Jeremiah 23:4-5

23:4 I will install rulers ¹  over them who will care for them. Then they will no longer need to fear or be terrified. None of them will turn up missing. ²  I, the Lord, promise it! ³ 

23:5 “I, the Lord, promise ⁴  that a new time will certainly come ⁵ 

when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, ⁶  a descendant of David.

He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding ⁷ 

and will do what is just and right in the land. ⁸ 

[23:4]  ¹ tn Heb “shepherds.”

[23:4]  ² tn There are various nuances of the word פָּקַד (paqad) represented in vv. 2, 4. See Ps 8:4 (8:5 HT) and Zech 10:3 for “care for/take care of” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.1.a). See Exod 20:5; Amos 3:2; Jer 9:24; 11:22 for “punish” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.3). See 1 Kgs 20:39 and 2 Kgs 10:19 for “be missing” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Niph.1).

[23:4]  ³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”

[23:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).

[23:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).

[23:5]  ⁸ sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).