And I will bring back the captivity of Juda, and the captivity of Jerusalem: and I will build them as from the beginning.

And I will turn the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel, and will build them, as at the beginning.

And I have turned back the captivity of Judah, And the captivity of Israel, And I have built them as at the first,

And I will let the fate of Judah and of Israel be changed, building them up as at first.

And I will convert the turning away of Judah and the turning away of Jerusalem. And I will build them up, just as from the beginning.

Et reducam captivitatem Jehudah, et captivitatem Israel, et aedificabo cos sicuti a principio.

By the word building, God means that they would return to their own country for this end -- that they might remain secure in it. And this promise was very needful, since the Jews were on every side surrounded by enemies; for all their neighbors had united together against them, and were most hostile, so that they never ceased to create new troubles. For this reason mention is made of building, as though the Prophet had said, that the prosperity of the city would be lasting, for it would be so founded, that it would not fall or totter at any kind of assault. But he promises deliverance, not only to the tribe of Judah, but also to the whole kingdom of Israel. Though very few returned, yet God offered the benefit which he had promised to all in common: and then, as it has been often said, this promise is to be extended to the coming of Christ. For God confined not his favor to those few years in which liberty was granted to the Jews, when they returned from their exile in Babylon; but included the eternal salvation which remained for them, of whiclx the prelude was their return. Let us now proceed, --

At the first - i. e., before their sins had provoked God to anger.

The captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel - This must respect the latter times, for the ten tribes did not return with the Jews at the termination of the seventy years.

And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return,.... Mention being made of the return of the captivity of Israel, or the ten tribes, as well as that of Judah, shows that this prophecy does not relate to the return of the Jews from their seventy years' captivity in Babylon; but is to be understood spiritually, of a release of the mystical and spiritual Israel of God from the captivity of sin, Satan, and the law, by the Messiah:
and will build them as at the first; in the latter day, as at the beginning or first times of the Gospel; when the temple of the Lord was built by Christ, as the chief master builder, and by his apostles under him, upon himself, the foundation of the apostles and prophets; he being the corner stone of it, whereby it became a habitation for God through the Spirit. Since that time, by means of heretics and false teachers, and especially by the man of sin, the tabernacle of David, or church of Christ, is greatly fallen into ruin, and needs rebuilding and repairing; and this will be done; and then it will be a beautiful structure, as at the first, or as it was in the times of the apostles; see Acts 15:16.

cause . . . to return--that is, reverse (Jeremiah 33:11; Jeremiah 32:44). The specification, both of "Judah" and "Israel," can only apply fully to the future restoration.
as at the first-- (Isaiah 1:26).

The attainment of this prosperity consists in the change of the wretchedness and misery of Judah and Israel (the whole covenant people) into permanent happiness, and their being built up - i.e., the firm establishment of their civil prosperity through the secure possession and enjoyment of the good things of the land - as in the beginning, i.e., the time previous to the rending of the state through the falling away of the people into idolatry; cf. Isaiah 1:26; 1-Kings 13:6. For השׁיב את see Jeremiah 32:44.