Chapter Thirty

1–24. The foundation of a new Davidic kingdom after judgment upon Judah and Israel.

Jer 30:1-24. The prophet sees not only Israel but also Judah already led into captivity after a severe struggle to preserve their independence. But now a vision of a bright future unfolds before him, a future that lies ahead for both Hebrew kingdoms. In place of foreign rulers, the Hebrew people will be governed by the promised son of David, or, as the prophet expresses it, David himself. The Lord will regard them as His children and the true theocratic community will be formed again. But all this will come about only after terrible judgments of God are executed upon the Hebrews.

Jeremiah 30:2. “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write down for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you in a book. The prophet must record his prophecy in a book because it concerned all the Hebrews living in captivity, whom Jeremiah could not address in person.

Jeremiah 30:4. “And these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. Jeremiah 30:5. “Thus says the Lord: We hear a voice of trembling and fear, but not of peace. The prophet depicts destruction as though it has already come to pass. But what destruction is he speaking of here? Whose fate does he have in mind? Some see in this a prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem; others—of the destruction of Babylon. Having in mind a similar passage in the book of the prophet Isaiah (Isa 13:4 and following), which directly concerns Babylon, we can also see here a prophecy of the day of the Lord—that is, of the great judgment of the Lord upon Babylon.

Jeremiah 30:7. “Oh, what anguish! Great is that day—like nothing before it. It is a time of trouble for Jacob, yet he will be saved from it. The Hebrews in Babylon will also have to endure great hardships during the destruction of that city, but on the whole they will emerge safely from the danger.

Jeremiah 30:9. “But they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. David, of whom Jeremiah speaks here, is evidently identical with the righteous Branch of whom there is mention in Jer 23:5 and in Jer 33:15. Since the enthronement of this descendant of David, who by the splendor of his reign will be a second David, is at the same time united in the prophet’s representation with the purification of the people and the conclusion of an eternal Covenant with God, it is clear that the prophet is properly speaking here of the Messiah (cf. Luke 1:32).

Jeremiah 30:16. “But all who devour you will be devoured, and all your adversaries, all of them, will go into captivity, and those who plunder you will be plundered, and all who prey upon you I will give as prey. Cf. Jer 2:3. The peoples who were hostile to Israel and caused harm to it must be punished, because Israel itself did not harm them.

Jeremiah 30:21. “And their leader will come from among them, and their ruler will emerge from their midst. I will bring him near, and he will approach me. For who would venture to approach me on his own?” declares the Lord. The king’s approach to God will be such as the priests had (Num 16:5), or like that of the great mediator between God and the people, Moses (Exod 24:2). The king will venture to do this—that is, he will feel himself fully worthy of this extraordinary closeness to God. Evidently, Jeremiah is speaking here of the Messiah (Heb 9:11-12). Special Remarks. In this section of his book, Jeremiah sets forth three propositions: (1) Israel will ultimately return to the Lord; (2) from the lands of captivity and dispersion, he will be gathered again into Palestine; and (3) from there the dominion of the Lord will extend over all peoples who were hostile to the Hebrews. These prophecies, also set forth by other prophets (cf. Isa 9:1-7; Ezek 16:53-63; Dan 2:44-45; Amos 9:13-15; Zech 2; Zech 8:7-8; and others), some interpreters refer not to the Jewish people but to the Christian Church; others interpret even the very blessings that the prophet here promises to his people in a symbolic sense, seeing in them spiritual blessings—the blessedness of the new life of the truly faithful after the great judgment, when there will be a new heaven and a new earth. One cannot agree with such an understanding of Jeremiah’s prophecy and that of other prophets for the following reasons: (1) All acknowledge that the threats which from the time of Moses were proclaimed by the prophets against Israel actually concerned the Hebrews and were fulfilled in them. It would therefore be extremely inconsistent not to refer to Israel the promises that follow the threats and which, according to the conviction of the prophets, must necessarily be fulfilled. (2) The fundamental condition for receiving future blessings is the conversion of Israel. But what sense would this requirement have if by Judah and Israel we understand the Christian Church? Moreover, if by Judah and Israel we understand only the chosen fellowship of Christians, including among these the converted Jews—and we must think this way, because Christians in name only, of whom there are certainly the majority in the Church, cannot receive these blessings—then of what new conversion of these chosen ones can the prophets speak? Considered as a whole, this community of chosen Christians is already converted. Conversely, the Hebrew people as a whole genuinely still needs conversion to the path of truth, and therefore, the prophets are speaking of it. (3) The prophets certainly do not exclude the heathen from the realm of salvation, but at the same time they make a clear distinction between Israel and the heathen. This distinction would be erased if the prophecies foretelling the future exaltation of Israel were seen as relating equally to both Jews and heathen. Thus, in full accord with the spirit of prophecy, we can see here an indication of the future conversion of all Israel, with Israel occupying the central place in the Church of Christ (cf. Rom 11:15). Similarly, one cannot interpret the prophecies concerning the blessings awaiting Israel in a purely spiritual sense and understand them as blessings of the future, heavenly life. For Jeremiah, like other prophets, knows and speaks of these latter blessings, but this does not prevent them from speaking separately and specifically of material blessings, which, evidently, they understand in a direct, literal sense (cf. Ezek 36:25-27). Regarding the entire section of chapters XXX–XXXIII, see the remarks after chapter XXXIII.