Jeremiah 30 Study Notes
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30:1-33:26 These chapters were written during the final days of the siege of Jerusalem (the last eighteen months of that siege; 32:1-2); yet they foretell a bright future. Jeremiah was in prison and the city was in dire straits; nevertheless, he foresaw in the distant future the restoration of the nation to its land, the new covenant of redemption, the rule of a purified Davidic king over a purified Zion, and a large number of Gentiles coming to the Messiah.
30:2 The command from the Lord to Jeremiah to write on a scroll all the words that I have spoken introduces chaps. 30-31, and probably 32-33 as well.
30:3 The days are coming announces eschatological times (3:16; 16:14; 23:5; 31:27,31). It is the distant future that Jeremiah had in mind. The phrase I will restore the fortunes (lit “turn the turnings” or “reverse the fortunes”) appears often in these chapters. Restore them to the land I gave to their ancestors looks to a time beyond the future return from the exile. The exiles, when they returned, reclaimed only a small portion of the ancestral lands; thus, the restoration God promised here looks beyond this event.
30:4-8 Much debate revolves around the phrase on that day. Was this the day Cyrus captured Babylon? If so, why would it be so horrendous for Israel? Cyrus was their liberator. “That day,” therefore, must be the time when God will judge all nations. “That day” is used in Scripture to introduce the “Day of the Lord” (Am 5:18-20; Zph 1:14-18). All oppression (his understood collectively of all Israel’s oppressors) of Israel will be overcome on that future day.
shever
| Hebrew pronunciation | [sheh VER] |
| CSB translation | brokenness, destruction, injury |
| Uses in Jeremiah | 15 |
| Uses in the OT | 44 |
| Focus passage | Jeremiah 30:12,15 |
Shever, from the verb shabar (break), has many of its connotations. Jeremiah especially likes both words. Shever describes a broken foot (Lv 21:19), spirit (Is 65:14), or people (Jr 6:14). It denotes fracture (Lv 24:20) or injury (Jr 30:12). It is a personal downfall (Pr 18:12) and a people’s brokenness (Jr 6:14), ruin (Am 6:6), or wretchedness (Is 59:7). It suggests land fissures (Ps 60:2), collapse of a wall (Is 30:13), or shattering of a jar (Is 30:14). Shever mostly implies disaster (Jr 4:20) or destruction (Is 15:5); it occurs with terms for “devastation” (shod, Jr 48:3; she’t, Lm 3:47). Shever indicates dream interpretation (Jdg 7:15). It connotes a crashing (Zph 1:10) or thrashing (Jb 41:25). It can be translated by verbs like broken (Is 1:28). Related shibron indicates destruction (Jr 17:18) and bitter groaning (Ezk 21:6). Both shibron (1x) and shever (3x) occur alongside the verb shabar.
30:9 David their king, whom God will raise up for them refers to the future ideal king, a so-called “second David.” This messianic person in the line of David is paired with the Lord their God. The Jewish Targum correctly interprets this line as “Messiah, the son of David.”
30:10 Judah and Israel are called my servant Jacob. Elsewhere diverse persons such as Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and the Messiah are said to be God’s servants or shepherds (e.g., 25:9; Is 44:28). God promised to regather Israel from all the lands where he had scattered them (Jacob will return). Their condition will be one of calm and quiet, a pastoral metaphor, like sheep resting with no one to frighten them.
30:11 God will chasten and destroy all the nations that oppress Israel. But he will not bring destruction on Israel, even though no one will be left unpunished.
30:12-17 Israel’s wounds will be beyond human help, but the Lord will serve as their physician (but I will bring you health, see 3:22; 33:6). Israel’s sad condition appears in three metaphors: no medicine, no physician, and no lovers.
30:15-16 Some argue that there is a radical change in God’s attitude between these two verses. But God remains the same. His judgment must fall to bring Israel to the point where he can restore them. Israel’s best hope was that God remains constant in spite of human fickleness. Israel’s enemies will experience the same things Israel went through. (1) The nations who devoured you will be devoured. (2) Those who sent Israel into captivity will go off into exile. (3) The plunderers will be plundered. (4) Those who raided Israel will be raided.
30:18-20 In these verses a whole new day, not just a restoration, is promised for Israel. Jerusalem will be rebuilt, repopulated, and ruled by a new leader who is responsive to God.
30:18 Every city will be rebuilt on its mound or “tel.” The Arabic word tell (Hb tel) denotes a mound that stands on the ruins of a destroyed or abandoned town.
30:21-22 This messianic prophecy emphasizes three functions. (1) The Messiah will be a native (one of them), not a foreigner. (2) He will carry the priestly prerogative, which allows him to approach the Lord like Melchizedek (Heb 5:5-6). (3) He will declare You will be my people, and I will be your God.
30:23-24 To forestall any false security from the promises just delivered in vv. 17-22, judgment must be poured out on the guilty. God’s judgment will be like a sudden windstorm. His wrath will continue until the purposes of his heart are completely fulfilled. His purposes cannot be enacted until the sins of Israel and her adversaries have been addressed.