It is possible that the next message (Jeremiah 33:10–13) was given to Jeremiah after the city had been destroyed. It has been included in this chapter as part of the Lord’s promise to bring restoration1. The people describe the destroyed land as a waste without man or beast, in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast.
That is how the people describe the land, but in response the Lord says, there shall be heard again the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord.
After the invasion the land is like a wasteland, empty and desolate, but the Lord will cause it to be filled again with the sounds of joy. The return of the sounds of the voice of the bridegroom and the bride will reverse the curses Jeremiah spoke of (Jeremiah 7:34; Jeremiah 16:9;Jeremiah 25:10). Not only will joy return to the nation, but it will also flourish and grow as new families are made2.
At the heart of this joyful, flourishing scene is the temple, with the people coming to give thank offerings to the Lord. As they come, they sing a well-known chorus that is sung throughout the Old Testament in response to the Lord’s steadfast love for his people (see 1 Chronicles 16:34, 1 Chronicles 16:41; 2 Chronicles 5:13; 2 Chronicles 7:3; 2 Chronicles 7:6;2 Chronicles 20:21;Ezra 3:11; Psalm 100:5; Psalm 106:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 118:1–29;Psalm 36:1–12)3. All of this will happen because the Lord will restore the fortunes of the land as at first.
There will be a return to covenant blessings, which is what the Lord had always intended for his people.
It is interesting to note that Jeremiah 33:11 is the closest the prophet comes to talking about the rebuilding of the temple after the exile. Unlike many of the other prophets, Jeremiah does not speak explicitly about the temple being rebuilt. The possible reason for this is that Jeremiah focuses more on the restoration of Jerusalem and the whole land as the place where the people experience the presence of the Lord. This reflects the final restoration that the Lord is bringing to his world through Christ as described in Revelation 21:1–27, using the language of the New Jerusalem. In John’s vision, this New Jerusalem has no temple, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb
(Revelation 21:22).
10 “Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again