Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Jeremiah
Chapter 33: Call Unto Me, and I Will Answer Thee
Still shut in the prison court as the city falls, Jeremiah receives a second word, and it is pure grace. God, 'the maker thereof... the LORD is his name,' invites him, 'Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.' He promises to bring 'health and cure,' to cleanse His people 'from all their iniquity' and pardon it, and to fill the desolate streets again with 'the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.' At the center stands the promised Messiah, 'the Branch of righteousness' raised to David, whose name is 'The LORD our righteousness.' And God guarantees it all by the surest thing in the world: as long as day and night keep coming, His covenant with David, fulfilled in Christ the eternal King and Priest, can never be broken.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Jeremiah chapter 33, the close of the Book of Consolation. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here God invites prayer, promises cleansing and joy, and secures His salvation in the coming Branch of righteousness. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Call Unto Me
God invites Jeremiah to call, promising to answer and show great and hidden things.
Cleansed and Pardoned
God promises health, cure, cleansing from all iniquity, and full pardon, with joy restored.
The LORD Our Righteousness
The Messiah, "the Branch of righteousness" raised to David, brings salvation and safety.
Sure as Day and Night
God's covenant with David is as unbreakable as His covenant with day and night.
Call Unto Me, and I Will Answer Thee (Jeremiah 33:1-13)
God invites Jeremiah to call on Him for great and hidden things, then promises to heal, cleanse, and pardon His people, filling the ruined and silent land once more with the voices of joy, gladness, and praise.
I Will Cleanse Them From All Their Iniquity
"Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword; They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city. Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it. Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast, The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the LORD."
Hebrew Study
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee," qera elai ve-e'enekha (קְרָא אֵלַי וְאֶעֱנֶךָּ). A direct invitation to prayer. God does not merely permit prayer; He commands and welcomes it, promising to answer and to "shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not", literally "fenced-off," inaccessible things (betsurot), truths we could never reach except by asking Him.
"health and cure," arukhah u-marpe (אֲרֻכָה וּמַרְפֵּא). The same "new healing flesh" (arukhah) of Jeremiah 30:17, joined with marpe, healing/remedy. God binds up the very wound He inflicted. The healing is total, physical restoration of the land and, deeper, the cleansing and pardon of sin, "I will cleanse them from all their iniquity... and I will pardon."
Explanation
A second word comes to the imprisoned prophet, and it opens with a magnificent invitation. God identifies Himself as the Creator, "the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it... the LORD is his name," and then says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." The God who made all things invites His servant to ask, and promises revelation beyond his reach. What follows is the "great and mighty things." Yes, the city now lies "thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword," filled with the dead, under God's just anger. But then grace floods in: "Behold, I will bring it health and cure... and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth." God will "cause the captivity... to return," rebuild them "as at the first," and, best of all, "cleanse them from all their iniquity... and I will pardon all their iniquities." The result glorifies God, "it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations." The silent, desolate streets will ring again with "the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride," and the great refrain of worship, "Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever."
Gospel Focus
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." This is one of the Bible's great invitations to prayer, and it still stands. The Creator of heaven and earth invites us to call on Him and promises to answer and to show us things we could never discover on our own. Jesus renewed the invitation: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find" (Matthew 7:7), and "call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee" (Psalm 50:15). Notice that this invitation came to a man in prison, in a doomed city, God's ear is open even when circumstances are at their worst. And notice the "great and mighty things" He unveils: not merely rescue, but the heart of the gospel, "I will cleanse them from all their iniquity... and I will pardon all their iniquities." This is what Christ came to do, to cleanse and forgive, "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). The end is worship, desolate hearts filled again with "the voice of joy," bringing "the sacrifice of praise," which the New Testament makes the believer's continual offering: "let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually" (Hebrews 13:15). Call on Him; He answers, He cleanses, He forgives, and He turns mourning into praise.
The Branch of Righteousness (Jeremiah 33:14-18)
God renews the great promise of chapter 23: He will raise up to David the Branch of righteousness, whose name is The LORD our righteousness, and pledges that David's throne and a ministering priesthood will never fail.
The LORD Our Righteousness
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually."
Hebrew Study
"the Branch of righteousness," tsemach tsedaqah (צֶמַח צְדָקָה). The same messianic "Branch" (tsemach) of Jeremiah 23:5 and Zechariah 3:8; 6:12. From the felled stump of David's dynasty God causes a living Shoot to "grow up," the Messiah who does what the kings could not, executing "judgment and righteousness in the land."
"The LORD our righteousness," YHWH Tsidqenu (יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ). In Jeremiah 23:6 this name was given to the King Himself; here it is given to the city, Jerusalem, "she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness." The people take the name of their Redeemer. Because the Branch is Himself the LORD our righteousness, His people are counted righteous in Him and called by His name.
Explanation
God now anchors all the promises in the coming Messiah, echoing the great word of chapter 23. "I will perform that good thing which I have promised", and the good thing is a Person: "In those days... will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land." Under this King, "Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely." Then a striking shift: in chapter 23 the King's name was "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS"; here that same name is given to the city, "this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness." The people come to bear the name of their Redeemer, because His righteousness becomes theirs. God then makes two perpetual pledges: "David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne", and the priesthood will never lack a man "to do sacrifice continually." An eternal King and an eternal priesthood, promises that no earthly dynasty or Levitical line could keep forever, but which are fulfilled in One who is both King and Priest for ever.
Gospel Focus
"The Branch of righteousness... The LORD our righteousness." Here again is Jesus Christ, the Son of David who is Himself the LORD come in flesh to be the righteousness His people could never produce. What is new here is that the Redeemer's own name is now given to His people: the city "shall be called, The LORD our righteousness." This is the wonder of the gospel, that in Christ we are not merely forgiven but clothed in His righteousness and called by His name, "made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). And see how the two perpetual promises are kept. "David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne", fulfilled in Jesus, of whom the angel said, "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David... and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32-33). And the priesthood that never fails "to do sacrifice continually", fulfilled in Christ our great High Priest, who "continueth ever" and "hath an unchangeable priesthood" (Hebrews 7:24). The One promised is both the King on David's throne forever and the Priest who ministers forever, the very roles no mortal could hold. In Him, God's people become "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), offering the continual "sacrifice of praise." The King-Priest has come, and His name is our righteousness.
My Covenant of the Day and of the Night (Jeremiah 33:19-26)
God guarantees His covenant with David and His people by the most certain thing in creation: as surely as day and night keep their appointed course, His promises cannot be broken, and He will have mercy on those the world says He has cast off.
If Ye Can Break My Covenant of the Day
"And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them. Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them."
Hebrew Study
"my covenant of the day... of the night," beriti ha-yom... ha-laylah (בְּרִיתִי הַיּוֹם... הַלָּיְלָה). God calls the fixed order of day and night a "covenant" He has made with creation. Its unfailing regularity, the sunrise you can count on, becomes the measure of His faithfulness to His promises. Only if the sun failed to rise could God's word to David fail.
"so will I multiply the seed of David," arbeh et-zera David (אַרְבֶּה אֶת־זֶרַע דָּוִד). The promise of countless descendants, echoing God's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 22:17). Ultimately David's "seed" is multiplied not only in physical descendants but in the innumerable people of God gathered under the Son of David, a family "which no man could number" (Revelation 7:9).
Explanation
God now gives the strongest possible guarantee of His promises. People were saying that God had finally "cast them off", that "the two families which the LORD hath chosen" (Israel and Judah, or the royal and priestly lines) were finished, "no more a nation." God answers with an unbreakable pledge tied to creation itself: "If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night... Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant." In other words, only if you can stop the sun from rising and the night from falling can God's covenant with David fail. He promises to "multiply the seed of David... and the Levites" as uncountable as "the host of heaven" and "the sand of the sea." He repeats it: "If my covenant be not with day and night... Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant", the point being that this will never happen, "for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them." Against every appearance of abandonment, God binds His faithfulness to the surest rhythm in the universe. What He has promised through David, He will certainly perform.
Gospel Focus
God stakes His covenant with David on the reliability of day and night, and in Jesus Christ that covenant is kept forever. When it looked as though David's line was finished, cut off in the exile, and centuries later reduced to a carpenter's family in Nazareth, God had not failed. He raised up the Son of David, and "of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:33). The sun still rises, and so David's throne still stands, occupied eternally by Christ. This is a profound comfort: God's promises are not fragile hopes but are as certain as the sunrise. "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). When people say God has "cast off" His people, or when our own hearts fear we are finally beyond His mercy, this word answers: sooner would the heavens cease their order than God break His covenant of grace. And the last note is mercy, "I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them." The whole Book of Consolation ends where the gospel ends, in the mercy of God, fulfilled in the Branch of righteousness who reigns forever. Rest your soul on promises as sure as the sunrise, sealed in the eternal King, the LORD our righteousness.
Chapter 33 in Review
Jeremiah 33 closes the Book of Consolation on a note of pure grace. To the prophet still in prison, God gives the great invitation, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not," and unveils promises of "health and cure," of cleansing "from all their iniquity" and full pardon, and of desolate streets filled again with "the voice of joy... the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride" and the "sacrifice of praise." At the center stands the Messiah, "the Branch of righteousness" raised to David, under whom Judah is saved, and whose name, "The LORD our righteousness," is now given even to His people. God pledges an unfailing throne and an unfailing priesthood, and guarantees it all by His "covenant of the day and of the night": only if the sun stopped rising could His word to David fail.
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter gathers up the gospel and grounds it in Christ. The God who invites us to call and promises to answer is the God who cleanses and pardons all who come, "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." The Branch of righteousness is Jesus, the Son of David who is Himself the LORD, and in Him His people are clothed in His righteousness and called by His name. The eternal throne and eternal priesthood that no mortal could hold are His, the King who reigns for ever and the Priest who "continueth ever," so that we become a royal priesthood offering the sacrifice of praise. And His covenant is as sure as the sunrise. Whatever your ruin, call on Him; He answers, He heals, He pardons, and He keeps His promises as faithfully as He keeps the day and the night.
- God invites us to pray: "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things" (33:3; Matthew 7:7).
- The heart of His promise is cleansing and pardon of all sin (33:8; 1 John 1:7).
- God turns desolation into joy and the "sacrifice of praise" (33:11; Hebrews 13:15).
- The "Branch of righteousness" is Christ; His people are called "The LORD our righteousness" (33:15-16; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
- Christ is the eternal King on David's throne and the eternal Priest (33:17-18; Luke 1:33; Hebrews 7:24).
- God's covenant is as unbreakable as day and night (33:20-21; 2 Corinthians 1:20).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you taking God up on His invitation to "call unto me," expecting Him to answer?
- Have you received the "great and mighty thing" of being cleansed and pardoned of all your sin?
- Your Redeemer's name is "The LORD our righteousness." Are you resting in His righteousness, not your own?
- How does anchoring your hope in promises "as sure as day and night" steady you today?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. This second prison-court word closes the "Book of Consolation" (Jeremiah 30 to 33). "Call unto me, and I will answer thee" (verse 3) invites prayer (Matthew 7:7; Psalm 50:15); "great and mighty things" are betsurot, fenced-off/inaccessible. "Health and cure" (verse 6) uses arukhah (compare 30:17). Cleansing and pardon (verse 8) are fulfilled in 1 John 1:7; the "sacrifice of praise" (verse 11) in Hebrews 13:15. "The Branch of righteousness... The LORD our righteousness" (verses 15-16) echo Jeremiah 23:5-6 (Zechariah 3:8; 6:12); here the Redeemer's name is given to His people (2 Corinthians 5:21). The unfailing throne and priesthood (verses 17-18) are fulfilled in Christ, eternal King (Luke 1:32-33) and eternal Priest (Hebrews 7:24), making His people "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). God's covenant with day and night (verses 20, 25) grounds His faithfulness in creation's order; "seed of David" multiplied echoes Genesis 22:17 and Revelation 7:9. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The invitation to prayer; health, cleansing, pardon, and restored joy: Jeremiah 33:1-13; Matthew 7:7; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 13:15.
- The Branch of righteousness; The LORD our righteousness; eternal King and Priest: Jeremiah 33:14-18; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Luke 1:32-33; Hebrews 7:24.
- The covenant as sure as day and night; mercy on the seemingly cast-off: Jeremiah 33:19-26; Genesis 22:17; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Revelation 7:9.