THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
But the Lord who has been taken away lives on. Why is this added? For reassurance. If he could provide hope to those over forty, how much more will he extend that to you because it had the power to lead them to despair.
Jeremiah 16:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers
But, The Lord liveth, that brought the children of Israel out of the land of the north, and out of all the lands to which I cast them out: and I will bring them again into their land, which I gave to their fathers.
כִּ֣י אִם־חַי־יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶעֱלָ֜ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹן וּמִכֹּל֙ הָֽאֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִדִּיחָ֖ם שָׁ֑מָּה וַהֲשִֽׁבֹתִים֙ עַל־אַדְמָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבוֹתָֽם׃
The Church Fathers on this verse
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Ephraem the Syrian
The Lord declares, “Behold, I will send many fishers, and they shall catch them.” He emphasizes that these fishers will pursue their prey on every mountain and hill, even from the depths of stone caves. In a straightforward interpretation, the prophet refers to the Babylonians and their allied nations sent by God against the Israelites. These armies, akin to fishermen at sea, encircled the cities of Judah, overcoming them and ensnaring the residents as if they were silent fish. This also included those Jews who sought refuge in the heights of strong mountains and rocky places; they were pursued along treacherous paths, often meeting death or captivity. However, on a deeper spiritual level, the prophet symbolizes the eradication of idolatry.
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Thus, the holy apostles, deemed fishermen, are commissioned by God to confront and vanquish the retreating demons that are worshipped as idols on every mountain and hill. The assurance of destroying these idols and demonic forces is paired with a promise for humanity to return to its rightful place, represented here by the anticipated return of the Jews to their inherited land, a prophecy made by Jeremiah.
Jerome of Stridon
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they will no longer say, ‘The Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ but rather, ‘The Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had scattered them; for I will restore them to the land that I gave to their ancestors.’ The anticipated revival of Israel and divine compassion following their exile is clearly prophesied. While this was partially realized in a literal sense under Zerubbabel, the high priest Joshua, and Ezra, it finds a truer and more profound fulfillment in Christ.
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The day will come, He states, when the emphasis will not be on Moses and Aaron leading the people out of Egypt, but on Cyrus, the Persian king, who liberated the captives from the northern lands. Furthermore, it is evident that this prophecy extends beyond the time of Cyrus and looks toward the end times, as the apostle clarifies, “After the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25-26). Reflecting on the tribulations that have afflicted our people from the reign of Nero, of whom the apostle wrote, “And you were delivered from the mouth of the lion” (2 Tim. 4:17), until the era of Maximin, we can proclaim, “How the Lord has shown mercy to His people and returned them to His land!” – assuredly, this refers to the Church that He entrusted to their forefathers, the apostles, as well as to their apostolic successors.
Cross references
Passages read together with this verse.
- Jer 32:37Behold I will gather them together out of all the lands to which I have cast them out in my anger, and in my wrath, and in my great indignation: and I will bring them again into this place, and will cause them to dwell securely.
- Jer 3:18In those days the house of Juda shall go to the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land which I gave to your fathers.
- Jer 24:6And I will set my eyes upon them to be pacified, and I will bring them again into this land: and I will build them up, and not pull them down: and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
- Ezek 36:24For I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.
- Ps 106 (105):47
- Amos 9:14And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel: and they shall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit them: and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them: and shall make gardens, and eat the fruits of them.
- Isa 11:11And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand the second time to possess the remnant of his people, which shall be left from the Assyrians, and from Egypt, and from Phetros, and from Ethiopia, and from Elam, and from Sennaar, and from Emath, and from the islands of the sea.
- Isa 11:16And there shall be a highway for the remnant of my people, which shall be left from the Assyrians: as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.