B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

because there are people ready to realize it.
Having read today Jeremiah's prophecy
כִּי כֹה אָמַר יהוה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹד יִקָּנוּ בָתִּים וְשָׂדוֹת וּכְרָמִים בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת
KJV: "For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."
I recalled my grandfather שלמה בן יוסף פריד who in 1934 gave up an occupation of teaching and study, sold his house, and took his family out of central Europe, what used to be the Austro-Hungarian empire, to move up to ארץ ישראל, the Land of Israel.
There, he bought a farm in the מושב, the settlement, שדה יעקב in the valley of Jezreel עמק יזרעאל, by the ancient town of בית שערים.
He acquired ten cows, which he named גילה דיצה חדוה שמחה רינה שׂשׂונה צהלה אושרה אורה שירה, a donkey, a couple of mules and a good number of egg laying chicken. He had several acres of good land in the valley on which to grow corn for ear and fodder, and he planted near his house an orchard of apple and pear trees, and nearby, a small vineyard.
For the rest of his life he worked good and hard, with the help of my grandmother פראדל בת צבי הלוי אדלשטיין cultivating the land and tending to the needs of the livestock, from early morning to late in the evening, while all the time wholeheartedly and unswervingly
בכל לבבו בכל נפשו ובכל מאודו adhering to the God of his forefathers.
תנצב"ה

Isaac Fried, Boston University

See also Jer. 31:4(5)
עוֹד תִּטְּעִי כְרָמִים בְּהָרֵי שֹׁמְרוֹן נָטְעוּ נֹטְעִים וְחִלֵּלוּ
NIV: "Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

See also Amos 9:14-15
וְשַׁבְתִּי אֶת שְׁבוּת עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבָנוּ עָרִים נְשַׁמּוֹת וְיָשָׁבוּ וְנָטְעוּ כְרָמִים וְשָׁתוּ אֶת יֵינָם וְעָשׂוּ גַנּוֹת וְאָכְלוּ אֶת פְּרִיהֶם וּנְטַעְתִּים עַל אַדְמָתָם וְלֹא יִנָּתְשׁוּ עוֹד מֵעַל אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָהֶם אָמַר יהוה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
KJV: "And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God"

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Dear Isaac,

It was interesting to hear about your grandfather and how he moved to ארץ ישראל. That was also the case with many others. The committee who considered my doctoral dissertation, gave me the assignment to give a lecture describing the origin of modern Hebrew. So I used much time to study the life of Ben Yehuda and others who were the pioneers. that was a very rewarding study.

The Jews were in Babylonian captivity for 70 years (607-537).

Daniel 9:2
בִּשְׁנַ֤ת אַחַת֙ לְמָלְכ֔וֹ אֲנִי֙ דָּֽנִיֵּ֔אל בִּינֹ֖תִי בַּסְּפָרִ֑ים מִסְפַּ֣ר הַשָּׁנִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָיָ֤ה דְבַר־יְהוָה֙ אֶל־יִרְמִיָ֣ה הַנָּבִ֔יא לְמַלֹּ֛אות לְחָרְב֥וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם שִׁבְעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃

2 Chronicles 36:21
לְמַלֹּ֤אות דְּבַר־יְהוָה֙ בְּפִ֣י יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ עַד־רָצְתָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתֶ֑יהָ כָּל־יְמֵ֤י הָשַּׁמָּה֙ שָׁבָ֔תָה לְמַלֹּ֖אות שִׁבְעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃

After these 70 years Jeremiah 32:15 was fulfilled. There are some sayings suggesting that a prophecy could be fulfilled two times.

The general view is that the captivity lasted only about 50 years. But that is contradicetd by Babylonian cuneiform evidence. In order to put this into a setting of the Hebrew language, I claim that the two passages above only can be understood in one way—a 70 year exile. If anyone disagree, please let me know.


Best regards,

Rolf J. Furuli
Stavern
Norway

See also the stunning assurance in Jer. 30:18-21
כֹּה אָמַר יהוה הִנְנִי שָׁב שְׁבוּת אָהֳלֵי יַעֲקוֹב וּמִשְׁכְּנֹתָיו אֲרַחֵם וְנִבְנְתָה עִיר עַל תִּלָּהּ וְאַרְמוֹן עַל מִשְׁפָּטוֹ יֵשֵׁב וְיָצָא מֵהֶם תּוֹדָה וְקוֹל מְשַׂחֲקִים וְהִרְבִּתִים וְלֹא יִמְעָטוּ וְהִכְבַּדְתִּים וְלֹא יִצְעָרוּ וְהָיוּ בָנָיו כְּקֶדֶם וַעֲדָתוֹ לְפָנַי תִּכּוֹן וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל כָּל לֹחֲצָיו וְהָיָה אַדִּירוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ וּמֹשְׁלוֹ מִקִּרְבּוֹ יֵצֵא וְהִקְרַבְתִּיו וְנִגַּשׁ אֵלָי
NIV: "I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish all who oppress them. Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me"

Isaac Fried, Boston University