Jeremiah 32

 

הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת יְהוָה (בִּשְׁנַת) [בַּשָּׁנָה] הָעֲשִׂרִית לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה   32:1            הִיא הַשָּׁנָה שְׁמֹנֶה־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לִנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר׃

Jere. 32:1   The word that occurred to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year for Zedekiah, king of Judah, (it was the eighteenth year of the time for Nebuchadrezzar):

This verse prompts three remarks from me.  First, the error indicated by the parentheses is similar to the one in Jere. 28:1, on which I remarked there.  Second, the tenth year for Zedekiah was just before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.  So this chapter takes place in the third year of the siege of Jerusalem.  Third, we see here that the name of Nebuchadnezzar has been changed back to Nebuchadrezzar.  This may seem somewhat strange but in reality, it may complete the puzzle for us about the name.  Recall that I had guessed at three possible explanations for the name change in my remarks pertaining to Jere. 27:6.  Now it seems that parts of that chapter and chapters 28 and 29 as well, may have been written years after this one, some time during the exile.

One other remark as introductory to this chapter:  We will find here three of the longest substantive (not being name enumeration or such) sentences in the bible.  I will point them out as we encounter them.

וְאָז חֵיל מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל צָרִים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְיִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא הָיָה כָלוּא בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּית־מֶלֶךְ   32:2 יְהוּדָה׃

Jere. 32:2   Now at that time the armies of the king of Babylon were laying siege over Jerusalem, and Jeremiah, the prophet, was being restrained in an enclosure of the guard who was of the house of the king of Judah,

אֲשֶׁר כְּלָאֹו צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה נִבָּא לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי נֹתֵן   32:3                  אֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וּלְכָדָהּ׃

Jere. 32:3   as Zedekiah, king of Judah, had shut him up saying, “Why are you prophesying saying, ‘Thus says the Lord:  Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon and he shall capture it,                                                                                        [Return to Jere. 36:5]

וְצִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה לֹא יִמָּלֵט מִיַּד הַכַּשְׂדִּים כִּי הִנָּתֹן יִנָּתֵן בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְדִבֶּר־פִּיו עִם־פִּיו   32:4      וְעֵינָיו אֶת־(עֵינֹו) [עֵינָיו] תִּרְאֶינָה׃

Jere. 32:4   and Zedekiah, king of Judah, shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and his mouth will speak with his mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes,

The word in parentheses is presumed to be in error.  As written, the word is singular, translated as his eye.  But much the same words as these are repeated in Jere. 34:3, and there the word is in the plural.  The correction is in the brackets.

וּבָבֶל יֹולִךְ אֶת־צִדְקִיָּהוּ וְשָׁם יִהְיֶה עַד־פָּקְדִי אֹתֹו נְאֻם־יְהוָה כִּי תִלָּחֲמוּ אֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּים לֹא תַצְלִיחוּ׃   32:5

Jere. 32:5   and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be during My reckoning with him, declares the Lord; though you may battle the Chaldeans you shall not succeed?’”

Notice that this verse completes the question attributed to Zedekiah and addressed to Jeremiah that started in the middle of v. 32:3.

וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ הָיָה דְּבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃   32:6

Jere. 32:6   And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord occurred to me saying,

At this point the main narrative of this chapter resumes after the introductory verses leading up to this one.

הִנֵּה חֲנַמְאֵל בֶּן־שַׁלֻּם דֹּדְךָ בָּא אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר קְנֵה לְךָ אֶת־שָׂדִי אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתֹות כִּי לְךָ מִשְׁפַּט   32:7           הַגְּאֻלָּה לִקְנֹות׃

Jere. 32:7   ‘Behold, Hanamel son of Shallum, your uncle, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy my field that is in Anathoth for yourself, for yours is the right of kin to buy.’”

Was Hanamel Jeremiah’s uncle or was Shallum?  The consensus is that Shallum was Jeremiah’s uncle, but there exists some uncertainty.  In Jeremiah’s own words in the two next verses below, Shallum was his uncle.  But later we have some conflicting evidence.  I will address this again below.

וַיָּבֹא אֵלַי חֲנַמְאֵל בֶּן־דֹּדִי כִּדְבַר יְהוָה אֶל־חֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי קְנֵה נָא אֶת־שָׂדִי   32:8                       אֲשֶׁר־בַּעֲנָתֹות אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִין כִּי־לְךָ מִשְׁפַּט הַיְרֻשָּׁה וּלְךָ הַגְּאֻלָּה קְנֵה־לָךְ וָאֵדַע כִּי דְבַר־יְהוָה    הוּא׃

Jere. 32:8   Then Hanamel, the son of my uncle, came to me as had been the word of the Lord, to the enclosure of the guard and he said to me, “Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin, for yours is the right of possession and yours is the redemption; buy for yourself.”  Then I knew that it was the word of the Lord.

This and ensuing verses are strange in that the prophet is narrating in the first person, something rather rare in ancient writings, although some of the other prophets employ this technique at times.

וָאֶקְנֶה אֶת־הַשָּׂדֶה מֵאֵת חֲנַמְאֵל בֶּן־דֹּדִי אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתֹות וָאֶשְׁקֲלָה־לֹּו אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף שִׁבְעָה שְׁקָלִים   32:9 וַעֲשָׂרָה הַכָּסֶף׃

Jere. 32:9   So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle, that was in Anathoth and weighed out for him the money, the seven shekels and ten of silver.

וָאֶכְתֹּב בַּסֵּפֶר וָאֶחְתֹּם וָאָעֵד עֵדִים וָאֶשְׁקֹל הַכֶּסֶף בְּמֹאזְנָיִם׃   32:10

Jere. 32:10   Then I wrote on the deed and sealed, then I called witnesses and weighed the money on scales.

וָאֶקַּח אֶת־סֵפֶר הַמִּקְנָה אֶת־הֶחָתוּם הַמִּצְוָה וְהַחֻקִּים וְאֶת־הַגָּלוּי׃   32:11

Jere. 32:11   Then I took the deed of purchase, the sealed one of terms and conditions, and my open copy,

וָאֶתֵּן אֶת־הַסֵּפֶר הַמִּקְנָה אֶל־בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּה בֶּן־מַחְסֵיָה לְעֵינֵי חֲנַמְאֵל דֹּדִי וּלְעֵינֵי הָעֵדִים הַכֹּתְבִים   32:12 בְּסֵפֶר הַמִּקְנָה לְעֵינֵי כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִים הַיֹּשְׁבִים בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה׃

Jere. 32:12   and I gave the deed of the purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the eyes of Hanamel, my uncle, and in the eyes of the witnesses, the recorders on the deed of purchase, in the eyes of all the Jews sitting in the enclosure of the guard.

Now here may be the conflicting evidence that I mentioned above.  Jeremiah seems to be calling Hanamel his uncle in this verse.  To circumvent the possible conflict, other bibles interject one or more English words into this verse.  Some say “my uncle[‘s son]...,” others “[son of] my uncle.”  I can visualize one other condition by which the controversy is resolved.  Isn’t it possible that Shallum was also present at the recording of the deed?  However, Jeremiah’s words seem to suggest that this was not the case.  He doesn’t say “... in the eyes of Hanamel, in the eyes of my uncle, and in the eyes ...,” which is the way the Hebrew would most likely have indicated the presence of the uncle.  Nevertheless, I believe this is still a distinct possibility, and I have left the verse as is.  Perhaps this was one of Jeremiah’s fairly frequent lapses and he had meant to write the son of my uncle, as he had twice above.

In relation to Baruch, we will find in Chapter 36 that he was the scribe who years earlier than these events had written the word of the Lord through the mouth of Jeremiah into a book.  So Jeremiah knew him well and trusted him.

                                                                                                                      [Return to Jere. 51:59]

וָאֲצַוֶּה אֶת־בָּרוּךְ לְעֵינֵיהֶם לֵאמֹר׃   32:13

Jere. 32:13   Then I charged Baruch in their eyes saying,

כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאֹות אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָקֹוחַ אֶת־הַסְּפָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֵת סֵפֶר הַמִּקְנָה הַזֶּה וְאֵת   32:14        הֶחָתוּם וְאֵת סֵפֶר הַגָּלוּי הַזֶּה וּנְתַתָּם בִּכְלִי־חָרֶשׂ לְמַעַן יַעַמְדוּ יָמִים רַבִּים׃

Jere. 32:14   “Thus says the Lord of hosts, God of Israel:  ‘Take these deeds, deed of this purchase, including the sealed one and this open deed, and you should put them in an earthen vessel in order that they may last many days.’”

כִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאֹות אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹוד יִקָּנוּ בָתִּים וְשָׂדֹות וּכְרָמִים בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת׃   32:15

Jere. 32:15   “For thus says the Lord of hosts, God of Israel:  ‘Again shall houses and fields and vineyards be bought in this land.’”

וָאֶתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־יְהוָה אַחֲרֵי תִתִּי אֶת־סֵפֶר הַמִּקְנָה אֶל־בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּה לֵאמֹר׃   32:16

Jere. 32:16   Then I prayed to the Lord after I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah saying,

אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנֵּה אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ בְּכֹחֲךָ הַגָּדֹול וּבִזְרֹעֲךָ הַנְּטוּיָה   32:17            לֹא־יִפָּלֵא מִמְּךָ כָּל־דָּבָר׃

Jere. 32:17   “Alas, my Lord, O Lord!  Behold, You fashioned the heavens and the earth with Your great power and with Your outstretched ‘arm;’ nothing can be too hard for You,

עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים וּמְשַׁלֵּם עֲוֹן אָבֹות אֶל־חֵיק בְּנֵיהֶם אַחֲרֵיהֶם הָאֵל הַגָּדֹול הַגִּבֹּור יְהוָה צְבָאֹות   32:18 שְׁמֹו׃

Jere. 32:18   producing goodness for thousands and offering peace of the iniquity of the fathers to the bosom of their children after them, the great mighty God (the Lord of hosts is His Name),

גְּדֹל הָעֵצָה וְרַב הָעֲלִילִיָּה אֲשֶׁר־עֵינֶיךָ פְקֻחֹות עַל־כָּל־דַּרְכֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם לָתֵת לְאִישׁ כִּדְרָכָיו וְכִפְרִי   32:19 מַעֲלָלָיו׃

Jere. 32:19   the Great One of counsel and the Mighty One of deed, as Your eyes are open to all the habits of the children of Adam, ascribing to each according to his ways and according to the fruit of his actions,

אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתָּ אֹתֹות וּמֹפְתִים בְּאֶרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם עַד־הַיֹּום הַזֶּה וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבָאָדָם וַתַּעֲשֶׂה־לְּךָ שֵׁם   32:20         כַּיֹּום הַזֶּה׃

Jere. 32:20   that You ordained signs and wonders in the land of Egypt until this day, and in Israel and among humankind, and instituted a name for Yourself as it is this day,

וַתֹּצֵא אֶת־עַמְּךָ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם בְּאֹתֹות וּבְמֹופְתִים וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה וּבְאֶזְרֹועַ נְטוּיָה   32:21           גָּדֹול׃ וּבְמֹורָא

Jere. 32:21   and You brought out Your people, Israel, from the land of Egypt with signs and wonders and with a strong ‘hand’ and with an outstretched ‘arm’ and with great terror,

וַתִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבֹותָם לָתֵת לָהֶם אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ׃   32:22

Jere. 32:22   and gave this land to them that You swore to their ancestors to give to them, a land gushing milk and honey,

וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיִּרְשׁוּ אֹתָהּ וְלֹא־שָׁמְעוּ בְקֹולֶךָ (וּבְתֹרֹותֶךָ) [וּבְתֹורָתְךָ] לֹא־הָלָכוּ אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר   32:23                   צִוִּיתָה לָהֶם לַעֲשֹׂות לֹא עָשׂוּ וַתַּקְרֵא אֹתָם אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת׃

Jere. 32:23   and they entered and possessed it, yet they did not listen to Your voice, and did not proceed with Your Torah; nothing that You dictated to them to do did they do, so You have made all this evil to befall them.”

This verse concludes the first part of Jeremiah’s prayer, which extends without a break over seven verses, starting with 32:17.  This may be the second longest substantive sentence in the bible, although I haven’t checked this supposition out.

We also have another error in the parentheses in this verse.  The word as spelled can be translated as plural, Your laws.  It is unlikely, though, as the word law (actually, Torah) is rarely (never) used in the plural.  The correction (the singular spelling) is in the brackets.

הִנֵּה הַסֹּלְלֹות בָּאוּ הָעִיר לְלָכְדָהּ וְהָעִיר נִתְּנָה בְּיַד הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַנִּלְחָמִים עָלֶיהָ מִפְּנֵי הַחֶרֶב   32:24             וְהָרָעָב וְהַדָּבֶר וַאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ הָיָה וְהִנְּךָ רֹאֶה׃

Jere. 32:24   “Behold the mounds!  They enter the city to take it, and the city is put into the hand of the Chaldeans fighting against it as a result of the sword and the famine and the pestilence, that what You have spoken has happened, and behold, You are seeing it.”

וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ אֵלַי אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה קְנֵה־לְךָ הַשָּׂדֶה בַּכֶּסֶף וְהָעֵד עֵדִים וְהָעִיר נִתְּנָה בְּיַד הַכַּשְׂדִּים׃   32:25

Jere. 32:25   “Still You have said to me, my Lord, O Lord, ‘Buy the field for yourself with money and call witnesses when the city is delivered into the hand of the Chaldeans.’”

וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ לֵאמֹר׃   32:26

Jere. 32:26   And the word of the Lord occurred to Jeremiah saying,

הִנֵּה אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי כָּל־בָּשָׂר הֲמִמֶּנִּי יִפָּלֵא כָּל־דָּבָר׃   32:27

Jere. 32:27   “Behold, I am the Lord, God of all flesh.  Can any thing be too difficult for Me?”

Here I have a confession to reveal.  When I first translated this verse and then contemplated it, I had a very powerful spiritual experience (as has happened at other times during my journey) that grasped my inner being and spoke to me in very certain terms.  In the midst of this other-worldly sensation, I suddenly realized the vast significance of this statement to me and I felt God’s presence more deeply than I had for some time.  I suddenly experienced the reality as never before that God can and does perform miracles for us.  This profound spiritual realization caused chills to slide up my spine.

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי נֹתֵן אֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּיַד הַכַּשְׂדִּים וּבְיַד נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וּלְכָדָהּ׃   32:28

Jere. 32:28   “Therefore thus says the Lord:  ‘Behold, I am delivering this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, and he shall capture it.”

וּבָאוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַנִּלְחָמִים עַל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְהִצִּיתוּ אֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בָּאֵשׁ וּשְׂרָפוּהָ וְאֵת הַבָּתִּים   32:29 אֲשֶׁר קִטְּרוּ עַל־גַּגֹּותֵיהֶם לַבַּעַל וְהִסִּכוּ נְסָכִים לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְמַעַן הַכְעִסֵנִי׃

Jere. 32:29   ‘And the Chaldeans shall come fighting against this city and burn this city down with fire, and they will burn it with the houses in which they make sacrifices on their rooftops to Baal and pour drink offerings to other gods, thereby having provoked Me,

כִּי־הָיוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְנֵי יְהוּדָה אַךְ עֹשִׂים הָרַע בְּעֵינַי מִנְּעֻרֹתֵיהֶם כִּי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אַךְ מַכְעִסִים   32:30      אֹתִי בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃

Jere. 32:30   because the children of Israel and the children of Judah had continued only to do evil in My sight from their early years, because the children of Israel only have been provoking Me with the works of their hands, declares the Lord,

כִּי עַל־אַפִּי וְעַל־חֲמָתִי הָיְתָה לִּי הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְמִן־הַיֹּום אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ אֹותָהּ וְעַד הַיֹּום הַזֶּה לַהֲסִירָהּ   32:31 מֵעַל פָּנָי׃

Jere. 32:31   because despite My ‘anger’ and despite My ‘fury’ this city has continued for Me from the time that they built it and up to this day to turn itself away from My presence,

עַל כָּל־רָעַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְנֵי יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לְהַכְעִסֵנִי הֵמָּה מַלְכֵיהֶם שָׂרֵיהֶם כֹּהֲנֵיהֶם   32:32              וּנְבִיאֵיהֶם וְאִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃

Jere. 32:32   because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah that they had done to provoke Me, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

וַיִּפְנוּ אֵלַי עֹרֶף וְלֹא פָנִים וְלַמֵּד אֹתָם הַשְׁכֵּם וְלַמֵּד וְאֵינָם שֹׁמְעִים לָקַחַת מוּסָר׃   32:33

Jere. 32:33   that they have turned the back to Me and not the face, and teaching them frequently, though learning that none of them were listening to receive correction,

וַיָּשִׂימוּ שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם בַּבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עָלָיו לְטַמְּאֹו׃   32:34

Jere. 32:34   and they set up their abominations in the house that is called My name because of it, defiling it,

וַיִּבְנוּ אֶת־בָּמֹות הַבַּעַל אֲשֶׁר בְּגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם לְהַעֲבִיר אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בְּנֹותֵיהֶם לַמֹּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר   32:35             לֹא־צִוִּיתִים וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל־לִבִּי לַעֲשֹׂות הַתֹּועֵבָה הַזֹּאת לְמַעַן (הַחֲטִי) [הַחֲטִיא] אֶת־יְהוּדָה׃

Jere. 32:35   and they built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of the son of Hinnom to dedicate their sons and their daughters to Molech, which I did not command them, and it did not come up on My ‘mind,’ to do this abomination, causing Judah to sin.’

This verse ends the second long sentence in this chapter.  It extends from v. 32:28 to this one, a total of eight verses.  Now this may be the longest substantive sentence in the Hebrew Scriptures, although I haven’t checked this supposition out either.

We finally have a seemingly incontrovertible error in the parentheses.  The word is missing an aleph.  The correction is in the brackets.

וְעַתָּה לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים נִתְּנָה בְּיַד   32:36                 מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל בַּחֶרֶב וּבָרָעָב וּבַדָּבֶר׃

Jere. 32:36   ‘So now therefore thus says the Lord, God of Israel, concerning this city, of which you are saying it is delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and with famine and with pestilence:

הִנְנִי מְקַבְּצָם מִכָּל־הָאֲרָצֹות אֲשֶׁר הִדַּחְתִּים שָׁם בְּאַפִּי וּבַחֲמָתִי וּבְקֶצֶף גָּדֹול וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים   32:37                  אֶל־הַמָּקֹום הַזֶּה וְהֹשַׁבְתִּים לָבֶטַח׃

Jere. 32:37   ‘Behold, I shall be gathering them from all the lands where I have driven them in My ‘anger’ and in My ‘fury’ and with immense ‘wrath,’ and I shall return them to this place and I will have them dwell in safety,

וְהָיוּ לִי לְעָם וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים׃   32:38

Jere. 32:38   so they may be for a people to Me and I will be for God to them,

וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם לֵב אֶחָד וְדֶרֶךְ אֶחָד לְיִרְאָה אֹותִי כָּל־הַיָּמִים לְטֹוב לָהֶם וְלִבְנֵיהֶם אַחֲרֵיהֶם׃   32:39

Jere. 32:39   and I will produce in them one heart and one way, to revere Me all the time, for a benefit to them and to their children after them,

וְכָרַתִּי לָהֶם בְּרִית עֹולָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־אָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם לְהֵיטִיבִי אֹותָם וְאֶת־יִרְאָתִי אֶתֵּן בִּלְבָבָם   32:40 לְבִלְתִּי סוּר מֵעָלָי׃

Jere. 32:40   and I will make an everlasting pledge to them that I will not turn away from them, My doing them good, and I will set reverence of Me in their heart to not stray from Me.’

This verse ends the third long sentence in this chapter.  It extends from v. 32:36 to this one, a total of five verses.

וְשַׂשְׂתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם לְהֵטִיב אֹותָם וּנְטַעְתִּים בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת בֶּאֱמֶת בְּכָל־לִבִּי וּבְכָל־נַפְשִׁי׃   32:41

Jere. 32:41   ‘Then I will rejoice over them, doing them good, and I will firmly reestablish them in this land with all My ‘heart’ and all My ‘soul.’

כִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵבֵאתִי אֶל־הָעָם הַזֶּה אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה הַגְּדֹולָה הַזֹּאת כֵּן אָנֹכִי מֵבִיא   32:42 עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־כָּל־הַטֹּובָה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי דֹּבֵר עֲלֵיהֶם׃

Jere. 32:42   ‘For thus says the Lord:  ‘As I bring to this people all this great evil, so will I be bringing upon them all the good that I promised concerning them.

וְנִקְנָה הַשָּׂדֶה בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים שְׁמָמָה הִיא מֵאֵין אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה נִתְּנָה בְּיַד   32:43          הַכַּשְׂדִּים׃

Jere. 32:43   So may be bought the field in this land of which you are saying, ‘It will be a wasteland without human or beast, given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’

שָׂדֹות בַּכֶּסֶף יִקְנוּ וְכָתֹוב בַּסֵּפֶר וְחָתֹום וְהָעֵד עֵדִים בְּאֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן וּבִסְבִיבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם וּבְעָרֵי יְהוּדָה   32:44 וּבְעָרֵי הָהָר וּבְעָרֵי הַשְּׁפֵלָה וּבְעָרֵי הַנֶּגֶב כִּי־אָשִׁיב אֶת־שְׁבוּתָם נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃

Jere. 32:44   ‘They shall buy fields with money and one shall inscribe on a deed and seal, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin and in the surroundings of Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the hill country and in the cities of the lowlands and in the cities of the Negev, when I will bring back the captives of them,’ says the Lord.’”

If I am correct and this chapter was written just about the time of the fall of Jerusalem, then Jeremiah was indeed a true prophet, learning from the Lord what would come about in precisely seventy years.  Truly remarkable!

 

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