Mining Gems in Jeremiah

When reading Jeremiah in the NWT I decided to investigate this recurring phrase describing Jehovah’s promise: “I will gather the captives of…” I looked this phrase up in the NET Bible and Hermeneia translations. What I found was more than what I expected and was truly endearing.

This phrase is found in Jeremiah 29:14 and 30:3 about Israel and Judah and found in Jeremiah 48:47 and 49:6, 39 about Moab, Ammon and Elam.

29:14 “I will gather your captives and collect you together out of all the nations and places to which I have dispersed you”
NET Bible: “I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you”

A footnote for this says:

Heb “restore your fortune.” Alternately, “I will bring you back from exile.” … The idiom means “to turn someone’s fortune, bring about change” or “to reestablish as it was” (HALOT 1386 s.v. 3.c). … This amounts to restitutio in integrum, which is applicable to the circumstances surrounding the return of the exiles.

Hermeneia: “I shall restore your fortunes [and shall gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,] oracle of Yahweh, [and I shall bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.]”

The translation choice of ‘restore your fortunes’ was used in the other verses.

30:3 “I will gather the captives of my people, Israel and Judah”
NET Bible: “I will reverse the plight of my people”
Hermeneia: “I shall restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah”

48:47 “I will gather the captives of Moab in the final part of the days”
NET Bible: “I will reverse Moab’s ill fortune”
Hermeneia: “I shall restore the fortunes of Moab.”

49:6 “I will gather the captives of the Ammonites”
NET Bible: “I will reverse Ammon’s ill fortune”
Hermeneia: “I shall restore the fortunes of the Ammonites”

These cases can be seen as referring to the decree of Cyrus releasing captives.

49:39 “in the final part of the days, I will gather the captives of Elam”
NET Bible: “I will reverse Elam’s ill fortune”
Hermeneia: “I shall restore the fortunes of Elam.”

While this cannot be seen as referring to the decree of Cyrus, I found it interesting that Elam is last mentioned in Acts, as one author noted:

On the day of Pentecost, 33 C.E., Elamites were among the thousands hearing the message spoken by the disciples in the language then currently spoken in Elam. (Ac 2:8, 9) As a nation and people, however, they have since ceased to exist, even as foretold at Jeremiah 49:34-39. (Insight on the Scriptures, Elam.)

In all these cases, these condemned nations were granted a measure of restoration, rolling back the condemnation. The invitation was there from the hand of Jehovah, as especially seen with Elam.