Jeremiah 33:6–9

Context

This passage belongs to chapters 30–33 of the Book of Jeremiah. Because this section gathers together promises of restoration, it is commonly called the "Book of Consolation." According to Jeremiah 33:1, Jeremiah received this word while he was confined in the court of the prison (the court of the royal guard). This was during the reign of King Zedekiah, when the Babylonian army of Nebuchadnezzar was besieging Jerusalem.

The immediately preceding verses, 4–5, describe houses torn down to defend the city and a city filled with corpses. Verse 6 opens with "Behold," shifting the passage from judgment to restoration. God declares that He will bring the city that is about to fall "health and cure," bring back the captives, and cleanse and pardon the people's sins. As a result, the city will become to God "a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth" (Jeremiah 33:9). Verse 8 piles up several Hebrew words for sin, emphasizing that the forgiveness extends to every sin.

Interpretation

• Historical reading: This reading understands the passage as a promise pointing to the return of the people of Judah after the Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. It connects the passage with the history following Cyrus's decree permitting the exiles to return.
• New covenant and Christ-centered reading: Many Protestant interpreters read the forgiveness of sins in verse 8 together with the new covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:34. They hold that this promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. In the covenant theology tradition, the restored city and people are sometimes also read in connection with the church.
• Dispensationalist reading: Dispensationalist interpreters maintain that parts of this promise were not completely fulfilled at the return from exile. They therefore read it as awaiting literal fulfillment in a future restoration of national Israel.

Questions of Application

One question is whether the "cure" of verse 6 can be applied as a promise of healing from personal illness. In Pentecostal and charismatic circles that emphasize divine healing, the passage is sometimes cited as a promise of healing. Others point out, however, that in context this "cure" refers to the restoration of a city and community devastated by war, so applying it directly to personal illness amounts to quoting it out of context.

Translations also differ. The phrase rendered "peace and sincerity" (pyeonggang-gwa seongsilham) in the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) was changed to "peace and truth" (pyeongan-gwa jinsil) in the New Korean Revised Version. The Hebrew word translated "abundance" is rarely used, and its precise meaning is reportedly the subject of various conjectures. Many interpreters read "they shall fear and tremble" in verse 9 not as the nations being struck with terror but as their being moved to awe upon seeing the blessings God has bestowed.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the preceding verse, Jeremiah 33:3 ("Call unto me"), is widely known as a verse encouraging prayer. Verses 6–9 are sometimes cited together with it in sermons on restoration and healing.

Related Passages

• Jeremiah 31:34
• Jeremiah 29:4–14
• Ezekiel 36:25–27
• Hebrews 8:6–13
• Psalm 103:11–12