More on Restoration and Covenants (33:1-26) 533"name." The shorter reading could result from two scribal haplographies, the
first a loss of If, "to me" (homoeoarction: l ... l), and the second a loss of sem,
"name" (homoeoarcton: s ... s). The MT reading is supported by Aq, Symm,
T, and Vg and should be retained. Bonhoeffer quoted this verse in his Letters
and Papers from Prison (1971: 300).
a glorious decoration. Hebrew tip>eret. On this term denoting beautification,
see Note for 13: 11.
all the good that I am doing to them. "Them" means the "Jerusalemites"
here (Rudolph). The term is omitted in the LXX but present in Aq, Symm, T,
and Vg. Yahweh refers first and last to the city; here in the middle, it is to the
people of the city (see Rhetoric and Composition). The term hattoba ("the
good") has treaty overtones, as we know from the Mari Letters and Aramaic
Sefire treaties where it means "friendship, good relations" (Moran l 963c; Fox
l 973a). So when Yahweh talks in this verse about "the good" he will do for
Jerusalem and its people, he is anticipating the time when he will cut a new
covenant with them.
they shall tremble. I.e., the nations (Kiml;i). Calvin thinks that this extraor-
dinary goodness of God will bring about the conversion of the Gentiles. Com-
pare Ps 40:4[Eng 40:3).
that I am doing for it. Again confusion with the pronouns: one MS and the
Yrs have "for them,'' but "the good" and "the peace" are promises to Jerusalem
here (Kiml;i).MESSAGE AND AUDIENCE
Yahweh begins this oracle by promising new flesh and healing to Jerusalem
and its people. To replace the current stench of corpses will be the sweet
smell of peace and security. This will come about when Yahweh restores the
fortunes of Israel and Judah and builds up its people. Yahweh will also
cleanse the people and forgive them their iniquity. In this future day the city
of Jerusalem will be to Yahweh a joyful name, a praise, and a glorious decora-
tion proudly displayed to the nations, who will hear of Yahweh's goodness to-
ward the covenant people. On account of this goodness and peace, the
nations will tremble-so much so that they may even come themselves to
worship Yahweh.
An expanded messenger formula provides background, and in it the com-
piler has Yahweh call attention to the fact that houses of Jerusalem-including
those belonging to the royal palace-have been torn down to fortify the city
wall against Chaldean attackers, also that men defending the city are filling the
ruins with corpses of Judahite war victims. Yahweh says that the people have
been struck down as a result of his anger and a face turned the other way, be-
cause of all the evil the nation has committed.
This oracle, like the one prior to it, comes to Jeremiah while he is con-
fined to the court of the guard. It may well have been delivered to a Judahite
audience at this time. Jerusalem has not yet fallen. When heard following the