Jeremiah 33:9-19

9 1And this city[a] shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall 2fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.
10 "Thus says the LORD: In this place 3of which you say, 'It is a waste without man or beast,' in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again
11 4the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring 5thank offerings to the house of the LORD: 6"'Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!'7For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD.
12 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 8In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be 9habitations of shepherds 10resting their flocks.
13 11In the cities of the hill country, 12in the cities of the Shephelah, 13and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, 14the places about Jerusalem, 15and in the cities of Judah, 16flocks shall again pass under the hands 17of the one who counts them, says the LORD.

The Lord's Eternal Covenant with David

14 18"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when 19I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous 20Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved, 21and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 22'The LORD is our righteousness.'
17 "For thus says the LORD: 23David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,
18 24and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever."
19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 33:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 33

This chapter is a continuation of prophecies of spiritual blessings on the church of Christ in Gospel times, of which the return of the Jews from captivity, and the benefits following on that, were types. The place where Jeremiah had this prophecy communicated to him, the prison, Jer 33:1; the author of it, Jehovah, who describes himself, Jer 33:2; encourages the prophet to pray unto him, promising an answer, and a discovery of great and hidden things, Jer 33:3; not so much concerning the destruction of the city, and the rebuilding it, Jer 33:4,5; as spiritual blessings to the church, signified by it; such as a healthful state and condition through Christ, the sun of righteousness, arising with healing in his wings, and a revelation of abundance of peace and truth by him, Jer 33:6; a release of captives, and a rebuilding of the church, Jer 33:7; free and full forgiveness of all sins, Jer 33:8; the church a praise in the whole earth; much joy in it, and glory to God by it, Jer 33:9-11; spiritual pastors or shepherds feeding their flocks, and taking very diligent care of them, Jer 33:12,13; a promise of the Messiah as a righteous Branch; as the Saviour and safeguard of his people; and as the Lord their righteousness, Jer 33:14-16; an assurance of the continuance of the kingly and priestly offices in him, whereby the covenant of God with David and the Levites would be for ever secured, Jer 33:17-22; and the chapter is concluded with a promise of the perseverance of the saints and people of God; which is represented as certain as the covenant with day and night, and as the ordinances of heaven and earth, in opposition to a suggestion to the contrary, Jer 33:23-26.

Cross References 24

  • 1. See Jeremiah 13:11
  • 2. [Psalms 130:4; Isaiah 60:5]
  • 3. Jeremiah 32:43
  • 4. See Jeremiah 7:34
  • 5. 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalms 106:1; Psalms 107:1; Isaiah 12:4
  • 6. Jeremiah 30:19; Leviticus 7:12; Psalms 107:22
  • 7. [See ver. 7 above]
  • 8. [Ezekiel 36:11]
  • 9. [Jeremiah 31:24; Jeremiah 50:19; Isaiah 65:10; Ezekiel 34:14, 15]
  • 10. Song of Songs 1:7
  • 11. See Jeremiah 17:26
  • 12. See Jeremiah 17:26
  • 13. See Jeremiah 17:26
  • 14. See Jeremiah 17:26
  • 15. See Jeremiah 17:26
  • 16. [Leviticus 27:32]
  • 17. [John 10:3]
  • 18. For ver. 14-16, see Jeremiah 23:5, 6
  • 19. Jeremiah 29:10
  • 20. Jeremiah 23:5; [Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 11:1]
  • 21. Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 32:37
  • 22. Jeremiah 23:6
  • 23. 2 Samuel 7:16; 1 Kings 2:4; Psalms 89:3, 4
  • 24. [Isaiah 66:21]

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.