Jeremiah 30:10

30:1-11 Jeremiah is to write what God had spoken to him. The very words are such as the Holy Ghost teaches. These are the words God ordered to be written; and promises written by his order, are truly his word. He must write a description of the trouble the people were now in, and were likely to be in. A happy end should be put to these calamities. Though the afflictions of the church may last long, they shall not last always. The Jews shall be restored again. They shall obey, or hearken to the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of David, their King. The deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, is pointed out in the prophecy, but the restoration and happy state of Israel and Judah, when converted to Christ their King, are foretold; also the miseries of the nations before the coming of Christ. All men must honour the Son as they honour the Father, and come into the service and worship of God by him. Our gracious Lord pardons the sins of the believer, and breaks off the yoke of sin and Satan, that he may serve God without fear, in righteousness and true holiness before him all the remainder of his days, as the redeemed subject of Christ our King.

Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord,.... Since the Messiah, who is the Lord God, should be raised up to thorn, whom they should serve, and he should save them; and so had nothing to fear from their enemies; and had no reason to doubt of salvation and deliverance, seeing so great a person was engaged for them.

Jeremiah 30:10-11 . Fear thou not, O my servant Jacob — As if God had utterly forsaken thee or cast thee off. See the margin. For, lo, I will save thee from afar — I will restore you from your captivity, though you should be dispersed into the most distant countries. And though this be not accomplished in the Jews of the present age, it shall be made good to their posterity, who are beloved for their fathers’ sake, as St. Paul speaks, Romans 11:28 . And Jacob shall be in rest and quiet, &c. — Shall enjoy peace and safety. Though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee — Such as the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians; yet will I not make a full end of thee — The Jews to this day continue a remarkable monument of the truth and immutability of God’s promises. Where now are all the nations which carried them into captivity, and trod them under foot? All, all are perished; their kingdoms overturned, their laws and languages abolished, their very names, as nations, extinct; not the least footsteps remaining of their having ever been a people: for God had determined to make a full end of them.

But the people of the Jews, though carried into captivity, slain by the sword, destroyed by pestilence and famine, and every other method of destruction, do yet remain a people: under all the revolutions and changes of kingdoms, languages, and people, they still exist unmixed; and, though for their heinous sins they are scattered abroad among all nations, they still preserve their name, language, and most of their ancient ceremonies and customs, for God has promised not to make a full end of them. But I will correct thee in measure — Or, according to judgment, as למשׁפשׂ signifies, that is, with discretion, not more than thou deservest, nay, not more than thou canst well bear. God’s afflicting his people is in a way of correction, and that correction is always moderated, and always proceeds from love. And will not leave thee altogether unpunished — As thou art ready to think I should do because of thy relation to me. Observe, reader, a profession of religion, though never so plausible, will be far from securing to us impunity in sin. God is no respecter of persons, but will show his hatred of sin wherever he finds it, and he always hates it most in those that are nearest to him.

Verses 10, 11. - Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, etc. These two verses, omitted in the Septuagint, are among the passages which Hitzig (carrying out an idea of Movers) attributes to the editorial hand of the author (a pious Jew of the Captivity, according to him) of Isaiah 40-66 , and it cannot be denied that the tone and phraseolegy of ver. 10 is more akin to that of Isaiah 40 :66, than to those of the greater part of Jeremiah. Graf, in controverting Hitzig's view, points out, however, that the expressions referred to by Hitzig as "Deutero-Isaianic," are also found in other books besides the latter part of Isaiah, and that, on the other hand, "the expressions of ver. 11 are all as foreign to Isaiah 40-66 , as they are current in Jeremiah." As for the expression, "my servant Jacob." (which. only occurs again in Jeremiah in the duplicate of this passage, Jeremiah 46:27, 28 , and which is specially characteristic of the second part of Isaiah), it is worth noticing that it is found once in the Book of Ezekiel ( Ezekiel 37:25 ), which, on Hitzig's theory, was written before the so called Second Isaiah. It still remains for the student to consider whether these two verses are not an insertion by some later hand (without attempting to discover whose that hand was). That the prophetic writings have received additions from editors and scribes is a fact which cannot reasonably be gainsaid, supported as it is by the phenomena of the historical books.

10 . from afar ] from thy distant land of exile. none shall make him afraid ] Cp. Isaiah 17:2 (flocks lying undisturbed). 10, 11 . These vv . occur again in Jeremiah 46:27 f. They are found there, but not here, in LXX. It is not improbable that they existed separately and were inserted later in both places independently. Jeremiah 30:10 bears a strong resemblance to 2 Isaiah (e.g. Isaiah 43:5 ff.).

(10) Therefore fear thou not. —The higher strain of language into which the prophecy has here risen is indicated by the parallelism of the two clauses in each member of the sentence. The whole verse is poetic in its form. The words have in them something of the ring of Isaiah 41:10 .

You that are my servants, and the posterity of Jacob, though your captivity be threescore and ten years, yet be not afraid that I have quite forgotten you, or my promise made to your fathers. For I will assure you, that though I have for your sins sent you afar off, yet you are not beyond the reach of my saving arm; you shall return out of the captivity of Babylon, and be at rest: as they were for one hundred and fifty years during the time of the Persian monarchy; a short history of which we have in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

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—(Jer 23:6; Zec 14:11).