Jeremiah 33:11

Hebrew Bible

9 All the nations will hear about all the good things that I will do for them. This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I will provide for it.’ 10 “I, the Lord, say: ‘You and your people are saying about this place, “It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.” That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places. 11 Once again there will be sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the Lord and will say, “Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. For the Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.” For I, the Lord, affirm that I will restore the land to what it was in days of old.’ 12 “I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, say: ‘This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep. 13 I, the Lord, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they pass into the fold. They will do this in all the towns in the hill country, the foothills, the Negev, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.’

Ezra 3:11

Hebrew Bible

9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives the Levites. 10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by King David of Israel. 11 With antiphonal response they sang, praising and glorifying the Lord: “For he is good; his loyal love toward Israel is forever.” All the people gave a loud shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders—older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established—were weeping loudly, and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly that the sound was heard a long way off.

 Notes and References

"... Jeremiah 33:1-26 ... It is specifically noted that the people will be restored to familiar city streets and rural towns. At the same time, the animals will be restored to all the familiar pasture lands and placed under the care of responsible shepherds who will keep track of each one of them (verse 13; compare 32:44 for the list of places, which is intended to refer to the entire land). Given the imagery of the shepherd for Israel’s leaders (see 23:1-4), the image here may move beyond specific reference to the animal world to include human beings (see Psalm 23:1; Ezekiel 34:1-31). The cities and lands that are entirely “without” living things will once again become places that are alive with creatures, both animal and human, and they will live under the leadership of shepherds who truly are concerned for those under their care. The restoration of human activity stresses joy, singing, and thankfulness (verses 10-11; see 31:4, 13). The divine judgment included the banishment of the everyday activities that made for gladness in the community, not least the weddings (so 7:34; 16:9; 25:10). Now all those joyful voices and the songs of thanksgiving will “once more” be heard (“as at the first,” verses 7, 11). This renewed joyful singing will occur both in common life and in religious life; the psalms of lament will become psalms of praise. Moreover, people will bring their thank-offerings to a restored temple (see 17:26; Leviticus 7:11-18), no doubt in gratitude for all the renewed blessings they will receive. In doing so, they will a sing a song of thanksgiving (a quotation from Pss 107:1; 136:1) that praises God for all of God’s goodness and steadfast love. In Ezra 3:11 the returned exiles do in fact sing this song ..."

Fretheim, Terence E. The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary: Jeremiah (pp. 476-477) Smith & Helwys, 2002

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