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Question: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when this city will be rebuilt..." v.38 (NIV) "...will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished" (v.40 NIV)I have read Matthew Henry's Commentary on these verses, and it left me somewhat unsatisfied. I feel the passage is describing the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return of the Israelites from captivity.(Jer. 30:18) Is the city being described in 31:38 the post-587BC Jerusalem? If so, does not the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD contradict verse 40, "never again"???
I have read a commentary before that suggested this was describing the rebuilding of post-70AD Jerusalem, but how would one interpret the physical Jerusalem of today to still be "holy to the Lord" (v.40)???
Any helpful opinions on how to correctly interpret these verses will be greatly appreciated.
Answer: If you study the related Scriptures and look at the context of the chapters before, I believe it will be evident that the Jerusalem here is both and post 587 BC and post 70 AD. I believe it is a reference to Jerusalem rebuilt for the Millennial reign of Christ at His second advent. It will be an eternal city from then on and characterized by the presence of the Lord and Holiness.
See the connection of the following references: Ez. 48:30-35, Zech. 14:1-5, 20-21, Rev. 11:13, Rev. 16:19, Rev. 20: 4-10.
For a more comprehensive view of the city of Jerusalem past and future look at a Dake's Annotated Reference Bible for the notes on these passages and in the index under "Jerusalem."
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