Psalms 53:6

53:6 I wish the deliverance ¹  of Israel would come from Zion!

When God restores the well-being of his people, ² 

may Jacob rejoice, ³ 

may Israel be happy! ⁴ 

Jeremiah 30:3

30:3 For I, the Lord, affirm ⁵  that the time will come when I will reverse the plight ⁶  of my people, Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors ⁷  and they will take possession of it once again.’” ⁸ 

Jeremiah 30:18

The Lord Will Restore Israel and Judah

30:18 The Lord says,

“I will restore the ruined houses of the descendants of Jacob.

I will show compassion on their ruined homes. ⁹ 

Every city will be rebuilt on its former ruins. ¹⁰ 

Every fortified dwelling will occupy its traditional site. ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 31:23

Judah Will Be Restored

31:23 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ¹²  says,

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

When I do, they will again say ¹³  of Jerusalem, ¹⁴ 

‘May the Lord bless you, you holy mountain,

the place where righteousness dwells.’ ¹⁵ 

Ezekiel 16:53

16:53 “‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters (along with your fortunes among them),

Ezekiel 39:25

39:25 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Now I will restore ¹⁶  the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name.

Joel 3:1-2

The Lord Plans to Judge the Nations

3:1 (4:1) ¹⁷  For look! In those ¹⁸  days and at that time

I will return the exiles ¹⁹  to Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁰ 

3:2 Then I will gather all the nations,

and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. ²¹ 

I will enter into judgment ²²  against them there

concerning my people Israel who are my inheritance, ²³ 

whom they scattered among the nations.

They partitioned my land,

[53:6]  ¹ tn This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.

[53:6]  ² tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).

[53:6]  ³ tn The verb form is jussive.

[53:6]  ⁴ tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.

[30:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[30:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “restore the fortune.” For the translation and meaning of this idiom see the note at 29:14.

[30:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “fathers.”

[30:3]  ⁸ sn 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.

[30:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and will have compassion on his habitations.” For the meaning of the idiom “restore the fortunes of” see the translator’s note on 29:14. The “tents of Jacob” refers to their homes or houses (see BDB 14 s.v. אֹהֶל 2 and compare usage in Judg 19:9; Mal 2:12). The word “ruined” has been supplied in the translation to show more clearly the idea of restoration of their houses on their former sites in conformity to the concepts in the latter half of the verse.

[30:18]  ¹⁰ sn 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.

[30:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “according to its custom [or plan].” Cf. BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 6.d and compare usage in 1 Sam 27:11.

[31:23]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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.

[39:25]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “cause to return.”

[3:1]  ¹⁷ sn Joel 3:1 in the English Bible is 4:1 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note at 2:28.

[3:1]  ¹⁸ tc The MT and LXX read “in those days,” while MurXII reads “in that day.”

[3:1]  ¹⁹ tc The Kethib reads אָשִׁיב (’ashiv, “return the captivity [captives]), while the Qere is אָשׁוּב (’ashuv, “restore the fortunes”). Many modern English versions follow the Qere reading. Either reading seems to fit the context. Joel refers to an exile of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem in 3:2-6 and their return from exile in 3:7. On the other hand, 2:25-26 describes the reversal of judgment and restoration of the covenant blessings. However, the former seems to be the concern of the immediate context.

[3:1]  ²⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:2]  ²¹ sn There is a play on words here. Jehoshaphat in Hebrew means “the Lord has judged,” and the next line in v. 2 further explicates this thought. The location of this valley is uncertain (cf. v. 12). Many interpreters have understood the Valley of Jehoshaphat to be the Kidron Valley, located on the east side of old Jerusalem. Since this is described as a scene of future messianic activity and judgment, many Jews and Muslims have desired to be buried in the vicinity, a fact attested to in modern times by the presence of many graves in the area. A variation of this view is mentioned by Eusebius, Onomasticon 1:10. According to this view, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is located in the Hinnom Valley, on the south side of the old city. Yet another view is held by many modern scholars, who understand the reference to this valley to be one of an idealized and nonliteral scene of judgment.

[3:2]  ²² tn Heb “I will execute judgment.”

[3:2]  ²³ tn Heb “concerning my people and my inheritance Israel.”