Jeremiah Buys Land in Anathoth (32:1-44) 521
may follow 31 :28. The MT reading is supported by GL, S, T, and Vg and should
be followed (Giesebrecht).
and I will truly plant them in this land, with all my heart and with all my soul.
On Yahweh "planting" (nt') his people once again in the land, see 24:6 and
31 :27-28. Hebrew be)emet means "in truth, in (good) faith," referring here to
Yahweh's act of planting. Yahweh is using language normally reserved for the
people and their commitment to Yahweh (Deut 4:29; 6:5; 10:12; 1 Kgs 2:4;
2 Kgs 23:3). Only here in the OT is the expression "with all my heart and with
all my soul" used in reference to God (S. R. Driver 1913: 101; Weinfeld
1972b: 334).
- Even as I brought to this people all this great evil, so I am going to bring
upon them all the good that I am speaking concerning them. Yahweh's good gifts
are just as sure as his awesome judgment. A comparison using the ka)aser ...
ken construction, on which see Note for 13: 11. The same construction ex-
presses the same idea in 31 :28.
- The field shall be bought in this land, of which you are saying, 'It is a des-
olation, without human or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chal-
deans.' The LXX again omits the demonstrative pronoun on "in this land," and
has the singular "you say" (su legeis); cf. v 36. The plural verb is better, since
the oracle is spoken to a larger Judahite audience. The LXX and the Yrs also
appear to be missing the he) before sadeh ("field"), which could be attributed
to haplography (double consonants in succession). This final oracle, with its
promise of fields once again being bought and sold in Judah, returns to the
symbolic action that the chapter is basically about (v 15).
lt is a desolation, without human or beast. The whole of Judah, that is, ex-
cept Jerusalem, which has not yet been captured and destroyed. Anathoth,
where the property that Jeremiah has just redeemed lies, is probably already in
the possession of the Babylonians. On the expression "human or beast," see
Note for 21:6.
- Fields shall be bought with silver, also writing in the deed and sealing and
the summoning of witnesses to witness, in the land of Benjamin. Benjamin is
mentioned first because the field Jeremiah purchased was in Benjamin. After
the fall of Jerusalem, a remnant community was formed at Mizpah in Ben-
jamin (40:6), and some land transactions-under Babylonian supervision-
doubtless occurred there while this community was in existence. We are told
that the poorest of people were given fields and vineyards by Nebuzaradan
(39: 10). But this cannot be a fulfillment of the present prophecy, for Jeremiah
doubtless has in mind a time when the land will be free from foreign occupa-
tion, and Judahites will be able to conduct their affairs in traditional ways.
and in the regions around Jerusalem and in the cities ofludah, in the cities of
the hill country and in the cities of the Shephelah and in the cities of the Negeb.
Compare the sweep of Judahite territory in 17:26 and 33:13. On the various
territories, see Note for 17 :26. The whole of Judah is envisioned here as being
repopulated, with people once again making land purchases such as the one
Jeremiah just made.
