translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: JER

label: NET study note

text: As the nations of Israel and Judah were united in their sin and suffered the same fate – that of exile and dispersion – (cf. Jer 3:8; 5:11; 11:10, 17 ) so they will ultimately be regathered from the nations and rejoined under one king, a descendant of David, and regain possession of their ancestral lands. The prophets of both the eighth and seventh century looked forward to this ideal (see, e.g., Hos 1:11 ( 2:2 HT); Isa 11:11-13 ; Jer 23:5-6; 30:3; 33:7 ; Ezek 37:15-22 ). This has already been anticipated in Jer 3:18 .


text: Compare the ideals of the Mosaic covenant in Lev 26:6 , the Davidic covenant in 2 Sam 7:10-11 , and the new covenant in Ezek 34:25-31 .


text: The wounds to the body politic are those of the incursions from the enemy from the north referred to in Jer 4:6; 6:1 over which Jeremiah and even God himself have lamented ( Jer 8:21; 10:19; 14:17 ). The enemy from the north has been identified as Babylon and has been identified as the agent of God’s punishment of his disobedient people ( Jer 1:15; 4:6; 25:9 ).


text: With the exception of the second line there is a definite attempt at wordplay in each line to underline the principle of lex talionis on a national and political level. This principle has already been appealed to in the case of the end of Babylonian sovereignty in 25:14; 27:7 .


text: Heb “on its tel.” 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.


text: Compare Jer 29:6 .


text: The statement their ruler will come from their own number accords with the regulation in Deut 17:15 . They would not be ruled by a foreign leader but by one of their own people. In v. 9 he is specifically said to come from the Davidic line. See the study note there.


text: Ordinarily this prerogative was confined to the priests and the Levites and even then under strict regulations (cf., e.g., Num 8:19; 16:10 ; Lev 16:10; 21:17; 22:3 ). Uzziah king of Judah violated this and suffered leprosy for having done so ( 2 Chr 26:16-20 ). It is clear, however, that both David and Solomon on occasion exercised priestly functions in the presence of the ark or the altar which it was normally lawful for only the priests to approach (cf., e.g., 2 Sam 6:13-14 ; 1 Kgs 8:22, 54-55 ). Here reference is probably not to the normal prerogatives of offering sacrifice or burning incense but access to God’s special presence at special times for the purpose of consultation.


text: This was their highest privilege (cf. Exod 6:7 , Lev 26:12 ; Jer 24:7 ) but also their greatest responsibility (cf. Jer 7:3; 11:4 ). It is a formula referring to a covenant relationship in which God pledges to protect, provide, and be present with his people and they in turn promise to be loyal and obedient to him (see Deut 26:17-18; 29:10-13 ).


text: Jer 30:23-24 are almost a verbatim repetition of 23:19-20 . There the verses were addressed to the people of Jerusalem as a warning that the false prophets had no intimate awareness of the Lord ’s plans which were plans of destruction for wicked Israel not plans of peace and prosperity. Here they function as further assurance that the Lord will judge the wicked nations oppressing them when he reverses their fortunes and restores them once again to the land as his special people (cf. vv. 18-22 ).