Nehemiah 11:3

11:3 These are the provincial leaders ¹  who settled in Jerusalem. (While other Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple attendants, and the sons of the servants of Solomon settled in the cities of Judah, each on his own property in their cities,

Nehemiah 11:20

11:20 And the rest of the Israelites, with the priests and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each on his own property.

Psalms 69:35

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ²  will again live in them and possess Zion. ³ 

Isaiah 44:26

44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants ⁴ 

and brings to pass the announcements ⁵  of his messengers,

who says about Jerusalem, ⁶  ‘She will be inhabited,’

and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,

her ruins I will raise up,’

Isaiah 61:4-6

61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins

and restore the places that were desolate; ⁷ 

they will reestablish the ruined cities,

the places that have been desolate since ancient times.

61:5 ⁸ “Foreigners will take care of ⁹  your sheep;

foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.

61:6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,

servants of our God.’ ¹⁰ 

You will enjoy ¹¹  the wealth of nations

and boast about ¹²  the riches you receive from them. ¹³ 

Jeremiah 31:23-24

Judah Will Be Restored

31:23 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ¹⁴  says,

“I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns.

When I do, they will again say ¹⁵  of Jerusalem, ¹⁶ 

‘May the Lord bless you, you holy mountain,

the place where righteousness dwells.’ ¹⁷ 

31:24 The land of Judah will be inhabited by people who live in its towns

as well as by farmers and shepherds with their flocks. ¹⁸ 

Jeremiah 32:43-44

32:43 You and your people ¹⁹  are saying that this land will become desolate, uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed over to the Babylonians. ²⁰  But fields ²¹  will again be bought in this land. ²²  32:44 Fields will again be bought with silver, and deeds of purchase signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, the towns in Judah, the southern hill country, the western foothills, and southern Judah. ²³  For I will restore them to their land. ²⁴  I, the Lord, affirm it!’” ²⁵ 

Jeremiah 33:13

33:13 I, the Lord, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they pass into the fold. ²⁶  They will do this in all the towns in the southern hill country, the western foothills, the southern hill country, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.’ ²⁷ 

Ezekiel 36:10-11

36:10 I will multiply your people ²⁸  – the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities will be populated and the ruins rebuilt. 36:11 I will increase the number of people and animals on you; they will increase and be fruitful. ²⁹  I will cause you to be inhabited as in ancient times, and will do more good for you than at the beginning of your history. ³⁰  Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 36:33

36:33 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will populate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt.

Amos 9:14

9:14 I will bring back my people, Israel; ³¹ 

they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble ³²  and settle down. ³³ 

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce; ³⁴ 

they will grow orchards ³⁵  and eat the fruit they produce. ³⁶ 

Obadiah 1:20

1:20 The exiles of this fortress ³⁷  of the people of Israel

will take possession ³⁸  of what belongs to

the people of Canaan, as far as Zarephath, ³⁹ 

and the exiles of Jerusalem ⁴⁰  who are in Sepharad ⁴¹ 

will take possession of the towns of the Negev.

[11:3]  ¹ tn Heb “the heads of the province.”

[69:35]  ² tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ³ tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[44:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.

[44:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.

[44:26]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[61:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”

[61:5]  ⁸ sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.

[61:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”

[61:6]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”

[61:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.”

[61:6]  ¹² tc The form in the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yit’ammÿru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (’amar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר).

[61:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).

[31:23]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” See 7:3 and the study note of 2:19 for the rendering of this title and an explanation of its significance.

[31:23]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “They [i.e., people (the indefinite plural, GKC 460 §144.g)] will again say in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their fortunes.” For the meaning of the idiom “to restore the fortunes” see the translator’s note on 29:14.

[31:23]  ¹⁶ tn The words “of Jerusalem” are not in the text but it is implicit in the titles that follow. They have been supplied in the translation for clarity to aid in identifying the referent.

[31:23]  ¹⁷ sn The blessing pronounced on the city of Zion/Jerusalem by the restored exiles looks at the restoration of its once exalted state as the city known for its sanctity and its just dealing (see Isa 1:21 and Ps 122). This was a reversal of the state of Jerusalem in the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah where wickedness not righteousness characterized the inhabitants of the city (cf. Isa 1:21; Jer 4:14; 5:1; 13:27). The blessing here presupposes the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the temple which gave the city its sanctity.

[31:24]  ¹⁸ tn The translation “those who move about with their flocks” is based on an emendation of the Hebrew text which reads a third plural Qal perfect (נָסְעוּ, nos’u) to a masculine plural Qal participle in the construct (נֹסְעֵי, nosÿ’e) as suggested in the BHS fn. For the use of the construct participle before a noun with a preposition see GKC 421 §130.a. It is generally agreed that three classes of people are referred to here, townspeople, farmers, and shepherds. But the syntax of the Hebrew sentence is a little awkward: “And they [i.e., “people” (the indefinite plural, GKC 460 §144.g)] will live in it, Judah and all its cities [an apposition of nearer definition (GKC 425-26 §131.n)], [along with] farmers and those who move about with their flocks.” The first line refers awkwardly to the townspeople and the other two classes are added asyndetically (i.e., without the conjunction “and”).

[32:43]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “you.” However, the pronoun is plural and is addressed to more than just Jeremiah (v. 26). It includes Jeremiah and those who have accepted his prophecy of doom.

[32:43]  ²⁰ tn Heb “The Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for further explanation.

[32:43]  ²¹ tn The noun is singular with the article, but it is a case of the generic singular (cf. GKC 406 §126.m).

[32:43]  ²² tn Heb “Fields will be bought in this land of which you [masc. pl.] are saying, ‘It will be desolate [a perfect of certainty or prophetic perfect] without man or beast; it will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’” The original sentence has been broken down to better conform to contemporary English style.

[32:44]  ²³ tn Heb “They will buy fields with silver and write in the deed and seal [it] and have witnesses witness [it] in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, in the towns in Judah, in the towns in the hill country, in the towns in the Shephelah, and in the towns in the Negev.” The long Hebrew sentence has again been restructured to better conform to contemporary English style. The indefinite “they will buy” is treated as a passive. It is followed by three infinitive absolutes which substitute for the finite verb (cf. GKC 345 §113.y) which is a common feature of the style of the book of Jeremiah.

[32:44]  ²⁴ tn Or “I will reverse their fortunes.” For this idiom see the translator’s note on 29:14 and compare the usage in 29:14; 30:3, 18; 31:23.

[32:44]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[33:13]  ²⁶ sn Heb “Sheep will again pass under the hands of the counter.” This appears to be a reference to counting the sheep to make sure that none was missing as they returned to the fold. See the same idiom in Lev 27:52 and in the metaphor in Ezek 20:37.

[33:13]  ²⁷ sn Compare Jer 32:44.

[36:10]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I will multiply on you human(s).”

[36:11]  ²⁹ sn These verbs occur together in Gen 1:22, 28; 9:1.

[36:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “your beginning.”

[9:14]  ³¹ tn This line can also be translated “I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel” and is a common idiom (e.g., Deut 30:3; Jer 30:3; Hos 6:11; Zeph 3:20). This rendering is followed by several modern English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV, NJPS).

[9:14]  ³² tn Or “the ruined [or “desolate”] cities.”

[9:14]  ³³ tn Or “and live [in them].”

[9:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “drink their wine.”

[9:14]  ³⁵ tn Or “gardens.”

[9:14]  ³⁶ tn Heb “eat their fruit.”

[1:20]  ³⁷ tn Or “army” (TEV); KJV, NAB, NASB “host”; NIV “company.” Some text critics suggest revocalizing MT הַחֵל (hakhel, “the fortress”) to the place- name הָלָה (halah, “Halah”; so NRSV), the location to which many of the Israelite exiles were sent in the 8th century (2 Kgs 7:6; 18:11; 1 Chr 5:26). The MT form is from הַיִל (hayil, “strength”), which is used elsewhere to refer to an army (Exod 14:17; 1 Sam 17:20; 2 Sam 8:9), military fortress (2 Sam 20:15; 22:33), leaders (Exod 18:21) and even wealth or possessions (Obad 1:11, 13).

[1:20]  ³⁸ tn The Hebrew text has no verb here. The words “will possess” have been supplied from the context.

[1:20]  ³⁹ sn Zarephath was a Phoenician coastal city located some ten miles south of Sidon.

[1:20]  ⁴⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:20]  ⁴¹ sn The exact location of Sepharad is uncertain. Suggestions include a location in Spain, or perhaps Sparta in Greece, or perhaps Sardis in Asia Minor. For inscriptional evidence that bears on this question see E. Lipinski, “Obadiah 20,” VT 23 (1973): 368-70. The reason for mentioning this location in v. 20 seems to be that even though it was far removed from Jerusalem, the Lord will nonetheless enable the Jewish exiles there to return and participate in the restoration of Israel that Obadiah describes.