הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת יְהוָה לֵאמֹר׃ 30:1
Jere. 30:1 The word that occurred to Jeremiah saying:
According to the words of v. 30:3 below, this chapter takes place sometime during the exile, perhaps near the end of Jeremiah’s life. He survived after the fall of Jerusalem for about twenty-five years.
כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר כְּתָב־לְךָ אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּרְתִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֶל־סֵפֶר׃ 30:2
Jere. 30:2 “Thus says the Lord, God of Israel, saying, Write for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you into a book.’
At this time the Lord instructs Jeremiah to write this book. I suppose it’s because he has grown old and will soon pass along.
כִּי הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם־יְהוָה וְשַׁבְתִּי אֶת־שְׁבוּת עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה אָמַר יְהוָה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים 30:3 אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַתִּי לַאֲבֹותָם וִירֵשׁוּהָ׃
Jere. 30:3 ‘For lo, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will reverse the captivity of My people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they will possess it.’”
Notice that the Lord says Israel and Judah, not just the latter.
וְאֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶל־יְהוּדָה׃ 30:4
Jere. 30:4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah,
כִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה קֹול חֲרָדָה שָׁמָעְנוּ פַּחַד וְאֵין שָׁלֹום׃ 30:5
Jere. 30:5 for thus says the Lord:
“We hear the sound of anxiety,
of terror,
and there is no peace.”
שַׁאֲלוּ־נָא וּרְאוּ אִם־יֹלֵד זָכָר מַדּוּעַ רָאִיתִי כָל־גֶּבֶר יָדָיו עַל־חֲלָצָיו כַּיֹּולֵדָה וְנֶהֶפְכוּ כָל־פָּנִים 30:6 לְיֵרָקֹון׃
Jere. 30:6 “Inquire now and perceive
if a male is bearing a child,
because I see every man
has his hands on his loins
like a woman giving birth,
and all the faces
are transformed to paleness.”
הֹוי כִּי גָדֹול הַיֹּום הַהוּא מֵאַיִן כָּמֹהוּ וְעֵת־צָרָה הִיא לְיַעֲקֹב וּמִמֶּנָּה יִוָּשֵׁעַ׃ 30:7
Jere. 30:7 “Alas! For that day is great,
because there is no other like it.
While it is trouble for Jacob,
yet on account of it shall he be saved.”
I imagine that Jacob represents both Judah and Israel. So the day will be unlike any other, and it will be difficult for the Jews. So what about it is so different? See my remarks after v. 30:9.
וְהָיָה בַיֹּום הַהוּא נְאֻם יְהוָה צְבָאֹות אֶשְׁבֹּר עֻלֹּו מֵעַל צַוָּארֶךָ וּמֹוסְרֹותֶיךָ אֲנַתֵּק וְלֹא־יַעַבְדוּ־בֹו 30:8 עֹוד זָרִים׃
Jere. 30:8 “Then it shall be on that day,”
declares the Lord of hosts,
“I shall break his yoke from off your neck
and tear off your bonds,
and will no more make strangers a servant of him,
וְעָבְדוּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֵת דָּוִד מַלְכָּם אֲשֶׁר אָקִים לָהֶם׃ 30:9
Jere. 30:9 but they shall serve the Lord, their God,
and David, their king,
whom I will raise up for them.”
While v. 30:3 makes it sound as if the Lord is referring to the end of the seventy-year exile in this chapter, I harbor the suspicion that He is telling us of the end of time. David, the king of Israel, has not appeared as yet. And that day, the so-called day of judgment, will certainly be great and different, of course. Moreover, notice how vague is the mention of his yoke in v. 30:8. Was that deliberate, so that the time element remains obscure?
וְאַתָּה אַל־תִּירָא עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְאַל־תֵּחַת יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי הִנְנִי מֹושִׁיעֲךָ מֵרָחֹוק וְאֶת־זַרְעֲךָ 30:10 מֵאֶרֶץ שִׁבְיָם וְשָׁב יַעֲקֹב וְשָׁקַט וְשַׁאֲןַן וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד׃
Jere. 30:10 “So you must not fear,
O My servant, Jacob,”
declares the Lord,
“and not be dismayed, O Israel,
for lo, I will be saving you from afar,
and your descendants,
from the land of their captivity,
and Jacob shall return
and be tranquil and at peace,
and there shall be no more trembling.”
כִּי־אִתְּךָ אֲנִי נְאֻם־יְהוָה לְהֹושִׁיעֶךָ כִּי אֶעֱשֶׂה כָלָה בְּכָל־הַגֹּויִם אֲשֶׁר הֲפִצֹותִיךָ שָּׁם אַךְ אֹתְךָ 30:11 לֹא־אֶעֱשֶׂה כָלָה וְיִסַּרְתִּיךָ לַמִּשְׁפָּט וְנַקֵּה לֹא אֲנַקֶּךָּ׃
Jere. 30:11 “For I am with you,” declares the Lord,
“to deliver you;
for I shall make a complete end
to all the nations where I dispersed you,
but I shall not make a complete end with you,
so I can discipline you
according to justice,
as I will surely not hold you innocent.”
כִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה אָנוּשׁ לְשִׁבְרֵךְ נַחְלָה מַכָּתֵךְ׃ 30:12
Jere. 30:12 “For thus says the Lord:
Your fracture is incurable;
your wound is debilitating.”
אֵין־דָּן דִּינֵךְ לְמָזֹור רְפֻאֹות תְּעָלָה אֵין לָךְ׃ 30:13
Jere. 30:13 “No one pleads your cause over the wound;
there is no healing remedy for you.”
כָּל־מְאַהֲבַיִךְ שְׁכֵחוּךְ אֹותָךְ לֹא יִדְרֹשׁוּ כִּי מַכַּת אֹויֵב הִכִּיתִיךְ מוּסַר אַכְזָרִי עַל רֹב עֲוֹנֵךְ עָצְמוּ 30:14 חַטֹּאתָיִךְ׃
Jere. 30:14 “All your lovers have forgotten you;
they will no longer seek you;
for I have stricken you
with the wound of an enemy,
a cruel discipline.
Because of the enormity of your iniquity,
your sins became too numerous.”
מַה־תִּזְעַק עַל־שִׁבְרֵךְ אָנוּשׁ מַכְאֹבֵךְ עַל רֹב עֲוֹנֵךְ עָצְמוּ חַטֹּאתַיִךְ עָשִׂיתִי אֵלֶּה לָךְ׃ 30:15
Jere. 30:15 “Why would you cry out?
Because of your fracture?
Your pain is incurable.
Because of the enormity of your iniquity,
-- your sins became too numerous
-- I did these things to you.”
לָכֵן כָּל־אֹכְלַיִךְ יֵאָכֵלוּ וְכָל־צָרַיִךְ כֻּלָּם בַּשְּׁבִי יֵלֵכוּ וְהָיוּ שֹׁאסַיִךְ לִמְשִׁסָּה וְכָל־בֹּזְזַיִךְ אֶתֵּן לָבַז׃ 30:16
Jere. 30:16 “Therefore all your destroyers
shall be destroyed,
and all your adversaries
-- all of them
-- shall go into captivity,
and your plunderers
shall be for plunder,
and I shall give
all your spoilers for prey,
כִּי אַעֲלֶה אֲרֻכָה לָךְ וּמִמַּכֹּותַיִךְ אֶרְפָּאֵךְ נְאֻם־יְהוָה כִּי נִדָּחָה קָרְאוּ לָךְ צִיֹּון הִיא דֹּרֵשׁ אֵין לָהּ׃ 30:17
Jere. 30:17 when I restore health to you
and heal you from your wounds,”
declares the Lord,
“for they have proclaimed
banishment for you:
‘She is Zion; no one cares for her.’”
כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי־שָׁב שְׁבוּת אָהֳלֵי יַעֲקֹוב וּמִשְׁכְּנֹתָיו אֲרַחֵם וְנִבְנְתָה עִיר עַל־תִּלָּהּ וְאַרְמֹון 30:18
עַל־מִשְׁפָּטֹו יֵשֵׁב׃
Jere. 30:18 “Thus says the Lord:
Behold, I am reversing
the captivity of the tents of Jacob,
and I shall love his dwelling places,
and the city shall be rebuilt on its hill,
and the citadel shall sit
upon its seat of judgment.”
וְיָצָא מֵהֶם תֹּודָה וְקֹול מְשַׂחֲקִים וְהִרְבִּתִים וְלֹא יִמְעָטוּ וְהִכְבַּדְתִּים וְלֹא יִצְעָרוּ׃ 30:19
Jere. 30:19 “And thanksgiving shall emanate from them,
and the sound of merrymakers,
and I shall multiply them
that they are not diminished,
and I shall enrich them
that they will not be insignificant.”
וְהָיוּ בָנָיו כְּקֶדֶם וַעֲדָתֹו לְפָנַי תִּכֹּון וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל כָּל־לֹחֲצָיו׃ 30:20
Jere. 30:20 “And his descendants shall be as of old,
with his congregation
established before Me,
when I will attend
to all his oppressors.”
וְהָיָה אַדִּירֹו מִמֶּנּוּ וּמֹשְׁלֹו מִקִּרְבֹּו יֵצֵא וְהִקְרַבְתִּיו וְנִגַּשׁ אֵלָי כִּי מִי הוּא־זֶה עָרַב אֶת־לִבֹּו לָגֶשֶׁת 30:21 אֵלַי נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃
Jere. 30:21 “Then his great one shall be from him,
and his ruler shall emerge from his midst,
and I shall have him approach
and he shall draw near to Me,
for this is he who commits his heart
to approaching to Me, declares the Lord.”
וִהְיִיתֶם לִי לְעָם וְאָנֹכִי אֶהְיֶה לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים׃ 30:22
Jere. 30:22 “And you shall be Mine for a people
and I shall be yours for God.”
הִנֵּה סַעֲרַת יְהוָה חֵמָה יָצְאָה סַעַר מִתְגֹּורֵר עַל רֹאשׁ רְשָׁעִים יָחוּל׃ 30:23
Jere. 30:23 Behold, a furious storm of the Lord emerges,
an uprooting storm.
About the head of the wicked it shall whirl.
לֹא יָשׁוּב חֲרֹון אַף־יְהוָה עַד־עֲשֹׂתֹו וְעַד־הֲקִימֹו מְזִמֹּות לִבֹּו בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים תִּתְבֹּונְנוּ בָהּ׃ 30:24
Jere. 30:24 The fury of the “anger” of the Lord
shall not recede until
His instituting and His establishing
the intentions of His “heart.”
At the end of days shall you
become discerning about it.
בָּעֵת הַהִיא נְאֻם־יְהוָה אֶהְיֶה לֵאלֹהִים לְכֹל מִשְׁפְּחֹות יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ־לִי לְעָם׃ 30:25
Jere. 30:25 “At that time,” declares the Lord,
“I shall be for God
to all the families of Israel
and they shall be
for a people to Me.”
It certainly sounds like this chapter is primarily about the end of days, and not about the end of the exile.
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