Jeremiah 30:1-3

Because Of The Certainty Of Future Restoration Jeremiah Is To Record All His Words In A Book (Jeremiah 30:1)

The importance of the words spoken here for recognising the true authorship of the bulk of Jeremiah can hardly be overstated, although we do know that he was assisted in his work by Baruch. For, unless Jeremiah was totally disobedient, we learn here that he added to the ‘book' (scroll) that he had previously authored (Jeremiah 36:31; Jeremiah 45:1), subsequent prophecies, at least up to the date of the siege of Jerusalem (at least part of the account below appears to be given at a time when there was no reigning Davidic monarch). He would certainly have had plenty of time for writing while he was in the royal guard room, and assuming that he had disciples in Judah, would surely have communicated his prophecies to them. He could then have completed it in Egypt, from where it would be sent to exiles in all parts. Thus apart from minor editing we may see from this that most of the book came directly from Jeremiah. And it is YHWH Who here stresses the necessity for this precisely because of the coming anticipated restoration to the land of both Israel and Judah. Jeremiah's prophecies were therefore to be an essential part of the restoration, for along with the older prophets, they explained why Judah and Israel had had to go through their sufferings, and yet could still be offered hope.

Jeremiah 30:1

‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,'

This is the usual formula with which Jeremiah opens a subsection of his work. and emphasises that what he is writing here consists of a new word of YHWH.

Jeremiah 30:2

‘Thus speaks YHWH, the God of Israel, saying, “Write you all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.”

With YHWH's most imposing title being applied, Jeremiah is now called on to write down all the words that YHWH has spoken to him, in a book or scroll. This need for Jeremiah to write down his prophecies has in fact constantly been emphasised (Jeremiah 36:2; Jeremiah 36:28; Jeremiah 45:1), and suggests that he felt under a divine urge to record his prophecies.

Jeremiah 30:3

“For, lo, the days come, the word of YHWH, that I will turn again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, the word of YHWH, and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.”

And the reason for writing down his words is in readiness for the fact that ‘according to the assured word of YHWH' (twice stressed) the days were coming when YHWH would ‘turn again' the captivity of His people, both Israel and Judah, and cause them to return to the land of their fathers and possess it. It would be at that stage that they would need Jeremiah's prophecies of hope. This ‘turning again' would begin with the return of exiles from Babylon (Ezra 1:1 ff.), but it would continue on through the undocumented period following Malachi to such an extent that, by the time of Jesus Christ, Palestine (Galilee and Judaea) was well populated with people connected with the ‘twelve tribes' in one way or another (see e.g. Luke 2:36).