Jeremiah 33:1

JEREMIAH 33

THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH; THE MESSIAH

Much of this chapter is challenged by the critics who point out that Jeremiah 33:14-26 are missing from the LXX, and that the apparent prophecies of the endless succession of a Davidic line of kings and a restoration and perpetual continuity of the Levitical priesthood with its countless sacrifices are totally contrary to other prophecies given through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah did indeed prophesy the final end of the Davidic line of kings in Jeremiah 22:30, where Coniah was designated as the very last of the Davidic succession; and he also prophesied the termination of the whole Levitical system in Jeremiah 3:16.

Furthermore, the New Testament emphatically teaches that, "No king of the family of David shall reign, except the Messiah, and that the seat of his government is not an earthly, but a heavenly throne (Luke 1:23,33; Psalms 89:37 KJV)."[1]

Likewise, regarding any such literal priesthood as that of the Levites, the New Testament is equally emphatic. "The Levitical services have been forever abrogated by the unchanging and unceasing priesthood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:12-28)."[2]

The problem, then, is what to do with the apparent contradiction of such undeniable and eternal truth by the seeming affirmation in this chapter of a new line of Davidic monarchs on the throne in Jerusalem, and a permanent reestablishing of the Levitical priesthood after the return from the captivity.

There are two ways to solve the problem: (1) deny the authenticity of the chapter and credit it as a commentary not written by Jeremiah, but by someone else afterward, or (2) take the passage as a type of Messianic blessings, written in terminology that would have encouraged the returnees from Babylon. To this writer (2) is by far the preferable solution. The following exposition by Payne Smith, which is given in full under Jeremiah 33:17-18, below, follows this path of explanation, which we believe to be correct. The fact of the whole chapter's being absolutely Messianic supports this view.

The chapter falls into these divisions: the siege of Jerusalem actually in progress (Jeremiah 33:1-5); the destruction of the city and the ensuing captivity will not nullify God's ultimate forgiveness and blessing (Jeremiah 33:6-9); future blessings enumerated (Jeremiah 33:10,11); more blessings recounted (Jeremiah 33:12,13); the promise of the Messiah, the Righteous Branch, and apparently, the restoration of a Davidic monarch upon the earthly throne, and the perpetual restoration of the Levitical priesthood (Jeremiah 33:14-18); the infinite multiplication of the seed of David and of the Levitical priests (Jeremiah 33:19-22); the perpetual nature of the promise to David and to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Jeremiah 33:23-24).

Jeremiah 33:1-5

THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM IN PROGRESS

"Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the guard, saying, Thus saith Jehovah that doeth it, that formeth it to establish it; Jehovah is his name: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great things, and difficult, which thou knowest not. For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defense against the mounds and against the sword; while men come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my wrath, and for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from in this city:"

"Jehovah that doeth it ..." (Jeremiah 33:2). Some have supposed this to be a reference to the Creation; but it appears more logical to see it as a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem then in progress.

"Houses which are broken down ..." (Jeremiah 33:4). Due to difficulties in the text, some have supposed the destruction here to be connected with the demolition of houses by the army of the invaders; but our translation indicates that the houses were destroyed to provide materials for the erection of mantelets (Nahum 2:5) or mounds with which to oppose the invading Babylonians. We do not see the difference as a problem, because houses were in all probability destroyed by both the defenders and the invaders. Thus the text is true no matter which translation is used; it is true both ways.

"To fill them with the dead bodies of men ..." (Jeremiah 33:5). This was due to the fact of there being no time to bury the dead. All of the houses emptied of their residents due to military operations, whether of the defenders or the invaders, were used to stack the dead. The passage, due to textual uncertainties, "remains enigmatical."[3]