“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 33:14 Mean?
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised." After chapters of judgment, devastation, and exile, God announces: the promise still stands. The good thing I promised — I will perform it. The performance is future but certain. The promise hasn't been cancelled by the judgment.
The phrase "that good thing" (ha-davar ha-tov) — the good word, the good promise — is deliberately vague in its specificity. It refers to the entire cluster of promises God made to David and to Israel: the eternal kingdom, the restored Temple, the righteous Branch. All of it is summarized as "that good thing." Whatever God said He would do, He will do.
The verb "perform" (qum) means to establish, to raise up, to make good on. God will make His promise stand. It won't remain a word — it will become a reality. The transition from promise to performance is what this verse announces.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What promise from God have you been holding that hasn't been performed yet?
- 2.Has the difficulty between the promise and the fulfillment made you doubt the promise itself?
- 3.What does 'perform' — moving from word to reality — look like for your situation?
- 4.How does knowing God will do 'that good thing' sustain you through current difficulty?
Devotional
The good thing God promised — He will perform it. After all the judgment. After all the exile. After all the devastation that was necessary. The promise still stands. God will do what He said.
This verse is the answer to every person who has watched judgment fall and wondered: is the promise still valid? Has God's discipline cancelled God's intention? Has the exile deleted the covenant? And Jeremiah's answer, from the middle of the worst crisis in Judah's history, is: no. The good thing is still coming. God will perform it.
The word "perform" is the key. A promise is words. A performance is reality. God isn't just going to keep promising — He's going to perform. The word will become event. The declaration will become history. The verbal promise will become a physical reality.
If you've been living on a promise from God that seems permanently deferred — a hope that's been spoken but never performed, a word that's been given but never fulfilled — this verse is your anchor. The days are coming. God will perform. The good thing He promised hasn't been cancelled by the difficulty between the promise and the fulfillment.
Hold the promise. The performance is coming.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,.... Or, "are coming" (t); future times are respected; yet such as would quickly…
That good thing - Better, the good word Jer 29:10, with reference to the promise already given Jer 23:5-6.
Here is a further prediction of the happy state of Judah and Jerusalem after their glorious return out of captivity,…
See introd. summary to the section. This portion of the ch. is clearly later than Jeremiah's time. The expression…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture