100425

 
JEREMIAH SO FAR

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/21-13.htm

Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain — A description of Jerusalem, which was built in part upon the rocky mountain of Zion, but a great part of it was in the valley; and the higher mountains about mount Zion made that mountain itself, in comparison with them, to appear as a valley.

Jehovah, standing, as it were, on the Mount of Olives, addresses the proud city beneath him. O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain; rather, O inhabitress; Jerusalem is personified as a virgin. The poetical description of the capital as a "valley" (the word, however, signifies a valley as wide as a plain) reminds us of "the valley [or rather, 'ravine'] of vision" (Isaiah 22:1, 5); While "the rock of the plain" recalls "my mountain in the field" (Jeremiah 17:3). So, as Graf points out, Babylon is called "a mountain" in metaphorical language (Jeremiah 51:25). It is, however, singular that the prophet should call Jerusalem a "valley" and a "rock" in the same passage.

COMPARE HEBREW WORD ASSOCIATIONS OF "ROCK" & "VALLEY" & "PLAIN"

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-6.htm

 “I will sanctify destroyers against it.” If this is not an attenuated use of the term “sanctify,” the traditions of Israel’s holy wars are being turned against her. In Israel’s early wars in the wilderness and in the conquest, the Lord fought for her against the enemies. Now He is going to fight against them and use the enemy as His instruments of destruction.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-13.htm

Jehoiakim went on building palaces when his kingdom was on the verge of ruin, and his subjects were groaning under their burdens... who lived in splendor amid the misery of the nation

built himself a stately palace in those calamitous times, and took no care to pay the wages of the workmen; but maintained his own luxury by the oppression of those who were to live by their labour... The labourers were treated as slaves, and, like the Israelites in their Egyptian bondage, received their food, but nothing more.

He "had, besides, a passion for building splendid and costly houses; and as he esteemed his own position secure under the protection of a superior power, he did not scruple severely to oppress his helpless subjects, and wring from them as much money as possible". The building mania, to which Oriental sovereigns have always been prone, had seized upon Jehoiakim. The architecture of the original palace no longer, perhaps, suited the higher degree of civilization; the space was as confined as that of a Saxon mansion would have appeared to a Norman. 

This respects Jehoiakim, the then reigning king; who, not content with the palace the kings of Judah before him had lived in, built another; or however enlarged that, and made great alterations in it; but this he did either with money ill gotten, or perverted to a wrong use, which ought to have been otherwise laid out; or by not paying for the materials of whom they were bought, or the workmen for their workmanship; 

Woe to that man, who suffering oppression in his government, or making it his business himself to oppress, yet buildeth himself great houses and large chambers, ceiling them with cedar, promising himself prosperity and splendour, notwithstanding his wicked courses! ...Jehoiakim’s pride, and luxury, and magnificence is here blamed... And this prince had seen Shallum or Jehoahaz his brother carried into captivity, and he still walked in the same wicked courses his brother had done; yet in contempt of the word of the Lord by Huldah in his father’s time, he promiseth himself all prosperity and splendour, and accordingly was building himself stately houses, and adorning them; for this the woe is here denounced.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-14.htm

Cutteth him out windows.—The verb is the same as that used in Jeremiah 4:30 for dilating the eyes by the use of antimony
"What are you doing, you devastated one? ...Why enlarge your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you."

Vermilion.—Probably the red pigment (sulphuret of mercury?) still conspicuous in the buildings of Egypt. The king was probably impelled by a vainglorious desire to imitate the magnificence of the Egyptian king (Pharaoh-nechoh) who had placed him on the throne.
vermilion; a taste derived from the Egyptians rather than the Babylonians

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-15.htm

Jehoiakim was looking forward to, and taking measures to secure, a long continuance of power

There is a contrast between the life of Josiah spent in the discharge of his kingly duties, and that of Jehoiakim, busy instead with ambitious plans of splendor and aggrandisement.

Did not Josiah, thy father, enjoy all that man really needs for his bodily wants? Did he need to build costly palaces to secure his throne? Nay, he did secure it by "judgment and justice"; whereas thou, with all thy luxurious building, sittest on a tottering throne.
Art thou so vain as to think that brave houses will continue thy kingdom? Thou art mistaken; magnificent buildings are not those things which establish a prince’s throne. How was it with thy father? he lived prosperously and enjoyed life, yet had no such stately edifices; his throne was established by justice and judgment; that were the right way for thee to sit sure upon thy throne.

Dost thou think that thou shalt reign long, and thy throne be established firm and secure, because of thy cedar wainscot? as if that was a protection to thee...

Josiah his father, who ate and drank in moderation, and lived cheerfully and comfortably; and kept a good table like a prince, without such a magnificent palace as he, his son, had built; and without oppressing his subjects, and detaining the hire of the labourer... he was blessed of God, and was prosperous and successful; he was happy himself as a prince, and his people under him, both enjoying peace and prosperity; there are never better times than when justice is done; by it the throne is established.

Josiah, who was not given to ambition and superfluity, but was content with mediocrity, and only delighted in setting forth God's glory, and to do justice to all.

Did not thy father eat and drink? There was no call upon Jehoiakim to live the life of a Nazarite. "Eating and drinking," i.e. enjoying the good things within his reach, was perfectly admissible; indeed, the Old Testament view of life is remarkable for its healthy naturalness. There was, however, one peremptory condition, itself as much in accordance with nature as with the Law of God, that the rights of other men should be studiously regarded. Josiah "ate and drank," but he also "did judgment and justice," and so "it was well with him."

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-16.htm

the religious fame of Josiah rested not on his restoration of the Temple worship, nor on his suppression of idolatry, but much more on his faithfulness in his kingly work to the cause of righteousness and mercy. They only could know Him who, in this respect, strove to be like Him


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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-21.ht

I spake unto thee in thy prosperity — Spake by my servants the prophets, in reproofs, admonitions, counsels; but thou saidst, I will not hear — Didst manifest by thy conduct that thou wouldest not obey. Such is too often the effect of prosperity. It puffs men up with pride and high-mindedness, and makes them despise the word of God, thinking themselves too wise to stand in need of advice, and therefore they defer attending to it, till they are in extremities, when it becomes of little or no benefit to them.
The word, however, which we translate prosperity, properly signifies security, and may be spoken of the false security in which the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem lived in times when they were threatened with the most grievous calamities, and which had been denounced to them by the prophets, from the time of Hezekiah on account of the idolatries and various other acts of wickedness of their kings and people; who nevertheless continued in their vices without any amendment.

The Jewish state is described under a threefold character. Very haughty in a day of peace and safety. Very fearful on alarm of trouble. Very much cast down under pressure of trouble. Many never are ashamed of their sins till brought by them to the last extremity.

I, by my prophets, spake to thee while all things went well with thee, so as thou hast not sinned ignorantly or without warning; I have not surprised thee with my judgments, but thou refusedst to hearken and obey my admonitions and precepts. 

I admonished thee in time. Thy sin has not been a sin of ignorance or thoughtlessness, but wilful.
prosperity— given thee by Me; yet thou wouldest not hearken to the gracious Giver.

but thou saidst, I will not hear; this was the language of their hearts and actions, though not of their mouths:

In thy prosperity.—Literally, prosperities. The word is used, as in Proverbs 1:32; Ezekiel 16:49; Psalm 30:6, in reference to what in old English was called “security,” the careless, reckless temper engendered by outward prosperity. The plural is used to include all the forms of that temper that had been manifested in the course of centuries.

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/1-32.htm
For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.
For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
Sin and self-satisfaction bring destruction and death to stupid fools.
"Gullible people kill themselves because of their turning away. Fools destroy themselves because of their indifference.
Inexperienced people die because they reject wisdom. Stupid people are destroyed by their own lack of concern.
For the straying of the naive kills them, the smugness of fools destroys them.
For the waywardness of the thoughtless shall slay them, And the confidence of fools shall destroy them.
the security of the foolish destroys them.
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

https://biblehub.com/psalms/30-6.htm
As for me, in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”
When all was well with me, I said, "I will never be shaken."
I felt secure and said to myself, "I will never be defeated."
But I have said in my abundance: “I will never be disturbed.”

https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/16-49.htm
Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister: arrogance, indulgence in bread and abundance, and the idleness of her and her daughters; and they did not reach out their hand to the needy and the poor.
proud, sated with food, complacent in prosperity
Lofty pride, fullness of bread, and quiet careless ease, 
arrogant, overfed and unconcerned;
She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged.
Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.
They were arrogant and spoiled; they had everything they needed and still refused to help the poor and needy.
Look! This was the sin of your sister Sodom and her daughters: Pride, too much food, undisturbed peace, and failure to help the poor and needy.
she and her daughters lived in pleasure... had abundant food and lived in tranquillity,

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-23.htm

No pomp or majesty could save the royal house from the inevitable doom.

how gracious—irony. How graciously thou wilt be treated by the Chaldees, when they come on thee suddenly, as pangs on a woman in travail (Jer 6:24)! Nay, all thy fine buildings will win no favor for thee from them. Maurer translates, "How shalt thou be to be pitied!"

What favour wilt thou find when my judgments shall come upon thee, as suddenly and as smartly as the pains of a woman in travail come upon her! a similitude often made use of by this prophet, to express the suddenness, unavoidableness, and greatness of judgments,

how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail? that is, either thou wilt seek grace and favour at the hand of God, and make supplication to him; thou wilt then be an humble supplicant, when in distress, though now proud and haughty (a): or what favour wilt thou then find among those that come to waste and destroy thee? This refers to the calamity coming upon them by the Chaldeans,

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-24.htm

The abbreviation of Jeconjahu into Conjahu is held by Hgstb. Christol. ii. p. 402, to be a change made by Jeremiah in order by cutting off the y (will establish) to cut off the hope expressed by the name, to make "a Jeconiah without the J, a 'God will establish' without the will." 

Coniah—Jeconiah or Jehoiachin. The contraction of the name is meant in contempt... to denote the diminution of his glory and kingdom, and the shortness of his reign:
(Jeconiah = God will establish)

Who was called Jehoiachin or Jeconiah, whom he calls here Coniah in contempt who thought his kingdom could never depart from him, because he came of the stock of David, and therefore for the promise sake could not be taken from his house, but he abused God's promise and therefore was justly deprived of the kingdom.

 The signet ring was the king’s seal by which he verified all his legal and political transactions. To have the signet ring was to exercise authority in the king’s name... The Lord is swearing emphatically that Jeconiah will not be the earthly representative of his rule, i.e., not carry the authority of the signet-ring bearer... According to the Davidic covenant the Davidic king sat on God’s throne over God’s kingdom, Israel. As God’s representative he ruled in God’s stead and could even be addressed figuratively as God (compare the same phenomenon for the earthly judges). Jeconiah is being denied the right to function any longer as the Davidic king, and any hopes of ever regaining that right in his lifetime or through the succession of his sons is also denied. This oracle is reversed by the later oracle of the prophet Haggai to his grandson Zerubbabel, and both Jeconiah and Zerubbabel are found in the genealogy of Christ.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/22-28.htm

The prophet either speaketh this in the person of God. or of the people, who are here brought in, affirming that this prince, who was the idol of the people, was now, through the just judgment of God, become like a broken idol; or like a vessel which men care not for, being either so cracked, or so tainted, that they can make no use of it;

Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol?.... Or like an idol that is nothing in the world, and like a broken one, that, whatever worship before was paid to it, has now none at all, but is despised by its votaries? he is such an one; though he was idolized by his people when be first came to the throne; but now his power and government being broken, and he carried captive, was despised by all; as his being called Coniah, and "this man" or fellow, show; which are used of him in a way of reproach and contempt;

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-18.htm

The Lord’s inner circle refers to the council of angels (Ps 89:7 [89:8 HT]; 1 Kgs 22:19-22; Job 1-2; Job 15:8), where God made known his counsel/plans (Amos 3:7). They and those they prophesied to will find out soon enough what the purposes of his heart are, and they are not “peace” (see v. 20). By their failure to announce the impending doom they were not turning the people away from their wicked course

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-22.htm




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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-23.htm

The thought that is expressed here must be viewed against the background of ancient Near Eastern thought, where gods were connected with different realms... The Lord is the one true God. Moreover, he is the maker of heaven and earth, sees into the hearts of all men, and judges men according to what they do. There is no hiding from him and no escape from his judgment. God has already spoken to the people and their leaders through Jeremiah along these lines. Lurking behind the thoughts expressed here is probably Deut 29:19-21, where God warns that one “bad apple,” who thinks he can get away with sinning against the covenant, can lead to the destruction of all. The false prophets were the “bad apples,” encouraging the corruption of the whole nation by their words promoting a false sense of security unconnected with loyalty to God and obedience to his covenant.

The first question deals with the issue of God’s transcendence, the second with his omniscience, and the third with his omnipresence.

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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/23-25.htm

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2492.htm

 To have had a dream was not an illegitimate means of receiving divine revelation. God had revealed himself in the past to his servants through dreams (e.g., Jacob and Joseph), and God promised to reveal himself through dreams. What was illegitimate was to use the dream to lead people away from the Lord. THAT was what the false prophets were doing through their dreams, which were “lies” and “the delusions of their own minds.” Through them they were making people forget who the Lord really was, which was just like what their ancestors had done through worshiping Baal.

FOR REFERENCE =
Deuteronomy 13:2-6
"If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, offering you some sign or wonder,and the sign or wonder comes about; and if he then says to you, "Let us follow other gods (hitherto unknown to you) and serve them," you must not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer's dreams. God is testing you to know if you love Him with all your heart and all your soul. The LORD your God is the one whom you must follow, him you must fear, his commandments you must keep, his voice you must obey, him you must serve, to him you must hold fast. That prophet or that dreamer of dreams must be put to death, since he has preached apostasy from the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slave-labour; and he would have diverted you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. You must banish this evil from among you."

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-27.htm

In the OT, the “name” reflected the person’s character or his reputation. To speak in someone’s name was to act as his representative or carry his authority. To call one’s name over something was to claim it for one’s own. Hence, here to forget God’s name is equivalent to forgetting who he is in his essential character. By preaching lies they had obliterated part of his essential character and caused people to forget who he really was.

to forget my name= not literally, but to forget the essential character of Him who bears the name. So their fathers confused Baal with The LORD. The nature of the sin was the same.

There is a deliberate paralleling in the syntax here between “through their dreams” and “through Baal.” = "[They] seek to make My people forget My Name through their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbor: as their fathers forgot My Name through Baal."

The two evils of open idolatry and of false claims to prophecy stood, the prophet seems to say, on the same footing. The misuse of the name of God by the false prophets was as bad as the older worship of Baal and the prophesying in that idol's name.

As their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal; so that in effect they are Baal’s priests: for as Baal’s prophets, by publishing their pretended revelations from Baal, seduced the people from the service and obedience of the true God; so these, by telling their pretended dreams, seduced men from their obedience to God in what he revealed to them by the true prophets: they agreed in the end, the seducing of the people from God, though they differed in the mean, the one pretending relations from Baal, the other from the true God by their dreams.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-28.htm

Let him lay no more stress upon it than men do upon their dreams, nor expect any more regard to be paid to it. Or, he that pretends to have a message from God, either by dream, or vision, or voice, or otherwise, let him declare it. And he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully — Let him speak it, as truth; so some read the clause; let him keep close to his instructions, and you will soon perceive a vast difference between the dreams which the false prophets tell, and the divine oracles which the true prophets deliver, and will easily discern which is of God and which is not. Those that have spiritual senses exercised will be able to distinguish. For what is the chaff to the wheat — There is as much difference between my will and their dreams, as there is between the chaff and the wheat. 


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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-29.htm

The prophet speaks out of the depths of his own experience. The true prophetic word burns in the heart of a man, and will not be restrained, and when uttered it consumes the evil, and purifies the good. It will burn up the chaff of the utterances of the false prophets. As the hammer breaks the rock, so it shatters the pride and stubbornness of man, is mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, and the heart of him who hears it as it SHOULD be heard is broken and contrite. 

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-30.htm

Having no message from God, they try to imitate the true prophets... Not inspired of God themselves, they tried to appropriate words of God from other prophets in order to give their own utterances the character of divine oracles. 

The "false prophets," not trusting to their "dreams" alone, listen greedily to the discourses of men like Jeremiah, not with a view to spiritual profit, but to making their own utterances more effective. We must remember that they lived by their prophesying.

Another note of the counterfeit prophet is found in the want of any living personal originality. The oracles of the dreamers were patchworks of plagiarism, and they borrowed, not as men might do legitimately, and as Jeremiah himself did, from the words of the great teachers of the past, but from men of their own time, false and unreal as themselves. What we should call the “clique” of false prophets went on repeating each other’s phrases with a wearisome iteration.
(THE "NEW AGERS" DO THIS CONSTANTLY; IT'S MADDENING)

That imitate the true prophets, speaking in my name, as they do, and saying, "Thus saith the Lord," and using their words, but applying them to their own purpose: or, it may be, adding their own inventions to them.

or, the generality of the people, from whom they are said to steal the Lord’s word because they withheld it from them injuriously; or by their arts and flatteries brought men out of love with or fear of the words of the Lord, which had by the true prophets been delivered to them.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-31.htm

Jer 23:30-33 are filled with biting sarcasm. The verses all begin with the words “Behold, I am against the prophets who…” and go on to describe their reprehensible behavior. 

Here the idiom translated “to use their own tongue” really refers to taking something in preparation for action, i.e., “they take their tongue” and “declare.” The verb “declare” is only used here and is derived from the idiom “oracle of,” which is almost universally used in the idiom “oracle of the Lord,” which occurs 176 times in Jeremiah. That is, it is their tongue that is “declaring not His mouth” (v. 16). Moreover, in the report of what they “declare,” the Lord has left out the qualifying “of the Lord” to suggest the delusive nature of their message, i.e., they mislead people into believing that their message is from the Lord. Elsewhere in the discussion of the issue of false prophecy the Lord will use the full formula (Ezek 13:6-7). How ironic that their “Oracle of…” is punctuated by the triple “Oracle of the Lord” (vv. 30, 31, 32; translated here “I, the Lord, affirm that…”).

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-32.htm

How can they be long safe, or at all easy, who have a God of almighty power against them? The word of God is no smooth, lulling, deceitful message. And by its faithfulness it may certainly be distinguished from false doctrines.

by their lightness; by the false doctrines and prophecies which they delivered, and by their loose and disorderly lives which they led; so that they debauched the principles of the people by the former, and their practices by the latter.

The Hebrew word is the same in meaning as the “unstable as water” of Genesis 49:4, the “light persons” of Judges 9:4; Zephaniah 3:4, and points primarily to the gushing or spurting forth of water. Here it points to what we may call the “babbling” of the false prophets. We are almost reminded of the words in which an English poet describes a hollow and pretentious eloquence as poured out—“In one weak, washy, everlasting flood.”


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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-33.htm

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4853.htm

Many commentaries see a wordplay on the two words “burden” and “oracle,” which are homonyms. However, from the contrasts that are drawn in the passage, it is doubtful whether the nuance of “oracle” ever is in view. The word is always used in the Prophets of an oracle of doom or judgment; it is not merely revelation of God that one of the common people would have been talking about. Jeremiah never uses the word in that sense nor does anyone else in the book of Jeremiah.
What is in view here is the idea that the people consider Jeremiah’s views of loyalty to God and obedience to the covenant “burdensome.” That is, “What burdensome demands is the Lord asking you to impose on us?” (See Jer 17, where this same word is used regarding Sabbath observance, which they chafed at). The Lord answers back that it is not he who is being burdensome to them; they are burdensome to him.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-35.htm

what are being contrasted are two views toward the Lord’s message: 1) one of openness to receive what the Lord says through the prophet and 2) one that already characterizes the Lord’s message as a burden. 

The message is directed against the prophet, priest, or common people who have characterized Jeremiah's message as a “burden from the Lord.”

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/23-36.htm

The misused term was no longer to be applied to the messages of Jehovah. If men continued to apply it to the words of their own heart, they would find it a “burden” in another sense (the prophet plays once more on the etymology of the word) too heavy to be borne. This would be the righteous punishment of the reckless levity with which they had treated the sacred Name which Jeremiah reproduces in all the amplitude of its grandeur. They had never realised the awfulness of speaking in the name “of the living God, the Lord of Sabaoth.”

For every man’s word shall be his burden — You shall be made severely to account for your loose and profane speeches, wherewith you deride and pervert the words and messages of God himself. Or, “Every man shall have most reason to regard his own word as hurtful and prejudicial to him. For the words of God were delivered with a salutary tendency, to warn sinners of the danger of their situation, and to call them to repentance. Those, therefore, who made a right use of them would have no cause to complain. But those who despised and rejected them perverted that which should have been for their wealth into an occasion of falling.” 

As they mockingly call all prophecies burdens, as if calamities were the sole subject of prophecy, so it shall prove to them. God will take them at their own word.

Jeremiah 23:36 CPDV
And the "burden of the Lord" will be no longer be called to mind. For each one's own word will be a burden. For you have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts, our God.

Jeremiah 23:36 AMPC
[36]  But the burden of the Lord you must mention no more, for every man's burden is his own response and word [for as they mockingly call all prophecies burdens, whether good or bad, so will it prove to be to them; God will take them at their own word]; for you pervert the words [not of a lifeless idol, but] of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God!

Jeremiah 23:36 GNBDK
[36] So they must no longer use the words ‘the LORD's burden’, because if anyone does, I will make my message a real burden to him. The people have perverted the words of their God, the living God, the LORD Almighty.

Jeremiah 23:36 NET
[36]  You must no longer say that the Lord’s message is burdensome. For what is ‘burdensome’ really pertains to what a person himself says. You are misrepresenting the words of our God, the living God, the Lord who rules over all.

Jeremiah 23:36 NLTCE
[36] But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Jeremiah 23:36 EASY
[36] But you must not speak any more about “a message of trouble from the Lord”. It is the person's own message that brings the trouble. In that way, you change the true message of our God, the living God who is the Lord Almighty.

Jeremiah 23:36 CEB
[36] But you are no longer to mention the LORD’s message, because everyone thinks they have received a message from the LORD. You destroy the very word of the living God, the LORD of heavenly forces, our God.

Jeremiah 23:36 ERV
[36] But you will never again use the expression, ‘The announcement of the Lord.’ That is because his message should not be a heavy load for anyone. But you changed the words of our God. He is the living God, the Lord All-Powerful!

Jeremiah 23:36 ICB
[36] But you will never again say, ‘The message of the Lord.’ This is because the only message you speak is your own words. You used to change the words of our God. He is the living God, the Lord of heaven’s armies.

Jeremiah 23:36 HPB
[36] But you guys betta not talk bout ‘spesho messages from Da One In Charge,’ cuz all dem tink watevas dey tell, az one spesho message from Da One In Charge. Dass how you guys stay make kapakahi wat da God dat stay alive fo real kine tell. An dass me, Da One In Charge, da God Ova All Da Armies!

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/24-7.htm

Good and bad figs represent the Jews in captivity, and those who remain in their own land. - The prophet saw two baskets of figs set before the temple, as offerings of first-fruits. The figs in one basket were very good, those in the other basket very bad. What creature viler than a wicked man? and what more valuable than a godly man? This vision was to raise the spirits of those gone into captivity, by assuring them of a happy return; and to humble and awaken the proud and secure spirits of those yet in Jerusalem, by assuring them of a miserable captivity. The good figs represents the pious captives. We cannot determine as to God's love or hatred by what is before us. Early suffering sometimes proves for the best. The sooner the child is corrected, the better effect the correction is likely to have. Even this captivity was for their good; and God's intentions never are in vain. By afflictions they were convinced of sin, humbled under the hand of God, weaned from the world, taught to pray, and turned from sins, particularly from idolatry. God promises that he will own them in captivity. The Lord will own those who are his, in all conditions. God assures them of his protection in trouble, and a glorious deliverance in due time. When our troubles are sanctified to us, we may be sure that they will end well. They shall return to him with their whole heart. Thus they should have liberty to own him for their God, to pray to him, and expect blessings from him. 

And he engages to prepare them for the temporal blessings which he designed for them, by conferring spiritual blessings upon them. It is this that would make their captivity for their good: this would be both the improvement of their affliction and their qualification for deliverance. I will give them a heart to know me — I, who at first commanded light to shine out of darkness, will shine into their hearts, to give them the knowledge of my glory; even that true and saving knowledge of me which is eternal life; which is always productive of faith in, and love to, me, 1 John 4:7-8; of obedience to my will, 1 John 2:3-4; and a conformity to mine image, 2 Corinthians 3:18. They shall become acquainted with me in a higher degree, and to a better purpose, than formerly; and shall learn more of me by my providences and grace in Babylon than they had learned by my oracles and ordinances in Jerusalem. Mark well the expression, reader, I will give them a heart to know me; not only the mind, but the heart; not only the understanding and judgment, but the will and affections are concerned in the true knowledge of God, which does not consist in mere notions and speculations, but implies the exercise of all spiritual graces and the practice of all divine virtues. And this knowledge is the supernatural gift of God, communicated by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, Ephesians 1:17. The mere natural and unenlightened man has it not: for God and divine things knoweth no man but by the Spirit of God, 1 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Corinthians 2:14 : see also 1 John 5:20. And they shall be my people — I will own them for my people as formerly, as well in the discoveries of myself to them, as in my acceptances of their services, and my gracious appearance in their behalf. And I will be their God — They shall have liberty to own me for their God, both in their prayers and praises offered to me, and their expectations from me. For they shall return unto me with their whole heart — They shall be so thoroughly changed in heart and life that they shall make my will their rule, and my glory their end, in all their intentions, affections, and actions, and my service their chief and most delightful business from day to day. This follows upon the former: for they that have a heart to know God aright will not only turn to him, but turn with their whole heart: while those who are either lukewarm in their services, or formal and hypocritical in their religion, may be truly said to be unacquainted with him.


Their conversion from idolatry to the one true God, through the chastening effect of the Babylonish captivity, is here expressed in language which, in its fulness, applies to the more complete conversion hereafter of the Jews, "with their whole heart" (Jer 29:13), through the painful discipline of their present dispersion. The source of their conversion is here stated to be God's prevenient grace.
for they shall return—Repentance, though not the cause of pardon, is its invariable accompaniment: it is the effect of God's giving a heart to know Him.
with their whole heart. This is promised as an effect of special grace, not of the mere good inclination of their natural wills, for so the words I will give, in the beginning of the verse, must be understood, otherwise God gives such a heart no more to one man than another.

know me is here (as in many other texts) comprehended faith, love, obedience, all those motions of the soul which rationally should follow a right comprehending of God in men’s knowledge.

And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord,.... God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin; the unchangeable Jehovah; the everlasting I AM; a covenant keeping God; faithful and true to his promises; able and willing to perform them; and does all things well and wisely; and was their Lord and God. This knowledge designs not the first knowledge of the Lord, but an increase of it; and not head knowledge, but heart knowledge; a knowledge of God, joined with love and affection to him, high esteem, and approbation of him; and including communion with him, and an open profession and acknowledgment of him: and it is an appropriating knowledge also; a knowing him for themselves, and as their own; and such a knowledge or heart to know the Lord is a pure gift of his, and without which none can have it: and it may be observed, that in captivity it was given them; afflictions were the means of it; and happy it is when hereby men come to have a knowledge of God, and to be better acquainted with him, Psalm 92:12;

and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; that is, it shall appear that they are so, by the above blessings of grace and goodness bestowed upon them; the Lord hereby owning them for his people, and they hereby coming to know that he is their God:
they shall return unto me with their whole heart; affectionately, sincerely, and unfeignedly. 

man of himself can know nothing till God gives the heart and understanding.

The building and planting of the captives is not to consist solely in the restoration of their former civil well-being, but will be a spiritual regeneration of the people. God will give them a heart to know Him as their God, so that they may be in truth His people, and He their God. "For they will return," not: when they return (Ew., Hitz.). The turning to the Lord cannot be regarded as the condition of their receiving favour, because God will give them a heart to know Him; it is the working of the knowledge of the Lord put in their hearts. And this is adduced to certify the idea that they will then be really the Lord's people.

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Nebuchadnezzar is called the Lord’s servant... in that he was the agent used by the Lord to punish his disobedient people. Assyria was earlier referred to as the Lord’s “rod”, and Cyrus is called his “shepherd” and his “anointed"... the terms here are very similar to the terms in v. 4. The people of Judah ignored the servants, the prophets, he sent to turn them away from evil. So he will send other servants whom they cannot ignore.

The word used here was used in the early years of Israel’s conquest for the action of killing all the men, women, and children in the cities of Canaan, destroying all their livestock, and burning their cities down. This policy was intended to prevent Israel from being corrupted by paganism. It was to be extended to any city that led Israel away from worshiping God and any Israelite who brought an idol into his house. Here the policy is being directed against Judah as well as against her neighbors because of her persistent failure to heed God’s warnings through the prophets. 

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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/25-10.htm

The sound of people grinding meal and the presence of lamps shining in their houses were signs of everyday life. The Lord is going to make these lands desolate (v. 11), destroying all signs of life. (The statement is, of course, hyperbolic or poetic exaggeration; even after the destruction of Jerusalem many people were left in the land.) 

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The evil AND the good events of life are often represented in Scripture as cups.

Drink ye, and be drunken—The bold imagery points... to the terror and dismay which made joint action impossible, and reduced the nations whom it affected to a helpless impotence.

...“spue”—is significant, as implying that the spoilers of Israel should be spoiled. They should be made... to disgorge their prey.

...As is sometimes the case of drunken men; they drink till they are quite intoxicated; and become drunk, and then they spew up what they have drunk; and, attempting to walk, fall, and sometimes so as never to rise more; not only break their bones, but their necks, or fall into places where they are suffocated, or in one or other, where they lose their lives. So it is signified, that these nations should drink of the cup of God's wrath and fury; His judgments should come upon them in such a manner as that they should be obliged to "spew up" all their riches, power, and authority; and should fall and sink into such a ruinous condition, as that they should never be able to rise anymore to a prosperous one.

Drunkenness deprives men of the use of their reason, makes men as mad. It takes from them the valuable blessing of health; and is a sin which is its own punishment.

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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/25-28.htm

If they refuse to take the cup, &c. — “If they either do not believe thy threatenings, or disregard them, as thinking themselves sufficiently provided against any hostile invasion, thou shalt let them know that the judgments denounced against them are God’s irreversible decree,” which shall certainly be executed, and that it will be in vain for them to hope to escape the threatened ruin.

And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink– To give credit to the prophecies of ruin and destruction delivered by the prophet, but say, these things shall not be:
those judgments shall certainly be inflicted; there will be no possibility of escaping, whether the judgments were believed or not; or how unwilling whatsoever they were to believe the denunciations of themselves, or to have them come upon them; yet assuredly so it would be; for "thus saith the Lord of hosts", who is omnipotent, and does what he pleases in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, over whom he has absolute power and government.


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Judgment often begins at the house of God, for the correction of his people, and to be a warning to others; but the heaviest strokes of it are reserved for the ungodly.

And should ye be utterly unpunished? — No: if this be done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? If they that have some good in them smart so severely for the evil that is found in them, can they, that have worse evils and no good found among them, expect to escape? If Jerusalem be punished for learning idolatry of the nations, shall not the nations be punished of whom they learned it? No doubt they shall; for, says the Lord, I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth — For they have helped to corrupt the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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As the lion suddenly bursts, roaring, from his lair, so Jehovah, no longer the "good Shepherd," shall roar from on high, even upon his habitation, or rather, against his pasture, where his flock has been feeding so securely. He shall give a shout. It is the technical term used at once for the vintage-shout and for the battle-cry.

The clause"Jahveh will roar" to "let His voice resound" is a reminiscence from Joel 3:16 and Amos 1:2; but instead of "out of Zion and out of Jerusalem" in those passages, we have here "from on high," i.e., heaven, and out of His holy habitation (in heaven), because the judgment is not to fall on the heathen only, but on the theocracy in a special manner, and on the earthly sanctuary, the temple itself, so that it can come only from heaven or the upper sanctuary. God will roar like a lion against His pasture (the pasture or meadow where His flock feeds); a name for the holy land, including Jerusalem and the temple; not the wider world subject to Him... He will answer= like treaders of grapes; i.e., raise a shout as they do. Answer; inasmuch as the shout or wary-cry of God is the answer to the words and deeds of the wicked.

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A controversy.—The term properly denotes a legal process, like the “pleading” of Jeremiah 2:9 & 2:35, rather than a debate or discussion, and is therefore rightly followed by the technical term “will plead” or “judge.” God appears, so to speak, as the Accuser in the suit in which He is also the supreme Judge.
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7379.htm
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God’s quarrel is not against the Jews only, but other nations also. Nor will he in any thing he doth act unjustly; if they will join issue with him, he will plead with them, and make it appear to all that he acteth righteously. He will give up many to the sword, but they shall be such only as by their wickedness have deserved it, recompensing to them their own works and evil doings.

A noise shall come up even to the ends of the earth,.... Wars, and rumours of wars, everywhere, till the cup has gone round, and all nations have drank of it, and have felt the power of divine wrath for their sins:
for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations; will enter into a judicial process with them; will litigate the point with them, and try it openly; that it may be seen who is in the right, and who in the wrong:
he will plead with all flesh; or enter into judgment with them, or reprove them in judgment; he will be too many for them; he will carry his case, overcome them in judgment, and reprove and condemn them.
Or the words may be rendered, "he will be judged by all flesh"; he will submit it to the judgment of the whole world, as to whether it is not a righteous thing in Him to do what He is about to do, and will do; God will make it clear and manifest that He does nothing unjustly, but all according to the strict rules of justice and equity:
he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord; to be destroyed by it, and none but them; and seeing they are such that deserve it, he is not to be charged with unrighteousness in so doing.

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The term “shepherd” has been used several times in the book of Jeremiah to refer to the leaders of the people, who were responsible for taking care of their people, who are compared to a flock. Here the figure has some irony involved in it. It is the shepherds who are to be slaughtered like sheep.

They may have considered themselves “choice vessels” (the literal translation of “fine pottery”), but they would be slaughtered and lie scattered on the ground like broken pottery.

the time is come when they who were the fat of the flock, and were nourished up for slaughter, should be slain. 

You that are chief rulers, and governors...chief among the sheep... whose rank and riches avail nothing now... "noble ones" which are most easily broken.

to the lordly or glorious of the flock, i.e., to the illustrious, powerful, and wealthy... Your days are full or filled for the slaughter, i.e., the days of your life are full, so that ye shall be slain; 

Ye were once a precious vessel, but ye shall fall, and so be a broken vessel. "Your past excellency shall not render you safe now. I will turn to your ignominy whatever glory I conferred on you".

the “pleasant vessel” (literally, the vessel of desire, i.e., a vase made as for kingly and honourable uses), falling with a crash and shivered into fragments

The comparison suggests the idea of change from a thing of value into worthless fragments... their fall should be like the fall of a crystal glass, or some delicate tender vessel, which when it falleth breaketh in pieces, and cannot again be set together.

and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel; a vessel of worth and value, and so desirable; as vessels of glass, of gems, or of earth, as of Venice glass, of alabaster, of China; which when they fall and are broken, become useless, and are irreparable; signifying hereby, that their desirableness and excellency would not secure them from destruction, and that their ruin would be irretrievable.


https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8600.htm

"tphowtsah" depicts the condition or result of being scattered abroad. It is an abstract noun that points not merely to the act of scattering but to the fractured state that follows.

Deuteronomy links scattering and regathering to covenant obedience, as divine discipline
Scripture consistently measures kings and priests by whether they gather or scatter God’s flock... Neglect or abuse scatters; Christlike shepherding gathers.
...dispersion as judgment against pride.
...warning of international scattering for persistent rebellion.

Physical and cultural dispersions become avenues for spreading the gospel. What began as judgment is redeemed for worldwide blessing... the prophetic cycle of scattering and regathering fuels Eschatological Expectation: the hope that every dispersed believer will ultimately be gathered to the Chief Shepherd at His return.

"tphowtsah" encapsulates the sobering reality of divine scattering caused by covenant unfaithfulness, yet it also frames the larger biblical narrative in which the very same God turns dispersion into an instrument for global redemption and eventual restoration.

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...it was not uncommon for the leaders to try to save their own necks at the expense of their soldiers.

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Jer 25:36-38 shifts to the future as though the action were already accomplished or going on. It is the sound that Jeremiah hears in his “prophetic ears” of something that has begun but will find its culmination in the future.

for the Lord hath spoiled their pastures: their kingdoms, provinces, cities, and towns; or their people, among whom they lived, and by whom they were supported... the Lord hath spoiled the cities in which, and their people upon which, they have lived, and amongst whom they were wont to feed securely.

And the peaceable habitations are cut down — Those that used to be quiet and not molested, who had long dwelt in peace and safety, shall now be exposed to all the calamities of war, and shall be thereby destroyed; or, those that used to be peaceable, and not to molest any of their neighbours, nor give provocation to any, shall yet not escape... The tender and delicate shall share the common calamity. Even those who used to live in peace, and did nothing to provoke, shall not escape. This is one of the direful effects of war, that even those that are most harmless and inoffensive, often suffer hard things. Blessed be God, there is a peaceable habitation above for all the sons of peace, which is out of the reach of fire and sword. The Lord will preserve his church and all believers in all changes; for nothing can separate them from his love.

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And the peaceable habitations are cut down,.... Or, "their peaceable ones"; the palaces and stately dwellings, in which they lived in great pomp and prosperity, in great peace, plenty, and safety, are destroyed by the enemy, and laid waste, and become desolate; yea, even those that lived peaceably and quietly, and neither were disturbed themselves, nor disturbed others, yet, as is usual in times of war, share the same fate with their neighbours, who have been more troublesome and molesting.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1826.htm
It paints a picture of sudden or deliberate stillness—an arresting hush.
At times the word describes being struck dumb by overwhelming reality—whether glorious or terrifying.
...the absence of sound underscores the finality of divine judgment.
Elsewhere it refers to people dying; hence some see [in this "silence"] a reference to “lifeless.”
Prophets announce a forced muteness that accompanies downfall... Silence here signals the end of boasting and the inevitability of divine verdict.
The prophetic calls to hush challenge every generation’s clamor, reminding the church that God’s word—not human noise—carries ultimate authority.

"Damam" ...insists that final authority belongs to the LORD... always underlines God’s absolute rule... dreadful doom... sealing the mouths of the wicked... In a world addicted to noise, its enduring message is simple and urgent: “Be silent before Him.”

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Jeremiah 26 reminds us of the enduring courage that faith in God inspires. Despite facing mortal danger, Jeremiah stands firm in his commitment to speak God's truth. The chapter challenges us to consider how we respond to God's messages in our lives and encourages us to live courageously in our faith, even in the face of adversity.

The 27th chapter of Jeremiah powerfully illustrates that God's plan may not always align with our immediate desires. We are reminded that discerning the true voice of God amidst conflicting voices is a critical skill. Though we may endure periods of hardship, we can hold onto the assurance that God will restore and fulfill His promises at His appointed time.


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All the words that I command thee — Not in the least varying from them... Not suppressing or softening aught for fear of giving offense; nor setting forth coldly and indirectly what can only by forcible statement do good.

Diminish not a word; not suppressing what may offend them, not softening any expression or altering any word, by putting one more smooth for one rough; nor changing the accent, nor abating the vehemency of delivering it; but both for matter manner, and form let it be as directed, without any subtraction and diminution, change or alteration, thereby entirely delivering God's will unto them, not shunning to declare unto them the whole counsel of God... a rule which every minister of the word ought to attend to; seeking not to please men, but God that sends him and Christ whose minister he is.

Nothing must be kept back, the whole counsel of God must be declared; not a word suppressed through affection to them, or fear of them– God commanded, and must be obeyed, let the [earthly] consequence [to his obedient prophet] be what it will.

God's ambassadors must not seek to please men, to "save face," or to save themselves from harm. 

There was something in the message that the prophet felt himself called to deliver from which he would naturally have shrunk... The temptation in the way of suppression would be through natural shrinking from the danger involved.

Diminish not a word — Either out of fear, favour, or flattery: declare not only the truth, but the whole truth, and give them faithful warning. Thus must all God’s ambassadors keep close to their instructions, and neither add to, nor diminish from, the word of the truth of the gospel, but must faithfully make known the whole counsel of God.

Speak thus, in that place of the temple to which the people resort out of all Judah to sacrifice... To the intent that they should pretend no ignorance.

His discourse is not to be an eloquent appeal to the feelings, but a strict and peremptory announcement.

The addition: "take not a word therefrom," cf. Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 13:1, indicates the peremptory character of the discourse. In full, without softening the threat by the omission of anything the Lord commanded him, i.e., he is to proclaim the word of the Lord in its full unconditional severity, to move the people, if possible, to repentance.

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See how God waits to be gracious.

The threat that follows in Jeremiah 26:6 is a very terrible one, but it is uttered in order that it may NOT be realised. So in the same spirit Saint Paul warns men of his power to inflict a supernatural punishment, yet prays that he may have no occasion to use it.

If so be they will hearken and turn, &c. — Not that God was ignorant of their obstinacy, or did not foreknow that they would harden their hearts, and remain impenitent; yet this [repeated warning] was for the glory of his justice, mercy, and holiness, to afford them both time for, and the means of, repentance. And he did give them time, for it was at least six years after this before the captivity of Jehoiakim, and seventeen before that of Zedekiah took place; and as for means, God favoured them not only with such as were ordinary, but such as were extraordinary, namely, with the ministry of this prophet.

If so be they will hearken,.... And obey; which is expressive not of ignorance and conjecture in God, but of his patience and long suffering, granting space and time for repentance, and the means of it; which disregarded, leave without excuse:

if so be— expressed according to human conceptions; not as if God did not foreknow all contingencies, but to mark the obstinacy of the people and the difficulty of healing them; and to show His Own goodness in MAKING the offer which left them without excuse.

If they persisted in disobedience, it would ruin their city and temple. Can any thing else be expected? Those who will not be subject to the commands of God, make themselves subject to the curse of God.

Not that God was ignorant of their obstinacy and the hardening of their hearts, which was the future event; but to let us know that their destruction would be of themselves, he would give them both a time and space, and also means, for repentance, and the prevention of the judgments of God coming on them.

Repentance applied to man signifieth a change of heart and counsels, as well as of his course of actions: in the unchangeable God it only signifieth the turning of the course of His Providence towards them, by not bringing that evil upon them for the evil of their doings which, supposing their progress and obstinacy in their sinful courses, he had fully resolved to bring upon them.

...His Providence, which, by his threatenings, and some steps taken, portended ruin and destruction; yet, in case of repentance and reformation, He would change his method of action agreeably to His Will.

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The mention of the latter is significant. Jeremiah had to separate himself from both the orders to which he belonged, in the one case, by birth, in the other, by a special vocation. His bitterest foes were found among those who claimed to speak as he did: in the Name of the Lord– but who tuned their voice according to the time, and prophesied deceits. 

heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord... they heard him out, and did not interrupt him while he was speaking; and having heard him, they were angry with him, and were witnesses against him; they did not hear him so as to obey his words, receive his instructions, and follow his directions; but they heard him with indignation, and were determined to prosecute him unto death.

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The priests and prophets charged Jeremiah as deserving death, and bore false witness against him. The elders of Israel came to inquire into this matter. Jeremiah declares that the Lord sent him to prophesy thus. As long as ministers keep close to the word they have from God, they need not fear. And those are very unjust who complain of ministers for preaching of hell and damnation; for it is from a desire to bring them to heaven and salvation. Jeremiah warns them of their danger if they go on against him. All men may know, that to hurt, or put to death, or to show hatred to their faithful reprovers, will hasten and increase their own punishment.

against … against—rather, "concerning." Jeremiah purposely avoids saying, "against," which would needlessly irritate. They had used the same Hebrew word (Jer 26:11), which ought to be translated "concerning," though they meant it in the unfavorable sense. Jeremiah takes up their word in a better sense, implying that there is still room for repentance: that his prophecies aim at the real good of the city; for or concerning this house …

every word that he had said, and they had heard, he was ordered to say by the Lord; and therefore what was he, that he should withstand God? he surely was not to be blamed for doing what the Lord commanded him to do; besides, all this was threatened only in case they continued obstinate and impenitent; 

Jeremiah’s defence is that the message is from God and therefore true. His conviction is unshaken. Let his accusers beware, lest in putting him to death they be really fighting against God.

He is conscious that he has not spoken uncommissioned, and leaves the result.

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The prophet’s apologia consists in repeating the substance of his message. He had not denounced an irreversible doom. He had held out the assurance of pardon on repentance. He had threatened only to bring about repentance. The whole history reminds us of the accusation brought against One greater than Jeremiah. He had foretold a destruction of the Second Temple as complete as that of Shiloh (Luke 19:44). He, too, was accused of having said that He would destroy the Temple (Matthew 26:61). And He, foreseeing that the people would not repent, had pronounced, though not publicly, a sentence on the Temple which succeeded that against which Jeremiah had prophesied, which was irrevocable.

This defence made an impression on the princes and on all the people. From the intimation that by reform it was possible to avert the threatened calamity, and from the appeal to the fact that in truth Jahveh had sent him and commanded him so to speak, they see that he is a true prophet, whose violent death would bring blood-guiltiness upon the city and its inhabitants. 

He urges the people to amendment of life, while there is time, and warns them that his own unmerited death will bring a curse upon themselves

It is not I that have pronounced evil against you, but the Lord, who made both you and me: you rage against me, who am but God’s instrument, by whom he lets you know his mind and will; it were more advisable for you to reform your wicked lives and practices; and that by a full obedience to what the Lord hath commanded you in his law, and by me speaketh to you. If you will do this, the Lord will change the course of his providence, and do that which in men is called a repenting, and not bring those evil things upon you which he, by me his servant, hath pronounced against you.

obey the voice of the Lord your God; and that because he is your God, as well as what his word directs to is good, and for your good:

and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you; will do as men do when they repent, change their method of acting, and manner of behaviour; so the Lord is said to repent or turn, when he changes the method and conduct of his providence towards men, though he never changes his mind or counsel.

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The prophet feels himself powerless in the presence of his accusers and judges, and can but appeal to the Judge of all.

Do with me what seemeth good unto you; the phrase imports no more than that he could not hinder their doing with him what they pleased. The hands in which he was were the hands of violence, not of justice; for though they had a just power against false prophets, yet they had no such power against any prophet sent by God, let the matter of his prophecy be never so threatening and ungrateful to them. 

do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you; he was not careful about it; he readily submitted to their pleasure, and should patiently endure what they thought fit to inflict upon him; it gave him no great concern whether his life was taken from him or not; he was satisfied he had done what he ought to do, and should do the same, was it to do again; and therefore they might proceed just as they pleased against him.

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This man is not worthy to die.—Literally, as before in Jeremiah 26:11, There is no judgment of death for this man. Here again the later parallel comes unbidden to our memory. The lay-rulers are in favour of the true prophet, whom the priests and false prophets would have condemned. Pilate declares, in presence of priests and scribes, and the clamouring multitude, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4). Here, however, as yet the people are with the true prophet, and against the priests, as they were when they shouted their Hosannas to the prophet’s great antitype

The fickle people, as they were previously influenced by the priests to clamor for his death (Jer 26:8), so now under the princes' influence require that he shall not be put to death. Compare as to Jesus, Jeremiah's antitype, the hosannas of the multitude a few days before the same people, persuaded by the priests as in this case, cried, Away with Him, crucify Him (Mt 21:1-11; 27:20-25). The priests, through envy of his holy zeal, were more his enemies than the princes, whose office was more secular than religious. A prophet could not legally be put to death unless he prophesied in the name of other gods (therefore, they say, "in the name of the Lord"), or after his prophecy had failed in its accomplishment. Meanwhile, if he foretold calamity, he might be imprisoned. 

for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God; not in his own name, and of his own head; but in the name of the Lord, and by his order; and therefore was not a false, but a true prophet: what methods they took to know this, and to make it appear to the people, is not said; very probably the settled character of the prophet; their long acquaintance with him, and knowledge of him; his integrity and firmness of mind; the plain marks of seriousness and humility, and a disinterested view, made them conclude in his favour.



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When secure sinners are threatened with taking away the Spirit of God, and the kingdom of God, it is what is warranted from the word of God. Hezekiah who protected Micah, prospered. Did Jehoiakim, who slew Urijah, prosper? The examples of bad men, and the bad consequences of their sins, should deter from what is evil. Urijah was faithful in delivering his message, but faulty in leaving his work. And the Lord was pleased to permit him to lose his life, while Jeremiah was protected in danger. Those are safest who most simply trust in the Lord, whatever their outward circumstances may be; and that He has all men's hearts in his hands, encourages us to trust him in the way of duty. He will honour and recompense those who show kindness to such as are persecuted for his sake.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/26-23.htm

graves of the common people—literally, "sons of the people" (compare 2Ki 23:6). The prophets seem to have had a separate cemetery (Mt 23:29). Urijah's corpse was denied this honor, in order that he should not be regarded as a true prophet.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/27-2.htm

Make thee bonds and yokes.—This method of vivid symbolic prediction had a precedent in the conduct of Isaiah when he walked “naked and barefoot” (Isaiah 20:2). We have to realise the infinitely more vivid impression which the appearance of the prophet in this strange guise, as though he were at once a captive slave and a beast of burden, would make on the minds of men, as compared with simply warning them of a coming subjugation. The principle on which the prophet acted was that of Horace:— “Things that we hear stir the inmost soul less Than what the eye sees dramatised in act.”
So Agabus bound himself with Paul’s girdle (Acts 21:11). So Ezekiel dug through the wall of his house and carried out his stuff (Ezekiel 12:5-7). We find from Jeremiah 28:10 that the prophet obeyed the command quite literally.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/27-5.htm

God asserts his right to dispose of kingdoms as he pleases. Whatever any have of the good things of this world, it is what God sees fit to give; we should therefore be content. The things of this world are not the best things, for the Lord often gives the largest share to bad men. Dominion is not founded in grace. 

God here, as elsewhere, connects doctrine with the symbol, which is as it were its soul, without which it would be not only cold and frivolous, but even dead. God's mention of His supreme power is in order to refute the pride of those who rely on their own power.

God, as Creator of the world and of all that is in it, has the right to give it to whomsoever He will. He has therefore placed Nebuchadnezzar in power for such time as it shall please Him, and none may resist His will.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/27-6.htm

into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; whom God used as an instrument in correcting and chastising the nations; and who obeyed his will, though he knew it not; nor did what he did in obedience to it; and yet had the honour of being called his servant, and of being rewarded with a very large empire; which was owing, not so much to his prowess and valour, wisdom and management, as to the providence of God; who delivered the above kingdoms, with others, into his hands, as being the sole proprietor and sovereign disposer of them

The special stress laid on “the beasts of the field” is, perhaps, connected with the resistance of the nations to the levies made by the Babylonian officers upon their horses and cattle, or their claim to use the land they had subdued, after the manner which we see depicted on Assyrian sculptures, as a hunting-ground.

...by which he either means that the cattle which were in the possession of the men of those nations should also come into his power; or that God had also given the horses, and oxen, and other beasts which he should use in his wars for carriages, or conveniency to him, so as they should be really serviceable to him in his conquests of those countries.
...to bring him, and his armies, and his carriages of provisions for them, and warlike stores, for the invasion and taking the above countries; or the cattle found there, which belonged to these countries, and the inhabitants thereof, which would fall into his hands with them.

beasts of the field—not merely the horses to carry his Chaldean soldiers, and oxen to draw his provisions [Grotius]; not merely the deserts, mountains, and woods, the haunts of wild beasts, implying his unlimited extent of empire [Estius]; but the beasts themselves by a mysterious instinct of nature. A reproof to men that they did not recognize God's will, which the very beasts acknowledged (compare Isa 1:3). As the beasts are to submit to Christ, the Restorer of the dominion over nature, lost by the first Adam (compare Ge 1:28; 2:19, 20; Ps 8:6-8), so they were appointed to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, the representative of the world power and prefigurer of Antichrist; this universal power was suffered to be held by him to show the unfitness of any to wield it "until He come whose right it is" (Eze 21:27).

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/27-7.htm

The word “time” is used by substitution for the things that are done in it.

A meek spirit, by quiet submission to the hardest turns of providence, makes the best of what is bad. Many persons may escape destroying providences, by submitting to humbling providences. It is better to take up a light cross in our way, than to pull a heavier on our own heads. The poor in spirit, the meek and humble, enjoy comfort, and avoid many miseries to which the high-spirited are exposed. It must, in all cases, be our interest to obey God's will.

Nebuchadnezzar was very unjust and barbarous in invading the rights and liberties of his neighbours, and forcing them into a subjection to him; yet God had just and holy ends in view in permitting it, namely, to punish those nations for their idolatry and gross immoralities. They that would not serve the God that made and preserved them, were justly made to serve their enemies that sought to ruin them.



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For it was not only the prophet's office to show the word of God, but also to pray for the sins of the people, Ge 20:7 which these could not do because they had no express word: for God had pronounced the contrary.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/543.htm

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/28-8.htm

The appeal to the past is of the nature of an inductive argument. The older prophets whose names were held in honour had not spoken smooth things. They had not prophesied of peace; war, pestilence, and famine had been the burden of their predictions. And there was, therefore, an antecedent probability in favour of one who spoke in the same tone now, rather than of those who held out flattering hopes of peace and victory. The onus probandi in such a conflict of claims lay with the latter, not the former. 

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/28-9.htm

The verbs in this verse are to be interpreted as iterative imperfects in past time, rather than as futures, because of the explicit contrast that is drawn between verses 8 and 9 by the emphatic syntactical construction of the verses. Both verses begin with a casus pendens construction to throw the verses into contrast: Heb “The prophets who were before me and you from ancient times, they prophesied…The prophet who prophesied peace, when the word of that prophet came true, that prophet was known that the Lord truly sent him.”
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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/28-13.htm

Jeremiah’s wearing of the yoke was symbolic of the Lord’s message to submit to Babylonian authority. Hananiah’s breaking of the yoke was a prediction that that authority would not last beyond two years. By breaking the yoke he was encouraging rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar’s (and hence the Lord’s) authority (cf. 27:9, 14). However, rebelling would only result in further, harsher, more irresistible measures by Nebuchadnezzar to control such rebellion.

 By breaking Jeremiah's wooden yoke, Hananiah has only signified that the yoke Nebuchadnezzar lays on the nations will not be so easily broken as a wooden one, but is of iron, i.e., not to be broken. The plural "yokes" is to be explained by the emblematical import of the words, and is not here to be identified, as it sometimes may be, with the singular, Jeremiah 28:10. Jeremiah 28:14 shows in what sense Hananiah put an iron yoke in the place of the wooden one: Jahveh will lay iron yokes on all nations, that they may serve the king of Babel. Hananiah's breaking the wooden yoke does not alter the divine decree, but is made to contribute to its fuller revelation. 

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/28-15.htm

In the strength of the “word of the Lord” which had come to him, the prophet can now tell his rival that he is a pretender, claiming the gift of prophecy for his own purposes and that of his party. There is a strange significance in the fact that the same official title is applied to both the true and the false prophets.

Jeremiah, being a second time confirmed in the truth of what he had foretold, and having likewise a special revelation relating to this false prophet, comes and calls him by his name, and tells him his doom, that he should die within a year, because he had taught rebellion against the Lord — Had taught people to believe and trust to what was false, contradicting God’s will revealed by Jeremiah, and encouraging and exciting the people to hold out against Nebuchadnezzar, and not quietly to yield to this dispensation of God... he had taught people to believe, and to hope for, and trust to what was false, and they were never like to see.

Those have much to answer for, who tell sinners that they shall have peace, though they harden their hearts in contempt of God's word... Every attempt of ungodly men to make vain the purposes of God, will add to their miseries.

“Thus, as Hananiah had limited the accomplishment of his prophecy to the space of two years, to gain credit with the people by such a punctual prediction, so Jeremiah confines the trial of his veracity to a much shorter time, and the event, exactly answering to the prediction, evidently showed the falsehood of Hananiah’s pretences.”

So dangerous a thing it is for those who speak in the name of God to teach people contrary to his revealed will!

Hananiah is sentenced to die, and Jeremiah, when he has received direction from God, boldly tells him so; but not before he received that commission.

The servant of God must be gentle to all men. He must give up even his right, and leave the Lord to plead his cause.

The prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet. In one sense Hananiah was a prophet as much as Jeremiah. He claimed to have received the prophetic call, and God alone, who searcheth the heart, could pronounce upon the justice of his claim. Whatever training was regarded as necessary for the office he had probably gone through, and now for a number of years he had been universally recognized as a member of the prophetic class. Probably he had those natural gifts, including a real, though dim and not unerring, "second sight," which seems to have formed the substratum of Old Testament prophecy; but he certainly had not the moral backbone so conspicuous in Jeremiah, and he lacked that intimate communion with God (this became dear on the present occasion) which alone warranted the assurance that "Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath sent me."

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/28-16.htm

In giving people false assurances of restoration when the Lord had already told them to submit to Babylon, Hananiah was really counseling rebellion against the Lord. What Hananiah had done was contrary to the law of Deut 13:5 and was punishable by death.

the verb "send" is the same as in the preceding verse, and is repeated with an emphatic irony... God has not sent him as prophet to His people, but will send him away from off the earth, i.e., cause him to die.

This year thou shalt die . . .—The punishment is announced, with time given for repentance. In part, perhaps, the threat may have tended to work out its own fulfilment through the gnawing consciousness of shame and confusion in the detection of the false prophet’s assumptions. He knew that the Lord had not sent him. Seven months passed, and then the stroke fell. It is one of the true instances of the prophet’s work, as “rooting out” and “pulling down”.

Therefore thus saith the Lord,.... Because of this heinous offence, in lying in the name of the Lord, and deceiving the people:
behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth; with the utmost indignation and abhorrence, as not worthy to live upon it: it signifies that he should die, and that not a natural, but violent death, by the immediate hand of God, by some judgment upon him; and so be by force taken off the earth, and buried in it, and be no more seen on it.

because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord; to despise his word by his prophet; to contradict his will; to refuse subjection to the king of Babylon; to neglect his instructions, directions, and exhortations; and to believe a lie.

Hananiah himself died in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy of his death. His death was a validation of Jeremiah as a true prophet. The subsequent events of 588 b.c. would also validate Jeremiah’s prophecies and invalidate those of Hananiah.


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Let men beware how they call those prophets whom they choose after their own fancies, and how they consider their fancies and dreams to be revelations from God. False prophets flatter people in their sins, because they love to be flattered; and they speak smoothly to their prophets, that their prophets may speak smoothly to them. 

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-10.htm

After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon — Hebrews, לפי מלאת שׁבעים שׁנה, literally, At the mouth of the accomplishment of seventy years. “And as the mouth of a river, metaphorically, denotes the extremity of its course, where it discharges its waters into the sea; so, by a farther metaphor drawn from hence, לפיseems to denote being at the full end of a certain period or limited course of time, where it is just going to lose itself in, and mix with, the ocean of eternity. Here therefore we are to understand that, ‘at the very instant of, or immediately upon, the completion of seventy years,’ the restoration of the Jews should take place.”

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4284.htm

machashabah...mental activity that moves from inward reflection to outward purpose: thoughts, plans, intentions, schemes, artistic designs, or devices.

the term shifts from mental intention to artistic design...  Spirit-endowed creativity... Creativity, technology, and craftsmanship are therefore seen as gifts entrusted to serve God’s worship and His people’s welfare.

The word diagnoses the moral quality of the heart. Because human machashabah are vulnerable to corruption, Scripture calls for renewed minds (Isaiah 55:7; Psalm 139:23-24) and warns that secret schemes are fully exposed before God.

the LORD’s thoughts stand in majestic contrast to human reasoning... God’s machashabah are unchanging, morally pure, and effectual. They encompass creation (Psalm 92:5), providence (Psalm 40:5), discipline (Jeremiah 23:20), and salvation (Isaiah 55:7-9). He not only conceives perfect purposes but also brings them to fruition, overruling human machinations.

Prophets expose false confidence in human counsel (Isaiah 30:1; Jeremiah 18:11) and announce that divine plans for discipline will not relent “until He has carried out and accomplished the intentions of His heart” (Jeremiah 23:20). In Lamentations 3:60-61 Jeremiah lays before the LORD “all their vengeance, all their schemes against me,” trusting that God both sees and judges.

Leadership must distinguish between Spirit-led creativity and self-serving scheming
sinful thought patterns require cleansing; counseling must address heart motives, not merely behavior.

Machashabah is a window into both the mind of God and the heart of humanity, inviting worship, repentance, and confident obedience

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-11.htm

Joseph declared, “You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good”. The noun in Jeremiah 29:11 becomes a touchstone for hope during exile, pointing forward to the messianic restoration accomplished in Jesus Christ, in whom all God’s gracious thoughts toward His people find their “Yes”

Assurance: Jeremiah 29:11 anchors the suffering saint in God’s benevolent intentions, fostering endurance and mission confidence.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you — And God’s works agree exactly with his thoughts; for he doeth all things according to the counsel of his own will. Thoughts of peace, or good, and not of evil — Even that which seems evil is designed for good, and WILL at last appear to have actually wrought for good: to give you an expected end — literally, to give you an end and expectation, or, to make your latter end even an object of hope

To give you an expected end.—Better, to give you a future (that which is to be hereafter) and a hope... An “expected end” may be one from which we shrink in fear or dislike. Each word, in the amended translation, has its full meaning. The “future” tells them that their history as a people is NOT yet over; the “hope” that there IS a better time in store for them. To WAIT for that future, instead of trusting in delusive assurances of immediate release, was the true wisdom of the exiles.

We often do not know our own minds, but the Lord is never at an uncertainty. We are sometimes ready to fear that God's designs are all against us; but as to his own people, even that which seems evil, is for good.
He will give them, not the expectations of their fears, or the expectations of their fancies, but the expectations of their faith; the end He has promised, is the one which will be the best for them.

I know—I alone; not the false prophets who know nothing of My purposes, though they pretend to know.

thoughts … Glancing at the Jews who had no "thoughts of peace," but only of "evil" (misfortune), because they could not conceive how deliverance could come to them. The moral malady of man is twofold—at one time vain confidence; then, when that is disappointed, despair. So the Jews first laughed at God's threats, confident that they should speedily return; then, when cast down from that confidence, they sank in inconsolable despondency.

For I knew the thoughts, etc.; i.e. though seventy years must pass over you in exile, yet do not apprehend that I have forgotten you, for I know full well what my purpose is towards you - a purpose of restoring to you "peace" and prosperity. An expected end; rather, a future and a hope; i.e. a hopeful future (comp. Jeremiah 31:17, "There is a hope for thy future"). That unexpectant apathy which is the terrible accompaniment of so much worldly sorrow was not to be an ingredient in the lot of the Jews.

This deliverance will not depend upon your merits, but upon my own mercy and kind thoughts and purposes. I have for the seed of Abraham my servant, and I am resolved in my own thoughts what to do; I intend not the blotting out of the name of Israel from the earth, but to give such an end to their trouble as themselves expect and desire, though not so soon as they may expect it, being deceived by their prophets. There shall be an end of your captivity in my time, and that is after you shall have fulfilled seventy years in that captivity.

For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord,.... The purposes and resolutions of his heart concerning their welfare, particularly the restoration of them to their own land; these were within him, and known to him, and him only; they were remembered by him, and continued with him, as the "thoughts of his heart are to all generations"; and so would not fail of being performed; men think and forget what they have thought of, and so it comes to nothing; but thus it is not with God; he has taken up many thoughts in a way of love, grace, and mercy, concerning sinful men; about their election in Christ; a provision of all spiritual blessings for them; redemption and salvation by Christ; their effectual calling, adoption, and eternal life:

thoughts of peace, and not of evil: or "for evil"; these thoughts were concerning the temporal peace and prosperity of the Jews in Babylon, and not of anything to their hurt; even their captivity was for their good, 

and thoughts concerning his spiritual Israel, their peace and reconciliation with God, and the manner of bringing it about, by the blood, sufferings, and death of his Son in human nature, with whom he consulted and agreed about this matter; and concerning their inward spiritual peace of mind and conscience now, and their eternal peace hereafter:

nor does he ever think of evil for them; whatever evil he thinks towards others, angels or men, he thinks none towards them; and whatever evil befalls them, he MEANS it for good, and it DOES work for good unto them; he cannot think otherwise concerning them, consistent with his everlasting and unchangeable love to them; since he has designed so much good for them, does so much to them, and has so much to bestow upon them.

The issue of all which is, to give you an expected end; a very desirable one; such as they wished and hoped to have, and expected; such as would put an end to all their troubles, and put them into the enjoyment of all good things promised and waited for. This, in the mystical sense, may have reference to the Messiah, in whom all God's thoughts of peace, concerning his special people, issue; he is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, of all things, Revelation 1:8; of all things in creation; of the Scriptures, promises and prophecies of it: "the end of the law for righteousness", Romans 10:4, the fulfilling end of it, by his obedience, and sufferings, and death; and who was to come, and did come, at the end of the Jewish world, at the end of their civil and ecclesiastical state: he was long promised and prophesied of and was much waited for and expected, by the saints before the flood; from thence to Moses; from Moses to David; from David to the Babylonian captivity; from thence to the times of his coming, when there was a general expectation of him; and expected end was then given, as an instance of grace and good will to men. It may also be applied to salvation by Christ; the end of all God's gracious purposes and designs; the end of the covenant of grace, the provisions, blessings, and promises of it; the end of Christ's coming into the world, and of his obedience and death; the end of his prayers and preparations now in heaven; and the end of the faith of the saints on earth: this is an end hoped, waited for, and expected by faith; and for which there is good reason; since it is wrought out, prepared, and promised; saints are heirs of it; and now it is nearer than when they believed; and will be bestowed as a free grace gift, through Jesus Christ our Lord; and will be enjoyed as the issue and result of God's eternal thoughts of peace concerning them. Some render it, "an expected reward" (u); which is given at the end of the work: others, "posterity and hope" (w); a numerous posterity, and hope and expectation of good things from the Lord, promised in the days of the Messiah

Although I appoint so long a term for the fulfilment of the plan of redemption, yet fear not that I have utterly rejected you; I know well what my design is in your regard. My thoughts toward you are thoughts of God, not of evil. Although now I inflict lengthened sufferings on you, yet this chastisement but serves to bring about your welfare in the future... To give you "acharith", lit., last, i.e., issue or future, and hope. For this sig. cf. Job 8:7; Proverbs 5:4, etc. This future destiny and hope can, however, only be realized if by the sorrows of exile you permit yourselves to be brought to a knowledge of your sins, and return penitent to me. Then ye will call on me and pray, and I will hear you. 


For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD
This phrase emphasizes God's sovereignty and omniscience. In the context of Jeremiah 29, the Israelites are in Babylonian exile, a punishment for their disobedience. Despite their circumstances, God reassures them that He has a specific plan for their future. This reflects the broader biblical theme of God's control over history and His intimate involvement in the lives of His people. The declaration "declares the LORD" underscores the authority and certainty of God's word, a common prophetic formula that assures the listener of divine truth.

plans to prosper you and not to harm you
The word "prosper" here is often associated with the Hebrew word "shalom," which means peace, completeness, and welfare. This promise is not merely about material prosperity but encompasses spiritual well-being and fulfillment. In the historical context, the Israelites were experiencing hardship, yet God assures them that His intentions are for their ultimate good. This echoes the covenantal promises found throughout the Old Testament, where God commits to the welfare of His people. The assurance of "not to harm you" contrasts with their current suffering, highlighting God's ultimate purpose of restoration and blessing.

to give you a future and a hope
This phrase offers a vision beyond the immediate circumstances of exile. The "future" implies a continuation of God's covenant promises, looking forward to a time of restoration and return to their homeland, as prophesied in other parts of Jeremiah (e.g., Jeremiah 30:3). The "hope" is a confident expectation rooted in God's faithfulness. This hope is not just for the Israelites but is a theme that resonates throughout Scripture, pointing to the ultimate hope found in Jesus Christ, who fulfills God's redemptive plan for humanity. The promise of a future and hope is a reminder of God's unchanging nature and His commitment to His people, even in times of trial.

Understanding God's Sovereignty
Recognize that God is in control, even in difficult circumstances, and His plans are ultimately for our good.

Hope in Exile
Just as the Israelites were given hope during their exile, we can find hope in God's promises during our own trials.

Trust in God's Timing
God's plans unfold in His perfect timing, which may require patience and faith on our part.

Prosperity in God's Terms
Understand that God's idea of prosperity may differ from worldly views, focusing on spiritual growth and eternal blessings.

Living with Purpose
Embrace the future and hope God provides by living purposefully and aligning our lives with His will.

https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/29-11.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/What_does_Jeremiah_29_11_mean.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/Jeremiah_29_11_God_s_future_assurance.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/Meaning_of_plans_to_prosper_you.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/Trusting_God_s_plans_in_tough_times_3.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/Link_Jeremiah_29_11_Romans_8_28.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/How_to_apply_hope-giving_plans_daily.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/Jeremiah_29_11_s_relevance_today.htm
https://biblehub.com/q/why_doesn't_jeremiah_29_11_match_believers'_suffering.htm

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8615.htm

expectation/expected, hope, live, thing that I long for

Tiqvah combines two complementary images: (1) a physical cord that binds or secures, and (2) an inner attitude of confident expectation. The word moves effortlessly between these senses because biblical hope is never abstract optimism; it is a lifeline anchored in the reliability of God.

hope is integral to Israel’s story, worship, ethics, and prophetic vision.

The Scarlet Cord of Jericho: Hope Embodied= The earliest narrative appearance is Rahab’s “scarlet cord”... The cord is both token and guarantee: if Rahab trusts the instruction, the household is spared. Thus tiqvah physically hangs between destruction and deliverance, prefiguring how covenant promises secure all who cling to them.
Rahab’s cord exemplifies simple faith that clings to an appointed sign, foreshadowing the cross.

Personal Hope amid Family Loss: 
Naomi laments, “Return home, my daughters, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me…” (Ruth 1:12). Her despair frames the narrative so that God’s later provision through Boaz demonstrates that hope is never finally extinguished while God governs history.

The Contest between Despair and Confidence
Job employs tiqvah more than any other book, oscillating between the apparent collapse of hope and the stubborn conviction that “there is hope for a tree”. Job’s candor allows him, and all believers, to voice anguish without surrendering hope.
Proverbs contrasts righteous hope and wicked futility: “The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish”. Proverbs teaches that hopeful expectation must be wedded to righteousness, shaping ethical instruction.. hope is inseparable from moral alignment with God.

Psalms: Hope as Waiting on God
In Psalm 62:5 David counsels his soul, “Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope is from Him”. Psalm 71 roots hope in God’s past faithfulness from youth, while Psalm 9 assures that “the hope of the needy will never perish.” The Psalter thus turns hope into doxology and prayer.

Jeremiah, writing to exiles, records perhaps the most quoted instance: “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you hope and a future”. After the deportations he promises, “There is hope for your future, declares the LORD”. Lamentations 3 urges the humbled sufferer to “put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope.” Post-exilic Zechariah cries, “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope". Hope here is a covenant guarantee even when outward circumstances deny it.

Because hope rests on God’s sworn commitments, it reaches beyond immediate relief toward final restoration. Jeremiah’s “future” (31:17) and Zechariah’s royal deliverer (9:9-12) point forward to Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, “the hope of Israel”. Thus biblical hope is anchored in the unchangeable character of God and climaxes in His redemptive plan.
Zechariah’s “prisoners of hope” inspires evangelistic outreach, declaring liberation to those bound by sin and despair.

Tiqvah unites the tangible and the spiritual: the cord that saves Rahab prefigures the confidence that sustains believers. From patriarchal narratives to post-exilic prophecy, hope is revealed as a secure tether to the steadfast love and purposes of God, ultimately fulfilled in Christ and still operative for the church’s life and mission today.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-12.htm

I will not only give you a temporal salvation and deliverance, and bring you into your own land, but you shall go thither with new hearts; you shall worship idols no more, but you shall worship me, and be serious and diligent in your addresses and applications to me, and I will listen to you in those applications.

Then shall ye call upon me — That is, when you place your hope in me only, and that with assurance, and not wavering; and I will hearken unto you — A sure token of God’s favour Jeremiah 33:3, as his rejecting men, and casting them off, is expressed by his hiding his face and refusing to hear their prayers, 

When the Lord pours out an especial spirit of prayer, it is a good sign that he is coming toward us in mercy. Promises are given to quicken and encourage prayer. He never said, Seek ye me in vain. 

Then shall ye call upon me . . .—The words need no comment, but they cannot be passed over without dwelling on the infinite tenderness which they manifest in the prophet’s soul, the reflex of a like tenderness in the mind of God, from whom he gives the message. It is the anticipation of the like message from the lips of Christ, “He that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”

go—to the temple and other places of prayer: contrasted with their previous sloth as to going to seek God.

Then shall ye call upon me,.... When the expected end is about to be given; when God intends and is about to bestow a mercy, he gives his people a spirit of prayer to ask for it; and even the promise of it is a considerable argument to encourage and engage more to pray for it:

and ye shall go and pray unto me: walk in my ways; so Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech; or rather ye shall go into your private closets, or into those public places where prayer was wont to be made, and there put up your petitions; or it may be the meaning is, that they should continue praying unto him; should pray without ceasing, until they enjoyed the blessing, and had the expected end given them:

and I will hearken unto you: God is a God hearing prayer; he listens to the requests of his people, and answers them in his own time and way; which is no small encouragement to pray unto him.


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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1245.htm
Baqash
Its semantic field ranges from intentionally searching for misplaced animals to the highest act of covenant devotion—seeking the LORD with heart, soul, and strength. Narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic texts alike employ the word, demonstrating its importance for personal piety, national policy, and eschatological hope... exile follows apostasy; restoration follows seeking... Repentance and faith are never divorced from earnest pursuit... Seeking is thus linked to fasting, confession, and confident petition... Wisdom personified invites diligent pursuit, portraying learning as worship... Seeking is expressed through devoted study and obedience to Torah.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1875.htm
Darash
the idea of “seeking” in its richest sense—intent, inquiry, investigation, dependence, worship, even judicial pursuit. The verb can be cognitive (“to inquire”), volitional (“to seek earnestly”), or forensic (“to require an account”). Each nuance reinforces that the God of Israel is personal, knowable, and willing to be found while also being the One who calls every deed to account... At the heart of Israel’s faith stands the summons to “seek the LORD”. This is covenant language, connoting relational devotion rather than mere information gathering... Blessing flows where darash is directed to the LORD; judgment falls where it is redirected to idols or ignored altogether... wisdom is available to disciplined hearts. Conversely, lazy or superficial inquiry leads to folly... Darash thus frames discipleship as sustained, diligent investigation of God’s revelation... divine invitation, human responsibility, and the gracious promise that those who seek Him will find Him.


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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7121.htm
Qara= call
It conveys purposeful speech that creates reality, summons response, and shapes covenant history... forming a theological backbone for ideas of revelation, relationship, identity, and mission. it unites adoration, confession, and witness... The authenticity of faith is measured by honest calling... Calling on the Lord remains the primary posture of dependence and delight.
Qara is more than verbal action; it is the pulse of covenant life—God speaks, humanity answers, and history moves forward under the authority of His proclaimed word.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6419.htm
Palal = pray, intercede, judge
Every occurrence portrays a deliberate movement into God’s presence to seek mercy, justice, guidance, or deliverance for oneself or others. Because the act invites divine evaluation, it shapes personal holiness, national destiny, and eschatological hope.
Intercession assumes covenant relationship. God acts in history through the prayers of His people, yet remains free to refuse hardened rebels (Jeremiah 14:11). Jeremiah exposes scenarios where intercession is futile because judgment is irrevocable... Prayer therefore balances appeal to mercy with submission to divine judgment. Yet God can and does indeed reverse catastrophe in response to prayer, granting deliverance and healing at the right time... Prayer is the believer’s first resort in distress.
Even unanswered prayer serves God’s purposes, refining faith and exposing sin.
Confession and restoration are central to prayers for covenant mercy & forgiveness, linking individual sin to national welfare.
refusal to pray is called sin... Prayer is a covenant duty; neglect is moral failure. Kings and prophets succeed or fail in proportion to their prayer life.
Effective prayer integrates confession, petition, thanksgiving, and submission to divine sovereignty.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1980.htm
halak: To go, walk, come, proceed, move
the comprehensive idea of a person’s life-direction... footsteps across desert sands, the inner journey of faith, the moral path of obedience, and even the future march of redemption.
...the Lord who shepherds steps also shepherds hearts.
...covenant fellowship is illustrated by walking with God... Blessing depends not merely on believing in God’s existence but on walking in relational harmony with Him.
Because Israel’s way of life before God is depicted as a walk, halak becomes a technical term for ethical conduct... faith is proved genuine in daily steps of obedience... framing life as a procession before God’s face.
Wisdom is not merely cognitive; it is a disciplined walk... Spiritual formation occurs step by step as the believer’s walk is weighed in God’s scales... we can trace errant life-patterns back to a misdirected walk, calling for repentance and restored fellowship.
The Gospel writers portray Jesus literally and figuratively walking among men, the Word made flesh “tabernacling” with His people. His command “Follow Me” echoes the ancient call to walk with God, and His resurrection walk with the disciples to Emmaus illuminates Scripture’s promise that God Himself will guide the faithful.
Halak binds together the footsteps of patriarchs, pilgrims, prophets, kings, and common worshipers in one grand narrative of redemptive movement. Whether charting desert wanderings, moral choices, or eschatological hope, Scripture’s pervasive employment of the verb invites every generation to align its steps with the One who still says, “I am the LORD your God; walk in My ways.”

Placed immediately before a noun or noun phrase, "eth" signals that the following word is the direct object of the verb... its presence guides readers to recognize what, precisely, is being acted upon, thereby sharpening narrative clarity, reinforcing covenantal specificity, and underscoring theological emphasis... its significance lies in what it points to rather than what it says... the marker highlights decisive moments where covenant faithfulness is tested or restored. It also accentuates divine orchestration.

The Hebrew particle "el" serves as Scripture’s primary indicator of orientation and direction... to describe motion or attention toward a person, place, object, or idea... its ubiquity makes it a quiet but indispensable guide to the covenant storyline, continually reminding readers that every life-movement is “toward” or “against” the LORD.

וּקְרָאתֶ֤ם
אֹתִי֙
וַֽהֲלַכְתֶּ֔ם
אֵלָ֑י
וְשָׁמַעְתִּ֖י
אֲלֵיכֶֽם
"And you will call out to Me, and you will walk towards Me, and I will attentively listen to you."

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Jeremiah 29:10-14 GNBDK
[10]  “The LORD says, ‘When Babylonia's seventy years are over, I will show my concern for you and keep my promise to bring you back home. [11] I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. [12] Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. [13] You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart. [14] Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile. I, the LORD, have spoken.’

Jeremiah 29:12-14 CEVDCI
[12] You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. [13]  You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you [14] and accept your worship. Then I will gather you from all the nations where I scattered you, and you will return to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 ERV
[10] This is what the Lord says: “Babylon will be powerful for 70 years. After that time, I will come to you people who are living in Babylon. I will keep my good promise to bring you back to Jerusalem. [11] I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. [12] Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. [13] You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. [14] I will let you find me.” This message is from the Lord. “And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place. But I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have sent you,” says the Lord, “and I will bring you back to this place.”

Jeremiah 29:10-14 TPT
[10] I say to you: After Babylon has ruled over you for seventy years, I will show compassion to you and will fulfill my promise of giving you good things, and I will bring you back to your land.” [11] Here’s what Yahweh says to you: “I know all about the marvelous destiny I have in store for you, a future planned out in detail. My intention is not to harm you but to surround you with peace and prosperity and to give you a beautiful future, glistening with hope. [12] When you call on me and come to me in prayer, I will listen to your every word. [13] If you reach out to me, you will find me when you search for me with all your heart. [14] I will not disappoint you,” declares Yahweh. “All that you have lost, I will restore, and I will regather you from all the nations where I have scattered you. I will bring you back home to the land from which I exiled you,” declares Yahweh.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 MSG
[10-11] This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. [12] “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. [13-14] “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 HPB
[11] Cuz me, I know da plans dat I stay make fo you guys. I goin make eryting come good fo you guys, an not bad. I goin make good kine stuff happen to you guys bumbye, da good kine stuff you stay wait fo.” Dass da message from Da One In Charge! [12] “Wen you guys call out to me fo me come help you, an pray to me, den I goin lissen you guys. [13] You guys try serious kine fo find me, you goin find me. Dat goin happen wen you go all out fo look fo me! [14] I goin let you guys find me!” Az wat Da One In Charge tell. “I goin make eryting come good fo you guys one mo time. I goin give you guys back yoa property. I goin bring you guys togedda from all da nations an da places wea I wen make you guys go wen I kick you outa hea. I goin bring you guys back dis place wea you guys wen stay, befo I make you guys come prisonas an go way.”

Jeremiah 29:11-14 NET
[11]  For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. [12]  When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. [13]  When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, [14]  I will make myself available to you,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’

Jeremiah 29:10-14 EASY
[10] The Lord says, ‘You will live in Babylon for 70 years. Then I will choose to help you. I will be kind to you, as I promised. I will bring you back here to your home. [11] I, the Lord, tell you this: I have decided what I will do for you. I have plans to help you to do well. I do not want to hurt you. I want to give you hope for a good life in the future. [12] At that time, when you call out to me for help, I will hear your prayers. [13] You will want to find me, and I will be ready to meet with you. If you really want to find me, I will be there for you.’ That is what the Lord says. ‘I will bring you back from the nations and all the places where I sent you as prisoners. You will no longer have to live in those foreign places.’

Jeremiah 29:13-14 CEB
[13] When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. [14] I will be present for you, declares the LORD, and I will end your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you, and I will bring you home after your long exile, declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 ICB
[11] I say this because I know what I have planned for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. [12] Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me. And I will listen to you. [13] You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!

Yirmeyahu (Jer) 29:11-14 CJB
[11] For I know what plans I have in mind for you,’ says Adonai,‘ plans for well-being, not for bad things; so that you can have hope and a future. [12] When you call to me and pray to me, I will listen to you. [13] When you seek me, you will find me, provided you seek for me wholeheartedly; [14] and I will let you find me,’ says Adonai. ‘Then I will reverse your exile. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you,’ says Adonai, ‘and bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’

Jeremiah 29:11-14 WBMS
[11] For I know the thoughts which I think on you, saith the Lord, the thoughts of peace, and not of torment, that I give to you an end and patience.[12] And ye shall call me to help, and ye shall go, and shall worship me, and I shall hear you;[13] ye shall seek me, and ye shall find, when ye seek me in all your heart.[14] And I shall be found of you, saith the Lord, and I shall bring again your captivity, and I shall gather you from all folks, and from all places, to which I casted out you [or put you out], saith the Lord; and I shall make you to turn again from the place, to which I made you to pass over.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 CPDV
[10]  For thus says the Lord: When the seventy years will begin to be completed in Babylon, I will visit you. And I will raise up over you my good word, so that I may lead you back to this place. [11]  For I know the thoughts that I think over you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace and not of affliction, so that I may give you patience and an end. [12]  And you shall call upon me, and you shall go forth. And you shall pray to me, and I will heed you. [13]  You shall seek me. And you will find me, when you have sought me with your whole heart. [14]  And I will be found by you, says the Lord. And I will lead you back from your captivity. And I will gather you from all the nations and all the places, to which I have expelled you, says the Lord. And I will return you from the place to which I sent you into captivity.


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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-12.htm

Heb “come and pray to me.” This is an example of verbal hendiadys, where two verbs formally joined by “and” convey a main concept, with the second verb functioning as an adverbial qualifier. Or “You will call out to me and come to me in prayer, and I will hear your prayers.” The verbs are vav consecutive perfects and can be taken either as unconditional futures or as contingent futures... The conditional clause in the middle of 29:13 and the deuteronomic theology reflected in both Deut 30:1-5 and 1 Kgs 8:46-48 suggest that the verbs are contingent futures here. For the same demand for wholehearted seeking in these contexts that presuppose exile, see especially Deut 30:2 and 1 Kgs 8:48.
Deuteronomy 30:2= "...if you return to Yahweh your God, if with all your heart and with all your soul you obey his voice, you and your children, in everything that I am laying down for you today..."
1 Kings 8:48= ".. and turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the country of the enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to you, turning towards the country which you gave to their ancestors, towards the city which you have chosen and towards the Temple which I have built for your name..."


And ye shall seek me, and find me,.... When persons seek the Lord aright, they always find him; a God hearing prayer; a God in Christ; bestowing favours upon them; granting them his presence; indulging them in communion with him; and favouring them with fresh supplies of his grace, and everything needful for them; every mercy, temporal and spiritual; that is, when they seek him in Christ, who is the only way to the Father, under the guidance and influence of the blessed Spirit; in the exercise of faith upon him and his promises; with fervency of spirit and ardour of mind; with diligence and importunity; with earnest desires and strong affections; and, as follows, with all sincerity of soul:

when ye shall search for me with all your heart; which does not design perfection, but integrity and sincerity; when they draw nigh with a true heart, and call upon him in truth, and search for him with eagerness, with a hearty desire TO find him, as men search for gold, and silver, and hidden treasure

When your oppression will be great, and your afflictions cause you to repent your disobedience and also when the seventy years of your captivity will be expired

And ye shall seek me and find me — According to my promises made Leviticus 26:40-45; Deuteronomy 30:2-3; Psalm 32:6. 

When ye shall search for me with all your heart — in seeking God, we must search for him, that we may find him; must search for directions in seeking him, for encouragements to our faith and hope: we must continue, and take pains in seeking him, namely, in seeking his favour, his image, and communion with him; and this we must do with our heart — That is, in sincerity and uprightness, and with all our heart, that is with vigour and fervency, putting forth all that is within us in prayer: and those who thus seek God shall find him, and know, by experience, that he is their bountiful rewarder, for he never said to such, Seek ye me in vain.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4672.htm
matsa: To find, to discover, to encounter, to obtain
Matsa moves through the concepts of locating, discovering, attaining, encountering, and being present. Whether it is a lost donkey, divine favor, or covenant faithfulness, the verb binds together the human quest and the divine initiative... Matsa is both a human endeavor and a divine prerogative.
Matsa is tied to the quest for understanding [and] the Pursuit of Wisdom Discipleship involves intentional searching so that believers “find life.”
Favor found is grace bestowed, never self-generated... sinners today “find favor” solely by grace... Believers adopt the posture of seekers who ultimately become the “found” ones.
The prophets hold out hope that God makes Himself findable to repentant seekers while reserving judgment for those whom He “cannot find” walking uprightly... Leaders stand in the breach as Christlike shepherds, to pursue the lost until they are “found," always striving through both prayer & works to promote corporate holiness so that God may “find” righteous representatives in every generation.
Men search, yet true blessing lies in being located by God.
Matsa sustains a theology of providence, grace, wisdom, and mission— calling every believer to seek earnestly, rejoice gratefully, and participate actively in God’s relentless ministry of finding.


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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-13.htm

"When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul..." “If you wholeheartedly seek me”; Heb “You will seek me and find [me] because you will seek me with all your heart.” The translation attempts to reflect the theological nuances of “seeking” and “finding” and the psychological significance of “heart,” which refers more to intellectual and volitional concerns in the OT than to emotional ones.

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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/29-14.htm

"I will make myself available to you,’ says the Lord." Heb “I will let myself be found by you.”... The Greek version already noted that nuance when it translated the phrase as “I will manifest myself to you.”

Isaiah 65:1
"I have let myself be approached by those who did not consult me, I have let myself be found by those who did not seek me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not invoke my name."
2 Chronicles 15:2
"...God will be with you so long as you are with him. If you seek him, he will let you find him; but if you desert him, he will desert you."

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-15.htm

Because ye have said,.... That is, some of them; for here the Lord, by the prophet, turns from the godly among the captives, whom he had been advising, encouraging, and comforting before, to those who gave heed to the false prophets, who promised them a speedy return to their own land, and which they believed; and therefore rejected and despised the prophecies of Jeremiah, and others:

the Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon; and therefore stood in no need of other prophets that were in Judea, or in Jerusalem, nor should hearken to them; but believe those that were raised up among themselves, rather than others at a distance; and though these were false prophets, yet, being such that prophesied to them things that were agreeable, they were willing to believe them, and to consider them, and receive them, as prophets sent of God, when they were not.

The words point to the boast of some of the exiles, that they, too, had the guidance of prophets whom, as in Jeremiah 29:20; Jeremiah 29:24, they were inclined to follow in preference to Jeremiah. In answer to that boast, he emphasises the contrast between the exiles in whom the prophet sees the future hope of his nation and the worthless king (Zedekiah) and people who had been left in Jerusalem, and for whom he foretells yet sharper sufferings. 

This is meant of the false prophets who foretold nothing but peace and prosperity...

The prophet here turneth his speech to some wicked Jews that were in Babylon, or in Judea, and more believed some false prophets, who told them of a much quicker return, than Jeremiah telling them the truth from the mouth of God,

Because—referring not to the preceding words, but to Jer 29:10, 11, "Jehovah saith this to you" (that is, the prophecy of the continuance of the captivity seventy years), "because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon," namely, foretelling our speedy deliverance (this their prophecy is supposed, not expressed; accordingly, Jer 29:16-19 contradict this false hope again, Jer 29:8, 9, 21). He, in this fifteenth verse, turns his address from the godly (Jer 29:12-14) to the ungodly listeners, to false prophets.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-16.htm

The words “just listen to what” are supplied in the translation to help show the connection with the preceding. Jeremiah answers their claims that the Lord has raised up prophets to encourage them that their stay will be short by referring to the Lord’s promise that the Lord’s plans are not for restoration but for further destruction.

the sense is, that since they gave heed to their false prophets in Babylon, who told them that they should quickly return; therefore the Lord sent the following message to them, informing them that it was so far from being true that they should in a short time return to Jerusalem, that, on the other hand, they that were there should soon be with them in captivity, or be destroyed

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-17.htm

The meaning is, I will deal with them as men deal with bad figs. They have made themselves vile and hateful, and I will use them accordingly. 

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8182.htm
Shoar = harsh or horrid, i.e. offensive
The single appearance lies in Jeremiah 29:17, where the LORD promises to “make them like rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten”. The term paints a picture of fruit that has grown putrid, revolting to sight, smell, and taste—an apt metaphor for people whose covenant disobedience has rendered them repulsive in His sight.

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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/29-18.htm

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2113.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/423.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8047.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8322.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2781.htm

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5039.htm
nebalah: Folly, foolishness, disgrace, senselessness

an act or condition of moral outrage that shocks covenant conscience—something intolerable in the sight of God and His people. Whether translated “disgrace,” “folly,” “outrage,” or “indecency,” the word identifies behavior that violates both divine law and communal order and therefore demands decisive redress.

Nevalah is not intellectual foolishness but ethical depravity. It connotes actions that profane what God declares holy: sexuality, covenant loyalty, social solidarity, and reverence for God’s name. Thus it bridges the ideas of moral outrage, shame, guilt, and covenant breach.

Occurrences cluster around pivotal covenantal crises:
• Patriarchal era—Genesis 34:7 introduces nevalah in the violation of Dinah, revealing how early Israel judged abuse of sexual and family honor.
• Conquest—Joshua 7:15 applies nevalah to Achan’s theft from the ban, tying sacrilege to communal defeat.
• Judges—The Gibeah atrocity employs the term five times, exposing tribal Israel’s slide toward “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
• Monarchy—1 Samuel 25:25 plays on the name Nabal, picturing stubborn folly that jeopardizes God’s anointed. 2 Samuel 13:12 places nevalah on Amnon’s incest, contrasting kingly responsibility with private indulgence.
• Wisdom and Prophets—Job 42:8 puts the charge of nevalah on Job’s counselors; Isaiah and Jeremiah apply it to leadership failures that mislead the people.

Patterns of Offense=
1. Sexual violation. Dinah (Genesis 34) and Tamar (2 Samuel 13) reveal nevalah as unlawful intimacy that desecrates covenant identity.
2. Cultic or sacrificial violation. Achan’s theft (Joshua 7) is a direct affront to what “belongs to the LORD.”
3. Communal violence. The outrage at Gibeah (Judges 19–20) demonstrates national consequences of tolerated wickedness.
4. False prophecy and perverted speech. Jeremiah 29:23 indicts adulterous prophets who “have committed an outrage in Israel” and “spoken lying words in God's Name.”
5. Spiritual dullness in leadership. Isaiah 9:17 and Isaiah 32:6 connect nevalah with misrule that corrupts society.

Nevalah exposes the gravity of sin by showing how private evil rapidly becomes corporate guilt.
The repeated refrain, “such a thing must not be done in Israel,” roots morality in election: the people belong to God, therefore behavior befitting pagan culture is unthinkable within the covenant.
Each occurrence invites reflection on divine holiness, human responsibility, and the necessity of atonement.

Church discipline mirrors the ancient mandate: blatant immorality must be confronted for the sake of holiness and witness.
Leaders are warned that doctrinal error and moral failure are twin forms of nevalah; both misrepresent God before His people.
Believers are summoned to protect the vulnerable, guard sexual purity, handle offerings with integrity, and speak truth— all areas where Scripture locates nevalah.
The gospel gives hope: those once guilty of outrages “were washed… sanctified… justified” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Nevalah marks the boundary where sin becomes intolerable offense against God AND community. Its occurrences portray a holy God who insists on purity, a covenant people called to reflect His character, and the redemptive necessity ultimately fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-23.htm

Jeremiah foretells judgments upon the false prophets, who deceived the Jews in Babylon. Lying was bad; lying to the people of the Lord, to delude them into a false hope, was worse; but pretending to rest their own lies upon the God of Truth, was worst of all.
They flattered others in their sins, because they could not reprove them without condemning themselves.
Yet even the most secret sins are fully and well known to God; and there is a day coming when He WILL bring to light ALL the hidden works of darkness. 

It is commonly assumed that this word is explained by the two verbal actions that follow. The word (nevalah) is rather commonly used of sins of unchastity, which would fit the reference to adultery. However, the word is singular and not likely to cover both actions that follow. The word is also used of the greedy act of Achan, which threatened Israel with destruction, and the churlish behavior of Nabal, which threatened him and his household with destruction. It is used of foolish talk in Isaiah. It is possible that here it refers to a separate act, one that would have brought the death penalty from Nebuchadnezzar, i.e., the preaching of rebellion in conformity with the message of the false prophets in Jerusalem and other nations. Hence it is possible that the translation should read, “This will happen because they have carried out vile rebellion in Israel. AND they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives AND have spoken lies while claiming my authority. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak.”

I am the One Who knows and I am witness, says the Lord.
I am the Judge and the Witness... I know what they have done because I have seen it all.
They have also spoken lies, and they said those lies were a message from me, the Lord. I did not tell them to do that. I know what they have done. I am a witness!
They spoke lying words in My Name...alleging in My Name things I did not command


Jeremiah 29:23 HPB
[23] Az cuz dey wen ack stupid an broke da rules from God inside Israel. Dey fool aroun wit odda guys wifes. Dey use my name an tell dey talk fo me, but dey bulai—no was me tell dem fo say wateva dey tell. I know wat dey wen do an I can tell wat I wen see.”


The special stress laid on the Lord’s knowledge of their guilt suggests the thought that the false prophets with their restricted ideas of God had persuaded themselves that Jehovah the God of Israel hardly exercised his attributes of power in a distant place like Babylon. There they might sin without fear of detection or of punishment. They thought of him as a God not nigh at hand, but far off

Jeremiah foretells judgments upon the false prophets, who deceived the Jews in Babylon. Lying was bad; lying to the people of the Lord, to delude them into a false hope, was worse; but pretending to rest their own lies upon the God of truth, was worst of all. They flattered others in their sins, because they could not reprove them without condemning themselves. The most secret sins are known to God; and there is a day coming when he will bring to light all the hidden works of darkness. Shemaiah urges the priests to persecute Jeremiah. Their hearts are wretchedly hardened who justify doing mischief by having power to do it. They were in a miserable thraldom for mocking the messengers of the Lord, and misusing his prophets; yet in their distress they trespass still more against the Lord. Afflictions will not of themselves cure men of their sins, unless the grace of God works with them. Those who slight the blessings, deserve to lose the benefit of God's word, like Shemaiah. The accusations against many active Christians in all ages, amount to no more than this, that they earnestly counsel men to attend to their true interest and duties, and to wait for the performance of God's promises in his appointed way.

committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives. All sin is folly, and so called in Scripture, uncleanness particularly, Genesis 34:7; here it is called villany, to denote the heinousness of it, especially in those whose office it was to teach others that they ought not to do it, Romans 2:22. Falsehood in discharge of a trust is ordinarily attended with debauchery of life, nor indeed can it be reasonably imagined that those who, to humour men, have debauched their consciences, and declared things as the will of God, which they know are not so, should be more true and honest in their conversation towards men. The second crime of these false prophets was, what gave them their denomination, teaching people what God never bid them speak. Now this, saith the Lord,

I know, and am a witness to; their adulteries are in secret, but I am a witness to them; the poor people do not know that they teach them lies, but I know it. God will deal with men not according to what men like themselves know of them, and can prove against them, but according to what he knows and can witness against them.

Because they have committed villany in Israel,.... Or "folly" (f); as the sins of adultery, and prophesying falsely, are afterwards mentioned. This was not the reason why the king of Babylon put them to death; though the Jews (g) have a tradition that they attempted the chastity of Nebuchadnezzar's daughter, for which reason he case them into a furnace; but rather it was on account of their prophesying immediate destruction to Babylon; and telling the captives that they should be delivered in a short time; and stirring them up to prepare to go to their own land; but the reasons here given are those which moved the Lord to deliver them into the hands of the king of Babylon for their destruction:

and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives; which was a piece of villany, as well as folly; and which abundantly showed that these men were not the prophets of the Lord, or were sent by him, being such impure wretches:

and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; as that the people should return to their own land in a short time; this was another part of their villany and folly, and for which they were given up into the hands of the king of Babylon, to be punished:

even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord; for though their adulteries might be very secretly committed, and their lying prophecies were not seen to be such by the people in common; yet God, who is omniscient, saw all their impurity, and knew all their lies and falsehood, and was, and would be, a swift witness against them, here and hereafter. 

folly] The Hebrew denotes more than this, viz. “a state of mind or an action, marked by utter disregard of moral or spiritual feeling.” Dr. who illustrates the kind of immorality here referred to in the word by its use in Genesis 34:7; 2 Samuel 13:12. See further in his Parallel Psalter, p. 457. The punishment inflicted, while really the penalty for transgressions against Jehovah, was doubtless ostensibly for breaches of the religious or civil law of Babylon.

An important and melancholy addition to our knowledge of these false prophets. They were not only misleading prophets, but immoral men in their private capacities. Villainy; rather, folly, as the word is always rendered elsewhere. The phrase "to commit folly in Israel" is always (except Joshua 7:15) used of sins of unchastity. 

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-26.htm

Madness was looked on in the East as a sort of gift of prophecy perverted.

The Lord hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada— The priest so named had apparently been deposed, as not favouring the stringent policy of the party of revolt... it was probably his special duty to maintain order in the Temple, and punish pretenders to the gift of prophecy, and the letter reproaches him for his lukewarm timidity in discharging that duty.

That ye should be officers in the house of the Lord, for every man that is mad; that thou mightest have a care of religion, and particularly take care of persons who being mad or phrenetic make themselves prophets... "against every [such] man"; to prevent them from speaking in the Name of the Lord– all enthusiastic persons, and such as are troubled with a frenzy in their brain, and who set up themselves for prophets... ironically the true prophets of old, and the apostles of Christ, and faithful ministers of the word, have always been represented as "beside themselves", and as taking upon themselves an office that did not belong to them; and therefore should be restrained and persecuted by the "higher powers."

Shemaiah urges the priests to persecute Jeremiah. Their hearts are wretchedly hardened who justify doing mischief by having power TO do it.
They were already in a miserable thraldom for mocking the messengers of the Lord, and misusing his prophets; yet even in their distress, they trespass still more against the Lord. Afflictions will not of themselves cure men of their sins, unless the grace of God works with them.
Those who slight the blessings of God's Words, deserve to lose the benefit of God's Words, like Shemaiah did by rejecting Jeremiah.
The accusations against many active Christians in all ages, amount to no more than this: that they earnestly counsel men to attend to their true interest and duties (religious and moral), and to WAIT for the performance of God's promises in HIS appointed way.

Many of the symbolic actions of the prophets, such as that of Jeremiah going about with a yoke on his neck, would be mocked at by the irreverent as passing the line between prophecy and madness.
Jeremiah is in this a type of Christ, against whom the same charge was brought (Joh 10:20).

It is possible that Jehoiada had been favorable to the better class of prophets. In this case there will be a delicate hint to Zephaniah that God had His own purpose in promoting him to honor, viz. that unruly prophets like Jeremiah might be held in with a tighter hand.

Zephaniah himself was an "officer" or "deputy", but he was also "chief in the house of the Lord," and had the appointment of inferior "officers," whose duty it was to preserve order in the temple. To understand the following words, we must remember that the outer court of the temple was a favorite place for prophetic teaching (comp. Jeremiah 7:2; Jeremiah 26:2). 
For every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet; i.e. to keep an eye upon "madmen" and prophetizers. The term "mad" is used in a disparaging sense, with regard to the apparently senseless behavior of those who were overpowered by the spirit of prophecy. In earlier times, no doubt, the phenomena of prophecy were more violently opposed to everyday life than in Jeremiah's time; but such symbolic acts as appearing in public with a yoke upon his neck would at least excuse the application of the epithet even to Jeremiah. It is more than probable, however, that it was not so much the abnormal actions as the contents of Jeremiah's prophecies which stirred up such vehement opposition; observe how in the next verse only the sound of these descriptive nouns is retained ("which maketh himself a prophet"). It was the making prophecy a reality which disturbed the men of routine, and Shemaiah well knew this when he made this appeal to Zephaniah. There was no harm in being nominally a "prophet," but to "make," or rather, "show one's self AS a prophet," to be an energetic prophet, a prophetizer (if the word may be invented)– this was wormwood to those who cried, "Peace, peace," when there was no peace. 

the word for deranged or mad person, is here closely associated with the word for him that bears himself as prophet. The former word is used in the evil sense of the apparently deranged behaviour of the man on whom the Spirit of God has laid hold. The idea is not: for (or against) every prophet, but: for every madman that plays the prophet. The temple, i.e., the outer court of the temple, was the usual place for prophets to take their stand. Shemaiah accordingly means that it was the duty of the chief warden of the temple to repress attempts to speak in the temple on the part of pretended prophets.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6729.htm
Tsinoq designates a wooden restraint that immobilized the neck and sometimes the hands or feet of a prisoner. The device forced the body into an uncomfortable posture, intensifying the punitive and humiliating character of the confinement... it centers on the neck, symbolizing a total curbing of the individual’s freedom, speech, and dignity...
Jeremiah 29 records correspondence between exiles in Babylon and those remaining in Judah during the reign of King Zedekiah. The regime viewed Jeremiah’s prophecies of a seventy-year exile as destabilizing. Shemaiah’s letter reflects the religious establishment’s anxiety: if the exiles accepted Jeremiah’s word, resistance to Babylonian overlordship would ebb and with it the authority of court false-prophets who "promised" a speedy return. The "tsinoq" embodies that impulse to silence dissenting voices by physical coercion... illustrating an attempted suppression of true prophetic witness within the Temple precincts.
...physical restraints frequently target those who proclaim uncomfortable truth. Tsinoq, focused on the neck, intensifies this symbolism: the instrument intended to quiet the voice ultimately magnifies it through the scriptural record.
Tsinoq illustrates human opposition to divine revelation. Religious officials, entrusted with God’s house, sought to gag a true prophet under the guise of protecting orthodoxy. Yet the same chapter records God’s judgment upon Shemaiah, demonstrating that suppressing God’s word always invites divine reproof.
Even as leaders planned to immobilize Jeremiah’s neck, his letters reached Babylon, shaping the faith of future generations. Physical restraint cannot nullify divine purpose; indeed, tsinoq serves as a narrative device to highlight the unstoppable advance of revelation.
The lonely plight of Jeremiah foreshadows the sufferings of Christ... The tsinoq thus becomes a type of the cross-bearing that faithful servants may endure. So we must expect opposition: Faithful proclamation may invite attempts—literal or figurative—to “put the neck in the stocks.” But Stand Firm: Jeremiah’s perseverance encourages modern believers to remain steady under pressure, trusting God’s vindication. Above all we Hope in God’s Sovereignty: As Jeremiah’s message outlived his oppressors, so the Gospel endures beyond every human constraint.
Tsinoq, though mentioned only once, encapsulates a recurring biblical theme: the clash between temporal authority and prophetic truth. It is a silent yet potent witness to the cost of discipleship and to the certainty that God’s Word, though momentarily shackled, ultimately and always “accomplishes what He pleases”.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-27.htm

of Anathoth—said contemptuously, as "Jesus of Nazareth."

maketh himself—as if God had not made him one, but he himself had done so... concluding him to be but a madman, and one who was not made a prophet by any immediate mission from God, but had only made himself a prophet... who would take upon himself such a holy office, though not sent of the Lord.
This shows the haughtiness and insolence of the false prophets in Babylon, to assume such authority to themselves, and thereby to dictate to the high priest, or however the second priest, what he should do, and even to rebuke him for allegedly not doing his office– ironically in not silencing a true prophet– all without their having ANY actual authority OR message from God TO do so.

Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth,.... Not by words only, but by actions; by beating and scourging, by pillory or imprisonment, and so restraining him from prophesying to the people.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-29.htm

At the most he only uses the letters as a threat, possibly to put the prophet on his guard against the machinations of his enemies, possibly also to induce him to moderate his tone. We are reminded of the like conduct of the Pharisees who reported Herod’s threats to our Lord

He seems to have been less prejudiced against Jeremiah than the others; hence he reads the charge to the prophet, that he should not be condemned without a hearing.

in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet: whether out of good will, to let him know who were his enemies abroad; or out of ill will, to stir up the people against him; or in pretence of proceeding equitably with him; not taking him up, and punishing him before he brought the accusation and charge against him; and acquainted him who were his accusers, and what evidence there was, and heard what he had to say in his own defence whether one or the other is uncertain;


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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-32.htm

...he hath taught rebellion: or, prevarication... “It properly signifies a declining, or turning aside from the straight path, the path of truth and right... it means the presumption of uttering, as a revelation from God, what the man who uttered it knew to be not so.

not … behold the good—As he despised the lawful time and wished to return before the time God had expressly announced, in just retribution he should not share in the restoration from Babylon at all.

I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: punishments of this life ordinarily are extended to the children of sinful parents, for the parents’ sake, who are punished in their children, being a considerable part of their parents’ goods and portion... thus God sometimes visits the sins of parents on their children, they being, as it were, a part of themselves, and oftentimes partners with them in their iniquities.

The extinction of his race and his own exclusion from the privilege of seeing the day of Israel's redemption are the punishment that is to fall on him for his rebellion against the commandment of the Lord.

Because he hath taught rebellion against the Lord; because by the falsehoods which he hath taught he hath been an instrument to make people disobey the commands of God. We had the same clause Jeremiah 28:16, and such a kind of threatening we find Amos 7:17, denounced by that prophet against Amaziah the priest of Beth-el, forbidding him to prophesy at Beth-el, because it was the king’s court and chapel. To obstruct the revelation of God’s will to people, or to publish what is contrary to it, to seduce people from believing it, or yielding obedience, are both crimes that have been and will be of fatal consequence to them and their families who are so hardy as to incur the guilt of them.


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http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/30-11.htm


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/30-12.htm


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/30-13.htm


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/30-14.htm


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/30-15.htm


http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/30-17.htm


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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/30-16.htm

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7601.htm
"Shaas"/ “plunder” captures the ruthless stripping of goods, dignity, and security that the surrounding nations inflicted on the covenant people. Its solitary appearance heightens its force—God singles out this very action to assure His people that He will personally repay it in kind.
...Each invading power—Assyria in the north, Egypt intermittently in the south, and ultimately Babylon— treated Israel as spoils of war. By employing a term for pillaging, Jeremiah evokes the humiliating raids, tribute extractions, and forced labor exacted from Judah. The promise that plunderers will themselves be plundered directly confronted Babylon’s swagger and comforted an audience whose temple treasures and family members had been carted away.
Scripture often frames judgment as talionic—what the oppressor metes out returns upon his own head (Obadiah 15; Habakkuk 2:8). In Jeremiah 30:16, the principle is neither abstract nor delayed: Yahweh Himself pledges to execute it. The fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persian coalition (Daniel 5:30-31) historically fulfilled this word, illustrating that divine justice moves through geopolitical events yet remains utterly personal. The nations that robbed Zion discovered they had actually robbed God... Plundering Israel is tantamount to affronting the covenant God. The verb underscores that assaults on God’s people never escape His notice.
All Believers enduring exploitation can cling to God’s unerring justice. The abused, trafficked, or economically stripped are not forgotten; the One who sees promises vindication.
Retributive Justice: The reversal foretold in Jeremiah 30 anticipates the final apportioning of recompense in Revelation. Earthly empires rise, but God’s moral order abides.
Redemption through Judgment: The same oracle announces deliverance for Israel and devastation for her foes. Mercy operates not by ignoring evil but by overturning it.
God decisively intervenes when His people are stripped by enemies. Jeremiah 30:16 stands as a beacon that all unrighteous plunder will face divine reversal, encouraging the faithful to endure, cautioning the oppressor to repent, and anchoring hope in the ultimate reign of the righteous King.


https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4933.htm
meshissah: Plunder, Spoil
It describes the condition or property of “plunder, spoil, prey.” It appears five times in the Old Testament and is always connected with divine commentary on judgment or reversal of fortunes. Whether applied to Judah, the nations, or an individual oppressor, the word signals that what once seemed secure will be violently stripped away.
It underscores covenant accountability... the nation that abandoned God’s law forfeits covenant protection. The language evokes Deuteronomy 28:29 which foresaw that disobedience would make Israel “only oppressed and plundered continually.” Thus each prophetic use recalls the conditional nature of Israel’s blessings... any community that tolerates idolatry risks being handed over to spiritual and even material ruin.
Jeremiah 30:16 stresses reversal. The plunderer becomes the plunder. This theme reflects Genesis 12:3— those who curse Abraham’s seed will be cursed. God’s sovereignty ensures that injustice, even when temporarily unchecked, will ultimately recoil upon the perpetrator... While meshissah often signals loss, its usage in Jeremiah 30 sets the stage for restoration. By pledging to plunder Israel’s plunderers, the Lord not only vindicates His people but also re-affirms His covenant commitment: “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (Jeremiah 30:17). The term therefore functions as a dark backdrop against which salvation shines more brightly.
Victims of exploitation can anchor their hope in the God who promises, “Those who plunder you will be plundered” (Jeremiah 30:16).
Meshissah serves as a prophetic shorthand for the consequences of covenant infidelity and the certainty of divine justice. It warns, chastens, and ultimately directs the faithful to trust the righteous Judge whose judgments are true, whose mercies are sure, and whose kingdom cannot be plundered.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/962.htm
bazaz: To plunder, to spoil, to seize
It portrays the forcible transfer of goods, livestock, or people from a defeated party to a victorious one. The verb regularly appears in military settings, but also describes the providential reversal of wealth when the Lord vindicates His covenant people or judges their sin.
In Exodus it is explicitly tied to the Lord’s faithfulness; the wealth of Egypt becomes compensation for centuries of oppression and a provision for tabernacle worship.
This shows Divine Ownership of Wealth: Spoils change hands at God’s decree. It also teaches Stewardship: Like Israel using Egyptian gold for the tabernacle, believers are to consecrate material resources gained through God-given victories for His service.
When Israel is instructed or permitted to plunder pagan enemies, the practice is never autonomous; it operates under divine sanction, reinforcing that victory and spoil belong to the Lord. Covenant Ethics: Legitimate plunder occurs only within divinely set limits; violation (Achan) or greed (Isaiah 10:6, implicit) incurs wrath.
David rescues the families of Ziklag and “plundered the Amalekites”. The recovered goods become a means of generosity toward Judah’s elders, illustrating stewardship over spoils. Conversely, 2 Chronicles shows Judah both collecting vast spoil after miraculous victories, and herself being plundered when covenant infidelity invites foreign aggression. The verb therefore becomes a theological barometer: obedience yields gain; disobedience invites loss.
Prophetic Oracles proclaim Judgment, Lament, and Future Reversal. These texts fuse moral accountability with eschatological hope: the Lord turns the tables on oppressors while purifying His people. Retribution and Restoration: Nations that ravage Zion will themselves be ravaged.
Bazaz underlines the reality of spiritual warfare: that the believer’s battles— on physical or spiritual fronts— all result in tangible outcomes; faithfulness secures blessing, compromise forfeits it.
Hope amid Loss: When the church or individual saints experience “plundering” (Hebrews 10:34), prophetic assurances assure final reversal and restoration.
The Lord governs every transfer of wealth and power, rewarding obedience, judging sin, and guaranteeing ultimate vindication for His people.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/957.htm
baz: Spoil, Plunder, Booty
It depicts the gain or the loss of “spoil,” “plunder,” or “prey.” Its twenty–four appearances trace a moral principle that what is seized outside the will of God is ultimately surrendered, whereas what God grants in faithfulness can never be stolen. Thus plunder becomes a barometer of covenant loyalty, national security, prophetic judgment, and future hope.
...victory spoils belong first to the LORD and then to His people in measured equity. Divine sovereignty decides the final ledger of every campaign.
Material gain outside God’s purposes is fleeting. Ministries must pursue resources by righteousness, not manipulation.
Human beings, not merely goods, can be reduced to “prey” when a society rejects the LORD’s protection... disobedience converts the covenant people into spoil... Children and the weak become “prey” when shepherds fail... Conversely, promises of restoration reverse the curse: "I Myself will save My flock, and they will no longer be abused as prey."
Gog invades Israel “to seize spoil and carry off plunder”. Yet the book concludes with divine deliverance, turning the invader’s ambition into his ruin. The final word on baz is therefore not loss but vindication; the LORD Himself guards His flock and settles accounts with all plunderers.
Hope for the Oppressed. Those who feel stripped of dignity find comfort in the LORD who “rescues His flock”. No plunderer can nullify His covenant mercy.

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https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/30-18.htm

A tel is a site where successive layers of occupation are built upon one another after the destruction or decay of the former city. The original site was not abandoned because it had been chosen for strategic purposes, such as proximity to water or ease of defense. Many modern archaeological sites have the designation “Tel” as a component of their name because of this practice.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8510.htm
Tel denotes a mound or heap—most often the remains of a devastated city whose rubble has accumulated over time. In the Ancient Near East, repeated cycles of building, conquest, destruction, and rebuilding produced artificial hills that preserved occupational layers. Biblically, the word points to God’s judgment when populated centers become deserted heaps, and to His restoration when those same ruins are rebuilt.
When the text speaks of a city becoming a tēl, it mirrors a recognizable landscape feature still visible in modern Israel and Jordan. The physical tel thus provides tangible evidence that Scripture moves within real geography and history. Archaeological visits to tells help believers grasp the concreteness of biblical history, anchoring faith in verified locations.
Herem (the ban) – explains why certain cities became permanent mounds.
Deuteronomy speaks of an apostate Israelite city that must be “a permanent heap of ruins”, underscoring the severity of covenantal judgment when idolatry permeates the community.
Remnant and Restoration – the thematic counterpart to ruin.
under the ban.
Jeremiah 30:18 foretells a reversal: “The city will be rebuilt on her ruins” (literally “her mound,”). The prophecy assures exiles that the Lord’s mercies can transform desolation into thriving community.
Judgment and restoration are the twin themes attached to tēl. The heap of ruins symbolizes:
• The certainty of divine retribution for idolatry and violence.
• The impermanence of human power and the futility of opposing God.
• The hope that what lies in ruins can be rebuilt by God’s grace.
This tension anticipates the gospel: sin brings devastation, yet God in Christ rebuilds lives, making “living stones” into a spiritual house.
The imagery of a tel offers vivid sermon material on repentance, warning congregations that sin leaves life in rubble, but the Lord restores the penitent.
Tel is more than a geographical term; it is a theological signpost. Whether warning of judgment or promising renewal, the mound of ruins reminds every generation that the Lord both tears down and builds up according to His righteous purposes.

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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/30-19.htm

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7832.htm

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6819.htm


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https://biblehub.com/text/jeremiah/30-21.htm

And their ruler will one of their own. And their prince will be led forward from their midst. And I will draw him near, and he will cling to me. For who is the one who applies his heart, so that he may draw near to me, says the Lord?

And their mighty ones shall be over them, and their prince shall proceed of themselves; and I will gather them, and they shall return to me: for who is this that has set his heart to return to me? saith the Lord.

And his majestic one has been of himself, And his ruler goes forth from his midst, And I have caused him to draw near, And he has drawn near to Me, For who [is] he who has pledged his heart To draw near to Me?” A declaration of YHWH.

And their King will be from them, and their Leader will come forth from among them, and I shall bring him near, and he will approach me, because I shall turn his heart to me, says the LORD.

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." Christ alone 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.  


...that hath had boldness to approach] rather, as mg. that hath been surety for his heart to approach, i.e. no one would venture upon such a step, unless he were fully conscious of authorisation. None but the priests were permitted to enter the Lord’s presence, and the Holy of Holies was open but once a year to the high-priest himself. To all others this was a profanity to be punished with death.

cause him to draw near—as the great Priest (Ex 19:22; Le 21:17), through whom believers also have access to God (Heb 10:19-22). His priestly and kingly characters are similarly combined (Ps 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, in order to gain access not only for Himself, but for us, to God. Heart is 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.

Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me?—The question points to the ruler of the house of David whom the prophet sees in visions—in other words, to the far-off Messiah. So in Isaiah we have a like introduction of the figure of the conqueror, “Who is this that cometh from Edom?” (Isaiah 63:1). As in Isaiah 11:1-3; Isaiah 42:1-4, the dominant thought is that of one who will not be treacherous or faithless, like the degenerate heirs of the house of David whom Jeremiah had known, but one who would “engage” (literally, pledge, or give as security) his heart and soul to the service of Jehovah. In the advent of such a king the true relation between God and His people (Hosea 1:10; Jeremiah 24:7) should yet be re-established. In the words “to approach unto me” we have the germ of the thought that the true King will also be a priest, and will enter, as others could not enter, into the Holy Place (see Note on Jeremiah 35:19, and Numbers 16:5); a priest, such as Psalm 110:4 had spoken of, after the order of Melchizedek.

For who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? Interpreters are yet more divided about this phrase; some apply it to Christ, either as an admiration of his excellency, or as denoting that none but he could draw near to God in that manner as he did, nor had any such a delight in the sons of men as he, so as for him to be a Mediator betwixt offenders and an offended God; none but he durst look in the face of an angry God. Others understand it of God’s people, intimating that in the day when they should return out of captivity there would be but few that with any serious purpose of heart would apply themselves unto God, or signifying the impotency that is in man heartily to draw nigh to God, till (as it is before said) God causeth him so to do; and some think the words have a reference to the covenant mentioned in the next verse.

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.), 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? 

The verb הקריב is the regular expression employed in reference to the approach on the part of the priests to Jahveh, cf. Numbers 16:5; and נגּשׁ in Exodus 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" (Numbers 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 נפשׁ 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; Numbers 8:19; Exodus 19:21; Exodus 34:3, etc.




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 Luke 19:12; because he 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 Romans 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, Deuteronomy 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, Leviticus 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, 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 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.



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https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/30-21.htm

Their leader will be one of their own
This phrase indicates a leader emerging from within the community of Israel, suggesting a restoration of native leadership after a period of foreign domination. Historically, this points to the return from Babylonian exile, where leaders like Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, played a significant role. Theologically, it emphasizes God's intention to restore Israel's autonomy and identity. This also foreshadows the coming of Jesus Christ, who was born from the line of David, fulfilling the prophecy of a leader arising from among the people.

and their ruler will arise from their midst
The ruler arising from their midst signifies a leader who is intimately connected with the people, understanding their struggles and needs. This can be seen as a contrast to foreign rulers who did not share the same heritage or faith. In a messianic context, this prefigures Christ, who lived among His people and shared in their humanity. The phrase underscores the importance of a leader who is both relatable and divinely appointed.

And I will bring him near, and he will approach Me
This part of the verse highlights God's active role in establishing the leader's relationship with Him. It suggests divine selection and empowerment, ensuring that the leader is not only politically but also spiritually aligned with God's purposes. This is reminiscent of the priestly role, where approaching God was a significant aspect of intercession. In the New Testament, Jesus is seen as the ultimate fulfillment of this, as He is both King and High Priest, who approaches God on behalf of humanity.

for who would dare on his own to approach Me?”
This rhetorical question emphasizes the holiness and sovereignty of God, indicating that approaching Him is not a matter to be taken lightly. It underscores the necessity of divine invitation and mediation. In the Old Testament, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year. This foreshadows the New Testament revelation of Jesus as the mediator who grants believers access to God, highlighting the gravity and privilege of such an approach.

declares the LORD
This phrase affirms the authority and certainty of the prophecy. It is a divine declaration, ensuring that the promises made will be fulfilled according to God's sovereign will. Throughout Scripture, when the LORD declares something, it is a guarantee of His faithfulness and power to bring it to pass. This assurance is foundational for the hope and faith of believers, both in the immediate context of Israel's restoration and in the broader messianic expectation fulfilled in Christ.

Approaching God requires reverence and courage, as it involves recognizing His holiness and our need for His grace.

https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_courage_to_approach_god.htm

https://biblehub.com/q/How_to_approach_God_in_Jeremiah_30_21.htm

and he will approach Me

“…and he will approach Me.”

• Approach signals accepted access, reflecting Psalm 110:4 where Messiah is “a priest forever.”

• Unlike earthly kings limited to civil authority, this ruler mediates spiritually (Hebrews 4:14-16).

• His approach guarantees the people’s approach; through Him, believers now “have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

• The clause affirms intimacy between the chosen ruler and the LORD, ensuring perfect representation.

for who would dare on his own to approach Me?

The Lord concludes, “for who would dare on his own to approach Me?”

• Sinai’s thunder taught that uninvited access is deadly (Exodus 19:21-24).

• Esther 4:11 illustrates how even earthly monarchs required invitation; how much more the King of heaven.

• Hebrews 12:29 reminds us, “Our God is a consuming fire.” Only one whom God appoints can safely stand before Him.

• The awe of this question magnifies the necessity and exclusivity of the divinely appointed Mediator.

summary

Jeremiah 30:21 promises Israel a native leader who will both rule and minister. God Himself brings this ruler near, granting Him unique access no one could claim independently. The immediate fulfillment encouraged exiles with leaders like Zerubbabel, yet the ultimate realization is found in Jesus Christ—the Israelite King, Priest, and Mediator who, by divine appointment, approaches the Father on behalf of His people and ushers them into restored fellowship and secure governance.