishment; for, after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, they were again reduced to servitude by the Greeks and Romans; and at present there is no place in the world where they can be said to enjoy perfect liberty. See Lowth and Calmet.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, [that] I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:Ver. 8. I will break his yoke from off thy neck.] The forementioned misery did but make way for this mercy, that it might be the more magnified. Let the saints but see from what, to what, and by what Jesus Christ hath delivered them, and they cannot but be thankful.

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9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

BARNES, "David their king - See Jer_23:5-6; i. e., Messiah.

CLARKE, "But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their King -This must refer to the times of the Messiah and hence the Chaldee has, “They shall obey the Lord their God, וישת מאון למשיחה בר דוד veyishta meun limschicha bar David, and they shall obey the Messiah, the Son of David.” This is a very remarkable version; and shows that it was a version, not according to the letter, but according to their doctrine and their expectation. David was long since dead; and none of his descendants ever reigned over them after the Babylonish captivity, nor have they since been a regal nation. Zerubbabel, under the Persians, and the Asmoneans, can be no exception to this. They have been no nation since; they are no nation now; and it is only in the latter days that they can expect to be a nation, and that must be a Christian nation.

Christ is promised under the name of his progenitor, David, Isa_55:3, Isa_55:4; Eze_34:23, Eze_34:24; Eze_37:24, Eze_37:25; Hos_3:5.

GILL, "But they shall serve the Lord their God,.... And him only, in a spiritual manner, in righteousness and true holiness, with reverence and godly fear; having respect to all his precepts and ordinances, and every branch of religious worship; joining themselves to Gospel churches, and worshipping along with them, before them, and in the midst of them; see Rev_3:9; and David their king; not literally, who shall be raised up from the dead, and reign over them, which Kimchi supposes possible, though he does not assert it; nor his

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successors called by his name, as the kings of Egypt were called Pharaohs and Ptolemies, and the Roman emperors Caesars, of which we have no instance; nor were there any kings of David's line upon the throne of Israel after the Babylonish captivity, until the Messiah came, and who is the Person here meant; and so the Targum paraphrases it, "and they shall hearken to, or obey, Messiah the son of David their king;'' and Kimchi owns that it may be interpreted of Messiah the son of David, whose name is called David, as it is in many prophecies, Eze_34:23; and this prophecy is understood of the Messiah by several Jewish writers (s); and in the Talmud (t) it is said, "the holy blessed God will raise up unto thee another David; as it is said, "and they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them"; it is not said, "he hath raised up", but "I will raise up";'' and Christ is called David, not only because he is his son, but because he is his antitype. David was a type of Christ in his birth and parentage; the son of Jesse, born of mean parents, and at Bethlehem; in his outward form, ruddy and beautiful; in his inward character, a man of holiness, wisdom, and courage; in his offices of shepherd, prophet, and king; in his afflictions and sorrows, and in his wars and victories. The same Person is here meant as in the former clause, "the Lord their God"; since it is Jehovah that is here speaking; and he does not say "they shall serve me", but "the Lord their God"; and since the same service is to be yielded to David as to the Lord their God; and who is, in his divine nature, the Lord God, and so the object of all religious worship and service; and, in his human nature, of the seed of David; and by office a King, appointed by his Father, and owned by his people, as King of saints; so the words may be rendered, "they shall serve the Lord their God, even David their King"; see Tit_2:13; whom I will raise up unto them; which is said of him in all his offices, Jer_23:5; and is expressive of his constitution as Mediator; and includes the Father's pitching upon him, appointing him, calling him, fitting and qualifying him, and sending him in the fulness of time, under this character, as a Mediator, Redeemer, and Saviour; all which was for the good of his people; as a favour to them, for their profit and advantage: his incarnation is for them; his obedience, sufferings, and death; his righteousness, and the salvation he wrought out; he is raised up, and sent to them to bless them, with all spiritual blessings that are in him, Act_3:26.

JAMISON, "Instead of serving strangers (Jer_30:8), they shall serve the Lord, their rightful King in the theocracy (Eze_21:27).

David, their king — No king of David’s seed has held the scepter since the captivity; for Zerubbabel, though of David’s line, never claimed the title of “king.” The Son of David, Messiah, must therefore be meant; so the Targum (compare Isa_55:3, Isa_55:4; Eze_34:23, Eze_34:24; Eze_37:24; Hos_3:5; Rom_11:25-32). He was appointed to the throne of David (Isa_9:7; Luk_1:32). He is here joined with Jehovah as claiming equal allegiance. God is our “King,” only when we are subject to Christ; God rules us not immediately, but through His Son (Joh_5:22, Joh_5:23, Joh_5:27).raise up — applied to the judges whom God raised up as deliverers of Israel out of the hand of its oppressors (Jdg_2:16; Jdg_3:9). So Christ was raised up as the

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antitypical Deliverer (Psa_2:6; Luk_1:69; Act_2:30; Act_13:23).

CALVIN, "The former promise would have been defective had not this clause been added; for it would not be enough for men to live as they please, and to have liberty promised them, except a regular order be established. It would, indeed, be better for us to be wild beasts, and to wander in forests, than to live without government and laws; for we know how furious are the passions of men. Unless, therefore, there be some restraint, the condition of wild beasts would be better and more desirable than ours. Liberty, then, would ever bring ruin with it, were it not bridled and connected with regular government. I therefore said that this verse was added, that the Jews might know that God cared for their welfare; for he promises that nothing would be wanting to them. It is then a true and real happiness, when not only liberty is granted to us, but also when God prescribes to us a certain rule and sets up good order, that there may be no confusion. Hence Jeremiah, after having promised a return to the people into their own country, and promised also that the yoke would be shaken off from their neck, makes this addition, that having served strangers they would be now under the government of God and of their own king. Now this subjection is better than all the ruling powers of the world; that is, when God is pleased to rule over us, and undertakes the care of our safety, and performs the office of a Governor.We hence see that the design of the Prophet was to comfort the faithful, not only with the promise of liberty, but also with this addition, that in order that nothing might be wanting to their complete happiness, God himself would rule over them. Serve, then, shall they their God The word king is added, because God designed that his people should be governed by a king, not that the king would sit in the place of God, but added as his minister. Now this was said a long time after the death of David; for David was dead many years before Jeremiah was born: nor did he live again in order that he might rule over the people; but the name of David is to be taken here for any one that might succeed him.Now, as God had made a covenant with David, and promised that there would be always one of his posterity to sit on his throne, hence the Prophet

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here, in mentioning David, refers to all the kings until Christ: and yet no one after that time succeeded him, for the kingdom was abolished before the death of Jeremiah; and when the people returned into their own country there was no regal power, for Zerubbabel obtained only a precarious dignity, and by degrees that royal progeny vanished away; and though there were seventy chosen from the seed of David, yet there was no scepter, no crown, no throne. It is therefore necessary to apply this prophecy to Christ; for the crown was broken and trodden under foot, as Ezekiel says, until the lawful king came. He intimated that there was no king to be for a long time, when he said,“Cast down, cast down, cast down the crown. ”(Ezekiel 21:27)He therefore commanded the name of a king to be abolished, together with all its symbols, and that not for a short time but for ages, even until he came forth who had a just right to the crown or the royal diadem. We hence see that this passage cannot be otherwise explained than by referring to Christ, and that he is called David, as the Jews were always wont to call him before Christ appeared in the world; for they called the Messiah, whom they expected, the Son of David. We now understand the meaning of the Prophet.But we may hence gather a very useful doctrine, even this, — that nothing is better for us than to be in subjection to God; for our liberty would become that of wild beasts were God to allow us to live according to our own humor and inclinations. Liberty, then, will ever be destructive to us, until God undertakes the care of us, and prepares and forms us, that we may bear his yoke. Hence, when we obey God, we possess true and real happiness. When, therefore, we pray, let us learn not to separate these two things which ought necessarily to be joined together, even that God would deliver us from the tyranny of the ungodly, and also that he would himself rule over us. And this doctrine is suitable to our time: for if God were now only to break down the tyranny of the Pope and deliver his own people, and suffer them to wander here and there, so as to allow every one to follow his own will as his law, how dreadful would be the confusion! It is better that the devil should rule

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men under any sort of government, than that they should be set free without any law, without any restraint. Our time, indeed, sufficiently proves, that these two things have not, without reason, been joined together; that is, that God would become the liberator of his people, so as to shake off the yoke of miserable bondage and to break their chains, and also that he would be a king to govern his people.But we ought also carefully to notice what follows, — that God would not otherwise govern his Church than by a king. He designed to give an instance, or a prelude, of this very thing under the Law, when he chose David and his posterity. But to us especially belongs this promise; for the Jews, through their ingratitude, did not taste of the fruit of this promise: God deprived them of this invaluable benefit, which they might justly and with certainty have expected. As the favor which they have lost has now been transferred to us, what Jeremiah teaches here, as I have said, properly belongs to us; that is, that God is not our king except we obey Christ, whom he has set over us, and by whom he would have us to be governed. Whosoever, then, boast that they willingly bear the yoke of God, and at the same time reject the yoke of Christ, are condemned by this very prophecy; for it is not God ’s will to rule uninterveniently, so to speak, his Church; but his will is that Christ, called here David, should be king; unless, indeed, we accuse Jeremiah of stating an untruth, we must apply the word David to the person of Christ. Since it is so, God then will not otherwise rule over us than by Christ, even to the end of the world; we must obey him and render him service.He adds, Whom I will raise up It was also the office and work of God to raise up Christ, according to what is said in the second Psalm,“I have anointed my King.”We must always come to the fountain of God’s mercy, if we would enjoy the blessings of Christ, according to what is said,“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”We shall, indeed, find in Christ whatever is necessary for our salvation; but whence have we Christ, except from the infinite goodness of God? When he pitied us, he designed to save us by his only begotten Son. Salvation then is laid up for us in

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Christ, and is not to be sought anywhere else: but we ought, ever to remember that this salvation flows from the mercy of God, so that Christ is to be viewed as a testimony and a pledge of God’s paternal favor towards us. This is the reason why the Prophet expressly adds, that God would raise up a king to rule over his people. It follows —COKE, "Jeremiah 30:9. They shall serve the Lord —and David— In this place, in Ezekiel 34:23-24 and in Hosea 3:5. David signifies the Messiah. The Targum uses the word Messiah in this very passage, instead of David; and the Talmud, Sanhed. 11: sect. 36 proves from Ezekiel that David is the name of the Messiah; which Kimchi likewise, asserts. The prophets above cited lived long after David; and yet they prophesy of a future king, who is indeed the Messiah in the judgment of all the Jews of note, but called by the name of David, because represented in and by David: for the name of David was not communicated to the Messiah as being the son of David, for then Solomon, or some other of David's race, would have been called by his name also; but, none of his children being called so, except the Messiah, it may be concluded that the name was not appropriated to him, in respect of his descent from David, but for being typified in David; and so, as is usual, to make the resemblance more plain between the type and the ante-type, the Messiah is described under the name of the person representing him; as David is on the other hand termed the Son of God, the first-born, from bearing the person of the Messiah, who was truly called so. When the Messiah, therefore, is called David, and the son of Jesse, it is because he was typified in David: when he is spoken of as the son of David, or under the name and description of Solomon, it is upon the presumption that Christ was signified in the son of David, so solemnly promised to him by Nathan. We may likewise observe, that persons resembling others in qualities, office, or actions, are described in the prophets by the name of those whom they resemble. The Messiah is promised to come, by the name of David; and yet no Jew ever expected that David should return to the earth bodily, or the Messiah be the person of David. Zadok the high-priest and his sons in David's time, 1 Chronicles 6:31; 1 Chronicles 6:49 are recorded by the name of Aaron and his sons, because they succeeded in Aaron's office, and performed the functions of the high-priesthood. Nay, Elijah himself is called Phinehas by the Jews, because they

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both resembled each other in their zeal. See Bishop Chandler's Defence. We cannot have a stronger instance of the fallacy of the human judgment, than that a man of Grotius's learning and discernment should sit down to shew that Zerubbabel is meant by David in this place.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.Ver. 9. But they shall serve the Lord their God.] "Without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of their lives." [Luke 1:74-75 John 8:12; John 8:31-36,Romans 8:1-4]And David their king,] i.e., Zerubbabel of David ’s line, [Haggai 2:23] but especially Christ, the King of saints, as the Jewish doctors also expound it.Whom I will raise up to them.] To be Messiah the Prince. [Daniel 9:25] Christ the Lord. [Acts 5:31]PETT, "Verses 8-11The Coming Great Deliverance (Jeremiah 30:8-11).One day there will come a time when the yoke of Babylon will be removed, and Israel will be free, and they will serve YHWH their God, and David their king whom YHWH will raise up to them.Jeremiah 30:8-9“And it will come about in that day,The word of YHWH of hosts,That I will break his yoke from off your neck,And will burst your bonds,

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And strangers will make him their bondman no more,But they will serve YHWH their God,And David their king, whom I will raise up to them.”And ‘in that day’, the day when YHWH began to act, the yoke and bonds of Babylon, previously so vividly displayed by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 27:2 ff.; Jeremiah 28:2), would be broken off their necks (as they had been prematurely from Jeremiah’s neck by Hananiah), and their bonds would be torn asunder (compare Isaiah 10:27), and the result would be that they would no longer be bondmen, restricted in their movements, but at liberty to return home to serve YHWH their God freely, and be ruled over by a Davidide (compare Hosea 3:5; Isaiah 55:4). That this occurred Scripture makes clear. Zerubbabel is the Davidide best known to us from the post-exilic period, but he was not the only one, and we should note the vivid language used by Haggai and Zechariah concerning his reign (Haggai 1:12-14; Haggai 2:2-7; Haggai 2:21-22; Zechariah 4:7-9). From Heaven ’s viewpoint his reign was seen as ‘earth shaking’, even if humanly speaking it was ‘a day of small things’. But there would also have been others. All this would, however, culminate in the arrival of the greater ‘Son of David’ Who would establish God’s Kingly Rule on earth (Matthew 12:28; Revelation 12:10), and then establish His throne in Heaven (Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:36; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 3:21), continuing an everlasting rule which would continue over the earth (Revelation 20:4-6) and which would be finalised after His second coming in the everlasting kingdom.Furthermore this great picture is repeated whenever someone is converted to Jesus Christ. They rise from the captivity of this world, their chains fall off, their hearts become free, and they rise up to follow YHWH their God and the Greater David, Jesus Christ, Whom they have come to know as their King and LORD. It is noteworthy that in the New Testament the Name LORD (YHWH) is applied mainly to Jesus Christ.

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Meanwhile the magnanimity of Persian policy would give nations a new freedom, and none more so than Israel and Judah, who were allowed to return home with their religious accoutrements and with assistance from the Persian treasury, and were thus able to establish first the Temple (completed about 516 BC) and a new but impoverished nation, and then finally Jerusalem itself as a ruling city under Nehemiah (about 445 BC), eventually becoming a relatively wealthy independent nation under the Hasmoneans, only to lose it all because of sin.‘In that day --’ simply indicates ‘the day in which YHWH decides to act ’. Such ‘days’ have occurred throughout history.

10 “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’declares the Lord.‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.

BARNES, "These two verses are considered by some very similar in style to the last 27 chapters of Isaiah. The contrast, however, between the full end made with the pagan, and the certainty that Israel shall never so perish, is one of Jeremiah’s most common

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topics.

GILL, "Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord,.... Since the Messiah, who is the Lord God, should be raised up to thorn, whom they should serve, and he should save them; and so had nothing to fear from their enemies; and had no reason to doubt of salvation and deliverance, seeing so great a person was engaged for them. The language is very much like the Prophet Isaiah's: neither be dismayed, O Israel: the same thing in other words; for Jacob and Israel are the same; and to fear and be dismayed are much alike:

HENRY, "In these verses, as in those foregoing, the deplorable case of the Jews in captivity is set forth, but many precious promises are given them that in due time they should be relieved and a glorious salvation wrought for them.

JAMISON, "from afar — Be not afraid as if the distance of the places whither ye are to be dispersed precludes the possibility of return.

seed — Though through the many years of captivity intervening, you yourselves may not see the restoration, the promise shall be fulfilled to your seed, primarily at the return from Babylon, fully at the final restoration.quiet ... none ... make ... afraid — (Jer_23:6; Zec_14:11).

K&D 10-11, "Jer_30:10-11Israel the servant of Jahveh, i.e., the true Israel, faithful and devoted to God, need thus fear nothing, since their God will deliver them from the land of their captivity, and stand by them as their deliverer, so that they shall be able to dwell in peace and undisturbed security in their own land. For Jahveh will make a complete end of all the nations among whom Israel has been scattered; Israel, on the other hand, He shall certainly chastise,

but ַלִּמְׁשָּפט (according to what is right, in due measure), that they may be made better by their punishment. As to the expression ִיַּסר לֹא see on Jer_10:24; for ,ַלִּמְׁשָּפט ָעָׂשהsee on Jer_4:27 ,ָכָלה and Jer_5:18 ( ֹאְת for ִאְּת, Jer_5:18); and lastly, on ַנֵּקה לֹא.cf. Ex. 34:47, Num_14:18, Nah_1:3 ,ֲאַנֶּקJer_30:10 and Jer_30:11 are repeated in Jer_46:27-28, though with some slight changes.

(Note: The general strain of these verses is the same as that of the second portion of Isaiah; hence Hitzig, following Movers, views them as an interpolation made by the reviser. But this view is most incorrect, as Graf has already pointed out. The only expression which, besides the repetition made in Jer_46:27, occurs nowhere else in Jeremiah, but frequently in the second Isaiah, is, "my servant Jacob;" cf. Isa_44:1-2; Isa_45:4; Isa_48:20 and Isa_41:8; Isa_44:21; Isa_49:3. All the rest is not characteristic of Isaiah. "Thus, 'Fear not, I am with thee,' is certainly found in Isa_43:5, but also in Gen_26:24; 'Fear not, neither be afraid,' is found in a like 52

connection in Isa_51:7, but also in Jer_23:24; Deu_1:21; Deu_31:8; Jos_8:1; cf. Isa_44:2; Jer_1:8, Jer_1:17; Jos_1:9. ב ַיֲעק occurs also in Jer_30:7, Jer_30:10, 25, Lam_2:3. For ִׁשיֲע cf. Jer_23:23; Jer_31:3; Jer_51:50. In ,ֵמָרֹחק cf. Jer_14:8; for ,מthe second part of Isaiah, ַׁשֲאָנן occurs as seldom as ְוֵאין; on the other hand, cf. Jer_48:11; Jer_7:33. The expressions found in Jer_30:11 are as rare in the second part of Isaiah as they are frequent in Jeremiah. Thus, 'For I am with thee to save thee" is found in Jer_15:20; Jer_42:11; 'to make a full end' occurs also in Jer_4:27; Jer_5:10, Jer_5:18; 'I shall certainly not let thee go unpunished,' which, like Nah_1:3, seems to have been taken from Exo_34:7 or Num_14:18, is not found at all in the second part of Isaiah; ֵהִפיץ, which is found in Jer_9:15; Jer_13:24; Jer_18:17; Jer_23:1., appears only in Isa_41:16; and while ִיַּסר is used in the same meaning in Jer_10:24, ִיַּסרoccurs nowhere in the second part of Isaiah, and ַלִּמְׁשָּפט is found in Isa_41:1; Isa_54:17; Isa_59:11, in quite a different connection and meaning." (Graf.))

CALVIN, "The Prophet enforces his doctrine by an exhortation; for it would not be sufficient simply to assure us of God ’s paternal love and goodwill, unless we were encouraged to hope for it, because experience teaches us how backward and slow we are to embrace the promises of God. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet exhorts and encourages the faithful to entertain hope. Were there in us that promptitude and alacrity which we ought to have, we should be content even with one word; for what can be wished for beyond God’s testimony respecting his favor? But our listlessness renders many goads necessary. Hence, when doctrine precedes, it is necessary to add exhortations to stimulate us; and these confirm the doctrine, so that the grace of God may flourish effectually in our hearts.He addresses “Jacob” and “Israel;” but they mean the same, as in many other places. These duplicates, as they are called, are common, we know, in the Hebrew language; for the same words are repeated for the sake of emphasis. So, in this passage, there is more force when Jeremiah mentions two names, than if he had said only, “Fear not thou, Jacob, and be not afraid.” He then says, Fear not thou, Jacob; and Israel, be not thou afraid (5) And he does this, that the Jews might remember that God had not only been once propitious to their father Jacob, but many times; for from the womb he bore a symbol of that primogeniture which God had destined for him; and he afterwards had, for the sake of honor, the name of Israel given to him. As,

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then, God had in various ways, and in succession, manifested his goodness to Jacob, the people might hence entertain more hope.He calls him his servant; not that the Jews were worthy of so honorable a title; but God had regard to himself, and his gratuitous adoption, rather than to their merits. He did not then call them servants, because they were obedient, for we know how contumaciously they rejected both God and his Prophets; but because he had adopted them. So when David says,“I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid,”(Psalms 116:16)he does not boast of his obedience, nor claim to himself any deserving virtue, but, on the contrary, declares, that before he was created in the womb, he was God’s servant through his gratuitous adoption. Hence, he adds, “I am the son of thine handmaid,” as though he had said, “I belong to thee by an hereditary right, because I am descended from that nation which thou hast been pleased to choose for thy peculiar people.” We now then see that the name servant, ought not to be understood as intimating the merits of the people, and that their obedience is not here commended, as though they had truly and faithfully responded to the call of God, but that their gratuitous adoption is alone extolled.He adds, Behold, I will save thee from far He first declares that he would be ready to save the people when the suitable time came; for behold here intimates certainty. And he subjoins, from far, lest the people should fail in their confidence; for they had been driven into distant exile; and distance is a great obstacle. Were any one to promise to us an advantageous retreat, without calling us away to some unknown country, we could more easily embrace the promise; but were any one to say, “I promise to you the largest income in Syria, and you shall have there whatever may be deemed necessary to make your life happy;” would you not reply, “What! shall I pass over the sea, that I may live there? it is better for me to live here in comparative poverty than to be a king there.” As, then, a difficulty might have presented itself to the Jews, when they saw that they had been driven

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away into very remote countries, the Prophet adds, that this circumstance would be no obstacle so as to prevent God to save them: I will save you then from far; as though he had said, that his hands were long enough, so that he could extend them as far as Chaldea, and draw them from thence.He then adds, and thy seed from the land of their captivity As the expectation of seventy years was long, God refers what he promises to their seed. There is no doubt but that the Prophet reminded the Jews, that the time determined by God was to be waited for in patience, as was the case with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for though they knew that they would be strangers in the land which God had promised them, yet they did not on that account despise or disregard the favor promised them. Abraham received in faith what he had heard from God ’s mouth,“I will give thee this land;”and yet he knew that he would be there a stranger and a sojourner. (Genesis 12:7) His children had to exercise the same patience. Abraham had indeed been warned of a very long delay; for God had declared that his seed would be in bondage for four hundred years. (Genesis 15:13) Here, then, the Prophet exhorts the people of his time to entertain hope, according to the example of their father, and not to despise God ’s favor, because its fruit did not immediately appear; for Abraham did not enjoy the land as long as he lived, and yet he preferred it to his own country; Isaac did the same; and Jacob followed the example of his fathers. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet mentions seed, as though he had said, “If the fruit of redemption will not come to you, yet God will not disappoint your hope, for your posterity shall find that he is true and faithful.”If any one had then objected, and said, “What is that to me?” the objection would have been preposterous; for why had God promised to their posterity a return to their own country? was it not thus to testify his love towards them? And whence came their freedom, and whence God ’s paternal love, except from the covenant? We hence see that the salvation of the fathers was included in the benefit which their sons enjoyed. And therefore, though the

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fruition of that benefit was not visibly granted to the fathers, yet they partook in part of the fruit, for it was made certain to them, that God would become the deliverer of his people even in death itself.He adds that which is the main thing in a happy life, that they would be at rest and in a quiet state, so that none would terrify them; (6) for a return to their own country would not have been of any great importance, without a quiet possession of it. Hence the Prophet, after having said that God would come to save the people, and that distance would not prevent him to fulfill and complete what he had promised, now adds, that this benefit would be confirmed, for God would no more allow strangers to lead the Jews into exile, or to rule over them as they had done. God then promises here the continuance of his favor.But as this did not happen to the Jews, we must again conclude that this prophecy cannot be otherwise interpreted than of Christ ’s kingdom. And Daniel is the best interpreter of this matter; for he says, that the people were to be exposed to many miseries and calamities after their return, and that they were not to hope to build the Temple and the city except in great troubles. The Jews then were always terrified. We also know, that while building the Temple, they held the trowel in one hand and the sword in the other, for they often had to bear the assaults of their enemies. (Nehemiah 4:17) Since, then, the Jews ever suffered inquietude until the coming of Christ, it follows, that until his coming, this promise was never accomplished. Then the benefit of which the Prophet speaks here is peculiar to the kingdom of Christ. Now, since from the time Christ was manifested to the world, we see that the world has been agitated by many storms, yea, all things have been in confusion; it follows, that this passage cannot be explained of external rest and earthly tranquillity. It ought, therefore, to be understood according to the character of his kingdom. As, then, Christ ’s kingdom is spiritual, it follows that a tranquil and quiet state is promised here, not because no enemies shall disturb us or offer us molestation, but because we shall especially enjoy peace with God, and our life shall be safe, being protected by the hand and guardianship of God. Then spiritual tranquillity is what is to be understood here, the fruit of which the faithful experience in

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their own consciences, though always assailed by the world, according to what Christ says,“My peace I give to you, not such as the world gives, ”(John 14:27)and again,“In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)It follows —And return shall Jacob and be at rest,And secure shall he be, and none making him afraid.Security is freedom from disturbance: “he shall be prosperous,” as rendered by some, is by no means suitable. “Jacob,” being the father of the twelve patriarchs, is to be understood as including both Israel and Judah, according to the 4th verse (Jeremiah 30:4). — Ed.

SIMEON, "Verse 10-11GOD’S GRACIOUS DESIGNS TOWARDS HIS CHOSEN PEOPLEJeremiah 30:10-11. Fear thou not, O my tenant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee; though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, I yet will not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.THE peculiar importance of these words may be judged of from hence, that

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the prophet, without any apparent necessity, or indeed any visible connexion, introduces them again, towards the close of his prophecies [Note: Jeremiah 46:27-28.]. But the subject of them is so consolatory, and the view which they open to us of God’s future dispensations is so glorious, that they may well be proposed to our most attentive consideration. Respecting their primary import we can have no doubt. They look forward to a period far beyond the return of the Jews from Babylon, even to that blessed period, when the whole nation shall be converted to the faith of Christ, and be restored to the possession of the land of Canaan [Note: ver. 8, 9.]. That such a period shall arrive, we have the strongest and most unequivocal declarations of Holy Writ [Note: Compare Hosea 3:5.]: and it becomes us all to look forward to it with confidence and joy.But we must not so contemplate the future good of others, as to overlook our own personal and immediate welfare. The words before us convey most comfortable tidings to ourselves; which therefore we shall advert to in connexion with the event to which they more especially refer: and in order to this we shall deduce from them some general observations. Observe then,I. That God has glorious things in reserve for his chosen people —1. For the Jewish people—[There is certainly mercy in reserve for them:“their yoke has never been so broken from their neck, but that strangers have served themselves of them [Note: ver. 8.],” and do still oppress them. A season of happiness awaits them, such as they never experienced in their most prosperous days: “they shall be at rest, and be quiet, and none shall make them afraid:” and this outward peace shall be only a shadow of that inward joy which they snail experience under the protection of their reconciled God and Saviour, who will be “a little sanctuary unto them [Note: Ezekiel 11:16-17. with Jeremiah 23:6.]. ”[2. For his people among all nations—[However “far off” his people are, God sees and knows them [Note: 2 Timothy 2:19.], and will in due season bring them to himself [Note: John 10:16.]. No

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enemy shall be able to detain them: their bonds shall be broken, and they shall be “brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ” O what sweet peace and composure of mind shall they enjoy, when they are truly brought to the fold of Christ [Note: Psalms 23:1-2.]! what blessed assurance too shall they possess, not only of their present interest in the Saviour, but of final victory and everlasting felicity [Note: Psalms 23:4-6.]!Yet is this but the beginning of blessings: the time shall come when the saints of all ages, even from the beginning to the end of time, shall be gathered together, every one of them freed from all remains of sin and sorrow, and raised to the fruition of their heavenly inheritance.Shall we not then, whilst we contemplate the future destinies of God’s ancient people, consider also our own; when, even in this life, such “things are prepared for us as no un-renewed eye hath seen, or ear heard, or heart conceived [Note: 1 Corinthians 2:9.];” and, in the world to come, such things as exceed the comprehension whether of men or angels?]Subservient to this great design, God orders every thing for them in love, so,II. That even his darkest dispensations towards them are intended for their good—This was, and still is, the case with respect to the Jews.[The sending of that whole nation into captivity in Babylon was doubtless a heavy judgment: but yet we are expressly told that God designed it “for their good [Note: Jeremiah 24:5.].” And we doubt not but that the destruction of their whole estate and polity by the Romans, together with their present dispersion over the face of the whole earth, is intended for their good also. By the Babylonish captivity they were cured of idolatry; and by the total abolition of the temple worship, all hope of obtaining mercy by the ceremonial rites and ceremonies is cut off, and they are “shut up unto the faith that is now revealed.” We trust also that they are preparing to be God’s honoured instruments of evangelizing the world; seeing that the receiving of them into the Church will be as life from the dead to the Gentile world [Note: Romans 11:15.]. We see clearly that there is an immense difference put between them and all the nations which once led them captive. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Romans, have ceased to exist as distinct kingdoms; and have been

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lost, as it were, among the people who subdued them: but the Jews are in every place a distinct people, and are so kept by God ’s overruling providence, that he may accomplish more manifestly his gracious purposes towards them. Many indeed, like Pharaoh, have sought their destruction; but they live as monuments of God’s unceasing care and faithfulness.]And may not we also see the hand of God ordering and overruling every thing for our good?[His chastening hand may have been upon us; but the consolations and supports with which he has favoured us have almost changed the very nature of our afflictions. Besides, he has, like a skilful Refiner, apportioned our trials to our necessities; and always either increased our strength to sustain them, or provided for us a way to escape from them. Let any one of us look back, even the most afflicted amongst us, and say, Whether God has not corrected always “in measure [Note: Isaiah 27:7-8.]?” yea, whether his corrections have not “wrought for our good;” and whether, if our hearts be indeed right with God, they have not been “working out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory [Note: Romans 8:28. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.]?” Yes, “by these has our iniquity been purged; and the fruit of them has been to take away our sin [Note: Isaiah 27:9.]:” and in all that God may have inflicted on us, he has acted the part, not of an angry Judge, but of a loving Father [Note: Hebrews 12:6-8.].]Well may God’s people rejoice in such hopes as these, seeing,III. That his presence with them is their never-failing security—God did not so withdraw from the Jews in Babylon, but that he was with them to watch over them, and to overrule events for their deliverance at the time appointed. Thus at this day he hears the cries of his afflicted people, and only waits till the appointed time to shew himself strong in their behalf. Thus is his presence with us our security also.[He has promised “never to leave us nor forsake us [Note: Hebrews 13:5.]. ” In our troubles more especially has he engaged to be with us [Note: Isaiah 43:2-3.]. Nor will he ever leave us, till he has accomplished all the good pleasure of his goodness towards us [Note: Genesis 28:15.]. Had it not been for his presence with his Church and people, their enemies would long since

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have triumphed over them: but because “he is with them to save them,” they shall be “more than conquerors” over all their enemies, and “be saved by him with an everlasting salvation.”[Application—Thrice, in the parallel passage, does God repeat the exhortation, “Fear not [Note: Jeremiah 46:27-28.].” We therefore will address that exhortation,1. To those who are afar off—[Look at the Jews in Babylon, or in their present state; What can be conceived more hopeless? — — — Yet they were, and shall be delivered. Let none then despair, as if they were beyond the reach of mercy: for “God’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save;” and they shall “be brought nigh by the blood of Jesus,” which is able to “cleanse from all sin.”[2. To those who are visited with any great affliction—[You are apt to conclude, that, because you are afflicted, you are monuments of God’s wrath. But God makes these very afflictions a subject of promise: “I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. ”He knows that without these afflictions you would never return to him, nor ever be purified from your dross: it is because you are a child, and not a bastard, that he thus visits you with his chastising rod. It was in this view of his dispensations that David said, “In very faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.” Faithfulness has respect to a promise: and it is your privilege to see every one of your afflictions as the fruit of his faithfulness and love.]3. To those who are under discouragement of any kind—[“Fear not, feat not, fear not.” It is God’s delight to “bind up the broken-hearted, and to comfort all that mourn;” and thrice does he renew to you the exhortation, “Fear not.” Only seek to have his presence with you, and you need fear nothing. Remember the disciples in the storm. Could they sink whilst Jesus was in the vessel with them [Note: Mark 4:37-40.]? Neither can ye, under your circumstances, If God be for you, none can be effectually against you. Take him with you then, wherever you go; and “the gates of hell

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shall not prevail against you [Note: Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 41:14.]. ”[TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make [him] afraid.Ver. 10. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob.] This is Isaiah like; and indeed the prophet here setteth himself verbis consolantissimis, by words of comfort, as one saith, with most cordial comforts, to cheer the hearts of God’s poor afflicted.PETT, "Jeremiah 30:10“Therefore do not be afraid, O Jacob my servant,The word of YHWH,Nor be dismayed, O Israel,For, lo, I will save you from afar,And your seed from the land of their captivity,And Jacob will return, and will be quiet and at ease,And none will make him afraid.”So Jacob (Judah/Israel) were not to be afraid of the future, nor dismayed at what was to happen around them, for all was in YHWH ’s hands. The association of ‘Jacob’ and ‘Israel’ signifying the whole of Judah/Israel is typically Isaianic (Isaiah 9:8; Isaiah 10:20 and twenty two times in all) as is the reference to Jacob as His ‘servant’, and it is possibly borrowed from there by Jeremiah. Whatever may have happened to them in the past His purpose towards them for the future was good. On the sure ‘word of YHWH’

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they could be certain that they would be ‘saved from afar’, wherever they might be, and their children would be saved also, from the land of their enforced exile, and they would return to their land and find quiet and ease, with none to make them afraid.This redemption of ‘Jacob’ was a regular feature of Isaiah’s ministry (Isaiah 14:1; Isaiah 44:23; Isaiah 48:20; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 60:16). And that is precisely what God did during the centuries after the Exile when His people returned and repopulated Palestine, enjoying many long periods of peace and wellbeing. Whilst we mainly know of the returnees from Babylon we may be sure that many who remained true to YHWH came from other parts as well. It would have been remarkable if they had not. And certainly by the time of Jesus we find an Israel made up of people from many of the tribes, although many had lost their specific identity. There was further fulfilment when Jesus came, leading men into peace and rest (Matthew 11:28-30), and bringing about an even greater redemption for ‘Jacob’ (Mark 10:45). But, of course, the final fulfilment will be in the everlasting kingdom when there will be no more fear.The mention of ‘their seed’ indicates, however, that it would not be immediate but after a period of time, which ties in with the ‘seventy year’delay.PULPIT, "Jeremiah 30:10, Jeremiah 30:11Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, etc. These two verses, omitted in the Septuagint, are among the passages which Hitzig (carrying out an idea of Movers) attributes to the editorial hand of the author (a pious Jew of the Captivity, according to him) of Isaiah 40-66; and it cannot be denied that the tone and phraseolegy of Isaiah 66:10 is more akin to that of Isaiah 40:1-31 :66, than to those of the greater part of Jeremiah. Graf, in controverting Hitzig's view, points out, however, that the expressions referred to by Hitzig as "Deutero-Isaianic," are also found in other books besides the latter part of Isaiah, and that, on the other hand, "the expressions of verse 11 are all as foreign to Isaiah 40-66, as they are current in Jeremiah." As for the

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expression, "my servant Jacob." (which. only occurs again in Jeremiah in the duplicate of this passage, Jeremiah 46:27, Jeremiah 46:28, and which is specially characteristic of the second part of Isaiah), it is worth noticing that it is found once in the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:25), which, on Hitzig's theory, was written before the so called Second Isaiah. It still remains for the student to consider whether these two verses are not an insertion by some later hand (without attempting to discover whose that hand was). That the prophetic writings have received additions from editors and scribes is a fact which cannot reasonably be gainsaid, supported as it is by the phenomena of the historical books. It would be very natural for a pious Jew in the Captivity, not wholly devoid himself of the spirit of prophecy, to encourage his people, in the Name of the Lord, with this glowing word of promise.

11 I am with you and will save you,’ declares the Lord.‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you.I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’

BARNES, "Jer_30:11In measure - See the Jer_10:24 note.

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CLARKE, "Though I make a full end of all nations - Though the Persians destroy the nations whom they vanquish, yet they shall not destroy thee.

GILL, "For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee,.... Not only from temporal enemies, but from spiritual ones, sin, Satan, and the world; and to save them with a spiritual and everlasting salvation, which the presence and power of God, through his rich grace, will bring all his people to: though I will make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; a full end has been made of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians; these people and their names are no more; and of Rome Pagan, which, upon the opening of the sixth seal, departed as a scroll that is rolled together; and so will all the antichristian states be made a full end of, when the vials of God's wrath are poured out upon them; and yet the people of the Jews, a poor, mean, and despicable people, have been continued a distinct people, notwithstanding their dispersion so many hundreds of years; and will continue so until they are called and converted: but I will correct thee in measure; or "in", or "according to judgment" (u); as in Jer_10:24; wisely, moderately, and with clemency; which the Targum paraphrases "judgment remitted"; which is not strict and rigorous, but is abated of its rigour, and is mixed with mercy: and will not leave thee altogether unpunished; or, "let thee go free"; from correction and chastisement in a merciful way. The Targum is, "in destroying I will not destroy thee;'' or utterly destroy thee. And Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of cutting off, from the use of the word in Zec_5:3.

HENRY 11-12, " God himself appeared against them: he scattered them (Jer_30:11); he did all these things unto them, Jer_30:15. All their calamities came from his hands; whoever were the instruments, he was the principal agent. And this made their case very sad that God, even their own God, spoke concerning them, to pull down and to destroy. Now, 1. This was intended by him as a fatherly chastisement, and no other (Jer_30:11): “I will correct thee in measure, or according to judgment,with discretion, no more than thou deservest, nay, no more than thou canst well bear.” What God does against his people is in a way of correction, and that correction is always moderated and always proceeds from love: “I will not leave thee altogether

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unpunished, as thou art ready to think I should, because of thy relation to me.” Note, A profession of religion, though ever so plausible, will be far from securing to us impunity in sin. God is no respecter of persons, but will show his hatred of sin wherever he finds it, and that he hates it most in those that are nearest to him. God here corrects his people for the multitude of their iniquity, and because their sins were increased, Jer_30:14, Jer_30:15. Are our sorrows multiplied at any time and do they increase? We must acknowledge that it is because our sins have been multiplied and they have increased. Iniquities grow in us, and therefore troubles grow upon us. But, 2. What God intended as a fatherly chastisement they and others interpreted as an act of hostility; they looked upon him as having wounded them with the wound of an enemy and with the chastisement of a cruel one (Jer_30:14), as if he had designed their ruin, and neither mitigated the correction nor had any mercy in reserve for them. It did indeed seem as if God had dealt thus severely with them, as if he had turned to be their enemy and had fought against them, Isa_63:10. Job complains that God had become cruel to him and multiplied his wounds. When troubles are great and long we have need carefully to watch over our own hearts, that we entertain not such hard thoughts as these of God and his providence. His are the chastisements of a merciful one, not of a cruel one, whatever they may appear.

JAMISON, "though ... full end of all nations ... yet ... not ... of thee — (Amo_9:8). The punishment of reprobates is final and fatal; that of God’s people temporary and corrective. Babylon was utterly destroyed: Israel after chastisement was delivered.

in measure — literally, “with judgment,” that is, moderation, not in the full rigor of justice (Jer_10:24; Jer_46:28; Psa_6:1; Isa_27:8).not ... altogether unpunished — (Exo_34:7).

CALVIN, "He repeats in other words what we have already stated, but for the purpose of giving fuller support to trembling and wavering minds. God then promises that he would be present with his people to save them. Now as this could not easily be believed, and as the Jews looking only on their state at that time could not but despair, the Prophet added this comparison between them and the Gentiles. The Chaldeans and the Assyrians flourished seventy years in every kind of wealth, in luxuries, in honor — in short, they possessed every thing necessary for an earthly happiness. What, then, could the Jews have thought, but that unbelievers and God ’s enemies were happy, but that they were miserable, being oppressed by hard servitude and loaded with many reproaches, and living also in poverty, and counted as sheep

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destined for the slaughter? When, therefore, all these things were plain before their eyes, what but despair must have laid hold on their minds? Therefore God obviates this evil; (7)And he says that he would make a consummation among the nations, as though he had said, “When I begin to punish the Gentile nations, I will destroy them with an utter destruction, no hope will remain for them. But as to thee, I will not make a consummation.” Thus he makes a difference between the punishment inflicted on the reprobate and ungodly and that by which he would chastise the sins of his people; for the punishment he would inflict on the wicked would be fatal, while the punishment by which he would chastise his Church would be only for a time; it would therefore be to it for medicine and salvation.We now, then, perceive what the Prophet had in view: he mitigated the bitterness of grief as to the faithful, for God would not wholly cast them away. And he shews that their scourges ought to be patiently borne, because they were to hope for an end of them; but that it would be different when he visited the reprobate, because he would leave them without any hope. In short, he says, that he would be a severe judge to the last degree as to the unbelieving, but that he would chastise his own people as a Father.Other passages seem, however, to militate against this view; for God declares that he would make a consummation as to his chosen people, as in Isaiah 10:23, and in other places. But the explanation is obvious; for there he refers to the whole body of the people, which were alienated from him; but here his word is addressed to the faithful,“the remnant of grace,”as Paul calls them, (Romans 11:5) We ought, therefore, ever to consider who those are whom the Prophets address; for at one time they refer to the promiscuous mass, and at another time they address apart the faithful, and promise them salvation. Thus, then, we have before seen that God would make a consummation as to his people, that is, the reprobate; but the Prophet here turns his discourse to the Church and the seed which God would preserve in safety among a people apparently cut off and lost. Whenever, therefore, the devil would drive us to despair, whenever we are harassed in our minds when God deals with us more severely than we expect, let this consolation be remembered, that God will not make a consummation with us; for what is here said of the Church may and ought to be applied to every individual believer. God, indeed, handles them often roughly when he sees it necessary for them, but he never wholly consumes them.

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I will not make, he says, a consummation with thee, but I will chastise thee in judgment Here the copulative ought to be taken as an adversative particle, and “judgment” has the sense of moderation, as we have seen in Jeremiah 10:24,“Chastise me, O Lord, but not in thy wrath;”he had mentioned “judgment” before. In this sense is judgment used here, that is, for that moderation which God adopts towards his chosen, for he is ever mindful of his mercy, and regards not what they deserve, but what they can bear. When, therefore, God withholds his hand and gently chastises his people, he is said to punish them in judgment, that is, moderately. For judgment is not to be taken here for rectitude, because God never exceeds due limits so as to be subject to the charge of cruelty; judgment is also opposed to just rigor, and it is often opposed to injustice; but in this place we are to understand that the contrast is between judgment and the just rigor of God. Then judgment is nothing else but the mitigation of wrath.At last he adds, By cleansing I will not cleanse thee, or, “by cutting down I will not cut thee down.” The verb, נקה , nuke, means sometimes to cleanse, or to render innocent; and it means also intransitively to be pure and harmless; but it is to be taken here transitively. It cannot, then, be rendered otherwise than “by cleansing I will not cleanse thee,” or, “I will not cut thee down;” for it has also this meaning, and either of the two senses is suitable. If we read, “I will not cut thee down,” it is the continuation of the same subject; “I will chastise thee in judgment, and I will not therefore cut thee down, ” that is, I will not make a consummation. It would then be, as it is evident, a very suitable connection, and it would run smoothly were we to read, “I will not cut thee down.” But the other version is also appropriate, though it may admit of a twofold meaning; some take it adversatively, “Though I shall not make thee innocent;” that is, though I shall not spare thee, but chastise thee moderately; and this intimation was very seasonable; for the flesh ever seeks impunity. Now God sees that it is not good for us to escape unpunished when we offend; it is then necessary to bear in mind this doctrine, that though God will not allow us to be exempt from punishment, nor indulge us, but smite us with his rods, he is yet moderate in his judgment towards us. But others refer to this passage in Isaiah,

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“I made thee to pass through the furnace and refined thee, but not as silver, otherwise thou wouldest have been consumed.”(Isaiah 48:10)God then tries his people, or cleanses them with chastisements; but how? or, how long? — not as silver and gold, for that would wholly consume them. For when silver is purged from its dross, and also gold, the purer and clearer portion remains; but men, as there is nothing in them but vanity, would be wholly consumed, were God to try them as silver and gold. But as this interpretation is too refined, I am more disposed to adopt one of the two first, that is, that God would not wholly cut them down, though he would chastise them, or, that though he would not count or regard them wholly innocent, nor so indulge them as to let them go unpunished, he would yet be merciful and propitious to them, as he would connect judgment with his chastisements, that they might not be immoderate. (8)TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:11 For I [am] with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.Ver. 11. For I am with thee.] To preserve thee, and to provide for thee; to support thee, and to supply thee.Though I make a full end of all nations.] See Isaiah 27:7-8. {See Trapp on "Isaiah 27:7"} {See Trapp on "Isaiah 27:8"} Jeremiah 5:10; Jeremiah 5:18.But I will correct thee in measure.] Heb., According to judgment, not summo iure et rigida iustitia; not as I might, but in mercy and with moderation.And will not leave thee altogether unpunished.] Heb., Et innocentando non innocentabo te; in very faithfulness I will afflict thee, that I may be true to thy soul, and not cruel to thy body. (a)

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PARKER, " Correction In MeasureJeremiah 30:11This is a wonderful chapter. The Lord here takes the case of Zion into his own hand. He states both sides of it in a most distinct and pathetic manner. He determined to bring again the captivity of Israel and Judah, and to give to his offending people the land which they had forfeited. The element of changefulness is seen to operate with amazing activity in the mind and rule of the Most High where human sin and human repentance are concerned. He will do certain things surely, and then he will not do them; the covenant is to be for ever, and in a few days it lies in fragments like a torn scroll; the light is never to go out, the whole sky is to be a perpetual glory, and lo! in one hour the sky is all night and the stars are like eyes that are closed in fear. Then the covenant is to be a new one; he will write it all out again from the very beginning; the old things shall be forgotten, the offence of yesterday shall not be so much as named; there shall be a new love, a new start, a new day in man"s broken life. He who wrought the first miracle, which he called "Beginning"—for only God could conceive that word—he who never began continues to repeat that most hopeful wonder, and puts many beginnings in our life, many new hours. Every morning is new, every spring is new, every year is new; all the four seasons of the year are in every day we live—the morning spring, the noontide summer, the afternoon autumn, the evening winter. So he who makes all things new—who is always making new things—says he will make a new covenant, a new writing and bond, as if a thousand covenants had not been dishonoured and his signature contemned by a thousand generations. This is the mystery of love. Life is full of new chances. The door that shut to so heavily seemed to rebound by the very violence of the closing, and it is still ajar. Life —let us say again and again, for it is a tender gospel—in itself is full of new chances, new beginnings. This is one of them: even now the morning light is like a door swinging right back into heaven to let us go in. Let us go. The door is now open—it may be shut to-morrow—let us enter and make our peace with God. "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation."

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The text gives us God"s law of correction; and remember, first of all, that it is a law. It is not a passion; it is not a surprise on the part of the Ruler himself: it is part of his very goodness; it is quiet, solemn, inexorable, everlasting. The steadfast law of the universe Isaiah , that though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished. Could we have heard the solemn music of the voice which pronounced those words, the voice would have had what seems to be wanting in a violence so tremendous, the pathos which would have shown that the law was uttered in a gospel-tone. There may be a universe in which wickedness has no effect upon happiness and peace, but such a universe is inconceivable by minds which have been trained as ours have been. We know that vice punishes itself. We have tried to break the force of that law, yet it comes upon us with the certainty of the tide, with the regularity of the seasons, and claims to be one of those forces which lie beyond the hand of man. If, even for a time, we think we have evaded the law and have got clean off without a puncture from the sword, we are surprised after a while to find that the law is still unrepealed, and that our blind craftiness has but given it the opportunity of inflicting a fuller vengeance. Put it down as a law, write it among your facts, that vice means loss, pain, death. If you have been secreting that statement amongst your theories, sentiments, hypotheses, pluck it out and set it among your facts. If witnesses are called, rise yourselves. You need not write for witnesses or send for them from the ends of the earth; stand up and say, "I bear witness that never yet was wrong done, but the earth opened to swallow up the wrongdoer." This is a law, it is not a caprice; it is a necessity of goodness, and not a burst of passion. All things fight for God; they are very loyal to him. The stars in their courses utter his testimony; the winds as they fly are vocal with his name; the earth will open her mouth with eager gladness to swallow up the populations that lift their hands against him. Call it poetry if you will, but all true poetry is the highest philosophy—there could be no poetry without philosophy. Scorn not the poetic representation of severest realities, for that representation may be the sublimest truth. There are those who have divided books, thinkings, and all the mystery of human mental imagination into "history" and "fiction." That is a rude and vulgar division. Things are not either historic or fictitious; there is a middle quantity which combines both and lifts both up to the right level—the parabolical, the religiously imaginative; and when we say, "The earth opens her mouth and swallows up all who rebel against God," we are not speaking that which is fictitious, but that which is higher than history dare speak, for history has but a narrow language, a small and contracted throat, and cannot utter but whining and piping sounds. The great music of things, the infinite apocalypse and trembling Revelation , you can only find in the parables, which alone could set forth the kingdom of heaven. Unless we recognise those facts, we shall not be able to go into the inner meaning of things hidden in God"s great Book. If we cannot follow the indication

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which ends in the generalisation that sin means death, we cannot enter into the inner and deeper Bible which deals with secret essences and spiritual mysteries, with transcendental truth and the very philosophy of things divine and immeasurable. If your child cannot understand your words, how can he grasp your thoughts? We must be accustomed to the right reading of the outward and visible before we can comprehend the inward and the unseen. We must know something of law before we can grasp the mystery of grace. If we deny the Bible of facts, it will be easy to deny the Bible of doctrines. Let us begin with things known, with the patent ana indisputable facts of life, —and amongst those facts you will find the hell which follows broken law, the earth that casts out the soul that is not holy, —and thence proceed step by step into the holy place where the altar Isaiah , and the speaking blood, and the Father, and the strange light of Eternity. There is but one true line of progress: it begins with Moses, it ends with the Lamb—Moses and the Lamb: Law and Grace; and in the last eternal song we shall find in one grand line, "Moses and the Lamb," a marvellous harmonisation, the up-gathering and reconciliation of all things; the old ark built again; the law within, the mercy lid covering it. Law and Mercy—Moses and the Lamb—these combine the whole purpose of the movement of the divine mind and love.So far we have looked at the stern fact of law: we now come to what is said about it. It is a law of measured correction: "I will correct thee in measure." The depth of the meaning is beyond all human sounding. This is the sublime mystery of mercy. At this point grace gets hold of law and keeps it back. Law can never stop of itself. Fire cannot give in. Would God we could realise that fact! Law must grind the sinner to powder. Law never loses a battle. The strength of sin gives in, but law gets no bigger for its smiting. The law is the same at the end as at the beginning. It cannot palter, it cannot compromise, it cannot make terms; it grinds, bruises, destroys. If a sinful world were left absolutely to the operation of law, it would be crushed out of existence. But the law is under mercy. We are spared by grace, by grace we are saved. The law saves no man: it shuts us all up in one condemnation; within its purpose of righteous avengement it holds us all. At this point is the Christ born, is the whole scheme of things attached to a new centre, and Bethlehem takes the place of lost Eden.The great mystery of grace regulating law has happily found a place in Christian jurisprudence, so we need not climb to the very highest sanctuary for our first illustrations. Civilised, Christianised man has fixed the punishment before the crime has been committed. There is no other way of making society secure. The measure of punishment has been fixed, and has been waiting for the crime to come that way to

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fasten itself upon it in righteous retribution. We bind the magistrate beforehand. Society, in Parliament assembled, says, "Such and such crimes shall be visited by such and such penalties, and by no more." Extemporised justice would rend society in twain. Justice must not be extemporised: it must be deliberate; it must be arranged before crime has been perpetrated to excite the passions and inflame the sensibilities. Were we to extemporise justice, we should really commit outrages upon equity and reason. This is also the mystery of grace. The grace was accomplished before the sinner was created. The Atonement is not the device of an afterthought: the Lamb was slain from before the foundation of the world. Have we penetrated the gracious meaning of that astounding mystery? Before we can understand anything of the Atonement, we must destroy the very basis and the relations of understanding, as it is too narrowly interpreted; we must think ourselves back of time, of space, of foundations, worlds, sinners. Great is the mystery of godliness—God manifest in the flesh. So now God has written the penalty before the sin has been committed in its incidental form. We are not referring to sin, the great moral transgression, but of sin the incident, sin the passing phase of life; and all our sins have been anticipated as to the penalty which should be awarded to each. This seems to be so in society. Take the case of a great bank fraud. False balance-sheets have been issued and false representations of all kinds have been made. The law deals strictly and only with those facts, and fixes its penalty accordingly. The law does not follow out all the social consequences of those facts, nor does it give the magistrate authority to follow them out: it draws distinct lines, and within those lines fixes its penalties. Suppose no such lines were drawn, and that the magistrate were open to sentimental appeals; let him hear that by those frauds thousands of innocent people have been ruined; widows and orphans have been left penniless; trustees who have done acts of kindness have been reduced to absolute beggary; ancient and beautiful estates have been taken away from honourable families; and a whole land been darkened and degraded and paralysed,—people who have only seen poverty at a distance have now to make it a companion and a bed-fellow; generous hands that gave gifts to God and man are now stretched out in mute and piteous appeal; dainty women and little children have now to beg their bread: what magistrate could be trusted to extemporise a penalty to the prisoners at the bar? No living man could be trusted to administer sentimental justice; under such circumstances he turns with relief to the law which was settled before the circumstances became known, and he deals with the facts which can be measured, and not with the consequences which overflow all calculation, and baffle every

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attempt to subdue them. So the penalty is fixed."Correction in measure" is God"s law now. May the time not come when the measure will be withdrawn and the correction will take its unlimited course? That will be hell, that will be destruction. Correction without measure as between man and man is violence, and not justice; and it is a sing of weakness, and never of equable and holy strength. The tendency of excited weakness is toward exaggeration. Some men have no measure in their punishments: they punish the same for an unfortunate word as for a malicious deed; they strike as heavily for an error of judgment as for a wilful crime; they will be as severe with a child for an accident as for some piece of mischief done of set purpose against strict orders. Will the measure ever be withdrawn? "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." Is there not a hint there of the measure being withdrawn and law allowed to fight its own battle out? In their calamity they will call upon me, but I will not hear, because the call is uttered too late. Is there an appointed time? Is there an end of my probation? Does the shadow lengthen, and tell me in its lengthening that my opportunities of repentance, confession, and restoration are getting fewer and narrower? The year opens upon me now—will it close upon my life or upon my death? Is this my last year? Has the voice gone forth, "This year thou shalt die"? Does God ever turn away from his creatures and leave them to the law that they dishonoured, insulted, and contemned and defied? Such turning will be hell.We are all under correction. Find the evidence in your consciences, in your sufferings, in your fears, in your family lives: pain means correction, so does poverty, so does disappointment, so does every shadow that suddenly arrests the light that was spreading over your life. But the correction is in measure. Thank God that he does not plead against us with his great power. He does not hurl all his thunder upon our ear. "As a man chasteneth his Song of Solomon , so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee." "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty." "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" Our wisdom is to look at the Lord who chastens, and not at the chastening which is inflicted. You may look at the wound until you despair; you should look at the Smiter until you are healed.What is the meaning of this "measure"? It is the gospel. There is a higher law than the law of death. The law of life is not changed: it is enlarged over all the sins and shortcomings and crimes of life. "Where sin abounds, grace doth much more abound." Grace says, "There has been great sin: now for my enlargement" And she enlarges her offers of mercy, and her signs of pity, and her opportunities of return, until the sin flee away—that which is great becomes little. Life is more than death, as the heaven is high above the earth. Death is only a partial law; the

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universal law is life, and it is for God to set that infinite law in motion. The law of destruction any sinner can move; but the law of life only God can bring into operation. Here we enter upon the mysteries of Deity; here we touch the altar of the Atonement. I will accept my chastening; I deserve it. This is my sweet, great faith—that no punishment ever overtakes me that is not a sign of God"s watchfulness, and of God"s care over my life. I think I will run away from this sin and evade God, but I run upon the point of a sword unsheathed. Is it vengeance? Is it not unkindness? No; that sword is God"s, as certainly as is that Cross. When the sword of the Lord falls upon me, I will say, "What have I done?" I will inquire into my life and find out the sin. I have never suffered loss, social dishonour, inward compunction, without being able to say, "This is the Lord"s doing, and not man"s. The man did not know what he was doing to me; he was seized by God and set to do this work for my punishment—my education." Taking that view of all life, I have nothing to do with enemies, opponents, antagonists. They know not what they do; they are blind instruments in the hands of the seeing God, and they cannot go beyond their tether. Let us have no whining, no complaining, no retaliation. The man that smote you was sent to smite you. Avenge yourself by deeper confession, by larger, loftier prayer.NISBET, "CORRECTION IN MEASURE‘I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure.”Jeremiah 30:11There are two kinds of punishments. There is the punishment which is punishment and nothing else. This was what befell the Kingdom of Israel. It was simply extinguished by the righteous judgment of God.But there is another kind of punishment besides this. There is the punishment which is punishment and something more. In the great mercy of God by far the greatest part of the punishments which fall either upon men

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or nations are punishments of this kind. Men do wrong. Then the wrong which they have done brings some calamity upon them. Then the calamity drives them away from their wrong courses, and turns them into better ways. This is usually the order of God’s Providence. This is what befell the Kingdom of Judah. It had sinned, but it had not sinned past all cure. So its punishment was intended to be punishment and cure in one. ‘I will not make a full end of thee. But I will correct thee in measure. ’I. What we notice, then, in this case, is, first, the great fact that God does thus apportion His punishments.—So long as there is hope of a man ’s amendment God’s punishments of his sins are for his good—for correction, not for destruction. They are ‘in measure’—that is, the punishments are measured out so as to be proportioned to what a man can bear without being overwhelmed by them: they are measured out so as to serve the double purpose of punishing the fault, and yet leaving the sinner able to mend, while they also serve the purpose of turning him back into good ways. Such was the case with the Jews.II. Then, secondly, we see in this history an example also of the good effects of this kind of punishment when people take it rightly.—Before their captivity we all know that the Kingdom of Judah had been continually falling into idolatry. This was what had brought down God ’s anger upon them. But during the years of their captivity they learned the lesson which God intended them to learn, and after the return, whatever sins they fell into, this, at least, they never fell into again. Never more did idolatry defile Jerusalem as it had done, alas! in the latter days even of Solomon himself. And whatever troubles befell the nation after the return from captivity, God always saved it from being swept away again as it had been by Nebuchadnezzar. So the chastisement did its work, and the nation was the better for it, not the worse. Thus, too, we are taught, whenever we are afflicted by any loss or trouble, not to murmur as if any strange thing happened to us, but rather to examine ourselves and see whether there be not something wrong in our course of life which this particular trouble may not be the means of correcting. In the days of the Jews, God sent inspired Prophets to tell His people what He meant by His judgments. Now He teaches us, partly by the Bible, partly by His Holy

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Spirit. God treats us exactly by the same rules which He followed in old time. What was true of His dealings with the Jews is true also of us, and we may judge of His dealings with us now by what we read in the Bible of what He did then. Moreover, besides this God teaches us by the invisible warnings and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and, whenever we are in doubt, if we pray for the teaching of the Holy Ghost, we are sure to have it. This is His special promise, that He would put His Spirit into our hearts in order to teach and guide us, so that whenever we are in doubt what God ’s providences or punishments mean, we may pray for the light of the Holy Ghost to guide us right, and then we shall be guided. And then, too, we may also feel certain that if we pray to use God’s chastisements properly, the punishment is sure to be no heavier than we can bear: not one whit heavier than is just necessary to drive us back into the right path from which we had gone astray. Even as He made the Babylonian captivity lighter to the Jews than it might have been, so also God will temper our punishment to us. It is His promise and He will surely keep it, just as He says elsewhere that He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, and that He doth not willingly afflict the children of men.III. For thirdly, observe that this very thing of which we speak, this softening of the troubles of the Jews in their captivity, is the exact thing which Solomon had prayed for in that wonderful prayer which he made, and which God accepted, when the Temple of Jerusalem was first dedicated to His service.—Solomon’s prayer was answered to the very letter, and compassion was extended to the captive Jews among the people who had been their conquerors. Truly one may be reminded of the Scripture saying, that with God a thousand years are but as a single day, and a single day as a thousand years. Here is a prayer which had been offered to God some three or four hundred years before. And now that the first time comes when it can be answered, it is answered so exactly that the very words of the prayer read like a history of what took place. And who of us, therefore, may not be encouraged thereby to feel that, if Solomon’s prayer was thus remembered by God all those centuries and then answered at the last, surely God will in our case be true to His own promises written down in the Bible, when we too, in our turn, come to want His help? If God was true to Solomon’s prayer, surely He will be true to His own Word.

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Illustrations(1) ‘My Lord’s love would be harmful if He did not correct me when I stray. In love’s temple the holy of holies is holiness itself. Love is stricken at the heart whenever it tolerates the unclean. True love is like “a sea of glass mingled with fire,’ and its pervading flame is the sworn destructive of all filth. Love is heat as well as light, and in its burning presence all sin must be consumed. Therefore, when my Saviour ’s love touches my sin, it does not bathe it in soft, soothing sunshine, it plunges it in “the everlasting burnings.”“Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.” “Our God is a consuming fire.” But my Lord will correct me “in measure.” His fire is not a capricious flame, blazing beyond control. It is kept under hand, and it is graciously applied where it is needed, and for just so long as it is required. Our Lord “sits as a refiner.” He carefully burns out the alloy, the dross, and the fire is withdrawn when the silver is pure. And so when God ’s fire “kindles upon” me I will not fear. It is the only severe side of infinite love, and its tender purpose is to endow me with loveliness, even with “the beauty of the Lord.” If His fire were never hot I could never be pure and sanctified. ’(2) ‘I heard the other day of a young father who was walking to and fro in the dining-room of his house with his first-born babe in his arms. His wife noticed that two or three times he carried his precious burden into a large dark closet at the end of the room, and asked him the reason. He answered that every time he went into the dark, the little one gave a tiny start and clung closer to him, and he found it so delightful to feel the tiny nestling movement, which gave him the chance to press the nurseling nearer him. Perhaps God often carries us into the dark, that we may cling closer to Him, and that He may have the better opportunity of speaking His tender words of reassurance.’PETT, "Jeremiah 30:11“For I am with you,The word of YHWH,

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To save you.For I will make a full end of all the nations where I have scattered you,But I will not make a full end of you,But I will correct you in measure,And will in no way leave you unpunished.”For on His own sure word (the word of YHWH) they could know that He was with them and would deliver them, and would make a full end of all the nations among whom they had been scattered (especially Assyria and Babylon). But while He would make a full end of these nations He would not make a full end of Judah/Israel. This final hope was something that He had indeed often promised in the past (Jeremiah 4:27; Jeremiah 5:10; Jeremiah 5:18). Rather He would correct them ‘in measure’ and punish them in order to remove from them what spoiled them. For towards them His final purpose was of chastisement not final destruction. On the other hand they could not remain wholly unpunished.That many of the nations among whom they dwelt disappeared as such from history in the inter-testamental period is well known. Assyria also disappeared from the map as such, Elam was no more and ancient Babylon ceased to exist. They were eventually replaced by the powers of Greece and Rome.

12 “This is what the Lord says:

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“‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing.

BARNES, "Incurable - Mortal, fatal.

CLARKE, "Thy bruise is incurable - anush, desperate, not incurable; for the אנושcure is promised in Jer_30:17, I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds.

GILL, "For thus saith the Lord, thy bruise is incurable,.... By themselves or others, in all human appearance; there was no help for them from men; their case seemed desperate; there was no likelihood of their recovery to their former state and glory, as at this day the case of the Jews appears to be; there seems to be no probability of their conversion and restoration; and whenever it is, it will be as life from the dead, Rom_11:15; like quickening Ezekiel's dry bones, or raising persons from the dead, which none but the hand of omnipotence can effect: and thy wound is grievous; an expression signifying the same as before: the metaphor is taken from a body wounded and bruised in such a manner, as to be past the skill of the most able surgeon to cure it.

JAMISON, "The desperate circumstances of the Jews are here represented as an incurable wound. Their sin is so grievous that their hope of the punishment (their exile) soon coming to an end is vain (Jer_8:22; Jer_15:18; 2Ch_36:16).

K&D 12-17, "Because Israel has been severely chastised for his sins, the Lord will nowpunish his enemies, and heal Israel. - Jer_30:12. "For thus saith Jahveh: It is ill with thy bruise, thy wound is painful. Jer_30:13. There is none to judge thy cause; for a sore, healing-plaster there is none for thee. Jer_30:14. All thy lovers have forgotten thee, thee they seek not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, the chastisement of a cruel one, because of the multitude of thine iniquity, [because] thy sins were numerous. Jer_30:15. Why criest thou over thy bruise - [because] thy wound is bad? Because of the multitude of thine iniquity, [because] thy sins were numerous, have I done these things to thee. Jer_30:16. Therefore all those who devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine oppressors, they shall all go into captivity; and they who spoiled thee shall become a spoil, and those that plundered thee I will give up for plunder. Jer_30:17. For I will put a plaster on thee, and will heal thee of thy wounds, 80

saith Jahveh; for they call thee an outcast, [and say], Zion is she [whom] none seeketh after."This strophe is only a fuller expression of the idea set forth in Jer_30:11, that the Lord certainly chastises Israel, but will not make an end of him. The chastisement has commenced. From the wounds and blows which Israel has received, he lies motionless and helpless, getting neither sympathy nor aid from his lovers. The feminine suffix and the mention of lovers show that the address turns to the daughter of Zion. On the

expression ָאנּוׁש , "it is ill with thy bruise," cf. Jer_15:18. ַנְחָלה bad, incurable is" ,ַמָּכהthe stroke which thou hast received," as in Jer_10:19; Jer_14:17. ּדּון to execute" ,ִּדיןjustice;" cf. Jer_5:28; Jer_22:16. Hitzig well explains the meaning: "thy claims against thy heathen oppressors." ר ,although connected by the accents with what precedes ,ְלָמזdoes not agree well with ָּדן ר for ;ִּדיֵנ ָמז has not the meaning which has been attributed to it, of a "bandage," but, as derived from the verb זּור, "to press a wound," signifies the wound that has been pressed together; see on Hos_5:13. Neither does the figure of the wound agree with the expression, "there is none to judge thy cause," so that we might, with Umbreit, render the passage, "No one gives thee thy due, in pressing thy wounds;" while, as Graf says, " ת ְרֻפא dissociated from ר ְלָמז forms a useless synonym with ְּתָעָלה," and in Jer_46:11, where the thought is repeated, it is separated from the latter word. Accordingly, with Hitzig and Graf, we connect ר ְלָמז into one clause: "for the wound, there is no healing (or medicine)-no plaster." ְּתָעָלה is what is laid upon the wound, a plaster. "All thy lovers," i.e., the nations which were once allied with thee (cf. Jer_22:20, Jer_22:22), do not trouble themselves about thee, because I have smitten thee so heavily on account of the multitude of thy transgressions; cf. Jer_5:6; Jer_13:22. ְצמּו ָעֽ still depends on the preposition ַעל, which continues its force, but as a conjunction. The idea that the Israelites have richly deserved their sufferings is still more plainly presented in Jer_30:15 : "Why criest thou, because thou hast brought this suffering on thee through thy sins?" ָאנּוׁש also depends on ַעל, which continues to exert its power in the sentence as a conjunction.Jer_30:16-17

Therefore (i.e., because Israel, although punished for his sins, is destitute of help) will the Lord take pity on him. He will recompense to his oppressors and spoilers according to their deeds, and will heal his wounds. The enemies of Zion will now meet the fate which they have prepared for Zion. Those who, like rapacious animals, would devour Israel (see on Jer_2:3), shall be devoured, and all his oppressors shall go into captivity; cf. Jer_22:22. The Kethib ֹׁשֲאַסִי is the Aramaic form of the participle from ָׁשַאס for the Qeri ;ָׁשַסס substitutes the Hebrew form ֹׁשַסִי, after Jer_50:11, Isa_17:14. ָעָלה ,ֲאֻרָכהto put on a bandage, lay on a plaster. ֲאֻרָכה signifies, primarily, not a bandage, but, like the Arabic arîkah (according to Fleischer in Delitzsch on Isa_58:8), the new skin which forms over a wound as it heals, and (as is shown by the expression of Isaiah, ־ ֲאֻרָכֵת proves the healing of the wound. Against the direct transference of the meaning (ִּתְצַמחof the word in Arabic to the Hebrew ֲאֻרָכה, without taking into consideration the passage in Isaiah just referred to, there is the objection that the word is always used in connection with ָעָלה, "to be put on" (cf. Isa_8:22; 2Ch_24:13; Neh_4:1), or ֱעָלה to" ,ֶהֽ

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put on" (here and in Jer_33:6), which is not the proper verb to be used in speaking of the formation of a new skin over a wound after suppuration has ceased. Hence the word in Hebrew seems to have received the derived sense of "a healing-plaster;" this is confirmed by the employment of the word ְּתָעָלה, "plaster," in Jer_30:13 and Jer_46:11. - The second ִּכי, Jer_30:17, is subordinate to the clause which precedes. "Because they called thee one rejected," i.e., because the enemies of Zion spoke of her contemptuously, as a city that has been forsaken of God, and the Lord will heal her wounds.

CALVIN, "The design of the Prophet is first to be noticed: he was fighting with those impostors who gave hope of a return in a short time to the people, while seventy years, as it has been said, were to be expected. The Prophet then wished to shew to the people how foolishly they hoped for an end to their evils in so short a time. And this is what ought to be carefully observed, for it was not without reason that the Prophet dwelt much on this point; for nothing is more difficult than to lead men to a serious acknowledgment of God’s judgment. When any thing adverse happens, they are tender and sensitive as to the evils they endure; but at the same time they look not to God, and comfort themselves with vain imaginations. It was therefore necessary for the Prophet to dwell on his doctrine at large; for he saw that the Israelites promised to themselves a return after two years, though they had been warned by the Prophets that they were to bear the scourge of God for seventy years.This is the reason why the Prophet speaks here of the grievousness of evils, not because the Israelites were insensible, but because they had been credulous, and were still hoping for a return, so that they deceived themselves with false comfort. He therefore says, that the breaking was grievous; some give this rendering, “Unhealable, or hopeless, is thy bruising. ”But אנוש, anush, is here a substantive, for it is followed by the preposition ל, lamed; nor can what the Prophet says be rendered otherwise than in this manner, “Grievousness is to thy bruising,” or breaking. He afterwards adds that the wound was grievous, that is, difficult to be healed; for so I understand the passage. (9) But the end was to be hoped for; yet the people were not to think it near at hand; they were, on the contrary, to prepare themselves for patient waiting until the end prescribed by God had come. It follows, —

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Incurable as to thy bruise, Grievous has been thy stroke.Or we may give this rendering, inverting the order, —As to thy bruise, it is incurable; Grievous has been thy stroke.The “bruise” occasioned by the “grievous stroke” was incurable, that is, by human means. The effect is mentioned first, “the bruise;” then the cause, “the stroke.” — Ed.COFFMAN, ""For thus saith Jehovah, Thy hurt is incurable, and thy wound grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not: for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased. Why criest thou for thy hurt? thy pain is incurable: for the greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. Therefore all they that devour . thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that despoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith Jehovah, because they have called thee an outcast, saying, It is Zion whom no man seeketh after.""Thy hurt is incurable ... I will heal thee of thy wounds ..." (Jeremiah 30:12,17). From the human standpoint, there was no remedy for the condition of Israel, but God would supply the healing and restoration which were impossible from any other source.Notice how the metaphors are multiplied here. There is an incurable sickness; there is a terrible wound; there are no medicines available; there is a lawsuit and no one to plead the cause of the defendant; all of Israel's lovers have forsaken her!"Thy lovers have forgotten thee ..." (Jeremiah 30:14). "These were the

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surrounding nations upon which Israel had relied for help against Babylon."[18]"The greatness of thine iniquity . .. thy sins were increased ..." (Jeremiah 30:15). The terrible punishment which God decreed for Israel was fully justified and amply deserved by the apostate people.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:12 For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise [is] incurable, [and] thy wound [is] grievous.Ver. 12. Thy bruise is incurable,] i.e., Inevitable, by God ’s irrevocable decree. Or, It is incurable in itself; but not to me, who am an almighty Physician or surgeon. See Ezekiel 37:11. They seemed "free among the dead," free of that company.PETT, "Verses 12-15The Reason Why Israel/Judah Needed To Be Delivered Was Because Of Their Sufferings, Which Were Grievous Because They Were The Consequence Of Their Sins (Jeremiah 30:12-15).Having made His glorious promises YHWH now turns back to why all this was necessary. As we have seen above this passage contains a deliberate pattern of contrasts, with the fact of the miserable present being contrasted with the glorious future. Their present condition is what prevents God from restoring His people and must first be dealt with before there can be restoration. Their situation has arisen because they were spiritually badly wounded with none to tend them. It was because there was no balm in Gilead, and no physician there (Jeremiah 8:22). It was because all to whom they looked had deserted them. It was because YHWH Himself was dealing with the problem of their sins.Jeremiah 30:12-13‘For thus says YHWH,

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“Your hurt is incurable,And your wound grievous.There is none to plead your cause, that you may be bound up,You have no healing medicines.”The condition of ‘Jacob’ (Jeremiah 30:10) is seen as being like that of a badly wounded man. Their hurt is incurable by any earthly means. Their wound is bleeding and grievous. And because they have deserted Him there is no one to speak up for them in order that their wounds might be bound up. That is why they have no healing medicines. It is because they have been abandoned by those on whom they had depended. There is a clear similarity between this picture, and the badly diseased Israel of Isaiah 1:5-6.PULPIT, "Jeremiah 30:12For thus saith, etc. If the two preceding verses are a later insertion, we must render, But surely (more strictly, surely, but particles of asseveration easily acquire an adversative force from the context). Bright, indeed, is the prospect for Judah, "but surely" his present condition is very much the reverse; comp. Isaiah 9:1 (Authorized Version," nevertheless"). Thy bruise is incurable, etc. One of Jeremiah's characteristic repetitions (see Jeremiah 10:19; Jeremiah 14:17; Jeremiah 15:18). That thou mayest be bound up. This rendering follows the accents. But the mixture of figures is very incongruous. It is much better to connect the words a little differently and to render, for thy sore thou hast no medicines (nor any) plaster.

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13 There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you.

BARNES, "That thou mayest be bound up - Others put a stop after “cause,” and translate, For binding thy wound, healing plaster thou hast none.

CLARKE, "There is none to plead thy cause - All thy friends and allies have forsaken thee.

GILL, "There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up,.... None that will give themselves the trouble to look into their wound to judge of it; to consult, and reason, and debate about the nature of it; and what methods are most advisable to take for the healing and binding of it up: or, as others, "for the compression" (w) of it; the squeezing out the corrupt matter, in order to bring it to a cure: thou hast no healing medicines; either of thine own, or of others, preparing for thee: the design of all these expressions is to show the helpless and hopeless state of the people of Israel, before their call, conversion, and restoration; by which it will appear to be the Lord's work, and his only; and since he was able to do it, and would do it, therefore Jacob and Israel had no reason to be afraid and dismayed, though their case might seem desperate.

HENRY 13-17, "Their friends forsook them, and were shy of them. None of those who had courted them in their prosperity would take notice of them now in their distress, Jer_30:13. It is commonly thus when families go to decay; those hang off from them that had been their hangers-on. In two cases we are glad of the assistance of our friends and need their service: - 1. If we be impeached, accused, or reproached, we expect that our friends should appear in vindication of us, should speak a good word for us when we cannot put on a face to speak for ourselves; but here there is none to plead thy cause, none to stand up in thy defence, none to intercede for thee with thy oppressors; therefore God will plead their cause, for he might well wonder there was none to uphold a people that had been so much the favourites of Heaven,

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Isa_63:5. 2. If we be sick, or sore, or wounded, we expect our friends should attend us, advise us, sympathize with us, and, if occasion be, lend a hand for the applying of healing medicines; but here there is none to do that, none to bind up thy wounds, and by counsels and comforts to make proper applications to thy case; nay (Jer_30:14), All thy lovers have forgotten thee; out of sight out of mind; instead of seeking thee, they forsake thee. Such as this has often been the case of religion and serious godliness in the world; those that from their education, profession, and hopeful beginnings, one might have expected to be its friends and lovers, its patrons and protectors, desert it, forget it, and have nothing to say in its defence, nor will do any thing towards the healing of its wounds. Observe, Thy lovers have forgotten thee, for I have wounded thee. When God is against a people who will be for them? Who can be for them so as to do them any kindness? See Job_30:11. Now, upon this account, their case seemed desperate and past relief (Jer_30:12): Thy bruise is incurable, thy wound grievous, and (Jer_30:15) thy sorrow is incurable. The condition of the Jews in captivity was such as no human power could redress the grievances of; there they were like a valley full of dead and dry bones, which nothing less than Omnipotence can put life into. Who could imagine that a people so diminished, so impoverished, should ever be restored to their own land and re-established there? So many were the aggravations of their calamity that their sorrow would not admit of any alleviation, but they seemed to be hardened in it, and their souls refused to be comforted, till divine consolations proved strong ones, too strong to be borne down even by the floods of grief that overwhelmed them. Thy sorrow is incurable because thy sins,instead of being repented of and forsaken, were increased. Note, Incurable griefs are owing to incurable lusts. Now in this deplorable condition they are looked upon with disdain (Jer_30:17): They called thee an outcast, abandoned by all, abandoned to ruin; they said, This is Zion, whom no man seeks after. When they looked on the place where the city and temple had been built they called that an outcast; now all was in ruins, there was no resort to it, no residence in it, none asked the way to Zion, as formerly; no man seeks after it. When they looked on the people that formerly dwelt in Zion, but were now in captivity (and we read of Zion dwelling with the daughter of Babylon, Zec_2:7), they called them outcasts; these are those who belong to Zion, and are wont to talk much of it and weep at the remembrance of it, but no man seeks after them, or enquires concerning them. Note, It is often the lot of Zion to be deserted and despised by those about her.

III. For all this God will work deliverance and salvation for them in due time. Though no other hand, nay, because no other hand, can cure their wound, his will, and shall. 1. Though he seemed to stand at a distance from them, yet he assures them of his presence with them, his powerful and gracious presence: I will save thee, Jer_

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30:10. I am with thee, to save thee, Jer_30:11. When they are in their troubles he is with them, to save them from sinking under them; when the time has come for their deliverance he is with them, to be ready upon the first opportunity, to save them out of their trouble. 2. Though they were at a distance, remote from their own land, afaroff in the land of their captivity, yet there shall salvation find them out, thence shall it fetch them, them and their seed, for they also shall be known among the Gentiles, and distinguished from them, that they may return, Jer_30:10. 3. Though they were now full of fears, and continually alarmed, yet the time shall come when they shall be in rest and quiet, safe and easy, and none shall make them afraid, Jer_30:10. 4. Though the nations into which they were dispersed should be brought to ruin, yet they should be preserved from that ruin (Jer_30:11): Though I make a full end of the nations whither I have scattered thee, and there might be danger of thy being lost among them, yet I will not make a full end of thee. It was promised that in the peace of these nations they should have peace (Jer_29:7), and yet in the destruction of these nations they should escape destruction. God's church may sometimes be brought very low, but he will not make a full end of it, Jer_5:10, Jer_5:18. 5. Though God correct them, and justly, for their sins, their manifold transgressions and mighty sins, yet he will return in mercy to them, and even their sin shall not prevent their deliverance when God's time shall come. 6. Though their adversaries were mighty, God will bring them down, and break their power (Jer_30:16): All that devour thee shall be devoured, and thus Zion's cause will be pleaded and will be made to appear to all the world a righteous cause. Thus Zion's deliverance will be brought about by the destruction of her oppressors; and thus her enemies will be recompensed for all the injury they have done her; for there is a God that judges in the earth, a God to whom vengeance belongs. “They shall every one of them, without exception, go into captivity, and the day will come when those that now spoil thee shall be a spoil.” Those that lead into captivity shall go into captivity, Rev_13:10. This might serve to oblige the present conquerors to use their captives well, because the wheel would turn round, and the day would come when they also should be captives, and let them do now as they would then be done by. 7. Though the wound seem incurable, God will make a cure of it (Jer_30:17): I will restore health unto thee. Be the disease ever so dangerous, the patient is safe if God undertakes the cure.

IV. Upon the whole matter, they are cautioned against inordinate fear and grief, for in these precious promises there is enough to silence both. 1. They must not tremble as those that have no hope in the apprehension of future further trouble that might threaten them (Jer_30:10): Fear thou not, O my servant Jacob! neither be dismayed.Note, Those that are God's servants must not give way to disquieting fears, whatever difficulties and dangers may be before them. 2. They must not sorrow as those that

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have no hope for the troubles which at present they lie under, Jer_30:15. “Why criest thou for thy affliction? It is true thy carnal confidences fail thee, creatures are physicians of no value, but I will heal thy wound, and therefore, Why criest thou?Why dost thou fret and complain thus? It is for thy sin (Jer_30:14, Jer_30:15), and therefore, instead of repining, thou shouldest be repenting. Wherefore should a man complain for the punishment of his sins? The issue will be good at last, and therefore rejoice in hope.”

JAMISON, "none to plead — a new image from a court of justice.bound up — namely, with the bandages applied to tie up a wound.no healing medicines — literally, “medicines of healing,” or else applications, (literally, “ascensions”) of medicaments.

CALVIN, "The Prophet speaks first without a figure, then he illustrates the simple truth by a metaphor. He says that there was no one to undertake the cause of the people; as though he had said, that they were destitute of every aid. This was, indeed, in a measure already evident; but so supine was the security of the people, that they daily formed for themselves some new hopes. Then Jeremiah declared what had already in part happened and was still impending; and thus he proved the folly of the people, who still flattered themselves while they were involved in evils almost without a remedy. “Thou seest,” he says, “that there is no one to stretch forth a hand to thee, or who is ready to help thee; and yet thou thinkest that thou wilt soon be free: whence is this vain expectation?” He then comes to a metaphor, There is no one to apply medicine for thy healing In one sentence he includes the whole first chapter of Isaiah, who handles the subject, but explains more fully his meaning. There is, however, nothing obscure when the Prophet says that there was no one to heal the evils of the people. (10)We must ever bear in mind his object, that is, that the people were too easily deceived, when they hoped to return shortly to their own country. But we may hence gather a general truth, — that men never understand the favor of God until they are subdued by many and severe reproofs: for they always shun God’s judgment, and then they become blind to their own sins, and foolishly flatter themselves. And, further, when they only in words confess

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that they have sinned, they think that they have done abundantly enough. They ought therefore to be urged to the practice and duty of repentance. It afterwards follows —No one undertakes thy cause; For a cure, medicines and healing thou hast not.This division is made by the Sept., though not by the other versions, nor the Targ. Venema adopts it. The word מזור, rendered above “cure,” means evidently a wound. It only occurs here, and Obadiah 1:7, and twice in Hosea 5:13, where it is rendered “wound.” It comes from זור, in the sense of compressing or binding up; but the noun taken passively, signifies what is compressed or bound up, and that is a wound. Then the literal rendering would be —None is pleading thy cause; As to the wound, medicatives, binding up, none to thee;or in other words, —As to the wound, thou hast no medicatives, no binding up.The word רפאות means medicatives or medicaments, rather than medicines, as it designates here, and in most places, outward applications to wounds and bruises. The order, as in the foregoing verse, is reversed, the medicaments are put before the binding up. See Ezekiel 30:21. — Ed.

14 All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you.I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel,because your guilt is so great and your sins so many.

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BARNES, "For the multitude ... - Or,Because of the multitude of thine iniquity,Because thy sins are strong.Judah’s lovers are the nations which once sought her alliance (see Jer_22:20; Jer_27:3).

GILL, "All thy lovers have forgotten thee,.... The Egyptians and Assyrians, whom they sought unto for help, and entered into an alliance with, and who promised them great things; but forgot their promises and forsook them: they seek thee not; to ask of thy welfare, as the Targum adds; they do not, visit thee, nor inquire after thine health, or how it is with thee, having no manner of care and concern for thee; this has been the case of the Jews for many ages: for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one; so it might seem to be; and thus it might be interpreted by them, as if the Lord acted the part of an enemy, and a very cruel one, that had no mercy; though he corrected them, as in Jer_30:11, in measure, moderation, and mercy: or else the meaning is, that he wounded them, when their nation, city, and temple, were destroyed, by the hand and means of an enemy, even a very cruel and merciless one, the Romans: for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased; a very wicked people the Jews were, not only before they went into the Babylonish captivity, but after their return; and in the times of Christ and his apostles; who complain of their covetousness, hypocrisy, adultery, thefts, murders, and sacrilege; and particularly they were in the above manner chastised by means of the Romans, for their unbelief and rejection of the true Messiah, and the persecution of his followers.

JAMISON, "lovers — the peoples formerly allied to thee, Assyria and Egypt (compare Lam_1:2).

seek thee not — have cast away all concern for thee in thy distress.wound of an enemy — a wound such as an enemy would inflict. God condescends to employ language adapted to human conceptions. He is incapable of “enmity” or “cruelty”; it was their grievous sin which righteously demanded a grievous punishment, as though He were an “enemy” (Jer_5:6; Job_13:24; Job_30:21).

CALVIN, "The Prophet again repeats, that nothing remained for Israel as 91

coming from men, for no one offered to bring help. Some, indeed, explain the words as though the Prophet had said, that friends, as it is usually the case, concealed themselves through shame on seeing the condition of the people hopeless: for as long as friends can relieve the sick, they are ready at hand, and anxiously exert themselves, but when life is despaired of, they no longer appear. But the Prophet, I have no doubt, condemns here the Jews for the false confidence with which they had been long fascinated; for we know, that at one time they placed hope in the Egyptians; at another in the Assyrians; and thus it happened that they brought on themselves many calamities. And we have seen elsewhere, in many passages, that these confederacies are compared to impure lusts; for when the people sought at one time the friendship of the Egyptians, at another, that of the Assyrians, it was a kind of adultery. God had taken the Jews under his care and protection; but unbelief led them astray, so that. they sought to strengthen themselves by the aid of others. Hence, everywhere in the Prophets the Egyptians and the Assyrians are compared to lovers. And this view will suit well here; for it was not enough to point out the miseries of the people, without making known the cause of them.Then the Prophet refers to those false counsels which the Jews had adopted, when they thought themselves secure and safe while the Egyptians, or the Assyrians, or the Chaldeans were favorable to them. For this reason he says, that all their friends hadforgotten them, and also that they did not inquire for them, that is, that they had cast off every care for them. And he adds the reason, because God had smitten, the people with an hostile wound Here the Prophet summons them again to God ’s tribunal, that they might learn to consider that these evils did not happen by chance, but that they were the testimonies of God’s just wrath. God then comes forth here, and declares himself the author of all those calamities; for the Prophet would have spoken to no purpose of the miseries of the people, had not this truth been thoroughly impressed on their minds, — that they had to do with God.Now, that God calls himself an enemy, and compares himself to a cruel enemy, must not be so understood as that the covenant had been abolished by which he had adopted the children of Abraham as his own; for he, through his mercy, always reserved some remnants. Nor ought we to understand that there was excess in God’s

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severity, as though he raged cruelly against his people, when he executed his judgments: but this ought to be understood according to the common perceptions of men. God also calls elsewhere the Israelites his enemies, but not without lamentation,“Alas!” he says, “I will take vengeance on my enemies.” (Isaiah 1:24)He assumed there the character of one grieving, as though he had said, that he unwillingly proceeded to so much rigor, for he would have willingly spared the people, had not necessity forced him to such severity. But, as I have already said, when God calls himself the enemy of his people, it ought to be understood of temporal punishment, or it ought to be explained of the reprobate and lost, who had wholly alienated themselves from God’s favor, and whom God had also cut off from the body of his Church as putrid members. But as the Prophet here addresses the faithful, there is no doubt but that God calls himself an enemy, because, according to the state of things at that time, the Jews could not have otherwise thought than that God was angry with them.With regard to cruel one, we have already said, that excess is thereby denoted, as though too much rigor or severity were ascribed to God: but the Jews could not have been otherwise awakened to consider their sins, nor be sufficiently terrified so as to be led seriously to acknowledge the judgment of God. And God himself, in what follows, sufficiently proves, that though he compares himself to a severe or cruel man, yet nothing wrong could be found in his judgments.For he adds, for the multitude of thine iniquity, because thy sins have prevailed Though the Jews thought that God acted severely, when he threatened them with long exile, here their mouth was closed by the multitude of their iniquity; as though he had said, “Set in a balance on one side, the weight of the punishment of which ye complain, and on the other side the heap of sins by which ye have often, and for a long time, provoked my wrath against you. ” God then, by multitude of iniquity, shews that it could not be ascribed to him as a fault that he so severely punished the Jews, because they deserved to be so punished. And he confirms the same thing in other words, not that there was anything ambiguous in what he had said, but because the Prophet saw that he had to do with perverse men. That he might then reprove their indifference, he says, that their sins had grown strong (11) It follows —14.All thy lovers have forgotten thee, Thee they seek not: Verily with the stroke of

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an enemy have I struck thee, — With a violent correction; Because multiplied had thine iniquity, Grown strong had thy sins, etc.The word for “violent,” or cruel, is so construed in the early versions; the Targ. alone countenances our version. The last line conveys a different idea from the preceding. The verb, indeed, means strong in number as well as strong in power; but as number is expressed in the previous line, we may justly consider that power is meant here: their sins were not only many, but strong and vigorous, so strong as to resist all exhortations and all threatenings. — Ed.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; [because] thy sins were increased.Ver. 14. All thy lovers have forgotten thee.] Thy sweethearts, thine idols, thy carnal friends, thy priests, prophets, riches, pleasures, all these have given thee the bag, as we say; they stand aloof from thy help.They seek thee not.] Sink thou mayest, or swim, for them; thou art no part of their care.For I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy.] As if I cared not where I hit thee, or how much I hurt thee.With the chastisement of a cruel one.] So it may seem, and so Job thought; [Job 30:21] but that was his error. See here what a pass a saint may be at, and how deeply he may suffer, when his sins are increased. God, out of love displeased, may lay upon him and not spare, leave bloody wales on his back, &c. Crudelem medicum intemperans aeger facit.For the multitude of thine iniquities.] Because thy sins are many and mighty, or bony. See Amos 5:12. {See Trapp on "Amos 5:12"}

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PETT, "Jeremiah 30:14“All your lovers have forgotten you,They do not seek you,For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,With the chastisement of a cruel one,For the greatness of your iniquity,Because your sins were increased.They are like a wounded man who has been deserted on the battlefield, with their erstwhile ‘lovers’ having forgotten and abandoned them. No one looks for him or is concerned about him. And so it is with them. The reference to‘lovers’ may be to their idols, or more likely it may have in mind their erstwhile idolatrous allies among the nations. But the point is that they will not receive any help from anywhere or from anyone. And the reason is because it is YHWH Who has wounded them, acting through their enemy. It is YHWH who has chastised them, acting by means of all the fierceness of a cruel invader (both Assyrian and Babylonian soldiers could be called ‘cruel ones’ because of their total lack of humanity). And the reason they are in this condition is because of the greatness of their iniquity, their inbred evil, and because their sins have continually increased.

15 Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure?

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Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you.

BARNES, "Translate it:Why criest thou because of thy breaking?Because thy pain is grievous?Because of the multitude of thine iniquity,Because thy sins are strong,I have done these things unto thee.

CLARKE, "Thy sorrow is incurable - .anush, desperate. See Jer_30:12 אנוש

GILL, "Why criest thou for thine affliction?.... Or complainest of the hardness, and heaviness, and continuance of it, when there was such a just cause for it? when men have sinned at a high rate, they have no reason to complain of the punishment of their sins, Lam_3:39; thy sorrow is incurable, for the multitude of thine iniquity; such were the number of their iniquities, that they brought them into such a sorrowful and wretched estate and condition that there was no recovery of them, nor hope of recovery of them, by their own power, or by the help and assistance of others: because thy sins were increased I have done these things unto thee; which shows the justice of God, and is a vindication of it under all the seeming severity of it. The Jews (x) acknowledge, that under the second temple there was a great increase of capital crimes, such as murders, adulteries, &c. for which, and other sins, wrath came upon them to the uttermost by the Romans; and they still continue under the visible marks of the divine displeasure.

JAMISON, "Why criest thou — as if God’s severity was excessive. Thou hast no reason to complain, for thine affliction is just. Thy cry is too late, for the time of repentance and mercy is past [Calvin].

CALVIN, "The Prophet now anticipates an objection, lest the Jews should 96

expostulate with God; for it sufficiently appears that they always complained of God’s extreme severity, when they indulged themselves in their vices. As soon then as God treated them as they deserved, they became exasperated and enraged against him. Hence the Prophet now meets their perverse and unjust complaints, and asks, why they cried out for their bruising, as though he had said, that these clamors were much too late, when they had passed by the season for repentance. For God had suspended his extreme threatenings until the people had betrayed so much obstinacy, that there was no room for mercy. When, therefore, the people ’s wickedness had become unhealable, the Prophet, as we have seen, proclaimed their exile.Now, indeed, he derides their late crying, for they had been too long torpid in their contempt of God: Why, then, dost thou cry for thy bruising? grievous is thy sorrow, or, grievousness is to thy sorrow; (12) but for the multitude of thine iniquity, and because thy sins have grown strong, have I done these things to thee Here God frees himself from the calumnies of the people, and shews that those who murmured or made a clamor, acted unjustly, having not considered what they merited: for they were worthy of the heaviest punishment, because they not only in one way brought ruin on themselves, and more and more kindled God’s vengeance, but had also for many years hardened themselves in their sins; and they had, besides, given themselves up, in various ways, to every kind of wickedness, so that the Prophet justly upbraided them with a multitude of iniquity, and also with a mass of sins. God then says, that he had not exceeded the limits of moderation in the punishment he inflicted on the people, because their desperate wickedness and perverseness compelled him. But consolation is immediately subjoined, —Because multiplied had thine iniquity,Grown strong had thy sins,Have I done these things to thee.— Ed. COKE, "Jeremiah 30:15. Why criest thou?— Why criest thou over thy affliction, thy incurable sorrow? it is for the greatness of thy iniquity, and

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because thy sins were increased, that I have done these things unto thee: Jeremiah 30:16 yet surely all they, &c. "The Chaldeans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Edomites, and others, who have afflicted, oppressed, and persecuted you, shall be devoured and extirpated, while you shall be re-established." The Assyrians, who opposed Israel and Judah, were so destroyed by the Babylonians and Medes, that mention is no more made of their empire. The monarchy of the Chaldeans was overthrown by the Persians, and never recovered itself. The empire of the Egyptians and Persians was destroyed by Alexander. But the Jewish people, who appeared as it were extinct, and annihilated in their dispersion, re-appeared on a sudden, and sprung again as it were from their own ashes, to become as numerous and as powerful as ever. The prophets frequently denounce against these nations the menaces which we read here. See chap. Jeremiah 25:14. Isaiah 14:2; Isaiah 49:19. Zephaniah 2 and Calmet.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow [is] incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: [because] thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.Ver. 15. Why criest thou for thine affliction?] And not rather for thy sins? cry not perii, I have died, but peccavi; I have sinned, not, I am undone; but, I have done very foolishly. See Lamentations 3:39-40.PETT, "Jeremiah 30:15“Why do you cry out for your hurt?Your pain is incurable,For the greatness of your iniquity,Because your sins were increased,I have done these things to you.”

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Whenever we get a repetition in Scripture it is because of the necessity of the lesson coming home, and here it is the lesson of Judah and Israel ’s extreme sinfulness which is to be repeated almost word for word from Jeremiah 30:14. In Jeremiah 30:14 their wounded state at the hand of YHWH had been described, and we learned that it was because of the greatness of their iniquity, and because their sins were increased, and now they are asked why it is that they are crying out because of the hurt of their wound, and it is again stressed that they are as they are because they are suffering at the hand of YHWH because of the greatness of their iniquity and because their sins had increased. Thus it is saying, ‘Let it be repeated. That was why He had done these things to them.’ And because it is YHWH Who is responsible for their wound, their wound is incurable except by Him.

16 “‘But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile.Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil.

BARNES, "Therefore - i. e., Because thou hast undergone thy punishment and cried out in consciousness of thy guilt.

CLARKE, "They that devour thee - The Chaldeans.Shall be devoured - By the Medes and Persians.All that prey upon thee will I give for a prey - The Assyrians were destroyed by

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the Babylonians; the Babylonians, by the Medes and Persians; the Egyptians and Persians were destroyed by the Greeks, under Alexander. All these nations are now extinct, but the Jews, as a distinct people, still exist.

GILL, "Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured,.... Thus rendering the words, they are to be connected with Jer_30:10; and all between to be put into a parenthesis: but rather, in connection with the preceding words, they should be rendered "nevertheless", or "notwithstanding" (y); though they had sinned at so great a rate, and were so much afflicted and chastened by the Lord, yet their enemies should not go unpunished, and mercy in the issue would be showed to them. Jarchi calls it an oath, that so it should be; the Romans that devoured them, and ate up their substance, were devoured by the Goths and Vandals; for this may be carried further than to the destruction of the Babylonish empire by the Persians; and all thine adversaries, everyone of them shall, fro into captivity; or be conquered and subdued, as were the Assyrians, Egyptians, Chaldeans, Grecians, Romans; and not only Rome Pagan has been destroyed, but Rome Papal also will go into captivity; see Rev_13:10; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey: they shall be used according to the law of retaliation; the same measure they have measured shall be measured to them again.

JAMISON, "Therefore — connected with Jer_30:13, because “There is none to plead thy cause ... therefore” I will plead thy cause, and heal thy wound, by overwhelming thy foes. This fifteenth verse is inserted to amplify what was said at the close of Jer_30:14. When the false ways of peace, suggested by the so-called prophets, had only ended in the people’s irremediable ruin, the true prophet comes forward to announce the grace of God as bestowing repentance and healing.

devour thee ... be devoured ... spoil ... be a spoil ... prey upon ... give for a prey — retribution in kind (see on Jer_2:3; Exo_23:22; Isa_33:1).

CALVIN, "Here, again, the Prophet promises that God would be gracious to his people, but after a long time, when that perverseness would be subdued, which could not be soon cured. We ought, then, ever to bear in mind the difference between the promise of favors, of which Jeremiah was a witness and a herald, and those vain boastings, by which the false prophets deceived the people, when they encouraged them to expect a return in a short time, and said that the term of deliverance was at hand.And this difference ought to be noticed on this account, because a most useful doctrine may hence be gathered: the unprincipled men who basely

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pretend God’s name, have this in common with his true and faithful servants, — that they both hold forth the favor of God: but those who falsely use God’s name bury the doctrine of repentance; for they seek only to soothe people with flatteries: and as they hunt for favor, they wholly omit the doctrine that may offend, and is in no way sweet and pleasant to the flesh. Jeremiah did not, indeed, deal so severely with the people, but that he gave them some hope of pardon, and always mitigated whatever severity there was in the doctrine of repentance: but at the same time he did not, by indulgence, cherish the vices of the people, as was wont to be done by the false prophets. But what did these do? they boasted that God was merciful, slow to wrath, and ready to be reconciled to sinners: hence they concluded that exile would not be long; and at the same time, as we have said, they perfidiously flattered the people. So then, it ought to be borne in mind, that we are not fit to receive the favor of God, nor are capable of it, so to speak, until all the pride of the flesh be really subdued, and also all self-security be corrected and removed.We now see why the Prophet subjoined the promise of favor, after having spoken of the dreadful judgment of God. But the illative, לכן laken, does not seem suitable; for how can this verse be connected with the threatenings which we have noticed? Therefore they who devour thee shall be devoured But therefore refers to what he had before said. (13) It is not then strange, that he draws the inference, — that God having taken vengeance on the wickedness of the people, would also execute vengeance on their enemies. Then the illative is not unsuitable, because the time of mercy had arrived when the Jews became subdued, so as to humble themselves before God and to repent of their sins.But there is here a common doctrine which we meet with everywhere in the Prophets, even that God, after having made a beginning with his Church, becomes then a judge of all nations; for if he by no means spares his elect, his own family, how can he leave aliens unpunished? And it is the perpetual consolation of the Church, that though God employs the wicked as scourges to chastise his people, vet their condition is not better, for when they have triumphed for a moment, God will soon bring them to judgment. There is, therefore, no reason why the faithful should envy their enemies when they are chastened by God’s hand, and when their enemies exult in their pleasures; for their prosperity will soon come to an end, and with the same measure will God mete unto them the reward of the wrong done to his people.

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Whosoever, then, devours thee shall be devoured, and all thine enemies, yea, all, shall go into captivity; and, lastly, they who plunder thee, etc., which is rendered by some, “they who tread thee shall be for treading. ” But as the verb means plundering, to avoid repetition, I prefer the former meaning: “They, then, who spoil thee shall become a spoil, and they who plunder thee shall be for plunder.” The reason follows, —TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.Ver. 16. Therefore all they that devoured thee shall be devoured.] Or, Nevertheless, or yet all they that devoured thee, &c., q.d., That thou mayest experience that in love I corrected thee and for thy good, though to thy so great grief. I will have my pennyworths on thine enemies, measuring to them as they have done to thee.PETT, "Verse 16-17However, The Nations Too Will Suffer Both Because Of Their Own Deserts And Because They Have Mocked Judah’s God, While On The Other Hand Judah Will Be Restored (Jeremiah 30:16-17).But Israel/Judah will not be alone in their sufferings, for those who are their adversaries will also themselves finally suffer. For they too are deserving of judgment and have sown misery, and what they have sown they will reap. On the other hand, because they have dismissed Zion (God ’s people) in derision as of no account, Zion will be restored, in order that they might learn the lesson not to dismiss YHWH ’s love and concern.Jeremiah 30:16“Therefore all those who devour you,

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Will be devoured,And all your adversaries, every one of them,Will go into captivity,And those who despoil you,Will be a spoil,And all who prey on you,Will I give for a prey.”So those who devoured them would not go unpunished. They too in their turn would be devoured (those who take to the sword will perish by the sword) because they too were filled with iniquity and had increased in sin. And they too would go into captivity, even mighty Babylon. Those who despoiled them would themselves be despoiled, and those who preyed on them would themselves become a prey. God ’s righteous judgment would reach to all. Thus in all their sufferings the people could recognise that it was not they alone who would suffer. Their conquerors too would become the conquered. It was the way of all flesh.

17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’declares the Lord,‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’

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BARNES, "Restore health - Or, “apply a bandage” (Jer_8:22 note). For they called read “they call.”

GILL, "For I will restore health to thee,.... That is, bring thee into a comfortable and prosperous condition, both in church and state, with respect to things religions and civil: as the afflictions and distresses of the Jewish nation are expressed by sickness, wounds, and bruises; so their prosperity, both spiritual and temporal, is signified by health. The words may be rendered, "I will cause length to ascend unto thee"; or a long plaster (z); or rather, that which has been long looked for, and long in coming, prosperity; or else, that whereas they were before bowed down with afflictions and sorrows, now they should be as a man in an erect posture, that rises up in his full height and length, being in a robust and healthful state; and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; pardon their sins, remove their afflictions, and bring them into a comfortable situation, into a Gospel church state, and into their own land: because they called thee an outcast; as the Jews now are, cast out of their own land, rejected from being the people of God; so they are reckoned by the nations among whom they are: saying, this is Zion, whom no man seeketh after: after their good, either temporal or spiritual; despised by most, pitied and prayed for by few; and fewer still they are that seek after, and are solicitous about, or take any methods, or make use of any means, for their conversion; but though man does not, God will, and his work will appear the more manifest.

JAMISON, "(Jer_8:22; Jer_33:6).Outcast — as a wife put away by her husband (Isa_62:4, contrasted with Jer_30:12).Zion — alluding to its Hebrew meaning, “dryness”; “sought after” by none, as would be the case with an arid region (Isa_62:12). The extremity of the people, so far from being an obstacle to, will be the chosen opportunity of, God’s grace.

SBC, "If there is any character more especially marked in the Scripture accounts of Christ’s advent among men, it is that of a Restorer. He comes to purify some presupposed corruption, to repair some antecedent ruin, to satisfy some preexisting wants. It is the feeling of these wants which in the minds of men perpetuates the corresponding feeling of the necessity of remedy which supports the character and claims of Christianity in the world; while, at the same time, it is the slowness of men to embrace with sincerity and practical earnestness the proffered remedy thus felt to be required, and felt to be real, which renders the faith in the crucified Saviour inoperative 104

and unfruitful.I. The faith in the Christian sacrifice and its attendant revelation of the Divine character alone answer the demands of the heart and reason of man for a higher state of moral perfection. Men do weary of the wickedness of the world as really, though not indeed so frequently, as of its disappointments. The pre-eminent character of our faith is to reveal before our eyes a kingdom wherein immortally dwelleth righteousness. Is not its great sacrifice the corner-stone of the equity of the whole moral universe, the sacrifice that enables God to be at once just and the Justifier of Him that believeth in Jesus?II. Christianity offers to maintain a communication between this world and that eternal world of holiness and truth. Here is another want satisfied; the inspiration of weakness made not merely a privilege but a duty. We for ever seek a happiness beyond the reach of chance; Christian prayer beseeches. We seek repose from incessant troubles; Christian prayer is the stillest exercise of soul. We ask even by blind impulses of nature for pardon in the wretched consciousness of depravity. Christian prayer encourages our timidity into confidence.III. Another particular in which this blessed faith commends itself to our wants, is in its confirmation and direction of that principle of hope which even in our daily and worldly life we are perpetually forced to substitute for happiness. It leaves the tendency, but it alters the object.IV. But above all its recommendations to the wants and solicitudes of man, the Gospel commends itself by the adorable object which it presents to our affections. The devotion with which we are encouraged to regard the great God and Saviour of the New Testament, the affection with which He has contemplated us, create a new and holy and eternal bond of love, such as in its fulness indeed our fallen humanity could never have anticipated, yet such as becomes an answer to many of the profoundest wants of the soul.W. Archer Butler, Sermons Doctrinal and Practical, 2nd series, p. 133.

Reference: Jer_30:17.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxix., No. 1753.

CALVIN, "When God promised favor to the Jews, he referred to their enemies; for it would have been a grievous temptation, which would have otherwise not only disturbed and depressed their minds, but also extinguished all faith, to see their enemies enjoying all they could wish, and successful in everything they attempted, had not this consolation been granted them, — that their enemies would have at length to render an account for the wickedness in which they gloried. But now the main thing is here expressed, — that God, when reconciled to his people, would heal the wounds which he had inflicted; for he who inflicts wounds on us, can alone heal us. He exercises judgment in punishing, he afterwards undertakes the office of a Physician, to deliver us from our evils. It is, therefore, the same as

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though the Prophet had said, “When the right time shall pass away, which God has fixed as to his people, deliverance is to be hoped for with certainty; for the Lord has decreed to punish his people only for a time, and not wholly to destroy them.”Iwill bring thee, he says, healing, and will heal thee of thy wounds And this admonition was very necessary, for the Jews had nearly rotted in their exile when God delivered them. They might have then been a hundred times overwhelmed with despair; but God bids them here to raise upwards their minds, so as to expect help from heaven, for there was none on earth. And he adds, because they called thee, Zion, an outcast whom no one seeketh; that is, of whom, or of whose welfare, no one is solicitous. He confirms what I have before said, — that the extreme evils of the people would be no hinderance when God came to deliver them, but, on the contrary, be the future occasion of favor and mercy. When, therefore, the people should become so sunk in misery as to make all to think their deliverance hopeless, God promises that he would then be their Redeemer. And this is what we ought carefully to notice: for we look around us here and there, whenever we hope for any help; but God shews that he will be then especially propitious to us, when we are in a hopeless state according to the common opinion of men. It follows, —TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD because they called thee an Outcast, [saying], This [is] Zion, whom no man seeketh after.Ver. 17. For I will restore health.] It goes best with the Church when worst with her enemies. It shall do so much more when all Christ ’s foes shall be made his footstool.Because they called thee an Outcast.] Concluding so from thine afflictions. The Jewish nation, saith Cicero, (a) show how well God regards them, that have been so oft subdued, by the Chaldees, Greeks, Romans, &c. This was but a slender argument, only God is moved by the enemy ’s insolence and insults to look in mercy the rather upon his poor despised and despited people.Saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.] Illusio ex allusione, this was a jeer by playing upon her name, (b) as if Zion signified a dry or waste

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place, and therefore not much to be desired. Strabo indeed saith as much of Judea; and Mount Zion at this day, nihil habet eximium, nihil expetendum, hath no great desire in it. But certainly Judea was once a land flowing with milk and honey, and Mount Zion was in no small request. Howsoever, none ought by their bitter taunts to add affliction to the afflicted, but rather to weep with those that weep; "be pitiful, be courteous." [1 Peter 3:8]

SIMEON, "Verse 17THE CONVERSION OF THE JEWS—OUR DUTY TO PROMOTE ITJeremiah 30:17. This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.CONSIDERING how much is spoken in the Holy Scriptures concerning the present and future state of the Jewish nation, it is surprising how little they occupy the attention of the Christian world. As living witnesses of the truth of our holy religion, they are indeed often mentioned; but, as having any interest in the promises of the Gospel, and as ordained to fill an exalted station in the Church of God, they are scarcely ever noticed, so that, to bring the subject before a Christian audience seems almost to require an apology; the very mention of them in that view being more calculated to excite a smile, than to call forth the more holy emotions of compassion and love. Whence this should proceed, I know not; unless from that prejudice against them, which from our earliest infancy we have imbibed, and from an idea that all efforts for their welfare are visionary and vain. But this indifference towards them is highly criminal. We are not to imagine, that, because they are under God’s displeasure, we are discharged from all those duties which we owe them as men; or that, whilst God is making use of men as instruments to inflict punishment on his offending people, they are not responsible to him for the dispositions which they exercise, and the acts which they perform. Respecting the Jews in former times, it is said, “All that have found them, have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not; because they have sinned against the Lord [Note: Jeremiah 50:7.].” But was his anger any reason for theirs? Was man justified in despising them, because they were under the chastisement of their offended God? Assuredly not: for God himself complains of this very conduct; “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion, with a great jealousy: and I am sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased; and they helped forward the

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affliction:” (and then, as in the words before my text, he adds,) “Therefore I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies [Note: Zechariah 1:14-15.]. ” In all that he inflicts, he himself is just: but in executing his secret purposes, we are not just, any more than the Jews were in crucifying their Messiah: for though they did only what “God’s hand and God’s counsel had determined before to be done,” it was “with wicked hands that they crucified and slew him [Note: Acts 2:23; Acts 4:28.].” This distinction is very strongly marked in the passage before us. In the foregoing verses God vindicates his own honour, by shewing, that the Jews were themselves the authors of their own misery, in that they had brought it upon themselves by their great wickedness; yet he declares, at the same time, that the contempt poured upon them by their enemies was most offensive to him; and that when he should have fulfilled his will upon his own people, he would avenge their cause on those who, not from any zeal for his honour, but for the gratification of their own malignant passions, had been the willing, though unconscious, instruments of his vengeance [Note: See Isaiah 10:12.].That we may enter fully into this view of our text, it will be proper for me to read to you the two verses immediately preceding it: “Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. Therefore [the word ‘therefore’ should here, as in many other parts of the prophetic writings, have been translated ‘nevertheless’ [Note: The particle laken, translated therefore, sometimes signifies nevertheless, or yet surely. See the note on Isaiah 30:26; and so it is translated, chap. 5:2. of this prophecy; which sense agrees best with this place, and connects this verso with the words foregoing: “So it should be rendered likewise, chap. 30:16 and 32:36.” See Dr. Lowth on Jeremiah 16:14. Dr. Blaney thinks it should rather be translated “after this.” It is obvious, that it cannot be used as an illative particle in this place. Between the other two senses the author does not undertake to determine; any further than to say, that Dr. Lowth ’s translation is the more agreeable to the context.]:] Nevertheless, all that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil: and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey: for I will restore health unto thee, and

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I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after;” that is, ‘I will take occasion, from the contempt that is poured upon thee, to manifest the regard which, even in thy lowest state, I bear towards thee, and to restore thee to my favour: yea, the very complacency which thine enemies express in the view of thy degradation, shall call forth my indignation against them, and my compassion for thee.’The words thus explained, will lead us to consider the treatment shewn to the Jewish people, and the light in which their conduct is viewed by Almighty God.I. We shall notice the treatment that is almost universally shewn to the Jewish people.We might enter here into an historical view of the conduct of different nations towards them, and especially since their dispersion by the Romans. We might state the cruelties inflicted on them by the different potentates of Europe, not excepting those of our own country. But this would be unnecessary; since it is well known to all, that they have been, and still are, a proverb of reproach amongst ourselves, as well as in foreign lands: and that, if we wished to stigmatize any one with a name comprising every thing that was odious and contemptible, the term “Jew” would afford us ample scope for the exercise of our malignity. Let it suffice to say, that even in this land, which, in respect of civil and religious liberty, stands unrivalled amongst the nations of the world, and where toleration is carried to its utmost extent, there has been, within the memory of many now living, as universal and disgraceful an opposition to the Jews, as could well be expected from any civilized community. When the government of this country had passed an act in their favour, such was the clamour excited throughout the whole land, not by the irreligious only, but, I am ashamed to say, the religious also, that the Parliament was constrained to repeal, in the following year, the law which had been enacted; when that law did nothing more than concede to them the common rights of humanity, the rights possessed by the meanest beggar in the land.Nor is it in respect of civil rights only that they are so disregarded: their religious interests also are altogether overlooked. In behalf of the heathen there have been two venerable societies established in this land for above a hundred years: but who amongst us have united together for the benefit of the Jews? Within a few short months, also, has there been sent forth, from the highest authorities in the state, a

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circular letter [Note: In 1815.], to call forth the exertions of every member of the community in behalf of the heathen; but on behalf of the unhappy Jews, no such effort, yea, no effort at all, has ever been made: no: they may be left to perish! “They are the Zion, whom no man seeketh after, ” or needs to seek after. What a striking illustration of our text is this! and how exactly corresponding with the judgment which God, by his prophet, foretold, as assuredly to come upon them in their dispersion: “I will cause them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth: and who shall have pity on thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest [Note: Jeremiah 15:4-5.]”But there is a point noticed in our text, to which I wish to draw your more particular attention. The evil which called forth the animadversion of Jehovah was, that, whilst the enemies of Zion poured contempt upon her, they vindicated their conduct in that respect, and spoke of it as being precisely such as became them on the occasion: “I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord of Hosts, because they called thee an outcast; saying. This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after;” this is Zion, respecting whom no one needs to give himself any concern at all.And is not this the very way in which we have conducted ourselves towards the Jewish people? We not only despise them, and disregard their welfare; but we justify this habit, and see no reason for altering it: we even feel a complacency in the thought of their degradation; and, instead of rejoicing, that now, at last, a society has arisen to seek their welfare, we regard their attempts as visionary; and are disposed rather to deride their efforts, than to afford them our active and zealous aid. Instead of praying fervently to God for this people in secret, and then going forth to exert ourselves for the conversion of their souls, we give them not so much as a place in our thoughts: and so far from being ashamed of, or even thinking it necessary to palliate, our neglect of them, I say again, we justify it; and account any frivolous excuse an ample vindication of our conduct.On this part of our subject we shall enter more fully, in another discourse [Note: See on Zechariah 14:7.]: but we beg that it may be particularly kept in mind throughout this present discourse, because it is the main point on which the whole turns. Let it be remembered, that we speak not of persecuting the Jews; no, nor even of neglecting them; but we speak of that self-vindication which we cherish in the midst of this neglect; and of the willingness which we manifest to catch at any thing, which may, with the smallest semblance of propriety, appear to justify that neglect. Perhaps, in our whole lives, we have never once imagined that we were sinning against God by this conduct, or that he beheld it with any marked disapprobation; much less have we made it a ground for humiliation before God, and implored grace

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from Him to change and amend our ways.Such, then, having been our conduct, let me proceed to set before you, as I proposed, under the second head of my discourse, the light in which it is viewed by Almighty God.We can scarcely conceive a stronger expression of God’s indignation against such conduct, than that which is contained in the passage before us since it not only called forth his displeasure against those who were guilty of it, but induced him, in a way of recompence, to declare, that he would restore to his favour the people who were so contemned.If, as is probable, we do not see any great evil in this conduct, let us proceed to investigate it in some different particulars.First, murk the inhumanity of it. The Jews, no less than ourselves, have immortal souls, which must be partakers of happiness or misery for ever. I know, that to speak of that whole people as in a state of guilt and condemnation, is by many deemed uncharitable and severe; and I am far from censuring those whose feelings revolt from so terrible a thought. But, if we believe the Scriptures to be true, we shall find it impossible to maintain the sentiment which our charity would dictate. I presume not to say, that there may not be many individuals, both amongst Jews and Gentiles, to whom mercy may be accorded for Christ’s sake, notwithstanding they have not a distinct view of his salvation: but I would ask, What did St. Paul mean, when he appealed so solemnly to the heart-searching God respecting his own feelings on account of his nation: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not; my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart for my brethren ’s sake [Note: Romans 9:1-2.]”. Would he have felt all this, if he had believed that they were in a state of salvation? Whence could his “great heaviness and continual sorrow of heart” arise, but from the conviction of his mind, that, whilst they continued to reject the Saviour, they were under the wrath of God? And whence arose his unabated efforts in their behalf, “that by any means he might save some,” if he did not consider them all as in danger of perishing in their sins? Permit me, then, to ask, if they be indeed, nationally considered, in such a state, are we guilty of no inhumanity, whilst we use no efforts for their welfare? Were we to see a multitude of them shipwrecked, and to refuse to make exertions for their preservation, when the means of preserving them were in our hands, there would be but one sentiment in the

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whole world respecting our conduct; and we ourselves should be amongst the foremost to condemn those who should so violate all the feelings of humanity. Yet is not this the very conduct of which we have been guilty? We have seen that unhappy nation sinking into perdition, and have had at our command that which is sufficient to save the whole world; yet have we never tendered to them our assistance, nor used any means for their salvation. And in what light Almighty God views this conduct, we may judge from what he spoke respecting the Ammonites of old: “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever; because they met you not with bread and with water in the way when ye came forth out of Egypt [Note: Deuteronomy 23:3-4.].” Now, if God expressed such indignation against them for not administering to his people temporal relief, what must he not feel against us, who, with the bread of life and the water of life in rich profusion in our hands, have never stirred one step to supply their wants, or to make them partakers of our benefits? The parable of the good Samaritan is familiar to us all: and there is but one sentiment amongst us respecting the conduct of the priest and the Levite towards the wounded Jew, when compared with that of the Samaritan. And are the Jews of this day less neighbours to us, than those in our Lord’s day were to the Samaritans? Yet have we seen the perishing condition of that whole nation, without any suitable emotions, or any efforts made by us in their behalf. We may extenuate our fault as we will; but, in the sight both of God and man, we have been guilty of most grievous inhumanity.Consider, next, the injustice of our conduct. God has given to us the Scriptures, not for ourselves only, but for the whole world also: his command to all who possess them is, (for we must not limit it to his immediate disciples,) “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature: ” and so far was he from excepting the Jews, that he required a preference to be shewn to them, and particularly enjoined, that the first offer of salvation should be made to them [Note: Luke 24:47.]. This preference his Apostles continued to shew, till the obstinacy of the Jews constrained them to manifest towards the Gentiles an indiscriminate regard. But, if we suppose the preference to the Jews to be no longer enjoined, can we imagine that they are to be altogether neglected?

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Very different will our judgment be, if we consult what St. Paul has written on this subject: “As ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy [Note: Romans 11:30-31.].” The meaning of which passage, I conceive, is this: God withdrew his mercy from his ancient people, that he might impart it to you Gentiles; but, in imparting it to you, he never designed that it should be finally withheld from them: on the contrary, he now makes you the depositaries of his word for their good, that, through the mercy vouchsafed to you, they may be led to a renewed enjoyment of the blessings which they in former ages exclusively possessed. Thus have they a claim upon us: we are actually“debtors to them [Note: Romans 15:26-27.]:” and, whilst we withhold from them the blessings which are entrusted to us for their use, we are guilty of the grossest injustice. Suppose, in a time of dearth, a person of opulence should commit to his steward a sum of money for the relief of persons who were specifically described; and that, on inquiry, he should find that his steward had altogether withheld relief from those for whose benefit the trust had been committed to him, and had spent the money on himself: would any one hesitate to call him an unjust steward? What then, if, instead of improving the Gospel for the ends for which it has been committed to us, namely, that “through our mercy the Jews might obtain mercy,” we have been altogether regardless of our trust, and suffered them all to “perish for lack of knowledge:” will God account us faithful? Will he not rather complain of us as unjust stewards? Will he not accuse us as having intercepted the flow of his benevolence towards the objects of his compassion, and as having robbed them of the benefits which he had ordained them to enjoy? Let us not then console ourselves with the thought, that we have never inflicted on them any positive injury; but let us rather tremble at that sentence which God has denounced against those who have hid their “talent in a napkin;” “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. ”There is yet another view in which I would place this conduct. Consider the ingratitude of it. We were once in as deplorable a condition as the Jews, or rather in a state far worse: for they do worship the one true God; whereas we were bowing down to stocks and stones. And how did they act towards us? The Jewish nation at

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large, I grant, opposed, with all their might, the calling of the Gentiles: and some who were truly pious could not see the Divine purposes in relation to this matter. But they acted under a mistaken sense of duty to their God; (an excuse which none of us can offer:) and, as soon as they were fully instructed in their duty, they accounted nothing too much to do or suffer, if they might but be employed as instruments to “turn us from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God.” Most remarkable is that declaration of St. Paul, to this effect, to his Gentile converts at Philippi: “If I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all: for the same cause do ye also joy and rejoice with me [Note: Philippians 2:17-18.].” To understand this aright, we should bear in mind, that, when burnt-offerings were presented to God under the Law, meat-offerings of flour and oil were consumed with them, and drink offerings of wine were poured out upon them [Note: Numbers 15:3-11.]. “Now,” says the Apostle, “I regard your faith as a sacrifice and service to the Lord: and if my blood be poured out upon it as a libation, ”(that is the meaning of the word which we translate ‘offered,’( “so far shall I be from complaining of my persecutors, or accounting it hard that I am called to suffer, that I shall congratulate myself, and expect to be congratulated by you, on the honour and happiness conferred upon me. ”Such was his love towards the Gentiles. And should there not he some measure of the same spirit in us, towards the Jews? But what self-denial have we exercised for them? or what labour have we endured for their benefit? Instead of willingly pouring out our blood for them, (as all the Apostles, except John, did for us,) have we even shed a tear for them before God, or poured out a prayer for their deliverance? To us they have been the greatest benefactors: all that we know of God and his Christ, we have learned from them: and all on which our hopes of eternal happiness are founded, we derive from them. Do these things call for no return at our hands? If we have received so abundantly of their spiritual things, is it not our “duty” to impart to them of ours [Note: Romans 15:27.]; When they have manifested such enlargement of heart towards us, what can we think of ourselves, if we are so straitened towards them [Note: 2 Corinthians 6:11-13.]?If any one object, that “the benefits conferred on us by pious Jews of former ages lay us under no obligation to those who are ungodly in the present day,”I would reply, that no one of us would argue thus in matters of mere

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temporal concern; but that, on the contrary, we should rather feel the claims of such persons augmented by their very necessities. Suppose, for instance, that a rich man had disinherited his own son for some offence, and conferred all his estates on us, who had no relation to him, and no claim upon him whatever; and that, in process of time, the descendants of his son were reduced to extreme want and misery; should we regard them with the same indifference as we might, perhaps, if no such circumstance had ever occurred? Should we not think they had some kind of claim upon our charity; and that, out of the wealth so undeservedly conferred on us, and in the full enjoyment of which we were living, we should do well to bestow on them at least the crumbs which fell from our table? and, if we refused them this boon, should we think, or would any person think, that gratitude “had its perfect work within us? Let us judge righteous judgment; ” and let the verdict which conscience would give in that case be given in the other; only with this additional aggravation, that, whilst the charity which we refused them would in the one case have diminished our wealth, in the other it would have enlarged it, and have enriched us whilst it aided them.There is yet one more point of view in which I will place the conduct of which I am speaking. Consider the impiety of it. What has not our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ done for us? He has left the bosom of his Father, and disrobed himself of all his glory, and assumed our nature (being “made like unto us in all things, sin only excepted”), and “borne our sins in his own body on the tree,” and“become a curse for us, that he might redeem us from the curse of the law, ”and reconcile us to our offended God. And, in return for all this, what does lie require at our hands? What, but that we should henceforth “live not unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us, and rose again [Note: 2 Corinthians 5:15.]?”This, methinks, is the least that we can do. To love him, to serve him, to glorify him in every possible way, is surely no more than “our reasonable service.” Now, when he would instruct the Apostle Peter, how to evince his love, and how to render him the most acceptable service, what direction did he give him? “Simon, lovest thou me? Feed my sheep: feed my lambs.” If it be said, that this was done for the purpose of restoring Peter to his apostolic office, which he had disgraced and forfeited, I grant it was; but still it shews, that, to administer to the spiritual and eternal welfare of the Lord ’s people, as far as our respective circumstances will admit of it, is a suitable

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expression of our love to him, and a service most acceptable in his sight. What then shall we say, if, when we have seen all his kindred according to the flesh scattered over the face of the whole earth, we have never endeavoured to bring one to his fold, or to feed them in the pastures prepared for them? May he not justly take up against us the complaint which he uttered against his shepherds of old, “My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them [Note: Ezekiel 34:6.]?” May not the reproach cast on the Christians at Rome be justly applied to us, “All men seek their own, and not the things which are Jesus Christ’s [Note: Philippians 2:21.]?” And may not the Jews themselves adopt, in reference to us, the lamentation of David, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld; but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; and no man cared for my soul [Note: Psalms 142:4.]?” I readily grant, that we are not all called to the pastoral office: but are we therefore freed from all obligation to use our efforts for the extension of the Redeemer ’s kingdom, according to our ability? Do we not read of even females who “laboured in the Lord, yea, and laboured much in the Lord [Note: Romans 16:12.]? ” There are many things which we all might have done towards the recovery of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We might, at least, have felt towards them as the Apostle did, when he said, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they may be saved [Note: Romans 10:1.]: ” yea, like our blessed Saviour, we might have “wept” over their desolate condition [Note: Luke 19:41.]; and with the angel, of whom the Prophet Zechariah speaks, have pleaded for them: “O Lord God of Hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem [Note: Zechariah 1:12.]?” But if no measure of this love to Christ have burned in our hearts, we may well doubt whether we have ever loved him at all, or have ever experienced his power and grace upon our own souls. If St. John’s appeal respecting a backwardness to relieve the temporal necessities of our fellow-creatures be unanswerable, how much more will it be so, when applied to the subject before us: “Whoso hath this world’s goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him [Note: 1 John 3:17.]?” How indeed! We may make what profession of piety we will; but we shall prove to demonstration, that we have no love either to God or man in

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our hearts, if, after this warning, we neglect to seek the welfare of the Children of Israel.Thus have I faithfully declared unto you what I verily believe to be the truth of God: and I appeal to yourselves, whether I have given an exaggerated statement, or whether I have declared more than you you will find to be true, if you will only seriously reflect upon it as before God. Only let it be remembered, that I have not spoken these things respecting the mere neglect of their welfare, but of the justification of that neglect, and of the reluctance which is shewn to make any effort for their salvation. The retrospective application of it bears upon persons only in proportion to the information they have possessed; but the prospective application comes with full weight upon the consciences of us all; so that I may say, as our Lord did to the Jews, “If we had never been addressed upon the subject, we might have had no sin: but now we shall have no cloak for our sin. ”If I should attempt to trace this neglect of our Jewish Brethren to what I conceive to be its true cause, I must impute it, in a very considerable degree, to that ignorance of the prophetic writings which so generally prevails amongst us. They are not studied amongst us as they ought to be. Because they are in some parts difficult to be understood, we altogether wave the consideration of them: or, if we consider them at all, we involve them in tenfold obscurity, by interpreting, as relating to the Gentiles, what God has spoken primarily, if not exclusively, of the Jews. The truth is, that if, in reading the prophecies, we kept the Jews steadily before our eyes, such a light would shine upon the Scriptures as we have never before seen; and all the purposes and perfections of God would be unfolded to us, in a new and most interesting view. But we keep that people out of sight, and never make the prophecies relating to them a subject of our ministrations. Forgive me, if I say, that to us ministers this guilt attaches in a very high degree. Our duty has been, to “declare to our people the whole counsel of God:” and yet we have passed over this subject, as unworthy of our own attention, or of theirs: and those mysteries which caused the holy Apostle to exclaim, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out [Note: Romans 11:33]!” have been treated by us with contemptuous silence; our whole conduct being, in this respect, one continued comment on our text; “This is Zion, an outcast, whom no man seeketh after.” I pray God, that the blood of that unhappy people may not be laid to our charge, or “be required at our hands [Note: Ezekiel 33:7-8,],”I cannot, however, exempt from grievous criminality the Church at large, amongst whom exists a sad indifference even about their own souls. Too many amongst us have never truly sought salvation for themselves: how then could they seek the

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welfare of others? If they have never “looked on Him whom by their sins they have pierced,” and never mourned for their own iniquities, how should they weep over the Jewish people, or labour to restore them to the favour of their God? Here, it is to be feared, is the root of the evil with the great mass of nominal Christians: they have not laid to heart their own wickedness: they have not wept and prayed over their own perishing condition, nor fled to Christ for refuge from the curses of the broken law, It is no wonder, then, that they have left, without any remorse, their Jewish brethren to perish in their sins, But shall we continue thus to augment our guilt; and to “treasure up for ourselves, no less than for them, wrath against the day of wrath? ” In vain shall we attempt to justify this conduct: for, beyond a doubt, our God would have us like-minded with himself, when he speaks of them as still“beloved of him for their fathers’ sake [Note: Romans 11:28.];” and with heart-felt joy contemplates their restoration to his favour. Hear how he speaks in the words following my text: “Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling-places: and the city shall be builded on her own heap; and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof: and out of them shall proceed thanksgiving, and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, that they shall not be few; and I will glorify them, that they shall not be small. …and they shall be my people, and I will be their God [Note: ver. 18, 19, 22. with Jeremiah 24:7.]. ”Such is the delight with which God contemplates these great events: and shall we be indifferent to them? Shall we not endeavour to help forward this glorious day? Shall not their ignorance move us, and their obduracy call forth our compassion? Behold how the prophet bemoaned their situation in his day: “Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people: mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, till the Lord look down upon them, and behold from heaven [Note: Lamentations 3:48-50.].” This is the frame of mind which becomes US: and sure I am, that, if any measure of it be found in us, we shall neglect them no longer. We shall consider what can be done in their behalf; and shall not suffer every foolish excuse that can be offered to warp our judgment, or to paralyze our exertions. We shall bear in mind, what arrears of love we owe to them, and what a fearful responsibility hangs over us before God: and we shall lend ourselves to every good work, whereby their

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minds may be enlightened, and their souls “subdued to the obedience of faith.” We shall not account it superfluous to exert ourselves, because we do not expect “the nation to be born in a day;” but shall gladly labour, in every possible way, for the promotion of their good, “if by any means we may save some.” If we may but gain “one of a city, and two of a tribe or family [Note: Jeremiah 3:14.];” yea, if after all our efforts, we may but glean a small remnant, four or five from the top of the outermost branches of the olive-tree [Note: Isaiah 17:6.], we shall account our exertions richly recompensed, and shall bless our God that we “have not laboured in vain, or run in vain.”PETT, "Jeremiah 30:17“For I will restore health to you,And I will heal you of your wounds,The word of YHWH,Because they have called you an outcast,(Saying), ‘It is Zion, whom no man seeks after’.”The one difference was that one day Judah/Israel ’s strength would be restored. They alone of all the nations would be preserved through thick and thin. For YHWH Himself would one day restore health to them and heal their‘incurable’ wounds, the wounds which He alone could cure because He had inflicted them. This was on the sure word of YHWH. And all this would be because men had derided them and had called them an outcast, and had spoken of them as ‘Zion whom no man seeks after’, because all had turned away from them. The mention of ‘Zion’ suggests that underneath the derision we are to see lying derision at Zion ’s God. Judah/Israel themselves had boasted in ‘Zion’. Very well, say the nations, who wants them now?This mention of Zion is a theme within a theme, for it is preparing for the following chapter when the restoration of Zion will be a feature of the whole

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restoration (Jeremiah 31:12; Jeremiah 31:23; Jeremiah 31:40). Then indeed men will seek after Zion for His people will be restored. Its mention here in this derogatory fashion is thus preparation for its restoration.BI 17-19, "I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.God’s love in restorationMost times in Scripture the voice of God is the voice of love. The sterner words come forth as of necessity, on compulsion. How wonderful in the text is the tenderness with which God speaks, what marvellous considerateness for natural human feelings, for the peculiarities, if I may so speak, of human feelings, when, in promising to renew and to restore, He speaks not only of restoration, but of restoration on the very spot, restoration with the least possible loss, the least possible wrench to natural feeling,—restoration of the city on the ruinous heap, on the old foundation; not merely life again, but life where they had lived of old, the hearth to be raised where the hearth had burned of old, and home where home had been, not one joy or sorrow of association being lost, no change of place, no severance of old ties and thoughts, but all the round of life to begin again on the very site where the days had gone round before. Great mercy would it have been, if the decayed city, with its palaces and homes, had been rebuilt at all, and on other spots, in other places not known or loved before; but as there would have been a certain sorrow in changing the place of habitation, in making a new home, and on looking back on the bare desert plots where the city had once stood, so God, promising restoration, so promises it, that there should not be one cloud upon the heart in seeing the walls again built, not one touch of sorrow and regret to mingle with the joy. And how has it been with the Church of Christ, of which these words of the prophet, in a second and a spiritual sense, doubtless speak? There is no branch of the Church, alas! which has not failed at times in its high part, which has not at times sunk down into listlessness and sloth, which has not at times had an evil activity and an unwise zeal, which has not at times wasted its high gifts, spilt them as it were like water on the ground, suffered its lamp to burn low or to glare with an unhealthy light, which has not at times grudged alms, or been faint in prayer, or worshipped the world, or dressed itself out in gorgeous robes of worldly greatness, or been self-indulgent, or lax in its view of Christian verities. And yet no branch of the Church has been without its calls and recalls, its revival, whether of its spiritual life or of its form and order, its gracious renewings, its waterings from on high with the heavenly dew, that it might again look strong, again battle with the world, again bear noble witness, again do noble deeds, again shew the power of a living faith, again unite itself with heaven by its warm and frequent prayers, again preach Christ crucified by its own crucifixion of all earthly affections, and the manifestation of all saintly ways and tempers. (Bishop Armstrong.)

Blessed promises for dying outcastsThe promises of this verse will be exceedingly sweet to those who feel their personal need of them; but those who boast that they are neither sick nor wounded will take no interest in this comfortable word.

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I. Taken in connection with the verses which precede it, our text describes a class of men and women who are in a serious plight. These people suffer under two evils. They are afflicted with the distemper of evil, and also by dismal disquietude of conscience. They have broken God’s commandments, and now their own bones are broken. They have grieved their God, and their God is grieving them.1. They are sick with sin, and that disease is one which, according to the fifth and sixth verses, brings great pain and trouble into men’s minds when they come to their senses, and know their condition before God. Sin felt and known is a terrible kill-joy: as the simoom of the desert smites the caravan with death, and as the sirocco withers every herb of the field, so does a sense of sin dry up peace, blast hope, and utterly kill delight. This disease, moreover, is not only exceedingly painful when the conscience is smarting, but it is altogether incurable, so far as any human skill is concerned. Neither body, soul, nor spirit is free from its taint. At all hours it is our curse and plague; over all places it casts its defiling influence; in all duties it injures and hinders us. To those who know this there is a music sweeter than marriage-bells in these words,—“I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds” The incurable shall be cured; the insatiable malady shall be stayed. How gracious is it on God’s part to pity a creature infected with this vile distemper! How good of Him to regard our iniquity rather as a sickness to be healed than as a crime to be punished!2. I told you of a double mischief in this plight, and the second mischief is that this person has been wounded for his sin. His wounds are of no common sort, for we are told in the fourteenth verse that God Himself has wounded him. There is such a thing as cruel kindness, and the opposite to it is a loving cruelty, a gracious severity. When the Lord brings sin to remembrance, and makes the soul to see what an evil it has committed in transgressing against God, then the wound bleeds, and the heart breaks. The smart is sharp, but salutary. The Lord wounds that He may heal, He kills that He may make alive. His storms wreck us upon the rock of salvation, and His tempests drive us into the fair havens of lowly faith. Happy are the men who are thus made unhappy; but this for the present they know not, and therefore they need the promise, “I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.” The blows are not only on the conscience, but when God is in earnest to make men flee from their sins, He will smite them anywhere and everywhere. He takes away the delight of their eyes with a stroke; the child, the husband, the wife, or the friend is laid low; for the Lord will fill our houses with mourning sooner than leave us in carnal security.

II. A special interference. The poor creature is in desperate dolour; but the God of pitying love comes in, and I beg you to notice the result.1. This interference is, first of all Divine. The infinite Jehovah alone can speak with that grand Ego, and say, “I will,” and again, “I will.” No human physician who was worthy of the name would speak thus. He would humbly say, “I will attempt to give you health; I will endeavour to heal your wounds”; but the Lord speaks with the positiveness of omnipotence, for He has the power to make good His words.2. Note, that since this interference is Divine it is effectual. What can baffle the Lord? Can anything perplex infinite wisdom? Is anything difficult to almighty power? He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and it stands fast. When therefore God says, I will restore health unto thee,” health will visit the wretch who lies pining at death’s door. When He says, “I will heal thee of thy wounds,” the deep cuts and gashes are closed up at once.

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3. Observe that this interposition performs a work which is most complete, for it meets the two-fold mischief. He will heal both disease and wound.4. Notice, too, how sovereignly free this promise is. It does not say, “I will restore health unto thee if”—No, there is no “if”; and there is no mention of a fee. Here is healing for nothing. Jesus comes to give us health without money and without price, without pence or penance, without labour or merit.5. Notice that, although it be thus free and unconditional, yet it is now a matter of covenant certainly, for God has made the promise, and He cannot turn from it. To every guilty sinner, conscious of his guilt, who will come and confess it before God, this promise is made to-day, “I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds.”

III. A singular reason. He says, not “Because you were holy,” or “Because you had good desires”; but “Because they called thee an outcast.” Who were they? Why, the mockers and blasphemers: the Lord actually transforms the venom of asps, which was under the tongues of the malicious, into a reason for His mercy. This clearly shows how God hates the very notion of merit; but it also shows that He will find a reason for mercy somewhere.1. This roused the Lord’s pity. “Oh,” He said, “has it come to this? Have they dared to call My Beloved ‘an outcast,’ and say that no man seeketh after her! I will seek her, and heal her, and restore her, for I cannot endure such tauntings.” Now, if there is a poor sinner in the world, upon whom other sinners, who are just as bad in their heart, begin to vent their scorn, and say, “She is an outcast”; then the God of mercy seems to say, Who are you that you should talk like this? You are as vile yourselves, and yet you dare to look down upon this poor, selected one, as if she were so much worse than you. Therefore, I will save that despised one, and will have mercy upon the rejected.”2. God’s jealousy is aroused against those who despise His people and speak ill of them. It is one thing for a father to chasten his boy; but if, when he is out in the streets, a stranger begins to kick him, his father declares that it shall not be. He arouses himself to defend his child, the same child that just now he smote so heavily. That is a fair parallel to the case of our God. He will chasten His people in measure, but the moment that their enemies call them outcasts He turns His anger another way and releases His people. Oh, how blessedly does good come out of evil! How graciously He causes the wrath of man to praise Him. He restores health to Zion, and heals her wounds because she is called an outcast.

IV. A little suitable advice. I will suppose that I have those before me who have felt their disease and their wound, and have been healed by the God of mercy. I would recommend them to attend to certain matters.1. Take care that you live very near your Physician. I notice that patients come up from the country when they are suffering with serious complaints, and they take lodgings near a medical man who is in high esteem for such cases as theirs. Now, the Lord has healed your wound, and restored health to you, therefore abide in Him; never leave Him, nor live far away from Him, for this old disease of yours may break out on a sudden, and it will be well to have the Healer close at hand. It will be best to entertain Him constantly beneath your roof, and within your heart; for His presence is the wellspring of health to the soul.

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2. I recommend you often to put yourself under His searching examination. Go to this great Physician, and ask Him to look into your hidden parts, to search you, and try you, and see what wicked way may be in you, that He may lead you in the way everlasting.3. I recommend you from personal experience to consult with this Doctor every day. It is a wise thing before you go downstairs into the world’s tainted atmosphere to take a draught of His Elixir vitae, in the form of renewed faith in Him. I am sure at night it is an admirable thing to purge the soul of all the perilous stuff which has accumulated through the day by full confession and renewed confidence.4. Lay bare your case before Him; conceal nothing; beg of Him to deal with you according to His knowledge of your case. Make a clean breast that Christ may make a sure cure.5. Then I should very strongly recommend you always to obey the prescriptions of the great Healer. “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” The Lord Jesus must be received as a whole, or not at all6. Take care also to exercise great confidence in this Physician. Your cure is working wondrously when you trust in Jesus heartily. Distrust is what you have to fear; faith is your strength.7. When you are healed, as I trust you are already, speak well of your Benefactor. When you were restored from sickness the other day, you were quite able to inform your friends as to that new medicine which acted like a charm, and you found a tongue to speak well of your doctor; and I am sure you have ability enough to declare the wonderful works of the Lord in your case. “Oh, but I could not embellish the tale!” Do not attempt to embellish it; for that would only spoil it. Tell the story as simply as possible. I think it is of Mr. Cecil that I have read the following incident. A friend came from some distance to inform him of a medicine which was to relieve him of his disorder. This friend told him all about it, and having done so, entered into conversation upon the current matters of the day. The result was that Mr. Cecil was greatly interested in the talk, and when his friend was gone, he quite forgot every ingredient of the wonderful medicine. Beware of allowing the many things to drive the one thing needful out of your friend’s mind. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

18 “This is what the Lord says:“‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings;

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the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.

BARNES, "The prophet speaks of Judah as the type of the Church, with Immanuel as her king.Jer_30:18

tents - The word suggests that a considerable portion of the people were still nomads.The city ... the palace - Or, each city ... each palace. The heap means an artificial mount to keep the city out of the reach of inundations, and to increase the strength of the fortifications.Shall remain after the manner thereof - Rather, shall be inhabited according to its rights, i. e., suitably.

CLARKE, "The city shall be builded upon her own heap - Be re-edified from its own ruins. See the book of Nehemiah, passim.

And the palace shall remain - Meaning, the king’s house shall be restored; or, more probably, the temple shall be rebuilt; which was true, for after the Babylonish captivity it was rebuilt by Nehemiah, etc. By the tents, distinguished from the dwelling-places of Jacob, we may understand all the minor dispersions of the Jews, as well as those numerous synagogues found in large cities.

GILL, "Thus saith the Lord, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents,.... That is, the captives of Israel, the inhabitants of them; alluding to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, dwelling in tents, and to the Israelites in the wilderness; and fitly expresses the present unsettled state of the Jews: and have mercy on his dwelling places; by restoring Israel, or Jacob's posterity, to their dwelling places in Jerusalem, and other places rebuilt by them and for them. The Targum is, "I will have mercy on his cities;'' and the city shall be builded upon her own heap; the city of Jerusalem, as the

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Targum expresses it, as it was in the times of Zerubbabel; it was built in its place, as the same Targum; upon the very spot of ground where it before stood, which was become by its desolation a heap of rubbish: or, "upon its hill" (a); Mount Moriah, on which some part of the city was built; so likewise in the latter day: though Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, and is now in a desolate condition, yet it shall be rebuilt, as it seems by this prophecy, upon the very spot where it formerly stood; and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof; which the Targum interprets of the house of the sanctuary, the temple; so Jarchi; and it was true of it in Zerubbabel's time: but as this prophecy has a further view to future times, something else seems intended. Kimchi says it is either the king's palace or the temple. The singular may be put for the plural, and design "palaces", noble and stately buildings; signifying that the city shall be rebuilt in a very grand manner: and so "shall remain after the manner of it"; or, "according to its right" or "judgment" (b); it shall be continued and established by or upon that justice and judgment that shall be done in it; for it shall be called a city of righteousness, and a faithful city, Isa_1:26.

HENRY 18-24, "We have here further intimations of the favour God had in reserve for them after the days of their calamity were over. It is promised,

I. That the city and temple should be rebuilt, Jer_30:18. Jacob's tents, and his dwelling places, felt the effects of the captivity, for they lay in ruins when the inhabitants were carried away captives; but, when they have returned, the habitations shall be repaired, and raised up out of their ruins, and therein God will have mercy upon their dwelling places, that had been monuments of his justice. Then the city of Jerusalem shall be built upon her own heap, her own hill, though now it be no better than a ruinous heap. The situation was unexceptionable, and therefore it shall be rebuilt upon the same spot of ground. He that can make of a city a heap (Isa_25:2) can when he pleases make of a heap a city again. The palace (the temple, God's palace) shall remain after the manner thereof; it shall be built after the old model; and the service of God shall be constantly kept up there and attended as formerly.

II. That the sacred feasts should again be solemnized (Jer_30:19): Out of the city, and the temple, and all the dwelling-places of Jacob, shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those that make merry. They shall go with expressions of joy to the temple service, and with the like shall return from it. Observe, The voice of thanksgiving is the same with the voice of those that make merry; for whatever is the matter of our joy should be the matter of our praise. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. What makes us cheerful should make us thankful. Serve the Lord with gladness.

III. That the people should be multiplied, and increased, and made considerable: They shall not be few, they shall not be small, but shall become numerous and

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illustrious, and make a figure among the nations; for I will multiply them and I will glorify them. It is for the honour of the church to have many added to it that shall be saved. This would make them be of some weight among their neighbours. Let a people be ever so much diminished and despised, God can multiply and glorify them. They shall be restored to their former honour: Their children shall be as aforetime,playing in the streets (Zec_8:5); they shall inherit their parents' estates and honours as formerly; and their congregation shall, both in civil and sacred things, be established before me. There shall be a constant succession of faithful magistrates in the congregation of the elders, to establish that, and of faithful worshippers in the congregation of the saints. As one generation passes away another shall be raised up, and so the congregation shall be established before God.

IV. That they shall be blessed with a good government (Jer_30:21): Their noblesand judges shall be of themselves, of their own nation, and they shall no longer be ruled by strangers and enemies; their governor shall proceed from the midst of them,shall be one that has been a sharer with them in the afflictions of their captive state; and this has reference to Christ our governor, David our King (Jer_30:9); he is of ourselves, in all things made like unto his brethren. And I will cause him to draw near; this may be understood either, 1. Of the people, Jacob and Israel: “I will causethem to draw near to me in the temple service, as formerly, to come in to covenant with me, as my people (Jer_30:22), to approach to me in communion; for who hath engaged his heart, made a covenant with it, and brought it into bonds, to approach unto me?” How few are there that do so! None can do it but by the special grace of God causing them to draw near. Note, Whenever we approach to God in any holy ordinance we must engage our hearts to do it; the heart must be prepared for the duty, employed in it, and kept closely to it. The heart is the main thing that God looks at and requires; but it is deceitful, and will start aside of a great deal of care and pains be not taken to engage it, to bind this sacrifice with cords. Or, 2. It may be understood of the governor; for it is a single person that is spoken of: Their governor shall be duly called to his office, shall draw near to God to consult him upon all occasions. God will cause him to approach to him, for, otherwise, who would engage to take care of so weak a people, and let this ruin come under their hand? But when God has work to do, though attended with many discouragements, he will raise up instruments to do it. But it looks further, to Christ, to him as Mediator. Note, (1.) The proper work and office of Christ, as Mediator, is to draw near and approach unto God, not for himself only, but for us, and in our name and stead, as the high priest of our profession. The priests are said to draw nigh to God, Lev_10:3; Lev_21:17. Moses drew near, Exo_20:21. (2.) God the Father did cause Jesus Christ thus to draw near and approach to him as Mediator. He commanded and appointed him to do it; he

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sanctified and sealed him, anointed him for this purpose, accepted him, and declared himself well pleased in him. (3.) Jesus Christ, being caused by the Father to approach unto him as Mediator, did engage his heart to do it, that is, he bound and obliged himself to it, undertook for his heart (so some read it), for his soul, that, in the fullness of time, it should be made an offering for sin. His own voluntary undertaking, in compliance with his Father's will and in compassion to fallen man, engaged him, and then his own honour kept him to it. It also intimates that he was hearty and resolute, free and cheerful, in it, and made nothing of the difficulties that lay in his way, Isa_63:3-5. (4.) Jesus Christ was, in all this, truly wonderful. We may well ask, with admiration, Who is this that thus engages his heart to such an undertaking?

V. That they shall be taken again into covenant with God, according to the covenant made with their fathers (Jer_30:22): You shall be my people; and it is God's good work in us that makes us to him a people, a people for his name, Act_15:14. I will be your God. It is his good-will to us that is the summary of that part of the covenant.

VI. That their enemies shall be reckoned with and brought down (Jer_30:20): I will punish all those that oppress them, so that it shall appear to all a dangerous thing to touch God's anointed, Psa_105:15. The last two verses come under this head: The whirlwind of the Lord shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. These two verses we had before (Jer_23:19, Jer_23:20); there they were a denunciation of God's wrath against the wicked hypocrites in Israel; here against the wicked oppressors of Israel. The expressions, exactly agreeing, speak the same with that (Isa_51:22, Isa_51:23), I will take the cup of trembling out of thy hand and put it into the hand of those that afflict thee. The wrath of God against the wicked is here represented to be. 1. Very terrible, like a whirlwind, surprising and irresistible. 2. Very grievous. It shall fall with pain upon their heads; they shall be as much hurt as frightened. 3. It shall pursue them. Whirlwinds are usually short, but this shall be a continuing whirlwind.4. It shall accomplish that for which it is sent: The anger of the Lord shall not return till he have done it. The purposes of his wrath, as well as the purposes of his love, will all be fulfilled; he will perform the intents of his heart. 5. Those that will not lay this to heart now will then be unable to put off the thoughts of it: In the latter days you shall consider it, when it will be too late to prevent it.

JAMISON, "bring again ... captivity — (Jer_33:7, Jer_33:11).tents — used to intimate that their present dwellings in Chaldea were but temporary as tents.

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have mercy on dwelling-places — (Psa_102:13).own heap — on the same hill, that is, site, a hill being the usual site chosen for a city (compare Jos_11:13, Margin). This better answers the parallel clause, “after the manner thereof” (that is, in the same becoming ways as formerly), than the rendering, “its own heap of ruins,” as in Jer_49:2.palace — the king’s, on Mount Zion.remain — rather, “shall be inhabited” (see on Jer_17:6, Jer_17:25). This confirms English Version, “palace,” not as others translate, “the temple” (see 1Ki_16:18; 2Ki_15:25).

K&D 18-20, "Further explanation of the deliverance promised to Zion. - Jer_30:18."Thus saith Jahveh: Behold, I will turn the captivity of the tents of Jacob, and will take pity on his dwellings; and the city shall be built again upon its own hill, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own fashion. Jer_30:19. And there shall come forth from them praise and the voice of those who laugh; and I will multiply them, so that they shall not be few, and I will honour them, so that they shall not be mean. Jer_30:20.And his sons shall be as in former times, and his congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress him. Jer_30:21. And his leader shall spring from himself, and his ruler shall proceed from his midst; and I will bring himnear, so that he shall approach to me; for who is he that became surety for his life in drawing near to me? saith Jahveh. Jer_30:22. And ye shall become my people, and I will be your God."

The dwellings of Israel that have been laid waste, and the cities that have been destroyed, shall be restored and inhabited as formerly, so that songs of praise and tones of joy shall resound from them (Jer_30:18.). "The captivity of the tents of Jacob" means the miserable condition of the dwellings of Jacob, i.e., of all Israel; for "to turn the captivity" has everywhere a figurative sense, and signifies the turning of adversity and misery into prosperity and comfort; see on Jer_29:14. Hitzig is quite wrong in his rendering: "I bring back the captives of the tents of Jacob, i.e., those who have been carried away out of the tents." That "tents" does not stand for those who dwell in tents, but is a poetic expression for "habitations," is perfectly clear from the parallel "his dwellings." To "take pity on the dwellings" means to "restore the dwellings that have been destroyed" (cf. Jer_9:18). The anarthrous ִעיר must not be restricted to the capital, but means every city that has been destroyed; here, the capital naturally claims the first consideration. "Upon its hills" is equivalent to saying on its former site, cf. Jos_11:13; it does not mean "on the mound made by its ruins," in support of which Nägelsbach erroneously adduces Deu_13:17. ן ַאְרמ in like manner stands, in the most general way, for every palace. ַעל־ִמְׁשָּפט does not mean "on the proper place," i.e., on an open, elevated spot on the hill (Hitzig), neither does it mean "on its right position" (Ewald); both of these renderings are against the usage of the words: but it signifies "according to its right" (cf. Deu_17:11), i.e., in accordance with what a palace requires, after its own fashion. ֵיֵׁשב, to be inhabited, as in Jer_17:6, etc. "Out of them" refers to the cities and palaces. Thence proceeds, resounds praise or thanksgiving for the divine grace shown them (cf. Jer_33:11), and the voice, i.e., the tones or sounds, of those who laugh (cf. Jer_15:17), i.e., of the people living in the cities and palaces, rejoicing over their good fortune.

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"I will increase them, so that they shall not become fewer," cf. Jer_29:6; "I will bring them to honour (cf. Isa_8:22), so that they shall not be lightly esteemed." - In Jer_30:20. the singular suffixes refer to Jacob as a nation (Jer_30:18). "His sons" are the members of the nation; they become as they were previously, in former times - sicut olim sub Davide et Salmonoe, florentissimo rerum statu. "The congregation will be established before me," i.e., under my survey (ן ִּתּכ as in Ps. 102:29), i.e., they shall no more be shaken or moved from their position.

CALVIN, "Jeremiah goes on with the same subject, and dwells on it more at large; for as it was difficult to lead the people seriously to repent, so it was difficult to raise up desponding minds after they had been subjected to a multitude of calamities. God then declares here again that he would come to restore his people from captivity.Behold, he says, I restore, etc., as though he was already prepared with an outstretched hand to liberate his people. Let it be noticed, that the Prophet did not in vain represent God as present; but he, no doubt, had regard to the want of faith in the people, and sought to remove this defect. Since then the Jews thought themselves wholly forsaken, the Prophet testifies that God would be present with them, and he introduces him as speaking, Behold, I restore, etc., as though he was already the liberator of the people. He names the restoration of tents and habitations, because they had been long sojourners in Chaldea and other countries, where they had been scattered. As then they had their own dwellings, the Prophet reminds them that they were yet but strangers among the nations, for God would restore them to their own country, which was their real dwelling-place. This is the reason why he speaks of tents and habitations. He, at the same time, points out the cause of their redemption, even mercy, so that the Jews might at length learn to flee to this their sole asylum, and know that there was no other remedy for their calamities than this, — that God should look on them according to his mercy, for he might have justly destroyed them altogether. In short, the Prophet reminds them that they must have perished for ever, had not God at length shewed mercy to them.He mentions a fuller display of his favor, — that he would again build Jerusalem upon its own heap, or hill, as some render it; for the situation of the city was high, and towered above other parts of Judea. But it seems to me that the

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Prophet means that the city would be built on its own foundations, for he calls here the ruins heaps, or piles. For the city had been destroyed in such a manner, that yet some ruins remained, and some vestiges of the walls. It is then the same as though he had said, that the city, however splendid and wealthy in former times, would yet be so restored, that its dignity would not be less than before. But he speaks of its extent when he says, that it would be built upon its heaps, that is, on its ancient foundations.And this point is confirmed by what immediately follows, the palace shall be set in its own form or station, על משפטו al meshephthu. The word שפט shepheth, properly means judgment, but it means also form, measure, manner, custom. Here, no doubt, the Prophet means that the king’s palace would be equally splendid to what it had been, and in the same place. Some think that ארמון armun, means the Temple; and this sense I do not reject; but as the Hebrews for the most part understand by this term a splendid, large, or high building, I prefer the former sense, that is, that he speaks of the royal palace: stand then will the king’s palace in its own form or place, as though it had never been destroyed. (14) In short, he promises such a restoration of the city and kingdom, that no less favor from God was to be expected in the second state of the Church, than it had formerly; for God would obliterate all memory of calamities when the Church again flourished, and the kingdom became so eminent in wealth, honor, power, and other excellencies, that it would evidently appear that God had only for a time been displeased with his Church.And built shall be the city on its ruins,And the palace on its wonted seat shall be fixed, (or shall stand.)But the versions and the Targ. vary the meaning of the preposition. The Vulg., with which the rest essentially agree, is, “And the temple according to its order, shall be founded.” Blayney renders the line thus, —And the palace shall be established upon its (former) plan.As in the previous line, the place is designated, it is probable that the place also is meant here. — Ed.COFFMAN, ""Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will turn again the captivity of

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Jacob's tents, and have compassion on his dwelling-places; and the city shall be builded upon its own hill, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I shall also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me; and I will punish all that oppress them, And their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is he that hath had boldness to approach unto me? saith Jehovah. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.""I will turn again the captivity of Jacob's tents ..." (Jeremiah 30:18). The mention of tents here does not mean that most of the people were still nomads, dwelling in tents, because the parallelism stresses dwelling-places in the next line. These verses look to the time when Israel's punishment has been completed and a marvelous prosperity will return to them. "The prophet speaks of Judah here as a type of the Church, with Immanuel as her king."[19] The title of all four of the chapters here is "The New Covenant"; and the racial Israel hardly enters the picture at all."And the city shall be builded upon its own hill ..." (Jeremiah 30:18). "The Hebrew word here for `hill' means mound (of a ruined city) and corresponds to the Arabic `tell.' Notice how many place-names have this word: Tel Aviv (Ezekiel 3:15), Tel el-Amarna (in Egypt), Tel Assar (2 Kings 19:12), Tel Melah and Tel Harsha (Ezra 2:59)."[20] For ages, in the East, it was customary to build cities upon the ruins (the tels) of cities that had been destroyed in order to decrease the chance of floods and to strengthen fortifications."Their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them ..." (Jeremiah 30:21). It is the great prophecy of the Christ given by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15 that explains these clauses. The Anchor Bible renders this whole verses thus:

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"Their prince shall be one of their own,Their ruler shall come from their midst;And Him I'll permit to approach me.For who otherwise would be so boldAs thus to approach me? Yahweh's word."Keil tells us that the very words of this verse were used in Exodus 19:6 to denote the approach of Moses to Jehovah on Mount Sinai,[21] thus indicating the priesthood of the prince or ruler mentioned here. It would be difficult to frame a verse more specifically identifying the character of these verses as "Like unto Moses" than what is given here. Moses was priest and king, so is Jesus Christ. Moses was "from the midst of the brethren" even as he prophesied that Christ also would be from the midst of the brethren.This picture of a ruler-priest finds its Old Testament type also in the example of Melchizedek in Psalms 110.For these and other reasons we find here a clear prophecy of the Messiah. As Keil expressed it, "Herein is contained the truth, that the sovereignty of Israel, as restored, culminates in the kingdom of the Messiah."[22]As Thompson noted, "The passage has a peculiarly Messianic ring to it."[23] One such evidence was pointed out by Henderson who wrote of the question asked by God Himself "Who would be so bold as to approach me? ... Such an approach had never been made before; the question is put as something altogether unique."[24]Furthermore, both Henderson and Albert Barnes translate Jeremiah 30:21 thus, "And his Glorious One shall spring from himself."[25] Such terminology is exclusively applicable to the Messiah. Matthew Henry also concurred in this rendition.

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TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:18 Thus saith the LORD Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.Ver. 18. The captivity of Jacob’s tents,] i.e., The poor captives that now live at Babylon as strangers in tents or huts.And the city shall be builded upon her own heap.] Or, Hill, sc., in Mount Moriah. Jerusalem shall be inhabited in Jerusalem. [Zechariah 12:6] All this was prolusio perfectae liberationis in Christo, saith Junius, a type and pledge of perfect deliverance by Christ.PETT, " ‘Jacob’ Is To Be Restored To Its Former Glory By The Awesome Power Of YHWH. They Will Be His People And He Will Be Their God (Jeremiah 30:18 to Jeremiah 31:1).The restoration of ‘Zion whom no man seeks after’ is now abundantly guaranteed. The city and palace will be rebuilt, thanksgiving and merriment will ring out, and their numbers will multiply. But above all, and in one way or another it will be repeated three times (Jeremiah 30:22; Jeremiah 31:1; Jeremiah 31:33), He will once more be their God and they will be His people. And all this will be accomplished by the tempestuous power of YHWH.Jeremiah 30:18-19‘Thus says YHWH,“Behold, I will turn again the captivity of Jacob ’s tents,And have compassion on his dwelling-places,And the city will be built on its own hill,

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And the palace will be inhabited after its own manner.And from them will proceed thanksgiving,And the voice of those who make merry,And I will multiply them, and they will not be few,I will also glorify them, and they will not be small. ”The picture here is of complete restoration for Judah/Israel through the activity of YHWH. ‘Jacob’s tents’ (the places where they dwelt) would be‘turned again’ and restored to their former glory. YHWH would have compassion on their forsaken dwellingplaces. Each city would be built on its own hill (tel, mound), especially Jerusalem, the symbol of them all, and the palace-complex would be re-inhabited as a palace, presumably signifying the restoration of the Davidic house. And from both city and palace would arise thanksgiving and merriment, the sign of a people restored both spiritually and physically. And their numbers would grow more and more so that they would not be few, and He would glorify them (by fruitfulness and prosperity) so that they would not be insignificant.The fulfilment of this would take a century and more, commencing with the ‘few’ who would return from Babylon, and growing as more and more exiles returned. A great landmark along the way would be the establishment of the Temple, and finally Jerusalem’s own glory would be established by Nehemiah. Jerusalem would once again rule proudly as an independent city, with eventually their own rulers in their own palaces. What followed Nehemiah is mainly hidden from us, only to re-emerge, firstly in the successes of the Maccabees, and the reign of the Hasmonean kings, and then in a prosperous Judaea and Galilee in the time of Jesus, by which time‘Israel’ were a numerous people. And then the final Son of David came and established the true Israel and the beginnings of the everlasting Kingdom.

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19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased;I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.

BARNES, "Jer_30:19Them - i. e., the city and palace. Render the last words, become few become mean, i. e., despised, lightly esteemed.

CLARKE, "I will multiply them - They shall be very numerous; even where at present they have but tents.

I will also glorify them - I will put honor upon them every where, so that they shall be no longer contemptible. This will be a very great change, for they are now despised all over the earth.

GILL, "And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving, and the voice of them that make merry,.... That is, out of Jacob's tents and dwelling places, the city and palaces of Jerusalem; for those who will inhabit them, when thus rebuilt, sensible of the divine favours, and thankful for them, will offer not any ceremonial sacrifices, as when before in their own land, which they will now see are abolished; but the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving only, which will be attended with great spiritual mirth and melody: perhaps this is said in allusion to the mirth and music used formerly in the solemn and religious festivals; see Rev_19:1;

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and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; the Jews, at the time of their conversion, will be very numerous, Hos_1:10; especially the number of God's spiritual Israel will then be very great; though Jacob is now small, he shall then arise and become a great multitude; the church's converts will be surprisingly many, Isa_49:18; and I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small; numbers of converts add to the glory of the church; it will be a glorious time; and this is what will make a considerable part of the latter day glory; namely, the conversion of the nation of the Jews at once, and the bringing in the fulness and forces of the Gentiles. The Targum is, "I will strengthen them, and they shall not be weak.'' It may be rendered, "I will honour them, and they shall not be little" (c); or "mean" and contemptible; they shall be honoured with temporal and spiritual blessings, and be in great esteem, especially among the Christian nations.

JAMISON, "thanksgiving — The Hebrew word includes confession as well as praise; for, in the case of God, the highest praises we can bestow are only confessingwhat God really is [Bengel], (Jer_17:26; Jer_31:12, Jer_31:13; Jer_33:11; Isa_35:10; Isa_51:11).

multiply them — (Zec_10:8).

CALVIN, "The Prophet confirms what he had said. We have stated that the Jews, while any hope remained for them, were perverse towards God, but that, after they were brought to extremities, they became extremely dejected; for they lost all hope as to their state, and became so desponding that they would receive no consolation. It was not therefore enough, slightly, or in a few words, to promise them restoration; it was necessary that the promise should be repeatedly confirmed. This then is now the subject of the Prophet; he promises that praise and the voice of joy would proceed from them.We ought to notice here the contrast between sighings, groanings, complaints, lamentations, and giving of thanks; for as long as they were detained in exile, no praise could have been heard among them. Sorrow is, indeed, no hinderance to prevent us to bless God in extreme misery; but we cannot with a full mouth, so to speak, bless God, except when some cause of joy is presented to us. Hence is that saying of James,“Is any joyful among you? let him sing.” (James 5:13)

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As then the Prophet speaks of thanksgiving, he intimates that God ’s favor would be so great as to remove every sorrow and sadness from the Jews. But he indirectly exhorts the faithful to celebrate God ’s kindness. Had he only said, “Go forth from them shall the voice of joy,” it would, indeed, have been a complete sentence; but it was also necessary to remind the faithful for what end God would deal so kindly with his people, even that they might proclaim his goodness; for this is the design for which we receive every good from God’s hand. Thanksgiving is then usually connected with joy, when mention is made of the Church.But we have said that the faithful cannot with so much alacrity praise God, when they are pressed down by distresses, as when God makes their hearts to rejoice; for grief holds bound all the feelings of men; but joy, proceeding from a perception of God’s paternal favor, dilates as it were their souls; and hence also their tongues are set loose. For this reason it is said in Psalms 51:15,“O Lord, open thou my lips,and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. ”David there intimates that he had been for a time silent; when God hid from him his face, he could not taste of his paternal goodness. During that time David had his heart as it were bound and his mouth closed; but he prays the Lord to open his mouth, that is, to grant him joy that he might give him thanks.We now perceive the meaning of the Prophet: he intimates, that though the Jews would be in sorrow for a time, would groan and mourn, yet this condition would not be perpetual; for God would at length comfort them, so that they would not only rejoice, but also proclaim his mercy when liberated.He adds, I will increase them, and they shall not be lessened; I will adorn them, etc. Some render this also, “I will increase them:“ but the words are different; and כבד cebed, means sometimes to increase, and sometimes to adorn, to glorify, to honor. The words which follow are also different, מעת moth, and צער tsor.

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And though the Prophet meant to repeat nearly the same thing, yet there is no doubt but that he intended to set forth the favor of God by this variety, as though he had said, that so remarkable would be the mercy of God, that the Jews would acknowledge, that what had been promised to their father Abraham had been fillfilled to them,“Thy seed shall be as the sand of the sea, and as the stars of heaven. ”(Genesis 22:17)The perpetuity also, or the continuity of his favor is denoted, when he says, they shall not be lessened, they shall not be made small. It is possible for a people to increase for a short time; but such a thing is often of no long duration, for the form of this world passeth away. God then promises stability and perpetuity to his Church, for he would manifest his favor to it from day to day, and from year to year. (15) This is the meaning. It follows —And I will multiply them, and they shall not be lessened,I will also honor them, and they shall not be degraded.— Ed. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.Ver. 19. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving.] Mox ubi fides, inde prodit et laus et confessio. Faith is a fruitful grace, the very womb wherein all the rest are conceived.

20 Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established

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before me; I will punish all who oppress them.

CLARKE, "Their children also - They shall have the education of their own children as formerly.

And their congregation - Their religious assemblies.Shall be established - Being, in the latter days, incorporated with those “who serve the Lord their God, and worship the Messiah, the son of David.”

GILL, "Their children also shall be as aforetime,.... In the streets of Jerusalem, numerous and free; no more in a strange land, or subject to others, Zec_8:5; and educated in a religious manner. Some think it refers to the times of the patriarchs before the law was given; and that the meaning is, that the law being abrogated, and they now sensible of it, shall live without it, as their forefathers did. It may be understood of the church's children in a spiritual sense; that great numbers should be born again in her as formerly, who shall profess the Christian religion, and behave according to it: and their congregation shall be established before me; the church, consisting of them; or their church state shall be settled and confirmed, and no more be destroyed, as it formerly was: and I will punish all that oppress them; or rather, have oppressed them; all the antichristian nations, who will now suffer the wrath of God; and after this there will be no more oppressors and persecutors of the church of God.

JAMISON, "as aforetime — as flourishing as in the time of David.

CALVIN, "This abundance of words which the Prophet employs is by no means useless; for we ought always to remember how hard were their temptations when no token of God’s favor appeared for seventy years. It was hence necessary to sustain minds overwhelmed with evils by many supports, so that they might not wholly faint; and he adds promises to promises, that the Jews might see as it were a spark of light from the deep abyss. And hence, also, we may gather a useful admonition: Though the Lord may favor

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us today, so that we are not exercised by very grievous trials, yet every one knows by his own experience, how prone we are to despond; and then when we once begin to faint, how difficult it is to be raised up to the confidence of hope. Let us then learn to join promises to promises, so that if one will not suffice, another may.He now says that their children would be as from the beginning Some give this refined explanation, that the children of the Church would be as from the beginning, that is, before the Law; for the covenant of grace was made by God with Abraham before the Law was proclaimed: they hence think that the abrogation of the Law is here denoted, as though he had said, that the Church would be free when Christ came, and that the servile yoke of the Law would then be removed. But this kind of refinement I cannot approve; for I do not think that such a notion ever entered into the mind of the Prophet. I have then no doubt but that the reference here is to the kingdom of David, as though the Prophet had said, that the state of the Church would be no less prosperous and happy under Christ than formerly under David. Were any one to object and say, that Christ ’s kingdom is much more happy than that of David: this I grant; but the prophets ever compare the kingdom of Christ with the kingdom of David, and they were content with this way of teaching, as it exceeded the hope of the people; for the Jews thought it not credible that they could ever attain their ancient renown. When, therefore, he says here, that the children of Judah would be as at the beginning, there is no doubt with me but that he had a regard to that promise, which declares that the seed of David would be for ever on his throne, as long as the sun and moon shone in the heavens. (Psalms 89:37)The meaning is, that though the kingdom would through a dreadful ruin become extinct, together with all its dignity, the Jews would yet, through Christ, recover what they had lost through their sins, ingratitude, and perverseness.He afterwards adds, His seed shall be established before my face, and I will visit all his oppressors Here again God confirms the promise concerning the perpetuity of his Church. He therefore says that the assembly of the people

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would be established before him, (16) by which words he bids the Jews to look upwards, for in the world nothing was to be found but despair. God then calls the attention of the Jews to himself, when he says that the Church would be established before his face. And as the power of enemies was so great, that the faithful might justly object and say, that every avenue was closed up against God’s favor, he adds, that God on the other hand had sufficient power to destroy and to reduce to nothing all their enemies; and he mentions all, because the Chaldean monarchy was widely extended and consisted of many nations; and there was no part of it which was not most hostile to the Jews. As, then, the miserable exiles saw that not only the Chaldeans were inimical to them, but also other nations, so that they were hated almost by the whole world, God here comes to their aid, and declares that he had power enough to destroy all their enemies.A useful doctrine may be hence deduced: The Church was in such a manner perpetual, that its condition was yet variable; for it often seemed good to God to break off the course of his favor before the coming of Christ. What then happened we may accommodate to our own time. As, then, the Prophet says here, that the children of the Church would be as at the beginning, we need not wonder when the Church happens at any time to be scattered, as indeed the case was under the Papacy. For the Church was not only dead, but also buried, and was not only as a putrid carcase, but like the dust it had wholly vanished; for what remnants could have been found fifty years ago? We hence see that what happened under the Law has also taken place under the kingdom of Christ; for the Church has sometimes been overwhelmed with troubles, and has been hid without any glory or beauty. But, in the meantime, we embrace this promise, that the children of the godly shall be as formerly; for as the kingdom of Christ in former times flourished, so we ought to feel assured that there is sufficient power in God to restore to the Church its glory, so that Christ’s kingdom may again rise up, and all God ’s blessings shine forth in it. But as many enemies surround the Church on everyside, and the Devil ever excites everywhere commotions and disturbances, let us know that there is another clause added, even that God will be the defender of his people; so that how much soever the whole world may attempt to tread under foot his favor, he will yet not suffer them to accomplish their fury; for

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he has the power not only to restrain their assaults, but also wholly to destroy them and to obliterate their memory; for this is what is implied in the word visiting. It then follows —TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.Ver. 20. Their children also shall be as aforetime.] How easily can the Lord "turn again the captivity of his people," set them statu quo prius? "They shall be as if I had not cast them off." [Zechariah 10:6] {See Trapp on "Zechariah 10:6"}PETT, "Jeremiah 30:20“Their children also shall be as beforetime,And their congregation will be established before me,And I will punish all who oppress them.”All would be as before. Their young would again flourish and play in the streets as they had of old (Jeremiah 9:21), and the whole of the people (their ‘congregation’) would be established before Him, while all who oppressed them would be punished. A new Israel would arise out of the old, but this time a chastened and at least partially responsive Israel. It was such a ‘congregation’ that Jesus promised to establish, founded on the words of Peter about His Messiahship as the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:18).

21 Their leader will be one of their own;142

their ruler will arise from among them.I will bring him near and he will come close to me— for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’declares the Lord.

BARNES, "Jer_30:21Translate, And his glorious one shall spring from himself, and his ruler shall go forth from his midst ... who is this that hath pledged his heart, i. e., hath staked his life, to dealt near unto Me? i. e., “Messiah shall be revealed to them out of their own midst.” He can draw near unto God without fear of death, because being in the form of God, and Himself God, He can claim equality with God Phi_2:6.

CLARKE, "Their nobles shall be of themselves - Strangers shall not rule over them; and -

Their governor shall proceed from the midst of them - Both Nehemiah and Zerubbabel, their nobles and governors after the return from Babylon, were Jews.

GILL, "And their nobles shall be of themselves,.... Or, "his noble One" (d); Jacob's noble One, the Messiah, in whom all the promises centre; and whose incarnation and priesthood are the foundation of all the things above predicted. The Targum interprets these words of him; "their King shall be anointed from them, and their Messiah shall be revealed from the midst of them.'' And so it is applied to him in the Talmud (e), and in other writings of the Jews (f). Kimchi on the place says, "it is known that the King Messiah shall be of Israel.'' He may be called a "noble One", as he is a Nobleman in Luk_19:12; because he

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descended from illustrious persons; from David king of Israel, and from a race of kings in his line, as the genealogy of Matthew shows. Or, "his glorious One" (g), as it may be rendered; he is glorious in his nature, being the brightness of his Father's glory; glorious in his perfections, which are the same with his divine Father's; glorious in his names and titles, the King and Lord of glory; glorious in his works and worship, which are the same that are ascribed to God the Father; glorious in his office as Mediator, which he has so well performed; glorious when he was raised from the dead, and had a glory given him; and when he ascended on high, and sat down at his Father's right hand, crowned with glory and honour; glorious in the eyes of God, and of all his people; and, when his kingdom shall be in a more glorious condition, he will reign before his ancients gloriously; and when he comes a second time, he will come in exceeding great glory. Or, his "mighty One" (h); Christ is the mighty God, the mighty Mediator, the mighty Saviour; he is the most Mighty, he is the Almighty. Now, as man, his descent was from them, the Israelites; from Abraham, from Jacob, from Judah, from Jesse and David, and from the people of the Jews; see Rom_9:4; and their Governor shall proceed from the midst of them; meaning the King Messiah, as before; who has the government of the church upon his shoulders; is worthy of all power and authority and has received it; has a power of making laws, and of obliging men to keep them; has a power of pardoning, justifying, and saving men; is the lawgiver that is able to save, and to destroy; and can subject all to his feet, as he will in a short time. This seems to refer to a law in Israel, that not a stranger, but one of their brethren, should be set as king over them, Deu_17:15; which is true of the Messiah; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me; expressive of his priestly office; it being the business of a priest to draw nigh to God with the sacrifices of the people, and to intercede for them, Lev_10:3. Christ in eternity drew nigh to his Father, and offered himself as a surety for his people, and became one; and the Greek word for surety, εγγυος, has the signification of being "near": he drew nigh and interposed between them and his father, and became a Mediator for them; he proposed to do everything for them law and justice required, and whatsoever was his Father's will should be done: he drew nigh and struck hands, stipulated and agreed with him, about the salvation of his people; he asked them of him, and all blessings of grace and glory for them: he drew nigh in time, having assumed their nature, and offered himself a sacrifice unto God, made satisfaction to his justice for them, and redeemed them unto God by his blood; by which means they are made nigh to God, and draw near to him with humble boldness; and now he is gone to heaven, and has taken his place at the right hand of God, where he appears in the presence of God, and makes intercession for them, presenting himself, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice. Now this is ascribed unto God, as causing him to draw nigh; because he chose, appointed, and called him to be a priest, Mediator, and surety, to which he was entirely free of himself; and therefore it follows, for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord; his drawing to God in the council and covenant of grace, to be the surety of his people, and his undertaking for them, were quite free and voluntary; he came of himself, and surrendered himself into the hands of justice at the time of his sufferings and death; and his intercession in heaven flows from his hearty love to his people; his heart has been, and is, engaged in every branch of his mediatorial work, which is a very singular and

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wonderful thing. No mere man could have engaged his heart to draw nigh to God, who is a consuming fire; no angel in heaven could have presumed to have done it on the behalf of sinful men; none but Christ himself could, and which is owing to the dignity of his person, and to his wondrous love; for this is a marvellous event. Now, though this is a prophecy of Christ's incarnation and priesthood, yet it is suitably introduced here; because, at the time of the Jews' conversion, he will be made known unto them, as being come of them, and as their Prophet, Priest, and King.

JAMISON, "their nobles — rather, “their Glorious One,” or “Leader” (compare Act_3:15; Heb_2:10), answering to “their Governor” in the parallel clause.

of themselves — of their own nation, a Jew, not a foreigner; applicable to Zerubbabel, or J. Hyrcanus (hereditary high priest and governor), only as types of Christ (Gen_49:10; Mic_5:2; Rom_9:5), the antitypical “David” (Jer_30:9).cause him to draw near — as the great Priest (Exo_19:22; Lev_21:17), through whom believers also have access to God (Heb_10:19-22). His priestly and kingly characters are similarly combined (Psa_110:4; Zec_6:13).who ... engaged ... heart to approach — literally, “pledged his heart,” that is, his life; a thing unique; Messiah alone has made His life responsible as the surety (Heb_7:22; Heb_9:11-15), in order to gain access not only for Himself, but for us to God. Heartis here used for life, to express the courage which it needed to undertake such a tremendous suretyship. The question implies admiration at one being found competent by His twofold nature, as God and man, for the task. Compare the interrogation (Isa_63:1-3).

K&D, "Jer_30:21The expression "his prince will be out of him" is explained by the parallel clause, "his ruler will proceed from him." The meaning is, that the people will no longer be ruled or subdued by foreign masters, but be ruled by glorious princes, i.e., leaders endowed with princely glory, and these out of the midst of themselves. Herein is contained the truth, that the sovereignty of Israel, as restored, culminates in the kingdom of the Messiah. Yet

the words employed are so general that we cannot restrict ַאִּדיר and ֹמְׁשל to the person of the Messiah. The idea is to be taken in a more general way: As Israel was ruled by princes of the house of David, whom God had chosen, so will it again in the future have its own rulers, whom God will raise out of their midst and exalt gloriously. This is clear from the further statement, "I will cause him to approach, and he shall come near unto me." To affirm that these words do not refer to the ruler, but to the people, is a mistake that could be made only by those expositors who view the "ruler" as being none else than the Messiah. Yet the lxx and the Chaldee paraphrase understood the words as referring to the people; and in support of this view, it may be asserted that, in the Messianic period, Israel is to become a holy people (Jer_3:17), and attain its destiny of being a nation of priests (Exo_19:6), in reference to which it is called ַעם Psa_148:14. But ,ְקֹרבthe context evidently requires us to refer the words to the king, with regard to whom one here looks for a further statement. The verb ִהְקִריב is the regular expression employed in reference to the approach on the part of the priests to Jahveh, cf. Num_16:5; and ִנַּגׁש in

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Exo_24:2 denotes the approach of Moses to Jahveh on Mount Sinai. The two verbs thus signify a bringing near and a coming near, which, under the old covenant, was the prerogative of those persons who were consecrated by the Lord to be servants in His sanctuary, but was denied the common people. As to the kings of Israel, in regard to this matter, the ordinance proclaimed concerning Joshua held good in reference to them also: "he shall stand before Eleazar, who shall inquire for him in a matter of Urim before Jahveh" (Num_27:21). Even a David could not approach into the immediate presence of the Lord to ask His will. This prerogative of the priests the Lord will, in the future, vouchsafe also to the princes of Israel, i.e., He will then put them in such a relation to Himself as no one may now presume to occupy, except at the risk of his life. This is shown by the succeeding sentence, which assigns the reason: "For who is there that stands surety for his heart, i.e., with his heart answers for the consequences of approaching me?" ֵלב and not ֶנֶפׁש is named, as the seat of physical life, in so far as the heart is the place where the soul is alone with itself, and becomes conscious of all it does and suffers as its own (Oehler in Delitzsch's Psychology, p. 296 of Clark's Translation). The meaning is, that nobody will stake his spiritual-moral life on any attempt to draw near to God, because a sinful man is destroyed before the holiness of the Divine Being. Whoever approaches into the presence of Jahveh must die; Num_8:19; Exo_19:21; Exo_34:3, etc.

CALVIN, "The Prophet, no doubt, explains here more at large what he had said of the restoration of the Church; for we know that the Jews had been so taught, that they were to place their whole confidence as to their salvation on David, that is, on the king whom God had set over them. Then the happiness and safety of the Church was always founded on the king; he being taken away, it was all over with the Church, as the Anointed is said to be the Lord, in whose spirit is our spirit. (Lamentations 4:20) Hence God has even from the beginning directed the attention of his people to their king, that they might depend on him, not that David was able by his own power to save the people, but because he typically personated Christ. We have not now an earthly king who is Christ ’s image; but it is Christ alone who vivifies the Church. But it was at that time set forth figuratively, that the king was, as it were, the soul of the community; and we have before seen, that when the Prophet animated the Jews with hope, he set before them David, and afterwards the Son of David.For the same reason, he says here, His valiant one, or, illustrious one, shall be from himself For we must remember the condition of that miserable and calamitous time when God took away every source of joy, by depriving the people of all the dignity with which they had been honored. It was the same

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then as though Jeremiah had promised the Jews a resurrection, for they were in their exile as dead men, as their hope of public safety had vanished when their king was destroyed. Here, then, he bids them to entertain good hope, because the Lord was able to raise them from death to life. And doubtless it was a wonderful resurrection when the Jews returned to their own country, a way having been opened for them; for they had been driven away, as it were, into another world. And who could have ever thought that so many obstacles could have been removed, when the Chaldeans extended their dominion even over Judea? The miserable exiles had certainly no refuge. It was not then to no purpose that Jeremiah testifies here, that the strong or valiant, that is, the king, would be from the people, and that there would come forth a Ruler from the midst of them. To come or go forth does not mean here to depart, as though the king would go elsewhere; but to go forth signifies here to proceed: Go forth then, or proceed, shall a Ruler from the midst of the people: how this took place it is well known.But Isaiah had foretold what his successor here confirms, saying,“Come forth shall a shoot from the root (or stem) of Jesse, and a rod shall spring up from the root of his tree.” (Isaiah 11:1)He calls it there the house of Jesse, which was a private house: he would have dignified the favor with a more glorious name, had he mentioned David; but as there was then no kingdom, he refers to Jesse; for as David came forth as an unknown rustic from the folds of the sheep, so also the Lord would raise up a shoot from the stem of a tree that had been cut down. We hence see in what sense Jeremiah uses the expression, “Come forth;” for Christ rose up beyond the expectation of men, and rose up as a shoot when a tree is cut down, that is, when there was no resemblance of majesty among the people.He afterwards adds, I will cause him to draw near, and he will come to me This may be either confined to the head or extended to the whole body; and the second idea is what I mostly approve; for the people were a long time removed from the presence of God, even as long as they were exiled from

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their country. Hence God adds, “I will cause them again to draw nigh, and they shall come to me.” If, however, any one prefers to explain this of the head, or of the king himself, I offer no objection.Now, we are taught from this passage, that whenever God speaks of the restoration of the Church, he ever declares that he will be entreated by us; in short, that whenever he invites us to the hope of favor and salvation, we ought always to look to Christ; for except we direct all our thoughts to him, all the promises will vanish away, for they cannot be valid except through him; because in Christ only, as Paul says, they are yea and amen. (2 Corinthians 1:19) But as this truth often occurs in the Prophets, it is enough here to touch on it by the way, as I have handled it more fully elsewhere.As to the latter part of the verse, there is some ambiguity, — for who is he, this, etc There are two demonstrative pronouns, הוא זה hua, ze. Afterwards comes ערב oreb, fitting his heart. The verb ערב oreb, means to be a surety, and also to fit, to adapt, to accommodate, or to form, and sometimes to render sweet or pleasant; and on this account some have thus translated, “Who will allure his heart?” He then adds, that he may come to me, saith Jehovah? I have said that this passage is obscure, and it has hence been turned into various meanings by interpreters. Some apply the words to Christ, that he alone has of his own accord come to the Father. Others consider a negative to be understood, as though it was said, that no one prepares his heart to come to God. But there are some who regard the passage as an exhortation, “Who is he who will apply his heart that he may come to me? ” Now, if we read it as expressing astonishment or wonder, it would be, in my view, its real meaning. I am not aware that any one has mentioned this; but the Prophet, I have no doubt, intended his words to be so understood.He said before, “I will cause him to draw nigh; that he may come to me. ” I have already explained this of the people, who had been long rejected. God then promises here a gathering, as though he had said, “For a time I scattered the people here and there like chaff; I will now gather them again together, and they shall be under my care and protection as formerly. ”Having said this, he now touches on the ingratitude of the people by this

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question, “Who is there who comes to me? who will frame his heart that he may be reconciled to me?” It is, then, an expression of wonder, intended to make the Jews know that their hardness and insensibility are condemned; for when God kindly invited them, they rejected his favor, when he sought to embrace them, they fled far off from him.But an objection may be here made, “Why then did God promise that he would cause the Jews to come to him?” To this I answer, that God performs or fulfils this promise in various ways: he might have called the Jews to himself by an outward invitation, as he did when the liberty of returning was given them: and then, indeed, a few of the Jews accepted his favor; but all the Israelites, already habituated to the pleasures and enjoyments of those countries, regarded as nothing what God had promised. Thus very few returned to their own country, and restoration was despised by them, though they had once been very anxious about it. God, however, even then made the people to draw nigh; for he stretched forth his hand as though he would gather them and cherish them under his wings. But as the greatest part despised his invaluable favor, God here justly complains of so great an impiety, and exclaims as through wonder or astonishment, Who is he who will form his heart, that, he may come to me?Had it been simply said, “Who is he who comes to me?” the meaning, through brevity, would have been obscure. But God here clearly distinguishes between the two kinds of access: the first was, when liberty was given to the people, by the decree of Cyrus, and a permission given to build the city and the temple. God, therefore, caused them then to draw nigh that they might come to him; this was the first access. But he now adds, that the Jews did not form or prepare their heart. He indeed speaks of future time, but yet he charges them with ingratitude, which afterwards was fully manifested. Hence he says, “Who is this, that he may come to me?” that is, “I will contrive means that they may unite again in one body, call on me and enjoy their inheritance: this will I do that they may come to me; but many will still live in their own dregs, and prefer Chaldea and other countries to the temple and religion. Many, then, will be they who will not form their heart to come to me.”

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We now understand the meaning of the Prophet. But we must at the same time bear in mind, that by saying above, “I will cause him to draw near that he may come to me,” God does not speak of the hidden working of his Spirit; for it is in his power, as we shall presently remark, to draw the hearts of men to himself whenever he pleases. But when he said, I will cause him to draw nigh, etc., he spoke only of an outward restoration; and now he adds a complaint, that the Jews would wickedly repudiate this favor, for no one would prepare his heart. We yet see that the whole fault is cast on the Jews, that they were to be deprived of their own country: for it was owing to nothing on God’s part that they were not restored, but to themselves, because they were devoted to their own pleasure, and regarded their return and to be counted God’s people as nothing. It was therefore the object of the Prophet to ascribe to the Jews the whole fault that God ’s favor would not come to them, or that it would not be effectual as to the greatest part of them, even because they would not prepare or form their heart, that they might come to God, in order that they might be partakers of that invaluable privilege offered to them.Now, the Papists lay hold on this passage to prove that there is a free-will in man to come to God; but to do so is indeed very absurd. For whenever God condemns the hardness of the people, he doubtless does not argue the question, what power there is in men, whether they can turn to do what is good, whether they can guide their own hearts. To hold this would be extremely foolish. When it is said in Psalms 45:8,“To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as your fathers in the wilderness,”shall we say that as they hardened their hearts they were capable of turning, so that they could by the power of free-will choose either good or evil? To say this would be puerile and extremely sottish. We hence see that the Papists are unworthy of being reasoned with, when they seek to prove free-will by such arguments. They would, indeed, adduce something plausible were their exposition adopted; for they render the words thus, “Who is this,”

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etc., as though God praised the promptitude of the faithful, who willingly offer themselves and prepare their hearts. But opposed to this view is the whole context. It hence appears that it was very far from the Prophet ’s design to represent God as commending the obedience of the godly; but, on the contrary, he exclaims with wonder, as Isaiah does when he says,“Who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1)He surely does not set forth the obedience of the faithful in receiving promptly and gladly the Gospel; but, on the contrary, (as though something monstrous terrified him) that the world would not believe the Gospel, when yet it offered to them salvation and eternal life. So also in this place, Who is he? etc. For what could have been more desirable than that God should at length, by outstretched arms, gather the Jews to himself? ”I wish you to draw nigh, ye have been for a time, as it were, banished from me, I had driven you to distant lands; but I am now ready to gather you.” As, then, God so sweetly and kindly allured them to himself, it was doubtless a most abominable and monstrous ingratitude for them to reject the offer and to turn their backs as it were on God, who so kindly invited them. As, then, the Prophet is here only condemning such insensibility and perverse wickedness in the Jews, there is no reason why we should be in quest of a proof in favor of free-will. (17)We may add, that David uses the same verb in Psalms 119:73, when he says,“Cause thy servant to approach thee, that he may learn thy commandments. ”

)18 )Some render the words, “Be a surety for thy servant,” etc.; for the verb: ערב , which is here, is found there also. Therefore the passage might be aptly turned against the Papists, who hold that it is in the power of man to form his own heart. But David testifies that this is peculiarly the office and work of God; for by asking this from him he doubtless confesses that it was not in his own power. It afterwards follows, —Many explanations have been given which are wholly inadmissible, having

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nothing in the context to support them, such as the application of these words to our Savior. They are evidently connected with the previous clause, being joined with it by “for:” they in a manner explain and qualify that clause, and may be deemed parenthetic, for the former clause and that which follows these words, are connected together, —And I will bring him nigh that he may come near to me,(For who is he who pledges his heart To come near to me, saith Jehovah!)22.And ye shall be to me a people, And I will be to you a God.By “him” we are to understand “Jacob,” the subject of the whole passage, and not the “governor,” who was to come from “the midst of him,” i.e., Jacob, a name by which the whole nation is here called. The promise is to bring Jacob, or the people, nigh; and then to shew that this is alone God ’s work, the words in the parenthesis are introduced, and by a question, which implies the negative in the strongest manner, as though he had said, “This work, to bring you nigh, is mine alone, for no one among you pledges or engages his heart to come near to me.”Both the Sept. and the Targ. render “him” in the first line in the plural number,“them,” i.e., the people. And the Syr., though the form of the expression is changed, yet gives the meaning of the words within the parenthesis, for the work of turning the heart is ascribed to the Lord. — Ed.SIMEON, "Verse 21GOD’S REGARD FOR THOSE WHO APPROACH UNTO HIMJeremiah 30:21. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord.THE history of the Jews is deserving of attention, not merely as unfolding to our view the gradual introduction of Christianity, but as shadowing forth all the most important parts of the Christian system. The passage before us primarily relates to the return of the Jews from Babylon. It foretells, that a

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terrible destruction should come upon their oppressors: that they, in consequence of it, should be restored to their own country, and live under governors of their own nation, and have the same access to God, in his worship, as they had enjoyed before the destruction of their city and temple. But, under these events, many others of a more sublime nature were typified. Their governors represented Christ, who should in due time arise to reign over them; and their enjoyment of Divine ordinances depicted the privileges which we were to possess under the Christian dispensation. To evince this, we will shew,I. To whom this passage refers—Besides referring to Zerubbabel and the Jewish people, it refers,1. To Christ—[Beyond all doubt he was the Governor who was to arise from among that people [Note: Compare ver. 9, with Psalms 22:28 and Matthew 2:6.], and to reign over the house of David for ever [Note: Luke 1:32-33; Luke 1:68-75. where the whole subject of the chapter before us is represented as verified in Christ.]— — —He“approached unto God” as our Surety and High Priest on earth, and as our Advocate and Intercessor in heaven — — — In this glorious work he“engaged his heart.” When first he entered into covenant with the Father respecting it, he shewed that his whole heart was engaged in it [Note: Psalms 40:7-8.]: and, from the moment that he entered upon his work, he persisted in it, notwithstanding all which he had to endure in the prosecution of it [Note: See while yet a child, Luke 2:46-49. And during his ministry, he went into the wilderness that he might be tempted, Matthew 4:1. —he rebuked Peter for dissuading him from suffering, Matthew 16:22-23. —he longed for his bloody baptism, Luke 12:50.—he resigned himself to suffer all that was necessary, John 12:27-28.—nor would he rescue himself (John 18:6-9.), or be rescued (Matthew 26:51-54.), or come down from the cross, till he could say, “It is finished,” Matthew 27:42.]— — —[2. To his people—[His followers are characterized as “a people near unto God [Note: Psalms

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148:14.]:” and to them, as the words following the text evince, the words before us may be applied. They endeavour to “approach God” in the way that he has appointed: they “draw near to him with a true heart, in full assurance of faith.” They approach him in the public ordinances and in their private chambers. They “have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus:” they come even to the throne of God: they “stir up themselves to lay hold on him,” and “will not let him go, until he bless them.” In this work they “engage their hearts:” they know that “the drawing nigh to God with their lips only is a vain service:” they therefore labour to “worship him in spirit,” and to say with David, “My heart is fixed, my heart is fixed.”Whatever discouragements arise, they know that to yield to them must be productive of the most fatal consequences: and therefore they determine, if they are tempted at any time to say “I am cast out of the sight of thine eyes,”they will not despair; but will “cry unto God from the very belly of hell [Note: Jonah 2:2; Jonah 2:4.],” assured that “none shall ever seek his face in vain.”[But to understand the passage aright, we must notice,II. The peculiar force of the interrogation—It is not to be supposed that God asks for information: the inquiry is rather expressive of his most cordial approbation.God delighted in the mediation of his dear Son—[In the prospect of this event, the Father delighted in him before man had fallen, or the world itself was formed [Note: Proverbs 8:22-23; Proverbs 8:30.]. And he commanded his prophet to announce, that he was “well pleased for his righteousness’ sake [Note: Isaiah 42:21.], not only before he had wrought out that righteousness, but hundreds of years before he became incarnate. No sooner did the Lord Jesus enter on his work, than the Father, by an audible voice from heaven, attested that he was “well pleased with him.” The same testimony he bore, and in the same manner, on two other occasions: and in all his other dispensations towards him, he evinced that Jesus was “his elect, in whom his soul delighted [Note: Isaiah 42:1.]” If at any time that approbation could be supposed to be withheld, it would be while the Father hid his face from him on the cross, or smote him with the sword of justice:

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but in reference to that very period we are told, that “it pleased the Father to bruise him [Note: Isaiah 53:10. This passage marks the pleasure which God took, not indeed in inflicting punishment on his Son, but in making him a substitute for sinful man.]” and that “the sacrifice then offered was of a sweet-smelling savour [Note: Ephesians 5:2.].”He delights also in the approaches of a sinner to his footstool—[“The prayer of the upright is his delight.” If in heaven “there is joy among the angels in the presence of God over one sinner that repenteth, ” doubtless that God, in whose presence they are, approves and participates their joy, The representation given of him in the parable of the Prodigal Son, both countenances and confirms this sentiment; yea, to such a degree is he pleased with the supplications of a repenting sinner, that he would rather withdraw his eyes from every other object, whether in heaven or on earth, than not direct them especially towards him [Note: Isaiah 66:2.]. See this exemplified in Saul of Tarsus: no sooner had that blood-thirsty persecutor begun to humble himself before his Maker, than God sent a special messenger to his relief, assigning this as the reason, “Behold, he prayeth [Note: Acts 9:10-11.]!” Thus at this time, if he see any of his rebellious creatures prostrating themselves before him, and earnestly imploring mercy, he will say, ‘Who is this? Is this the creature that I beheld so recently in arms against me? Is this he who seemed to hurl defiance in my face? is it he, who now so humbly engages his heart to approach unto me? He is my dear son; he is a pleasant child: my bowels are troubled fur him: I will surely have mercy upon him for evermore [Note: Jeremiah 31:18-20.].’[Application—[Are there any amongst you that can answer to the inquiry, ‘Lord, it is I: I find my need of thee: I have engaged my heart in thy service; and am determined, through thy grace, that I will never go back? ’ Let me congratulate you, my brethren: for “blessed is the man whom God chooses, and causes to approach unto him [Note: Psalms 65:4.].” Be thoroughly in earnest, and take care that you do not, after putting your hand to the plough, look back again.

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Are there any who are constrained to say, ‘I would gladly make such a reply; but my rebellious heart revolts, and will not obey the dictates of my judgment? ’Then I would bid them to mark the works before the text; “I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me.” If any go unto him, it is not owing to their own superior goodness or strength, but to the attractive influences of God’s Spirit. Adopt then the petition of the Church of old, and then you may with confidence adopt her engagement also, “Draw me, and we will run after thee [Note: Song of Solomon 1:4.]: ” “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart [Note: Psalms 119:32.] ”[COKE, "Jeremiah 30:21. And their nobles shall be of themselves— And their prince or mighty one shall be for themselves. Houbigant. The Messiah seems plainly marked out by the two names of Mighty One and Governor in this verse, and so the Targum understands it. I will cause him to draw near, &c. says the Lord; that is to say, "He shall have a near attendance upon me, for I will make him a priest as well as a king;" according to that prophesy in Psalms 110. For who is this that engaged his heart, &c.? "Who is there so entirely devoted to my service as the Messiah?" The words זה הוא מי mi hu zeh,—who is this, have an emphasis in the original, which cannot be expressed in another language, and are spoken by way of admiration. Houbigant renders the clause, For who will have confidence in his heart to approach unto me? Cyrus in his edict seems to have had this place in view. See Ezra 1:3.RRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who [is] this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.Ver. 21. And their nobles shall be of themselves.] Foreigners shall no more domineer over them, but they shall have governors of their own nation, who shall be more tender of them, and careful of their good. Some apply all this, and well they may, to Jesus Christ, who is here called Magnificus et Domigrator, his magnificent or honourable one and his ruler, (a) who also is one of them, and proceedeth from among them. See Deuteronomy 18:18.

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And I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me.] Either as God, co-equal and coessential with me, or as Mediator; and so he shall approach unto me by the hypostatical union (in respect of which he came the nearest unto God of any that ever was or could), and by the execution of his priestly office, wherein he intercedeth for my people, and reconcileth them unto me.For who is this that engaged his heart?] Who but my Son Christ durst do it, or was fit to do it? He is a super-excellent person, as is imported by this Mi-hu-ze, Who this he? PETT, "Jeremiah 30:21-22“And their prince shall be of themselves,And their ruler will proceed from the midst of them,And I will cause him to draw near,And he will approach to me,For who is he who has had boldness,To approach to me?The word of YHWH.”And you will be my people,And I will be your God.”Their rulers would be those whom they themselves chose from among them, and would be home-born, and would be one of themselves. And these rulers would approach YHWH directly. This would be something totally new for in

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previous times the king would approach through the priests. We can contrast how it was said of Joshua, “he shall stand before Eleazar, who will enquire for him in a matter of Urim before YHWH” (Numbers 27:21), and how even David and Solomon could not approach into the immediate presence of YHWH to ask His will, but stood outside the Sanctuary. However, the prerogative of the priests of YHWH would now also belong to those who ruled in Israel. This found a remarkable fulfilment in the Hasmonean priest-king rulers (it is noteworthy that this particular prophecy did not mention David), and even moreso in the twofold ministries of Jesus Christ, especially as portrayed in Hebrews. In Him we have the Priest-Ruler Supreme, One Who was from among themselves and Who had full access into the presence of His Father.The question ‘who is He who has had boldness, to approach to me? ’ can be seen as similar to the later question of Jesus to the rich young ruler, ‘Why do you call Me good?’ It is not denying that the One questioned about is good, or has the right to approach, but rather asking for all to consider the unique credentials of the One about Whom the question was asked.And the end result will be that the true remnant of Judah/Israel will be His people and He will be their God. This could only ever be so for the remnant who returned to Him in repentance and trust, for all through the Old Testament it was they who formed the true Israel, the Israel within Israel. Thus there are always two Israels in balance, nominal disobedient Israel and true believing Israel. And the final promises are always to true Israel, not to cast-off Israel. The coming of Jesus would bring things to a climax, and the new believing Israel would arise out of the old, with the old cast off (Matthew 16:18; Matthew 21:43; John 15:1-6; Romans 11:17-28; Galatians 3:29; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 1:1; 1 Peter 2:9; James 1:1).PULPIT, "Jeremiah 30:21The future rulers of Israel shall be of the native stock, not foreign tyrants. Their nobles; rather, his noble one, a synonym for "his ruler," i.e. the (earthly) king of Israel. It is remarkable that no reference is made here to

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the Messiah, who, in fact, is not as conspicuous a figure in the prophecies of Jeremiah as in those of Isaiah. And yet even in Isaiah there is one striking prophecy in which the inspired seer uses language not (in the hands of a literalist) reconcilable with the prospect of the personal Messiah. The Messiah appears, as it were, in a lightning flash, and then disappears for a time. The prophecy of Isaiah referred to is Isaiah 32:1, Isaiah 32:2 (comp. Jeremiah 33:17), in which the prospect of a truly God-fearing king, with princes of the same high character, entirely occupies the mind of the writer. "Nothing indicates that the Messiah is intended; king and princes are placed quite on a level, in accordance with the actual state of things under the so called monarchy.'' And I will cause him to draw near. It is doubtful whether Israel or Israel's ruler is referred to. A priestly relation (such as "drawing near" implies, see Numbers 16:5) might be predicated of either, at any rate in the regenerate form of the Israelitish commonwealth; but it is more natural to suppose the ruler to be here indicated, for it is scarcely descriptive enough to say that he shall belong to the chosen people. Who is this that engaged his heart; rather, that pledgeth his heart (or, courage); i.e. that ventureth. The rejection of thee old line of Davidic kings might well raise the thought that the intimate relation between Jehovah and his earthly representative for Israel, promised of old to David (2 Samuel 7:1-29.), could no longer be hoped for. But with this renewed promise the kings of the new Davidic line may venture to "draw near;" otherwise—who is he that ventureth?

22 “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’”

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BARNES, "Jer_30:22This is the effect of Messiah’s ministry. Men cannot become God’s people, until there has been revealed one of themselves, a man, who can approach unto God, as being also God, and so can bridge over the gulf which separates the finite from the Infinite.

CLARKE, "Ye shall be my people - The old covenant shall be renewed.

GILL, "And ye shall be my people,.... For many hundred years the people of the Jews have been called "Loammi" or, "ye are not my people", Hos_1:9; but now being converted, the covenant of God's grace shall be renewed, and a fresh manifestation and application of it made unto them; and they partaking of the grace of it, shall appear to be, and shall be, called the people of God, and shall behave as such, and fear and worship the Lord: and I will be your God; will manifest his love to them, bestow his favours upon them, and take them under his care and protection. This is a summary of the covenant of grace, which will visibly take place when those people shall turn to the Lord, Rom_11:26.

JAMISON, "ye shall be my people, etc. — The covenant shall be renewed between God and His people through Messiah’s mediation (Jer_30:21; Jer_31:1, Jer_31:33; Jer_32:38; Eze_11:20; Eze_36:28).

K&D, "Jer_30:22Then Israel shall really become the people of the Lord, and the Lord shall be their God; thus the end of their divine calling shall be attained, and the salvation of Israel shall be complete; see on Jer_7:23.

CALVIN, "As this verse and what occurs in the first verse of the next chapter are materially the same, they shall be both explained here. God then says that the Jews would become a people to him, and that he would become a God to them. This mode of speaking is what we meet with everywhere in the Prophets; and it is very expressive, and includes the whole of true happiness. For when have we life, except when we become the people of God? We ought also to bear in mind that saying of the Psalmist,“Blessed are the people whose God is Jehovah.”(Psalms 144:15)

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It confirms what I have just said, that a happy life is complete in all its parts, when God promises to be a God to us and takes us as his people. The Prophets, therefore, do not without reason so often inculcate this truth; for though nothing else might be wanting to us that could be expected, yet until we feel assured that God is a Father to us, and that we are his people, whatever happiness we may have, it will only end in misery.But the Prophet expresses himself more fully, when he says, At that time, that is, when God restored his Church, will I be a God to all the families of Israel They had been so scattered, that they were not one body; but God promises the gathering of that Church, from which the ten tribes had fallen off, when they revolted from the family of David. I cannot proceed farther now.

23 See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath,a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked.

BARNES, "Compare the marginal reference. These verses would more appropriately be attached to the next chapter, for which they form a suitable introduction.

CLARKE, "The whirlwind of the Lord - A grievous tempest of desolation, -Shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked - On Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans.

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GILL, "Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury,.... That is, the wrath of God, which like a whirlwind comes suddenly, with great force and strength, and carries all before it; there is no withstanding it; such is the wrath of God against the enemies of his church and people: a continuing whirlwind; whirlwinds, as they come suddenly, are generally soon over; but this will continue very boisterous and terrible, until it has done all the execution designed by it: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked; according to some, the wicked Jews, that do not repent and turn to the Lord; but rather the wicked of the nations, as Jarchi; not the Gentiles in general, as distinguished from the Jews, which is his sense, but the antichristian states; for the ruin of antichrist, and the conversion of the Jews, will be much about the same time; and the vials of God's wrath, which will be poured upon them, and fall upon their heads, will give them much pain, both in body and mind; see Rev_16:10; and which wrath and ruin are expressed by a tempest of thunder, lightning, and hail, and by an earthquake, Jer_30:18.

JAMISON, "(Jer_23:19). Vengeance upon God’s foes always accompanies manifestations of His grace to His people.

continuing — literally, “sojourning,” abiding constantly; appropriately here in the case of Babylon, which was to be permanently destroyed, substituted for “whirling itself about” (“grievous” in English Version) (see on Jer_23:19, Jer_23:20), where the temporary downfall of Judea is spoken of.

K&D, 23-24, "The wicked shall be destroyed by the fire of God's anger. - Jer_30:23."Behold, a whirlwind of Jahveh - wrath goeth forth - a sweeping whirlwind; it shallhurl down on the head of the wicked. Jer_30:24. The heat of Jahveh's anger shall not return till He hath done and till He hath established the purpose of His heart; in the end of the days ye shall consider it."

These two verses have been already met with in Jer_23:19 and Jer_23:20, with a few variations. Instead of ֵלל ִמְיח we have here ְרר ָה and ,ִמְתּג ַאף־ְיה is here strengthened by prefixing ן which is added in the preceding ,ִּביָנה ,on the other hand ;ֲחר passage to intensify ְננּו is here omitted. The first of these changes is more of a formal than a ,ִהְתּבreal kind; for by the substitution of ְרר ִמְתּג for ֵלל the play in the latter word on ,ִמְיחָיחּול is merely disturbed, not "destroyed," since ר and ל are kindred sounds. ְרר ִהְתּג has been variously rendered. The meaning of "abiding," which is founded on 1Ki_17:20, is here unsuitable. Equally inappropriate is the meaning of "crowding together," or assembling in troops, which we find in Hos_7:14. It is more correct to derive it from ָּגַרר, either in the sense of sweeping away or that of blustering, which are meanings derived from the fundamental one of producing harsh sounds in the throat, and transferred to the rushing sound made by the storm as it carries everything along with it.

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The second and third changes affect the sense. For, by the addition of ן ֲחר to ַאף, the idea of a judgment in wrath is intensified; and by dropping ִּביָנה, less is made of the acuteness of perception. Both of these variations correspond to differences in the context of both passages. In Jer 23, where the words are applied to the false prophets, it was important to place emphasis on the statement that these men would, by experience, come to a full knowledge of the reality of that judgment they denied; in this chapter, on the other hand, the idea of judgment in wrath must be expressly set aside. There is thus no good ground for considering these verses a later interpolation into the text, as Movers, Hitzig, and Nägelsbach think. Hitzig rejects these verses as spurious on the false ground that the judgment threatened in this chapter refers merely to the fall of the kingdom of Babylon, which Jeremiah could not have been able to know beforehand; Nägelsbach rejects them on the ground of other erroneous assumptions.

(Note: First, he holds the groundless opinion that this prophecy originated in the time of Josiah, and therefore could not have borrowed verses from the address given in Jer 23, which belongs to the time of Jehoiakim; secondly, with as little ground he affirms that these verses do not correspond with the character of the chapter, and seem like a jarring discord in the midst of the announcement of deliverance it contains; finally, he asks whence could come "the wicked" mentioned, in the times described by the prophet - as if he thought that when the captivity of the people was turned, all godless ones would suddenly disappear. - The doubts as to the genuineness of Jer_30:22 are based by Nägelsbach merely on the fact that the same idea is repeated in Jer_31:1.)The only doubtful point regarding these verses is, whether they are to be connected, as Hengstenberg thinks, with what precedes, or with what follows, as Ewald supposes. In the former case, to the promise for the true Israel would be added a threat against those who only seemed to be Israel, - like the declaration in Isaiah, "There is no peace to the wicked:" this addition would thus be made, lest those for whom the promise was not intended should unwarrantably apply it to themselves. But, however well-founded the thought is, that every increasing manifestation of grace is invariably accompanied by an increased manifestation of righteousness, and though all the prophets clearly testify that the godless members of the covenant people have no share in the promised salvation, but instead are liable to judgment; yet there has not been such preparation made for the introduction of this thought as that we might be able at once to join these two verses to what precedes. The exclamation "Behold!" with which the words are introduced, rather form a sign that a new addition is to be made to the prophecy. We therefore view the threat in this verse as a resumption of the threat of judgment made in Jer_30:5., to which is attached, in Jer_31:1, the further development of the announcement of deliverance; but we refer the threat made in the verse not merely to the heathen as such, but to all "wicked ones," in such a way that it at the same time applies to the godless members of the covenant people, and signifies their exclusion from salvation.

CALVIN, "The Prophet seems to speak abruptly; for nothing could be more delightful than the promise that God gives, that he would be a Father to the people; but he immediately adds, that there would arise an involving whirlwind, which would abide on the head of the wicked. These things, at

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the first view, seem not to harmonize. But the latter sentence may be applied to the heathens, or to any of the enemies of the Church; for whenever God appears as the Savior of his people, his vengeance goes forth, and is poured on the wicked. Hence such declarations as the following often occur,“The day of my vengeance is nigh, and the year of my visitation. ” (Isaiah 63:4)Isaiah joins both, the favor of God and his vengeance: and this is often done by the other Prophets, in order that we may see that God ’s mercy cannot be clearly and distinctly perceived towards the faithful, except when his judgment on the other hand be made conspicuous as to the wicked. So this passage may be explained. But we may well thus connect the words of the Prophet, — that he kindly endeavored to allure the people by offering them God’s favor; but that having seen that it would be despised, as we stated yesterday, by the greater part of them, he now seasonably threatens them, that if they refused the favor offered them, such ingratitude could not be borne by God. And this is a mode of teaching common in Scripture. For God on his part thus manifests his kindness so as to stimulate men; but as he sees them not only slothful and tardy, but also wicked and ungrateful, he declares that they shall not be unpunished if they despise his favor. The former truth then well agrees with what the Prophet now says, — that the wrath of God would arise like a tempestuous storm.He afterwards adds, a whirling or involving tempest, properly, a tempest gathering itself. The verb is גור gur, in a reduplicate form and in Hithpael. A similar sentence is found in Jeremiah 23:19; but there the Prophet used another word as required by the subject. (19) Some render it “falling,” for גור , gur, means to fall; and this meaning is suitable, “a falling storm,” that is, impetuously descending, so as to abide on the head of the wicked. But the former sense has been more generally taken, and I am disposed to embrace it; for it tends to shake men with terror, when the storm is said to be like a whirlwind, for it turns and twists around, so that it cannot be avoided. The meaning then is, that God ’s vengeance would be fatal to all the wicked. But we may take the wicked, רשעים reshoim, for the despisers of God, though boasting of his name, as well as for aliens: but I am inclined to include both, even domestic and foreign enemies of God;

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as though the Prophet had said, that no remedy remained, except they fled to the mercy of God. It afterwards follows, —Many copies have ו here before סער, as in the former passage, where it is omitted only in one copy. — Ed.COFFMAN, ""Behold the tempest of Jehovah, even his wrath, is gone forth, a sweeping tempest. It shall burst upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it."Matthew Henry commented at length upon this revelation of the wrath of God, "as something very terrible, sudden, irresistible, hurtful and sure to accomplish God's will."[26]God's purpose to destroy wickedness from before his presence will be executed with no less precision and power than the execution of his purpose to redeem and bless those who love him.We have already met with these two verses in Jeremiah 23:19-20; and, of course, radical critics never miss an opportunity to scream "interpolation" or "gloss." We appreciate the marvelous way in which Keil demonstrated that the subtle differences in the two passages are extremely significant in the different contexts and that, "There is thus no good ground for considering these verses a later interpolation into the text."[27]TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.Ver. 23. Behold the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury.] Sensim sese conglomerans ac demittens in eorum capite; the vengeance of God followeth them close at heels, till at length they be wherried away by that terrible tempest at death. [Job 27:20]PETT, "Jeremiah 30:23-24

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“Behold, the tempest of YHWH,Wrath is gone forth,A sweeping tempest,It will burst on the head of the wicked.”The fierce anger of YHWH,Will not return,Until he has carried it out,And until he has performed the intents of his heart,In the latter days you will understand it.”For these words compare Jeremiah 23:19-20. All that was being described would be accomplished by ‘the Tempest of YHWH’ as His wrath went forth, both against His own disbelieving people, and against their adversaries. Like a sweeping tempest it would burst on the head of the wicked, and it would not return or cease until He had carried out the intents of His heart. And towards the end, as it was coming into fulfilment, they would understand it.‘The latter days’ indicates the latter days of this period in which all this would happen. We, as God ’s people, of course understand it more fully for we have seen the arrival of the King, and await the everlasting kingdom.

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back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart.In days to come you will understand this.

CLARKE, "In the latter days ye shall consider it - By the latter days the Gospel dispensation is generally meant; and that restoration which is the principal topic in this and the succeeding chapter refers to this time. Had the Jews properly considered this subject, they would long ere this have been brought into the liberty of the Gospel, and saved from the maledictions under which they now groan. Why do not the Jews read their own prophets more conscientiously?

GILL, "The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return,.... This explains what is meant by the continuing whirlwind in Jer_30:23; until he hath done it; his whole will and pleasure; brought Babylon to ruin, and destroyed all the antichristian powers: and until he hath performed the intents of his heart; in a way of grace and mercy to his people, and in a way of wrath and vengeance on their enemies: in the latter day ye shall consider it; this prophecy, and understand it; and see it wholly and fully accomplished.

CALVIN, "He confirms the last sentence, and compares the wrath or the vengeance of God to a messenger or a minister, who is sent to carry a message, or to perform what has been commanded him. Of God ’s word, that is, of his threatenings as well as of his promises, Isaiah speaks thus,“My word shall not return to me void.” (Isaiah 55:11)

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The meaning is, that whatever God promises or threatens, is never without its effect. But they wrongly understand the passage who say that the word of God returns not void, because it brings forth fruit; for he speaks of the effect of the word, whether for salvation or for perdition. So now also God declares that his vengeance, when gone forth, shall not return until it fulfils what has been commanded.He then adds, and until he shall have confirmed, etc.; for so the verb הקימוekimu, properly means: until God then shall have confirmed or established the thoughts of his heart The thoughts of his heart he calls the decrees or purposes of God; but it is a mode of speaking taken from men, and therefore metaphorical; for it is not consistent with what God is, either to think or to deliberate. But, as to the subject itself, there is nothing ambiguous; for the Prophet means, that when God sends forth his vengeance, all the wicked must perish, for so has God decreed, and his purposes can never be frustrated. Then he shews that God’s vengeance will be accomplished, because God has so determined. For God does not dissemble when he promises salvation to men, or denounces on them the punishment which they have deserved; but he executes the decrees or purposes of his heart. (20)Then the Prophet here condemns the stupidity of all those who thought that they could escape, though they had often heard that their guilt was so great that they must at last be visited with judgment. Though they had often heard this, yet they were deaf to all warnings; and it was for this reason that the Prophet spoke of the thoughts of God ’s heart.At last he adds, At the extremity of days ye shall understand this This may be applied to the faithful no less than to the wicked. For though the faithful embraced God’s promises, and relied on them, yet, as they had to contend constantly with the heaviest trials, it was necessary to stimulate and animate them to patience. It might then be suitably said to them, “Ye shall understand this in the last days;” it being a kind of exhortation, as though he had said, “Ye indeed think the wicked happy, because God does not immediately punish them, because his vengeance does not instantly break forth in thunders against them; but patiently bear your miseries, and ye shall

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at length find that their destruction has not been in vain predicted; and ye shall also receive a reward for your faith and patience, if ye continue resigned to the last.” But the sentence may also be suitably applied to the wicked, because they were wont to form their judgment according to the present aspect of things. Hence the Prophet exposes the false opinion by which they deceived themselves, and says, that too late they would understand what they were then unwilling to perceive.If then we explain this sentence of the children of God, it is an exhortation to bear patiently their evils until God appeared as their defender: but if we apply it to the unbelieving, it is a derision of their insensibility, because they regarded as fables all threatenings; but the Prophet exclaims, “Ye shall at last become wise, but it will be too late.” Even experience becomes a teacher when there is no more opportunity to repent.Turn not away shall the burning of Jehovah ’s wrath,Until his execution and until his completionOf the purposes of his heart:In the latter days ye shall understand it.A verb in the infinitive mood in Hebrew is used often as a noun, “his execution.” A similar form exists in Welsh, (lang. cy) nes gwneuthur ohono“Until he hath confirmed,” or “performed,” according to our version, is better rendered in the Vulg., “until he hath completed.” Here is the execution and the completion. — Ed.COKE, "Jeremiah 30:24. In the latter days ye shall consider it — Ye shall consider and understood it. This and the preceding verse are found in chap. Jeremiah 23:19-20. The latter days may signify the time to come; but they commonly imply the times under the gospel, as being the last dispensation, and what should continue to the end of the world. In this sense the words import, "When all these evils are come upon you, which God hath threatened for your disobedience, and particularly for your heinous crime in rejecting the Messiah, and you have found the denunciations verified in the several captivities that you have undergone, then you will understand the import of

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this and several other prophesies, and the event will perfectly instruct you in their meaning." See Lowth and Houbigant.REFLECTIONS.—1st, To perpetuate the memory of the great and gracious promises, God commands the prophet to write in a book all the words that he had spoken to him; either all the preceding prophesies, or those which he had now spoken to him, relative to the enlargement of the Jews from their captivity, and the coming of the Messiah; and this to support the faith and hope of the people of God, both of Israel and Judah.1. They are represented as under the greatest terror and distress. It was a strange sight, but descriptive of the acuteness of their pains, to behold the men of war, like women in travail, with their hands on their loins, trembling, pallid, and crying out in their pangs, Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it, so terrible and afflictive; and this may refer to the destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans, or to their more terrible desolations by the Romans: and some suppose, that it has a farther respect even to the reign of Antichrist, when the witnesses should be slain, and the church of Christ reduced to great distress.2. The prophet must write a word of comfort for that gloomy and dark day. Though it is the time of Jacob's trouble, he shall be saved out of it; God will stand by his suffering people, and rescue them from the hands of their enemies. He will break their yoke, deliver them from the Babylonish chains, or rather from their present state of bondage, when strangers in all nations whither they are dispersed shall no more serve themselves of them, oppress and harass them no more; or, best of all, from the bondage of sin and Satan, their unbelief and impenitence, when they shall be turned unto the Lord, and serve the Lord their God, and David their king; which has certainly a farther view than to the restoration of the temple-service, and to the governors who presided over them after the captivity in Babylon—even to the adored Messiah, David's son, raised up to sit on his throne; and David's Lord, whose divine character they should acknowledge, submit to his government, and join with his church in his worship; whom I will raise up unto them; God, according to his promises, having constituted him to be a prince and saviour, to whom every knee must bow, and whom every tongue must confess. Note; They who take Christ for their king are bound to prove their professions by their fidelity. Loyalty consists not in words but deeds.2nd, When God visits his people, he still in wrath remembers mercy.1. Their state appears very deplorable; yea, to human view, utterly desperate; their bruise incurable, their wound grievous, so that all restoration was despaired of; God

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himself seemed to be their enemy, their cruel enemy. So severe, so long continued were the strokes of his judgments upon them; they had not a friend in their troubles to plead for them, either with God or man; or so much as a kind hand stretched out to bind up their gaping wounds, or administer the healing medicine of consolation or advice. Their lovers, the neighbouring nations who courted them in their prosperity, deserted them in the day of their distress, and looked upon their case as desperate, regarding Zion as an outcast, whom no man seeketh after, abandoned to destruction; all which extorted from them bitter complaints; not that they had any cause to charge God as severe; for, because of the multitude of their iniquities and their aggravated sins, had these visitations been sent upon them, and their sufferings were less than they deserved; for, heavy as the visitation seemed to them, God corrected them in measure, and for their good, that he might not leave them altogether unpunished; as a father chastising them, that they might be reformed, and not ruined. Note; (1.) In our sufferings we are too apt to call the rod of a father the chastisement of a cruel one. (2.) Sin has a mortal sting; and none but God can heal the guilty soul. (3.) Whatever burden God lays upon us, we are bound to acknowledge it less than our iniquity has deserved. (4.) When the sinner is reduced to the depths of self-despair, then is the time when God magnifies the riches of his grace in his salvation.2. The Lord declares his purpose of mercy towards them. Desperate as their case seemed, both from their sins and sufferings, God bids them not fear, nor be dismayed; he owns them still as his servants, and engages to save them, if they will return to him. Though far dispersed in distant lands, he will bring them back, and give them, for all the wars and tumults with which they had been harassed, peace and quiet in their own land; which seems more applicable to their last recovery, when they shall be gathered into the gospel church, than to their return from Babylon, when their settlement met with many obstructions. As for their enemies, God threatens to destroy them utterly; but adds, Though I will make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: the mightiest monarchies have been long since utterly subverted, and all other nations, among whom they had been captives, devoured, destroyed, and incorporated with their conquerors; but to this hour we see the people of the Jews as much a distinct and separate people, as if they had been still shut up from all other nations in their own land, preserved for the promised mercy: and, notwithstanding all their sins and dire calamities, God promises, in a national view, to pardon the one and heal the other; to restore their health, and heal their wounds; bringing them into a state of temporal prosperity, and saving those who will accept of the offers of his gospel from the power of corruption; converting their souls, and causing them to partake of all the blessings of his spiritual kingdom in Christ Jesus. Note; (1.) No sinner's case is so far gone, as to be past the divine physician's ability to cure. (2.) They who believe God's promises, will be delivered from distressing fears. (3.) The present state of the Jewish people is a great and constant evidence of the inspiration of the prophetic word.3rdly, The same subject is pursued, and the promises delivered have a twofold

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respect:1. To the return of the Jews from Babylon. Then their city should be rebuilt on the same spot, the temple raised from its ashes, the sacred festivals be restored, their numbers be multiplied, their nation be respected, their children be playing in the streets in peace, their congregation at the temple undisturbed, their oppressors punished; their rulers, of themselves, not strangers; their governor one of their own nation, appointed of God, accepted of him, a pattern of devotion and piety to his subjects. The covenant of national peculiarity shall be re-established, God again the God of Judah, and they his peculiar people as a nation; whilst all the wicked, who had persecuted them, shall be swept away as with a whirlwind, through the fierce anger of the Lord, which shall not return until he have done it, fully established his people in their own land, and destroyed their foes.2. To their return to the church of God from their present dispersion; and this seems chiefly intended.[1.] They shall be recovered from their captivity. Some suppose, literally, that they shall be collected in Judaea (which is my own opinion), and that the city of Jerusalem shall be rebuilt in all its former magnificence; however, they shall come into the church of Christ, the city of the living God, the spiritual Jerusalem, and the voice of thanksgiving for gospel-grace shall sound louder than the songs which accompanied the sacred festivals.[2.] Their numbers will be great in the day of their conversion, and a most glorious appearance will they make, when they shall be rapidly brought to the faith of the Gospel, and a nation be born in a day. At that day the children of the church shall be multiplied in a more astonishing manner than at the first preaching of the Gospel, and no more persecuting powers remain to disturb the congregation of the saints.[3.] They will then be brought to know and acknowledge the true Messiah. His noble one, his glorious, or mighty one, as the word may be rendered, shall be of themselves; and their governor, the Prince of Peace, able to save and to destroy, shall proceed from the midst of them, rise up from the stock of Israel; I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me as Mediator between God and man, appointed to be the friend and advocate of his faithful people, and ever living in heaven to make intercession for them, in consequence of his having engaged his heart to God, to draw near to him by an obedience to death, even the death of the cross. And this may well deserve a note of admiration, Who is this! This is Jesus, by whom lost souls are restored to the favour of the justly-offended Jehovah, and he becomes their God, and they his people, which will be the case with the Jews at the latter day.[4.] All the wicked will be cut off; they who will not submit to the Messiah's government, must perish under his wrath terrible and irresistible, which sinners

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will be made to feel, if not before, at least at the great day of his appearing and glory; and then it will be too late to consider, when wrath comes upon them to the uttermost: or, in the latter days ye shall. consider it, shall see this prophesy accomplished, all the purposes of God's love to his faithful people, and of wrath to his enemies, fully performed. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 30:24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done [it], and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.Ver. 24. The fierce anger of the Lord.] See Jeremiah 23:20.In the latter days ye shall consider it.] In the days of the Messiah, but especially at the end of the world, when all these things shall have their full accomplishment.Jeremiah 31:1“At that time,The word of YHWH,I will be the God of all the families of Israel,And they will be my people.”And the final consequence of all this, and this was the assured word of YHWH, was that YHWH would be God of all the families of Israel (an all-inclusive description taking in both Israel and Judah) and they would be His people. It would be true in the inter-testamental period of all who returned to the land from all the tribes of Israel, coming with a new trust in YHWH, and was seen also as true by the exiles who remained in ‘the dispersion’. God was seen as having re-established Himself as the God of His people. But there was still among them, certainly in the later days prior to Jesus ’ coming, (and within His days), bitter fighting and rivalry. It thus became even more true that God was the God of His people when out of the Old Israel a New

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Israel was born (Matthew 21:43; compare 2 Corinthians 6:16-18), founded on the Apostles and Prophets, its beginnings found in the continuingly expanding believing remnant of Israel in Judaea and Galilee, expanding further to the believers among the dispersion, and then bursting forth in the incorporating of Gentiles into ‘the household of God’ as ‘fellow-citizens’(Ephesians 2:11-22), all making up ‘the families of Israel’.Note. It is, of course, a myth to think of Israel as ever having been made up only of actual descendants of Jacob. From the beginning it included servants and retainers of the patriarchs. This was further added to by the ‘mixed multitude’ (Exodus 12:38) who were incorporated into the families of Israel at Sinai, and other foreigners who joined with them in terms of Exodus 12:48. And ‘Israel’, continued to gather up foreigners into the family of Israel all through its long life (e.g. Uriah the Hittite). The idea of ‘descent’ was seen as very flexible, and was on the whole by adoption. Israel was therefore very much a cosmopolitan entity even in the time of Jeremiah, united by its rather frail belief in YHWH, than by ties of descent. The times of exile would result in many ‘Israelites’ being lost to Israel, as they merged into the nations among whom they settled, and thus Israel was constituted more from then on of those who remained loyal to the concept of Israel ’s God, both in Palestine and among the dispersion. Thus when the Messiah came the whole of Israel was faced up to its final choice, and a new Israel was born out of those of Israel who truly believed and responded to Him. The rejection of the old while they were still in unbelief was signified by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and made clear by Jesus Christ Himself (Matthew 21:43) and by Paul (Romans 11:17-28). The true Jerusalem was now the Jerusalem that was above (Galatians 4:21-31), which was now ‘the city of the living God’ (Hebrews 12:22), and the Temple was now Jesus Christ (John 2:19) and His people (1 Corinthians 3:16 and often). They were now the true Israel, believing Israel, and as always ready to accept into ‘the families of Israel’ all who truly believed, whether Jew or Gentile.

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