They shall come with weeping - Duly penetrated with a sense of their sins, they shall deeply deplore them; and, while weeping for them, earnestly supplicate God to have mercy upon them.
By the rivers of waters - I will so guide and provide for them in the arid deserts, that they shall find streams of water whenever necessary. Every one knows of how much consequence water is to travelers in the eastern deserts.
Ephraim is my first-born - Ephraim, being the most considerable, is often put for the whole of the ten tribes.
Weeping - For joy, not for sorrow.
Supplications - The conviction that God is guiding them, encourages them to pray.
Ephraim is My firstborn - The house of Joseph is thus to be restored to its old preeminence.
“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.” Jeremiah 33:1-14. PK 474.1
Thus was the church of God comforted in one of the darkest hours of her long conflict with the forces of evil. Satan had seemingly triumphed in his efforts to destroy Israel; but the Lord was overruling the events of the present, and during the years that were to follow, His people were to have opportunity to redeem the past. His message to the church was: PK 474.2
“Fear thou not, O My servant Jacob; ... neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee.” “I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds.” Jeremiah 30:10, 11, 17. PK 474.3
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