Jeremiah 33:12 (LSB)

Passage

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, without man or beast, and in all its cities, an abode of shepherds who cause their flocks to lie down.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 33:10 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a waste, without man and without beast,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast,

Jeremiah 33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to Yahweh of hosts, For Yahweh is good, For His lovingkindness endures forever”; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of Yahweh. For I will return the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says Yahweh.

Jeremiah 33:12 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, without man or beast, and in all its cities, an abode of shepherds who cause their flocks to lie down.

Jeremiah 33:13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the surroundings of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who numbers them,’ says Yahweh.

Jeremiah 33:14 ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘when I will establish the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "says", "yahweh", "hosts", "again", "place", "waste", and "without". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "says", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "the voice of joy and the voice..." into verse 13's "In the cities of the hill country...", so "thus" and "says" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thus" and "says" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.