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SECTION V.

Remarks on the latter Part of the Thirty-second Chapter.

AGAIN; in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, while the Chaldeans were closely besieging Jerusalem, a similar prophecy concerning the final restoration and eternal prosperity of the city and country was delivered:

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36. But now, after this, thus saith Jehovah, the Elohim of Israel, concerning this city, of which ye say, It is delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon by sword, and by famine, and by pestilence: 37. Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in mine indignation, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell securely : 38. And they shall be unto me a people, and I will be unto them Elohim; and I will give them one heart and one way to fear me continually, for the good of them and of their children that come after them: 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, which I will not withdraw from their posterity, to be a benefactor unto them; and the fear of me will I put into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me: 41. And I will rejoice over them in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in truth,' with all my heart and with all my soul. 42. Surely thus hath Jehovah said, As I have brought upon this people all this great evil, so will I bring upon them all the good which I have spoken concerning them, &c.

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Perhaps," truly," or, "in very deed," "assuredly."-BLANEY.

SECTION VI.

Remarks on Chapter the Thirty-third.

THE thirty-third chapter contains another prediction concerning this dispensation of the kingdom in the last days. "The word of Jehovah came," as we are told at the beginning of the chapter, to Jeremiah a second time, whilst he was still confined in the court of the prison, saying,

2. Thus saith Jehovah, who made the earth,'

Who framed it, who also disposeth it,
Jehovah Sabaoth is his name;

3. Call upon me, and I will answer thee,
And I will show thee great things,

And hidden things, that thou hast not known.

4. For thus saith Jehovah, the Elohim of Israel, Concerning the houses of this city,

And concerning the houses of the kings of Judah;

5. Which are thrown down by the mounds, and by the sword; That are come to make war on the part of the Chaldeans, And to fill them with the dead bodies of the men,

Whom I shall smite in mine anger, and in my wrath;

And upon account of all the wickedness of whom,
I shall hide my face from this city.

6. Behold, I will accomplish a restoration;'
Even a healing, and I will heal them;

And will grant their prayer for peace and truth:

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7. And I will bring back the captivity of Judah,

And the captivity of Israel;

And I will build them as at the first:

8. And I will cleanse them from all the iniquity which they have sinned against me,

And I will forgive all their iniquities,

Which they have sinned against me, and which they have transgressed against me:

9. And it shall be to me a name of joy,'

And for a praise, and for a glory,

To all the nations of the earth;

Which shall hear of all the good I do among them:

And shall fear and tremble, because of all the good," And because of all the prosperity that I procure unto them. 10. Thus saith Jehovah :

Yet again shall be heard in this place,

Of which ye shall say, It is desolate,

Without man and without beast,

-In the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem,
That are desolate without man,

Even without inhabitant, and without beast

11. The voice of joy, and the voice of mirth;

The voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride;
The voice of them that say,

"Praise ye Jehovah Sabaoth,

For Jehovah is good,

For his tender love endureth for ever;"

Of them that come with praise to the house of Jehovah;
For I will restore the captivity of the land,

As at the first, saith Jehovah.

"For a name for joy."HORSLEY.

2 "The verbs 5 and 17 denote the violent agitations of the

body, by excessive passious of any kind, by joy and surprise, as well as by fear, anger, or grief." HORSLEY.

12. Thus saith Jehovah Sabaoth:

Yet shall there be in this place

That is desolate, without man and without beast,

To all its cities a habitation of shepherds folding sheep, 13. To the cities of the hill country, and to the cities of the plain; To the cities of the south, and to the land of Benjamin:

And in the environs of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah,
Yet again the flocks shall pass,

At the hand of him that numbereth them:

Hath Jehovah said.

14. Behold, the day is come, saith Jehovah,

That I will confirm the good word which I have spoken
Concerning the house of Israel, and concerning the house of
Judah.

15. In those days, even at that time,

I will cause a shoot of righteousness to spring to David,
And HE shall execute justice and judgment in the earth.

16. In those days shall Judah be saved,

And Jerusalem shall dwell securely:

And this is he who shall be called Jehovah our Righteous

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17. Surely thus hath Jehovah said,

There shall not be wanting to David a man,

To sit on the throne of the house of Israel;

18. And to the priests and Levites shall not be wanting a man To offer before me burnt-offerings, and to burn incense, And to perform sacrifice continually.

19. The word of Jehovah came also to Jeremiah, saying, 20. Thus hath Jehovah said,

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Horsley thus, " And this is what he shall be called by her, Jehovah our righteousness"-" by

her," i. e. by Jerusalem, or the land of Judah.

If ye can make void my covenant of the day,
And my covenant of the night,

And there be no longer day and night in their season:

21. Then may my covenant be made void with David my servant, That he shall not have a son to reign on his throne,

And with the Levites the priests, that they shall not minister

to me.

22. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured,

So will I multiply the seed of David my servant,

And the Levites that minister unto me.

Connecting this with the last verse of the fifty-first psalm, and the twenty-first verse of the sixty-sixth of Isaiah, I think we cannot but expect, in some sort, the restoration of the Levitical priesthood. But of this more hereafter.

23, 24. The word of Jehovah came also unto Jeremiah, saying, Hast thou not observed what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which Jehovah chose, He hath even rejected them. And they scorn my people, as being no longer a nation in their eyes.

25. Thus hath Jehovah said,

If day and night' be not my covenant,

If I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth,
Then will I reject the seed of Jacob, and David my servant,

26. So as not to take of his seed to be rulers

Unto the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;

When I shall reverse their captivity, and shall pity them.

Upon the whole, I conceive in this prophecy the two families mentioned to be the royal house of David, and the sacerdotal family of Levi. The multiplying of the

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