Jeremiah 32:28-38

28 Therefore the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall betake this city into the hands of Chaldees, and into the hand of (Nebuchadnezzar,) the king of Babylon, and he shall take it. (And so the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall deliver this city into the hands of the Chaldeans, and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he shall take it/and he shall capture it.)

29 And Chaldees shall come, and fight against this city, and they shall burn it with fire, and they shall burn it, and [the] houses, in whose roofs they sacrificed to Baal, and offered moist sacrifices to alien gods, to stir me to wrath. (And the Chaldeans shall come, and fight against this city, and they shall burn it down, yea, they shall burn it down, and all the houses, on whose rooftops they sacrificed to Baal, and offered wine offerings to strange, or to foreign, gods, to stir me to anger.)

30 For why the sons of Israel, and the sons of Judah, did evil continually, from their young waxing age, before mine eyes; the sons of Israel, which till to now (hath) wrathed me by the work of their hands, saith the Lord. (For the Israelites, and the people of Judah, continually did evil, from their youth, before me; the Israelites, who until now have angered me with the work of their hands, saith the Lord.)

31 For why this city is made to me in my strong vengeance and indignation (For this city hath stirred my strong vengeance and my indignation), from the day in which they built it, unto this day, in which it shall be taken away from my sight;

32 (yea, taken away) for the malice of the sons of Israel, and of the sons of Judah, which they did, stirring me to wrathfulness, they, and the kings of them, the princes of them, and the priests, and prophets of them, the men of Judah, and the dwellers of Jerusalem. (yea, taken away for the malice of the Israelites, and of the people of Judah, which they did, stirring me to anger, they, and their kings, their princes, or their leaders, and their priests, and their prophets, yea, the people of Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.)

33 And they turned to me the backs, and not the faces, when I taught, and informed them early; and they would not hear, that they should take teaching. (And they turned their backs on me/And they turned their backs to me, and not their faces, when I rose up early to teach them, and to inform them; and they would not listen, so that they would take my teaching to heart.)

34 And they setted their idols in the house, in which my name is called to help, that they should defoul it. (And they put their idols in the House, where my name is called on for help/which is called by my name, and so they did defile it.)

35 And they builded (the) high things to Baal, that be in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, that they should hallow their sons and their daughters to Molech (And they built the high places, or the hill shrines, to Baal, that be in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, where they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech), which thing I commanded not to them, neither it ascended into mine heart, that they should do this abomination, and (so) bring [down] Judah into sin.

36 And now for these things, the Lord God of Israel saith these things to this city, of which ye say, that it shall be betaken into the hands of the king of Babylon, in sword, and in hunger, and in pestilence, (And now for these things, the Lord God of Israel saith these things to this city, of which ye say, that it shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, with the sword, and with hunger, and with pestilence,)

37 Lo! I shall gather them from all lands, to which I casted them out in my strong vengeance, and in my wrath, and in (my) great indignation; and I shall bring them again to this place, and I shall make them to dwell trustily.

38 And they shall be into a people to me, and I shall be into God to them. (And they shall be my people, and I shall be their God.)

Jeremiah 32:28-38 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 32

This chapter contains an account of Jeremiah's imprisonment, and the cause of it; of his buying a field of his uncle's son, and the design of it; of his prayer to God, and of the answer returned to him. The time of his imprisonment, the place where, and the reasons of it, are observed in Jer 32:1-5; that his uncle's son would come and offer the sale of a field to him was told him by the Lord, which he did accordingly, Jer 32:6,7; of whom he bought the field, paid the money, had the purchase confirmed in a legal way, before witnesses, Jer 32:8-12; and the writings of it he committed to Baruch, to put in an earthen vessel, where they were to continue some time as a pledge of houses, fields, and vineyards, being possessed again after the captivity, Jer 32:13-15; then follows a prayer of his to the Lord, in which he addresses him as the Maker of all things; as the Lord God omnipotent; as a God of great grace and mercy, as well as strict justice; as a God of wisdom, counsel, and might, and an omniscient and righteous Being, Jer 32:16-19; and recounts the wonderful things he had done for the people of Israel, Jer 32:20-22; and observes the ingratitude and disobedience of that people, which were the cause of the present siege of the city, which should surely be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, Jer 32:23-25; to which prayer an answer is returned, Jer 32:26; in which the Lord describes himself as the God of all flesh, and as able to do what he pleases, Jer 32:27; and confirms the delivery of the city of Jerusalem unto the Chaldeans, Jer 32:28,29; and assigns the causes of it, the backslidings, disobedience, and dreadful idolatry of the people, Jer 32:30-35; and, notwithstanding, promises a restoration of them to their own land again, Jer 32:36,37; when an opportunity is taken to insert the covenant of grace, and the special articles and peculiar promises of it, for the comfort of the spiritual Israel of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, Jer 32:38-40; and the chapter is concluded with a fresh assurance of the return of the captivity, and of the punctual performance of the promise of it; when fields should be bought in every part of the land, in like manner as Jeremiah had bought his, Jer 32:41-44.