Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Jeremiah · Chapter 32 – Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXII.
THis Chapter is historical, 1. Shewing how King Zedekiah put Jeremiah in prison, when the City was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, because he had prophesied that the King should come into his hands, and be carried into Babylon. For the time, The tenth of Zedekiah, the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar, see before Chap. 25. For the Kings coming into his hands, and his being carried Vers. 1. Vers. 3, 4.into Babylon, he had not spoken of it that we read of, till Chap. 34. 2, 3. and therefore due order is not observed here no more then was Chap. 21. as I have noted there, yea Chap. 39. goeth in order before this, as may there be seen ver. 1. but not the residue of the Chapter, which declareth the accomplishment of that which is here threatned.
Buy thee my field in Anathoth. Here the Lord by commanding Jeremiah to Vers. 7.buy a field when the City and whole Kingdom was ready to come into the hands of the Caldees, and he was in prison ready to be brought to execution, when the King would, shewed, as by a sensible sign that the time should come when the Jews should possesse the Land of Canaan again, each one returning to his possession. And according to the course of Law there, two writings were made, one open, the other to be hidden by Baruch, that which was open being then to be shewed for the comfort of the faithfull; the other hidden, to be brought forth and shewed at the end of seventy years for their further confirmation, to stirre them up with more confidence to return. The only doubt here is, How Priests or Levites, such as Hananeel and Jeremiah were, could sell and buy Land, seeing the Tribe of Levi had none inheritance? Sol. They had little pastures about the Cities given them, according to their several Families out of the other Tribes, and he that ought one of these might sell it; but in the year of Jubilee it returned again, unlesse it were sold to a Kinsman nearest, and being made over to him it remained to him for ever.
Jeremiah having bought the Land, as the Lord commanded, here prayeth, Vers. 16. Vers. 26.and hath answer, both touching the giving of the City into the Caldeans hands for their sins, vers. 26. and touching the peoples restitution, vers. 37. to continue in a safe and prosperous estate for ever, adding that he would put his fear into them, and that they should be of one heart.
CHAP. XXXIII.
HEre the word of the Lord is said to have came to Jeremiah the second time, whilst he was yet in prison, saying, Thus saith the Lord that made and formed Vers. 2.it to establish it, Hebr. Making, forming it, The word it, being of the feminine gender, for which most Expositors understand Jerusalem hereby, and that either set up by God of old in that splendour by reason of the wals, towers, Temple and Palaces: For the Lord brought his people thither by a mighty hand, and by power given them from him the Jews and their Kings built it so magnificently: or to be re-built at their return out of Babylon out of the ruinous heaps into which it had been brought by the Caldees. And the word [Making, forming] will bear either. If it be taken the first way, as in the Preter-tense, this is the sense, The Lord gave his people the City Jerusalem once, taking it out of their hands that held it, when it seemed impossible, therefore they may well believe that he can restore it to them again, and because he hath promised so much, will do it without fail. If it be taken the second way, as spoken in the future, as Ierom renders it, the sense is, He that hath promised to rear up the City again, is the Lord, whose power none can withstand, and therefore it is not to be doubted; Thus Calvin; But Vatablus Calvin. Vatabl. Lyra.saith, Jerusalem, set forth here by the word [it] is the heavenly Jerusalem. Lyra going upon the Vulgar Latine which renders it, Qui facturus est, & formaturus illnd, understands by it, the Kingdom of Christ, which was to be set up, which was the greatest work of all others, and wherein the greatest comfort of the faithfull lay, and divers places of Scripture are brought to shew, that the Feminine in Hebrew is often put for the Neuter, illam for istud. But this is in effect the same with that of Vatablus, forsomuch as the business of Christs Kingdom is the spiritual Jerusalem, and consequently the heavenly. And to prove this to be meant by it, let us look to the words following, ver. 3. Call unto me, and I will shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. For of their deliverance from Captivity, and the re-building of Jerusalem Vers. 3.in the same place, he and all the faithfull that heard him prophesying of it, had been so fully informed that they could not but know it, but of the Kingdom of Christ, and the forming of the spiritual Jerusalem, the knowledge was not so easie, because a thing most mystical; and therefore although it also had been before prophesied of, yet it was not so known, but there was need of prayer to be further enlightned herein.
They come to fight with the Caldeans, but it is to fill them with dead bodies. To Vers. 5.make way to speak of the great thing that should be done, wherein true comfort lay, he here fore-telleth, that their labour should be but lost in seeking by force to oppose the Caldees, for none other effect should follow hereupon, but that such as came to fight should be slain, and so their dead bodies should but serve to fill the places where.
I will bring it health and cure. After way made vers. 5. he now cometh to Vers. 6.the prophecy of those great and mighty things spoken of, vers. 3. I will bring health and cure unto them; from whence to vers. 14. he plainly speaketh of the cure of the great wound made in that state at the destruction of Ierusalem which should be at the end of seventy years, they being brought thither again out of Babylon. And of this so much hath been spoken already upon Chap. 25. Chap. 31. Chap. 32. that I shall need to say no more in this place.
He reneweth his Prophecy touching Christ, of which also made in the same words I have spoken Chap. 23. 5, 6, only whereas it is there said, This is the Vers. 14. Vers. 15, 16name, whereby he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousnesse; here, This is the name whereby she shall be called, The Lord our Righteousnesse, Hebr. And this which he shall call in her, The Lord our Righteousnesse; where the word foreign This, hath manifestly reference to the word before-going Branch, and it is no more then if he had said, this man whom the Lord calleth, The Branch, in Jerusalem is otherwise called, The Lord our Righteousnesse; Vulg. This is the name which they shall call him. But not rightly, because it is foreign not foreign and therefore even the Jesuite in this controls the Vulgar, saying, that it is corrupted, Cornel. d Lap.and that many Copies most ancient for him had her, and therefore this is most generally followed, and this reason yeelded, why the Church should be called, The Lord our Righteousnesse, as well as Christ, because she is one with him, and so whatsoever glorious Attribute or Title he hath, she hath also, for that Calv.he hath it not so much for himself, as for her, according to that, He is made 1 Cor. 1. 30.of God unto us wisdom, righteousnesse, &c. and by some this, because the Church hath this alwayes in her mouth, The Lord our Righteousnesse, I desire to be found, not having mine own righteousnesse, but that of Christ by faith. These I grant are good reasons, if it must needs be so read, He shall, or they shall call Phil. 3. 9.her] but forsomuch as it is foreign, compounded of foreign to or in, and foreign her, it may better be otherwise rendred, as hath been said, and then all doubt, why the Church should be so called, is at an end, and indeed when all is said that may be, it cannot but be acknowledged very improper and insensible too, to to say that the Church or Ierusalem should be called, The Lord our Righteousnesse, lehovah, as it is in the Hebr. a title incommunicable to the Church, though one with Christ, and peculiar to God alone. And therefore that Chapt. 23. 6. is commonly brought by ours to prove Jesus to be very God, which would not be so strong, if the same title were communicated to the Congregation of Beleevers also. Take we notice therefore of this other reading, as more agreeable to the words, and hold us to it; and so here is nothing said, but what Chapt. 23. 6. and from both places so well agreeing, we shall be double fortified to evince the divinity of Christ, and confound the Arrian.
David shall never want a man to sit upon the Throne, neither shall Levi want a Vers. 17.man to offer burnt Offerings. Having shewed in what safety they should be at the raising up of the branch, the Lord our righteousness; now he further describes him to be a man, as well as Jehovah, and a King descended from David, to whom the Lord had long before promised, that his Throne should continue for ever; and not onelyonly a King, but a Priest to offer Sacrifice; but the Sacrifice offered by him was himself, Hebr. 7. 9. 10. Whereas he saith, that David should not want a man to sit upon his Throne; Hebr. A man should not be cut off from sitting, The meaning is not, that there should be a continuall succession of Kings for ever without interruption, but that although the succession were interrupted about five hundred years from Zedekiah to Christ, giving occasion to doubt, whether there should any King more of Davids line ever sit upon his Throne, yet one should come and be King, and reign for ever and ever; and so David after this should never want a man, &c. And the same being a Priest for ever, after the Order of Melchisedech, Levi should never want a Priest to offer Sacrifice, or to burn Incense; because Christs sacrificing of himself once, is more than equivalent to the dayly perpetuall Sacrificing, which was used of old by the Priests upon the Brazen, and to the Incense likewise daily offered upon the Golden Altar. And in these two Orders of King and Priest stands the perfect happiness of Israel, for defence against enemies, and subduing them as King, and for propitiation with God in respect of sin, as Priest. It is therefore without ground in the Papists, that will have Priests still to offer Sacrifice propitiatory for the quick and the dead, and Incense, and one to be as King, of Kings over the Church, viz. The Pope of Rome, pretending to reign in Christs stead. For this is nothing else but intollerable pride and arrogancy, and in effect a giving Check-mate unto Christ, who alone without Vicars liveth ever to reign, and to make Propitiation for our sins, 1 John 2. 1. Of the interruption of Davids Kingdome, see Ezek. 31. 26. The residue of the Chapter from verse 20. to the end, is added onelyonly to confirm further what is here promised of the perpetuity of Christs Kingdome, who was the Son of David.