Chapter Thirty-Two

1–15. A symbolic action that God commanded Jeremiah to perform—the purchase of a field in the city of Anathoth. 16–25. The prayer of the prophet for an explanation of the meaning of this action. 26–44. The divine explanation.

Jer 32:1-15. At the time when the Chaldeans were besieging Jerusalem from all sides, and when there was no doubt that they would bring the siege to a successful end, Jeremiah, imprisoned in the palace court, received from his relative an offer to purchase a parcel of land in Anathoth. The prophet, in accordance with God’s command, purchased the parcel and completed a deed of purchase in proper form to indicate that eventually, when the Jewish people who had been taken into captivity returned to that land, it would be needed, for then the returned inhabitants of that land would be buying fields and vineyards again.

Jeremiah 32:2. “Then the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah. This refers to the second siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, after he had to temporarily withdraw from Jerusalem in view of the approach of Egyptian forces. For Jeremiah’s confinement under guard, see Jer 37:12-21 verse. “The courtyard of the guard” is not a prison but rather a place of lodging for the royal guard.

Jeremiah 32:3. “Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, ‘Why do you prophesy as you do? You say: “Thus says the Lord: I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.””’ Jeremiah 32:4. “Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the Chaldeans but will surely be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face, and his eyes will see his eyes. Jeremiah 32:5. “And he will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed. Here the content of the prophet’s speeches about Zedekiah is briefly summarized (cf. Jer 21:4 and following; Jer 34:2 and following; Jer 37:17).

Jeremiah 32:7. “Now Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as the nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’ Jeremiah was probably the nearest relative of Hanamel, and therefore the latter, probably in a difficult financial situation, offers to Jeremiah to purchase his field, as required by the law of Moses (Num 27:8-11; Lev 25:25). This parcel of land, of course, lay near the walls of Anathoth, because Levites usually had parcels there for pasture (Num 35:2). If in the book Lev 25:34 such parcels are forbidden to be sold, this prohibition probably concerned their sale to Hebrews from another tribe.

Jeremiah 32:9. “So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. “Seventeen shekels of silver”—a low price (13 rubles 50 kopecks in 1909), but for Jeremiah at that time even this sum was undoubtedly significant.

Jeremiah 32:10. “I signed the deed, sealed it, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. “I sealed it.” The prophet seals one copy of the deed of purchase for giving it for safekeeping to his student Baruch. The other copy remains unsealed so that it is always possible to check who owns the aforementioned parcel.

Jeremiah 32:14. “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these documents, this deed of purchase, both the sealed and the unsealed copies, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. The deed will have meaning perhaps for the descendants of Jeremiah and Hanamel. Jer 32:16-25. In his prayer the prophet confesses faith in the almightiness and righteousness of the Lord. He displayed both of these especially toward the people of Israel, whom He once brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand, but now, because of their disobedience, has subjected to all the horrors of a siege. Foreseeing that all the land of Judea is designated by God for devastation, the prophet asks why the Lord commanded him to buy a parcel of land.

Jeremiah 32:21. “You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror. “With great terror”—this is the terror that seized the peoples living near Palestine and Egypt (Deut 11:25). Jer 32:26-44. The Lord answers the prophet that Jerusalem will indeed be taken by the Chaldeans, and points out the reason for this—turning away from God and idolatry. Nevertheless, the Lord does not forever reject His people. He will gather them again from the various lands to which they will be scattered, and will make with them a New eternal Covenant. Then the landed properties in Judea will be returned again to their owners.

Jeremiah 32:39. “I will give them a single heart and a single way, that they might fear me always, for their own good and the good of their children after them. Here the Lord clarifies the expression Jer 31—“I will write [the law] on their hearts.” He Himself will guide them in the way of true knowledge of God and obedience to Him, and only with such constant divine guidance is an eternal Covenant between Him and the people of Israel possible.

Jeremiah 32:44. “Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the land of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the Shephelah and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord. For the division of the land of Judea, see Jer 17:26.