Jeremiah 21-36 A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary by (Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)

More on Restoration and Covenants (33:1-26) 543

RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION

MT 33:19-26 = LXX 0. These concluding verses to the Book of Restoration

contain a pair of similarly structured oracles affirming the eternal covenants to

Abraham, David, and Phinehas, stating also that Yahweh has made a covenant

with creation that people cannot break (vv 20-22, 25-26). Each oracle is pre-

ceded by a formula of introduction (vv 19, 23-24), the latter expanded in order

to provide background for the oracle.

Oracle I and its introduction are delimited at the top end by a petubah in MA

and MP and a setumah in ML before v 19. 4QJercupon reconstruction also has

a petubah before v 19 (Tov 1997: 200). Delimitation at the bottom end is by a

setumah in MA and ML and a petubah in MP after v 22. 4QJerc ends at v 20.

Oracle II and its introduction are delimited at the top by a setumah in MA and

ML and a petubah in MP before v 23. Delimitation at the bottom is by a

petubah in MA and MP and a setumah in ML after v 26, which is the chapter di-

vision. In MA and ML there is also a setumah and in MP a petubah after v 24,

separating the introduction from the oracle. On the omission of these verses in

the LXX, see Rhetoric and Composition for 33: 14-16.

It has been noted widely that these oracles parallel both in form and in con-

tent the two oracles in 31: 3 5-36, which come near the close of the first Book of

Restoration. All these oracles employ a protasis-apodosis form of argument and

assume an eternal covenant between Yahweh and creation, which may be the

Noachian covenant in Gen 9:8-17.

Oracle I reiterates the promise of the prior oracle in vv 17-18, which guar-

antees the continuance of both the Davidic royal line and the Levitical line of

priests. Oracle II focuses on the covenant given to David and then uses this to

affirm the eternal covenant given to Abraham (cf. 31:36-37).

Oracles I and II are balanced by the following key words (Condamin):

If... 'im v 20

my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night

then... gam ... v 21

David, my servant

the seed of David, my servant v 22

II If ... surely ... 'im-lo' ... v 25

my covenant of daytime and night

then ... gam v 26

seed ... of David, my servant

NOTES

33:19. And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah. On this third-person super-
scriptional form, occurring in v 1 and again in v 23, see Note for 28:12.
20-21. If you could break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the
night, so daytime and night would not come at their appointed time, then could