Chapter 30
God promises liberation
Lecture 1
Command to write
30:1 This is the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying:
30:2 thus says the Lord , the God of Israel, saying: write for yourself all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.
30:3 For behold, the days are coming, says the Lord , when I shall turn the turning of my people Israel, and Judah, says the Lord . And I shall turn them to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
154 . After threatening, he begins here to offer consolation.
First, he offers consolation to all communally;
second, particularly to the royal city, namely, Jerusalem: and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time (Jer 33:1).
The first part divides into two.
First, he consoles them by word;
second, he signifies the consolation by action: the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 32:1).
The first part divides into two.
In the first, he consoles them with the fact that they have evaded adversity;
in the second, with the promise of prosperity: at that time, says the Lord (Jer 31:1).
The first part divides into two.
In the first, he promises liberation in general.
In the second, he describes the promise in particular, at and these are the words which the Lord spoke (Jer 30:4).
Concerning the former, he makes two points.
First, the Lord gives the prophet the command of preserving the prophecy: write for yourself all the words , which have been foretold and which shall follow, the revelation of which he had already taken up within the text, so that they should be preserved for a long time; by which is signified that they are not to be fulfilled swiftly. Take for yourself a great book, and write in it with the pen of a man: swiftly take the spoils away, quickly take the prey (Isa 8:1). Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he who reads it may run over it (Hab 2:2).
Second, he promises the benefit of liberation: for behold, I shall turn , that is, I shall call back from the land of captivity, in regard to the end from which the turning begins; the turning , because not all but only those who will be worthy of such a conversion; Israel , the ten tribes with regard to those who came to king Hezekiah in Jerusalem. For they were taken captive with them, and at their return, they shall return (2 Chr 30:9). Or it refers to the conversion to the faith of Christ. And I shall turn , in regard to the end to which the turning is directed. When the Lord turned the captivity of Zion, we became like those who are consoled (Ps 125:1).
Lecture 2
Stages of liberation
30:4 And these are the words which the Lord spoke to Israel and to Judah:
30:5 for thus says the Lord : we have heard a voice of terror, fear, and there was no peace.
30:6 Ask, and see if a man gives birth. Why, therefore, do I see the hand of every man upon his loins as though he were a woman in labor, and why have all their faces turned sickly?
30:7 Woe! For it is that great day, and there is none like it; it is also a time of tribulation for Jacob, and he shall be saved from it.
30:8 And it shall be on that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I shall break his yoke from your neck, and I shall burst his bonds, and strangers shall no more rule over him.
30:9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I shall raise up for them.
30:10 Therefore, do not fear, O you my servant Jacob, says the Lord ; neither be afraid, O Israel; for behold, I shall save you from a distant land, and your seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return and be at rest, and he shall abound with every good thing, and there shall be none who fears.
30:11 For I am with you, says the Lord , to save you. For I shall make an end among all the nations, among whom I have scattered you; but I shall not make an end of you. But I shall chasten you in judgment, that you do not seem innocent to yourself.
155 . Here, he describes the stages of the liberation.
First, he promises them liberation from bondage to the enemy;
second, from the manifold destruction which they have endured, at for thus says the Lord (Jer 30:12).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he sets forth the former oppression, which he signifies when he sets forth the fear caused by the enemy: we have heard a voice of terror , foretold before by the prophets; fear, and there was no peace , from someone bringing assistance. The sound of terror is always in his ears, and when there is peace he always suspects treachery (Job 15:21).
The expression of fear from the posture of the body, for they were turned into the likeness of a woman in labor with her hands upon her loins, because of astonishment: ask . There, suffering like one in labor (Ps 47:7). And from the loss of strength: and why have all their faces turned sickly , which is the color black mixed with red, as when one is angry. And it comes from the burning wind. Their countenances shall be as faces burnt (Isa 13:8). All their faces shall be made like a kettle (Joel 2:6).
He also sets forth the magnitude of their fear and anxiety: woe, for it is that great , in magnitude of tribulation, day , the day of the capture of Jerusalem. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter; then shall there be a mighty tribulation. A day of wrath is that day, a day of tribulation and distress; a day of calamity and misery; a day of darkness and gloom, a day of smoke and the whirlwind, a day of the trumpet and noise (Zeph 1:14–15).
Second, he promises future salvation.
First, he promises liberation: and he shall be saved from it , from that time, however evil it be. I shall save them by the Lord their God (Hos 1:7).
Second, the manner and order of salvation, when he promises them liberation from bondage and excludes the domination of the enemy: and it shall be on that day . . . I shall break his yoke , Nebuchadnezzar himself. And strangers shall no more rule , because the time of Simon has been fulfilled (1 Macc 16:2–3). Or it is to be referred to the liberation accomplished by Christ from the power of the demons. For you have overcome the yoke of his burden, and the rod of his shoulder, and the scepter of his oppressor (Isa 9:4).
And he promises them the longed-for rule: but they shall serve , that is, they shall serve someone who will be like David to you, as were Simon and Jonathan. Or Zerubbabel, who was of the line of David. Or Christ. But they longed most for the rule of David because of the prosperity and peace which they had in his time and because they were not oppressed by forced labor, as in the time of Solomon. David my servant shall be their prince forever (Ezek 37:24).
He also foresees the liberation from captivity when he excludes fear: therefore, do not fear . Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I shall lead your seed from the east, and I shall gather you from the west (Isa 43:5). And he speaks of their liberation with regard to the end from which the liberation begins: for behold, I shall save you from a distant land . Behold, I shall save my people from the land of the east, and from the land of the setting of the sun, and I shall bring them; and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be for me a people, and I shall be for them a God, in truth, and in justice (Zech 8:7–8). And with regard to the end to which the liberation is directed: and Jacob shall return and be at rest , with regard to the tranquility of peace; and with every good thing , with regard to the fruitfulness of their affairs. My people shall dwell in a multitude of peace, and in the tents of confidence, and in abundant rest (Isa 32:28).
Third, he shows the author of their salvation.
First, he speaks of the presence of the savior: for I am with you . Above: the Lord is with me, as a mighty man of war; therefore, those who persecute me shall fall and be weak; they shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not understood the eternal reproach, which shall never be blotted out (Jer 20:11).
Second, vengeance upon their enemies: for I shall make an end —he will lead them to the end of consumption. The Lord shall make a consumption and a shortening in the midst of the whole earth (Isa 10:22).
Third, for you the mercy of preservation: but I shall not make an end of you , such that there should be no remnant of you. Above: nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord , I will not make an end of you (Jer 5:18).
Fourth, he introduces a moderated punishment to chastise them: I shall chasten you in judgment . Above: correct me, O Lord , but with judgment, and not in your wrath, lest you bring me to nothing (Jer 10:24), in the judgment of equity.
Lecture 3
God promises healing
30:12 For thus says the Lord : your breach is incurable, your wound very grievous.
30:13 There is none who may judge your judgment to bind it; you have no useful medicines.
30:14 All your lovers have forgotten you, and they shall not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with cruel chastisement. For the multitude of your iniquity, your sins have become hard.
30:15 Why do you cry for your destruction? Your pain is incurable; because of the multitude of your iniquity, and because of your hard sins, I have done these things to you.
30:16 Therefore, all who eat you shall be devoured, and all your enemies shall be led into captivity; and those who waste you shall be wasted, and all those who spoil you I shall give as spoil.
30:17 For I will cover up your scar, and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord . Because they have called you, O Zion, an outcast: ‘This is she, who has none to seek after her.’
30:18 Thus says the Lord : behold, I shall turn the turnings of the tents of Jacob, and shall have mercy on his houses, and the city shall be built on its high place, and the temple shall be established according to the order thereof.
30:19 And praise shall go forth from them, and the voice of those who play. And I shall multiply them, and they shall not be diminished; and I shall glorify them, and they shall not be lessened.
30:20 And their children shall be as they were in the beginning, and their assembly shall remain before me, and I shall visit against all who trouble them.
30:21 And their leader shall be of themselves, and a prince from their midst shall be brought forth; and I will bring him near, and he shall come to me. For who is this that sets his heart to approach me? says the Lord :
30:22 And you shall be for me a people, and I shall be for you a God.
156 . Here, he promises liberation from destruction, from the great affliction, which they had endured; concerning this, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the preceding destruction, showing its greatness, because it is as if the magnitude of the destruction shall have been so great that it cannot be repaired by human strength; breach , which speaks of a disruption of continuity and signifies the destruction of men or of cities; incurable , because of its greatness, insofar as it is in itself, although God could heal it; grievous , because of its depth. Your wound is great like the sea; who shall heal you? (Lam 2:13).
He excludes also the intervention of human assistance, whether by the judgment of justice rendered by a judge for the injustice sustained: there is none who may judge , against the enemy, to bind , as those who cure wounds bind a plaster upon them. The Lord saw, and evil appeared in his eyes, because there is no judgment (Isa 59:15). Or according to the affect of an intervening friendship: you have no useful medicines , namely, from among your friends, because you have offended the true physician. All her friends have spurned her, and have become her enemies (Lam 1:2).
He also shows the fairness of the punishment when he gives the cause of the punishment: for the wound of an enemy , who struck mortally, because it is incurable; cruel , because it is deep. For the multitude —for this reason, it ought to be a great wound, which would encompass all their corruption; hard , with regard to obstinacy, and therefore it was fitting for it to be grievous; and deep, penetrating even to the inmost parts. The Lord has become as an enemy, he has cast down Israel, he has cast down all her walls, he has broken up her bulwarks, and has multiplied in the daughter of Judah the afflicted, both the men and the women (Lam 2:5).
And he excludes the complaint of the murmurers: why do you cry? By murmuring. For they cannot be healed except by the most bitter effort, by which I would cut away putrid and incurable flesh. Why has a living man murmured, a man suffering for his sins? (Lam 3:39).
Second, he promises liberation.
First, he promises the benefit of aid with regard to the judgment of vengeance for the injustice committed against persons, for there is no other who may free them; who eat , by killing, your enemies , who take you captive. Above: all who swallow him up transgress. Evil shall come upon them, says the Lord (Jer 2:3). And against the injustice committed against goods: and those who waste you , with regard to immoveable goods, those who spoil , with regard to moveable goods. Woe to you who spoil, shall you yourself not also be spoiled? (Isa 33:1).
And with regard to the friendly disposition of the healer, he speaks of the healing: I will cover up , that is, I shall cure you so completely, that not even a vestige shall appear of your former wound. Who heals the broken heart, and binds up their wound (Ps 146:3). These things occurred under Zerubbabel when the Babylonians and the Chaldeans wasted the Assyrians—that is, Nineveh—and were themselves wasted by the Medes and Persians. And then the scar is covered , etc. (Jer 8:22). And he gives the reason: because they have called you an outcast , namely, the enemy. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart exult in his ruin, lest perhaps the Lord see, and it displease him, and he take his wrath away from him (Prov 24:17–18). For the reproach of the enemy is the cause of divine mercy.
Second, he shows the manner of assistance: thus says the Lord :
first, with regard to the manner of assistance: behold, I shall turn ;
second, with regard to the manner of vengeance: behold, the whirlwind of the Lord , his fury going forth, a rushing storm (Jer 30:23).
Concerning the former, he first promises a restoration of all buildings generally: I shall turn , that is, I shall restore to their original state, the tents , the houses. They shall build up the wildernesses of the peoples, and shall raise up ancient ruins, and they shall restore cities deserted and laid waste for generations (Isa 61:4). And with regard to the princely places specifically: and the city shall be built , that is, Jerusalem. I who say to Jerusalem, you shall be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah, you shall be built; and to your waste places, I shall raise you up (Isa 44:26).
Second, he promises the prosperity of man with regard to joyfulness of heart: and praise shall go forth from them . Joy and gladness shall be found in her, and thanksgiving, and the voice of praise (Isa 51:3). With regard to the multitude of the people: I shall multiply them, and they shall not be diminished , insofar as it depends upon me, unless it comes about because of their own fault. I shall count them, and shall multiply them more than the sand of the sea (Ps 138:18). Alternatively, it is to be understood to concern those who are converted to Christ.
And with regard to the exaltation of man: and I shall glorify them (Jer 30:19), either bodily or spiritually, with regard to the sanctity of virtue, and their children shall be as they were in the beginning , that is, like their holy fathers, before me , by cleanness of life. And I shall visit , because I shall defend and avenge them. Who shall give me that I may be as in former months, and as the days when the Lord kept me? (Job 29:2).
Third, with regard to the goodness of their rulers.
First, he speaks of their kinship, for they are from the same line: and their leader shall be of themselves . This refers to Zerubbabel, or it refers to Christ. I shall give them vinedressers from the same place (Hos 2:15).
Second, of their holiness: and I will bring him near, and he shall come to me , by justice. For who is this that sets his heart to approach me? , by which is shown the author of the drawing, for no one is drawn near, unless he be drawn by God. No one can come to me, unless my Father, who sent me, draw him (John 6:44).
Third, he touches on the usefulness of justice: and you shall be for me a people . As the ruler of the city, so the inhabitants thereof (Sir 10:2).
Lecture 4
God will accomplish his wrath
30:23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord , his fury going forth, a rushing storm; it shall rest upon the head of the wicked.
30:24 The Lord shall not turn aside the wrath of his indignation until he has done and accomplished the thought of his heart; in the end you will understand these things.
157 . Here, he speaks of the manner of vindication.
First, he threatens a punishment: behold, the whirlwind , that scatters, as the movement of the air does the dust, by captivity; a storm , that swallows up through death, as the waves of the sea; of the wicked , those who had afflicted the Jews and have not been corrected concerning their evils; it shall rest , as though remaining in punishment. And the passage of the rod shall be strongly grounded, which the Lord shall make to rest upon him (Isa 30:32).
Second, he excludes mercy: the Lord shall not turn aside the wrath . In all these things the wrath of the Lord was not turned back; but still was his hand stretched forth (Isa 9:12).
Third, he promises knowledge of these things: in the end you will understand these things , namely, when all these things have come to pass. The Lord shall be known when he carries out judgment; the sinner shall be caught in the works of his hands (Ps 9:17).