33:1 Jeremiah received another message from the Lord while he was still confined in the court of the guard (cf. 32:2).
33:2 The Lord introduced Himself as the Creator and Establisher of the earth (cf. 32:17; Gen. 1). This was appropriate since He would say that He was going to do some things that required great power.
33:3 He commanded Jeremiah, and perhaps the people, to pray to Him with the promise that He would hear him and tell him inaccessible (Heb. besuroth) things that the prophet did not know (cf. Ps. 91:15). The Hebrew word besuroth describes something made inaccessible by fortifying or enclosing it, such as a city (cf. Num. 13:28; Deut. 3:5; 28:52; Ezek. 21:20). The Lord's plans for Israel were inaccessible to most people, but He would unlock some of these secrets and share them with Jeremiah in answer to the prophet's prayer. We must ask the Lord for some things before He will give them to us (cf. Matt. 7:7; James 4:2).
"While God is always ready to answer the cry of the human heart, man must first request assistance."431
"In other words, although God can make himself heard, and has already done so in saying this, nevertheless to reveal all that he wants to say, he desires a hearer who is already reaching out to him. This is why prayer is never superfluous to the study of Scripture or the quest for guidance. God is then speaking to an upturned face, not a preoccupied back."432
We may assume that Jeremiah, and perhaps the faithful remnant, prayed this prayer. What follows is incredible promises concerning the restoration of the nation, its rulers, and its worship leaders.
33:4 The Lord would do something to the city, which at this time was full of houses that the Jerusalemites had demolished to build up the city walls so the Chaldeans could not break through them. They had also used some of the palace wood and stone for this purpose (cf. 22:5).
33:5 The city was also full of Judahite corpses that had died in the siege. Really these people had died because the Lord was fighting against His people. He had not responded to their cries of help because of their wickedness.
33:6 The Lord promised to bring health and healing to the city and to restore His people (cf. 30:17). He would bless them with much peace and truth in the future.
33:7 He would restore the fortunes of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms and would rebuild these nations as they had been formerly.
33:8 He would cleanse them of their iniquities against Him, and He would pardon their sins and transgressions (cf. 31:34; 50:20; Ezek. 36:25-26).
33:9 Jerusalem would become a city associated with joy, praise, and glory in the thinking of all the world when they heard of all the good things that Yahweh had done for her. The nations would fear and tremble because of all the good and the peace that He would make for her.
33:10-11 Presently desolate Jerusalem and the cities of Judah would experience joy and thank God because He would restore their fortunes as they had been formerly.433
33:12-13 Judah would again become a quiet and secure place where shepherds would pasture their flocks. This may refer to leaders of people as well as to shepherds of sheep (cf. 23:1-3; Ezek. 34:1-6; Luke 15:3-7; John 10:1-18).434
