---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Jeremiah 30"
description: "CHAPTER 30   :-. RESTORATION OF THE
JEWS FROM BABYLON
AFTER ITS CAPTURE,
AND RAISING UP
OF MESSIAH. 2. Write . . . in a book—After
the destruction of Jeru"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/jeremiah/30"
---

CHAPTER 30

. RESTORATION OF THE
JEWS FROM BABYLON
AFTER ITS CAPTURE,
AND RAISING UP
OF MESSIAH.

**2. Write . . . in a book**—After
the destruction of Jerusalem Jeremiah is not ordered as heretofore to
*speak,* but to *write* the succeeding prophecy (, &c.), so as thereby it might be read by his countrymen
wheresoever they might be in their dispersion.

**3. bring again . . . captivity of .
. . Israel and Judah**—the restoration not merely of the *Jews*
(treated of in this thirtieth chapter), but also of the ten tribes
("Israel"; treated in the thirty-first chapter), together
forming the whole nation ([Jeremiah 30:18](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/18);
[Jeremiah 32:44](../../../kjv/jeremiah/32/44); [Ezekiel 39:25](../../../kjv/ezekiel/39/25);
[Amos 9:14](../../../kjv/amos/9/14); [Amos 9:15](../../../kjv/amos/9/15)).
"Israel" is mentioned first because its exile was longer
than that of Judah. *Some* captives of the Israelite ten tribes
returned with those of Judah ([Amos 9:15](../../../kjv/amos/9/15); "Aser" is mentioned). But these are only a pledge
of the *full* restoration hereafter ([Amos 9:15](../../../kjv/amos/9/15), "*All* Israel"). Compare [Amos 9:15](../../../kjv/amos/9/15). This third verse is a brief statement of the subject
before the prophecy itself is given.

**5. We have heard . . . trembling**—God
introduces the Jews speaking that which they will be reduced to at
last in spite of their stubbornness. Threat and promise are combined:
the former briefly; namely, the misery of the Jews in the Babylonian
captivity down to their "trembling" and "fear"
arising from the approach of the Medo-Persian army of Cyrus against
Babylon; the promise is more fully dwelt on; namely, their
"trembling" will issue in a deliverance as speedy as is the
transition from a woman's labor pangs to her joy at giving birth to a
child ([Jeremiah 30:6](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/6)).

**6. Ask**—Consult all the
authorities, men or books, you can, you will not find an instance.
Yet in that coming day men will be seen with their hands pressed on
their loins, as women do to repress their pangs. God will drive men
through pain to gestures more fitting a woman than a man ([Jeremiah 4:31](../../../kjv/jeremiah/4/31);
[Jeremiah 6:24](../../../kjv/jeremiah/6/24)). The metaphor is often
used to express the previous pain followed by the sudden deliverance
of Israel, as in the case of a woman in childbirth ([Jeremiah 6:24](../../../kjv/jeremiah/6/24)).
**paleness**—properly the
color of herbs blasted and fading: the *green paleness* of one
in jaundice: the *sickly paleness* of terror.

**7. great**—marked by great
calamities ([Joel 2:11](../../../kjv/joel/2/11); [Joel 2:31](../../../kjv/joel/2/31);
[Amos 5:18](../../../kjv/amos/5/18); [Zephaniah 1:14](../../../kjv/zephaniah/1/14)).
**none like it . . . but he
shall be saved**— ([Daniel 12:1](../../../kjv/daniel/12/1)).
The partial deliverance at Babylon's downfall prefigures the final,
complete deliverance of Israel, literal and spiritual, at the
downfall of the mystical Babylon ([Daniel 12:1](../../../kjv/daniel/12/1)).

**8. his yoke . . . thy neck**—his,
that is, Jacob's ([Jeremiah 30:7](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/7)),
the yoke imposed *on him.* The transition to the second person
is frequent, God speaking *of* Jacob or Israel, at the same time
addressing him directly. So "him" rightly follows;
"foreigners shall no more make him their servant" ([Jeremiah 30:7](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/7)). After the deliverance by Cyrus, Persia, Alexander,
Antiochus, and Rome made Judah their servant. The full of deliverance
meant must, therefore, be still future.

**9.** Instead of *serving
strangers* ([Jeremiah 30:8](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/8)), they
shall serve the Lord, their rightful King in the theocracy ([Jeremiah 30:8](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/8)).
**David, their king**—No
*king* of David's seed has held the scepter since the captivity;
for Zerubbabel, though of David's line, never claimed the title of
"king." The *Son of David,* Messiah, must therefore be
meant; so the *Targum* (compare [Isaiah 55:3](../../../kjv/isaiah/55/3);
[Isaiah 55:4](../../../kjv/isaiah/55/4); [Ezekiel 34:23](../../../kjv/ezekiel/34/23);
[Ezekiel 34:24](../../../kjv/ezekiel/34/24); [Ezekiel 37:24](../../../kjv/ezekiel/37/24);
[Hosea 3:5](../../../kjv/hosea/3/5); [Romans 11:25-32](../../../kjv/romans/11/25-32)).
He was appointed to the throne of David ([Isaiah 9:7](../../../kjv/isaiah/9/7);
[Luke 1:32](../../../kjv/luke/1/32)). He is here joined with
Jehovah as claiming equal allegiance. God is our "King,"
only when we are subject to Christ; God rules us not immediately, but
through His Son ([John 5:22](../../../kjv/john/5/22);
[John 5:23](../../../kjv/john/5/23); [John 5:27](../../../kjv/john/5/27)).
**raise up**—applied to the
judges whom God *raised up* as *deliverers* of Israel out
of the hand of its oppressors ([Judges 2:16](../../../kjv/judges/2/16);
[Judges 3:9](../../../kjv/judges/3/9)). So Christ was *raised
up* as the antitypical Deliverer ([Psalms 2:6](../../../kjv/psalms/2/6);
[Luke 1:69](../../../kjv/luke/1/69); [Acts 2:30](../../../kjv/acts/2/30);
[Acts 13:23](../../../kjv/acts/13/23)).

**10. from afar**—Be not afraid as
if the distance of the places whither ye are to be dispersed
precludes the possibility of return.
**seed**—Though through the
many years of captivity intervening, you yourselves may not see the
restoration, the promise shall be fulfilled to your *seed,*
primarily at the return from Babylon, fully at the final restoration.
**quiet . . . none . . . make .
. . afraid**— ([Jeremiah 23:6](../../../kjv/jeremiah/23/6);
[Zechariah 14:11](../../../kjv/zechariah/14/11)).

**11. though . . . full end of all
nations . . . yet . . . not . . . of thee**— (). The punishment of reprobates is final and fatal; that of
God's people temporary and corrective. Babylon was utterly destroyed:
Israel after chastisement was delivered.
**in measure**—literally,
"with judgment," that is, moderation, not in the full rigor
of justice ([Jeremiah 10:24](../../../kjv/jeremiah/10/24); [Jeremiah 46:28](../../../kjv/jeremiah/46/28);
[Psalms 6:1](../../../kjv/psalms/6/1); [Isaiah 27:8](../../../kjv/isaiah/27/8)).
**not . . . altogether
unpunished**— ([Exodus 34:7](../../../kjv/exodus/34/7)).

**12.** The desperate circumstances
of the Jews are here represented as an incurable wound. Their sin is
so grievous that their hope of the punishment (their exile) soon
coming to an end is vain ([Jeremiah 8:22](../../../kjv/jeremiah/8/22);
[Jeremiah 15:18](../../../kjv/jeremiah/15/18); [2 Chronicles 36:16](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/36/16)).

**13. none to plead**—a new image
from a court of justice.
**bound up**—namely, with
the *bandages* applied to tie up a wound.
**no healing
medicines**—literally, "medicines of healing," or else
applications, (literally, "ascensions") of medicaments.

**14. lovers**—the peoples
formerly allied to thee, Assyria and Egypt (compare ).
**seek thee not**—have cast
away all concern for thee in thy distress.
**wound of an enemy**—a
wound such as an enemy would inflict. God condescends to employ
language adapted to human conceptions. He is incapable of "enmity"
or "cruelty"; it was their grievous sin which righteously
demanded a grievous punishment, *as though* He were an "enemy"
([Jeremiah 5:6](../../../kjv/jeremiah/5/6); [Job 13:24](../../../kjv/job/13/24);
[Job 30:21](../../../kjv/job/30/21)).

**15. Why criest thou**—as if
God's severity was excessive. Thou hast no reason to complain, for
thine affliction is just. Thy cry is too late, for the time of
repentance and mercy is past [CALVIN].

**16. Therefore**—connected with
[Jeremiah 30:13](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/13), because "There
is none to plead thy cause . . . *therefore*" *I* will
plead thy cause, and heal thy wound, by overwhelming thy foes. This
fifteenth verse is inserted to amplify what was said at the close of
[Jeremiah 30:14](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/14). When the false ways
of peace, suggested by the so-called prophets, had only ended in the
people's irremediable ruin, the true prophet comes forward to
announce the grace of God as bestowing repentance and healing.
**devour thee . . . be devoured
. . . spoil . . . be a spoil . . . prey upon . . . give for a
prey**—retribution in kind (see on [Jeremiah 30:14](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/14); [Exodus 23:22](../../../kjv/exodus/23/22); [Isaiah 33:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/33/1)).

**17.** ([Jeremiah 8:22](../../../kjv/jeremiah/8/22);
[Jeremiah 33:6](../../../kjv/jeremiah/33/6)).
**Outcast**—as a wife put
away by her husband ([Isaiah 62:4](../../../kjv/isaiah/62/4),
contrasted with [Jeremiah 30:12](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/12)).
**Zion**—alluding to its
*Hebrew* meaning, "dryness"; "sought after"
by none, as would be the case with an *arid* region ([Jeremiah 30:12](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/12)). The extremity of the people, so far from being an
obstacle to, will be the chosen opportunity of, God's grace.

**18. bring again . . . captivity**—
([Jeremiah 33:7](../../../kjv/jeremiah/33/7); [Jeremiah 33:11](../../../kjv/jeremiah/33/11)).
**tents**—used to intimate
that their present dwellings in Chaldea were but temporary as *tents.*
**have mercy on
dwelling-places**— ([Jeremiah 33:11](../../../kjv/jeremiah/33/11)).
**own heap**—on the same
hill, that is, site, a hill being the usual site chosen for a city
(compare [Joshua 11:13](../../../kjv/joshua/11/13), *Margin*).
This better answers the parallel clause, "after the manner
thereof" (that is, in the same becoming ways as formerly), than
the rendering, "its own heap of *ruins,*" as in [Joshua 11:13](../../../kjv/joshua/11/13).
**palace**—the king's, on
Mount Zion.
**remain**—rather, "shall
be inhabited" (see on [Joshua 11:13](../../../kjv/joshua/11/13), [Jeremiah 17:25](../../../kjv/jeremiah/17/25)). This
confirms *English Version,* "palace," not as others
translate, "the temple" (see [1 Kings 16:18](../../../kjv/1-kings/16/18);
[2 Kings 15:25](../../../kjv/2-kings/15/25)).

**19. thanksgiving**—The *Hebrew*
word includes *confession* as well as *praise;* for, in the
case of God, the highest *praises* we can bestow are only
*confessing* what God really is [BENGEL],
([Jeremiah 17:26](../../../kjv/jeremiah/17/26); [Jeremiah 31:12](../../../kjv/jeremiah/31/12);
[Jeremiah 31:13](../../../kjv/jeremiah/31/13); [Jeremiah 33:11](../../../kjv/jeremiah/33/11);
[Isaiah 35:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/35/10); [Isaiah 51:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/51/11)).
**multiply them**— ([Isaiah 51:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/51/11)).

**20. as aforetime**—as
flourishing as in the time of David.

**21. their nobles**—rather,
"their Glorious One," or "Leader" (compare
[Acts 3:15](../../../kjv/acts/3/15); [Hebrews 2:10](../../../kjv/hebrews/2/10)),
answering to "their Governor" in the parallel clause.
**of themselves**—of their
own nation, a Jew, not a foreigner; applicable to Zerubbabel, or J.
Hyrcanus (hereditary high priest and governor), only as types of
Christ ([Genesis 49:10](../../../kjv/genesis/49/10); [Micah 5:2](../../../kjv/micah/5/2);
[Romans 9:5](../../../kjv/romans/9/5)), the antitypical "David"
([Jeremiah 30:9](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/9)).
**cause him to draw near**—as
the great Priest ([Exodus 19:22](../../../kjv/exodus/19/22);
[Leviticus 21:17](../../../kjv/leviticus/21/17)), through whom believers
also have access to God ([Leviticus 21:17](../../../kjv/leviticus/21/17)). His priestly and kingly characters are similarly
combined ([Psalms 110:4](../../../kjv/psalms/110/4); [Zechariah 6:13](../../../kjv/zechariah/6/13)).
**who . . . engaged . . . heart
to approach**—literally, "pledged his heart," that is,
his life; a thing unique; Messiah alone has made His life responsible
as the surety ([Hebrews 7:22](../../../kjv/hebrews/7/22); [Hebrews 9:11-15](../../../kjv/hebrews/9/11-15)),
in order to gain access not only for Himself, but for us to God.
*Heart* is here used for *life,* to express the *courage*
which it needed to undertake such a tremendous suretyship. The
question implies admiration at one being found competent by His
twofold nature, as God and man, for the task. Compare the
interrogation ([Isaiah 63:1-3](../../../kjv/isaiah/63/1-3)).

**22. ye shall be my people,**
c.—The covenant shall be renewed between God and His people through
Messiah's mediation ([Jeremiah 30:21](../../../kjv/jeremiah/30/21)
[Jeremiah 31:1](../../../kjv/jeremiah/31/1); [Jeremiah 31:33](../../../kjv/jeremiah/31/33);
[Jeremiah 32:38](../../../kjv/jeremiah/32/38); [Ezekiel 11:20](../../../kjv/ezekiel/11/20);
[Ezekiel 36:28](../../../kjv/ezekiel/36/28)).

**23, 24.** (). Vengeance upon God's foes always accompanies
manifestations of His grace to His people.
**continuing**—literally,
"sojourning," abiding constantly; appropriately here in the
case of Babylon, which was to be *permanently* destroyed,
substituted for "whirling itself about" ("grievous"
in *English Version*) (see on ), where the *temporary* downfall of Judea is spoken
of.

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