Jeremiah 33:4

4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said about the houses of this town and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been broken down to make earthworks and ...;

Jeremiah 33:4 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 33:4

For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel
The destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, which was now fulfilling, is here mentioned as a pledge of the accomplishment of spiritual blessings after spoken of; and to assure the prophet, that as he would with his own eyes see the fulfilment of the prophecies he had delivered out in the name of the Lord concerning that, so likewise as certainly would the other be brought to pass: concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the
kings of Judah, which were thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;
by "the mounts", which the Chaldeans raised without the city; or by the engines they placed there, by which they cast out stones into the city, to the demolishing of the houses in it; not in common only, but particularly the houses of the king and nobles, which they especially directed their shot at; and by "the sword", hammers, axes, and mattocks, for which sometimes this word is used, when they entered into the city. Though some render the words, "which are thrown down for mounts, and for the sword" ^F18; that mounts might be made of them within, on which the Jews might fight and defend themselves against the Chaldeans. So the Targum,

``which they pulled down, and threw up mounts to strengthen the wall, against those that kill with the sword;''

and so Jarchi interprets it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 (brxh law twlloh la) "ad aggeres et vastitatem", Tigurine version; "in missilia catapultaria, et in gladium", Junius & Tremellius; "ad catapultas, et ad gladium", so some in Calvin.

Jeremiah 33:4 In-Context

2 These are the words of the Lord, who is doing it, the Lord who is forming it, to make it certain; the Lord is his name;

3 Let your cry come to me, and I will give you an answer, and let you see great things and secret things of which you had no knowledge.

4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said about the houses of this town and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been broken down to make earthworks and ...;

5 ... and to make them full of the dead bodies of men whom I have put to death in my wrath and in my passion, and because of whose evil-doing I have kept my face covered from this town.

6 See, I will make it healthy and well again, I will even make them well; I will let them see peace and good faith in full measure.