Jeremiah 33:14-26
Context33:14 “I, the Lord, affirm: 1 ‘The time will certainly come when I will fulfill my gracious promise concerning the nations of Israel and Judah. 2 33:15 In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous descendant 3 of David.
“‘He will do what is just and right in the land. 33:16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety 4 and Jerusalem 5 will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called “The Lord has provided us with justice.” 6 33:17 For I, the Lord, promise: “David will never lack a successor to occupy 7 the throne over the nation of Israel. 8 33:18 Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the other sacrifices.”’” 9
33:19 The Lord spoke further to Jeremiah. 10 33:20 “I, Lord, make the following promise: 11 ‘I have made a covenant with the day 12 and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people 13 could break that covenant 33:21 could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me. 14 33:22 I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sands which are on the seashore.’” 15
33:23 The Lord spoke still further to Jeremiah. 16 33:24 “You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying, 17 ‘The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah 18 that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. 19 33:25 But I, the Lord, make the following promise: 20 I have made a covenant governing the coming of day and night. I have established the fixed laws governing heaven and earth. 33:26 Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David’s descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, 21 I will restore them 22 and show mercy to them.”
[33:14] 1 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[33:14] 2 sn This refers at the very least to the promises of Jer 23:5-6, 7-8; 30:3; 31:27, 31 where the same formula “The time will certainly come (Heb “Behold the days are coming”)” occurs. Reference may also be to the promises through the earlier prophets of what is alluded to here, i.e., the restoration of Israel and Judah under a Davidic ruler and the revival of the offerings (cf. Hos 1:10-11; 3:4-5; Amos 9:11-12; Isa 11:1-5, 10-16; Jer 30:9, 21 for the former and Jer 31:14; 33:11 for the latter).
[33:15] 3 tn Heb “sprig” or “shoot.”
[33:16] 4 tn For the translation of this term in this context see the parallel context in 23:6 and consult the translator’s note there.
[33:16] 5 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:16] 6 tn Heb “And this is what will be called to it: ‘The
[33:17] 7 tn Heb “a man shall not be cut off to David [i.e., belonging to the Davidic line] sitting on the throne of the house of Israel.”
[33:17] 8 sn It should be noted once again that the reference is to all Israel, not just to Judah (cf. Jer 23:5-6; 30:9).
[33:18] 9 tn Heb “And to the Levites, the priests [= the Levitical priests, the apposition in place of the adjective] there shall not be cut off a man from before me who offers up burnt offering, sacrifices a cereal offering, or makes a sacrifice all the days.”
[33:19] 10 tn Heb “And the word of the
[33:20] 11 tn Heb “Thus says the
[33:20] 12 tn The word יוֹמָם (yomam) is normally an adverb meaning “daytime, by day, daily.” However, here and in v. 25 and in Jer 15:9 it means “day, daytime” (cf. BDB 401 s.v. יוֹמָם 1).
[33:20] 13 tn Heb “you.” The pronoun is plural as in 32:36, 43; 33:10.
[33:21] 14 tn The very complex and elliptical syntax of the original Hebrew of vv. 20-21 has been broken down to better conform with contemporary English style. The text reads somewhat literally (after the addition of a couple of phrases which have been left out by ellipsis): “Thus says the
[33:22] 15 tn Heb “Just as the stars in the sky cannot be numbered or the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so I will greatly increase [or multiply] the seed of my servant David and the Levites who minister before me.” The word “seed of” does not carry over to the “the Levites” as a noun governing two genitives because “the Levites” has the accusative marker in front of it. The sentence has been broken down in conformity with contemporary English style.
[33:23] 16 tn Heb “And the word of the
[33:24] 17 tn Heb “Have you not seen what this people have said, saying.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. The sentence has been broken in two to better conform with contemporary English style.
[33:24] 18 tn Heb “The two families which the
[33:24] 19 tn Heb “and my people [i.e., Israel and Judah] they disdain [or look down on] from being again a nation before them.” The phrase “before them” refers to their estimation, their mental view (cf. BDB s.v. פָּנֶה II.4.a[g]). Hence it means they look with disdain on the people being a nation again (cf. BDB s.v. עוֹד 1.a[b] for the usage of עוֹד [’od] here).
[33:25] 20 tn Heb “Thus says the
[33:26] 21 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is probably intensive here as it has been on a number of occasions in the book of Jeremiah (see BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e for the category).
[33:26] 22 tn Or “I will make them prosperous once again,” or “I will bring them back from captivity.”