John McCain

John McCain and John Hagee’s comments about Jeremiah 16:14-16

Who would have thought that the prophet Jeremiah would be scrutinized in the 2008 presidential campaign? McCain has just renounced Hagee's endorsement after it became known that Hagee once said that Hitler fulfilled a Biblical prophecy by chasing the Jews out of Europe and back into the Holy Land.

The New York Times says, as if it were outlandish, that Hagee argues that Jeremiah 16:16 refers to "the Jews."

What do these verses actually say and what do they mean?

"Therefore behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when it will no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the Sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen," declares the LORD, "and they will fish for them; and afterwards I shall send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and from the clefts of the rocks."

First of all, these verses are clearly about "the sons of Israel" and the sons of Israel are the Jews. So it's not clear why that identification would be controversial.

It is also clearly about the Jews returning from "the land of the north and from all the countries where [the LORD] banished them." That is, it speaks of a return of the Jews to the Holy Land, which the Times misleadingly neglects to mention--presumably to make what Hagee says seems more outlandish.

The only question is this: which return of the Jews is this referring to? The Jews did return to the Holy Land after the captivity in Babylon and resided there until 70 A.D. So Jeremiah's prophecy can and presumably does refer to that. (Daniel was reading Jeremiah when he realized that the time had come for the Jews to return.)

Can this passage also refer to another return of the Jews to the Holy Land, perhaps the one that began in the late 19th century and gained momentum following WWII? (The first large scale return of the Jews to this place, by the way, since they were scattered in 70 A.D.)

Christians, at least, would have to say that it may well refer to this recent return. All Christians believe of necessity that the prophecies contained in the Hebrew Scriptures typically have two fulfillments--one sooner and then another later in time. For example, the prophecy concerning a virgin being with child and calling that child Emmanuel is understood by Christians to refer to a child born soon after the prophecy was made and then seven centuries later to the birth of Jesus Christ.

In the same way, the Jeremiah prophecy could refer to the return of the Jews after the captivity in Babylon as well as to the return that led to the modern state of Israel. Whether it does or not is the question. The very existence of the modern state of Israel, which was so unexpected and came against such great odds, may well be sufficient evidence that it does. "I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers."

Volokh on Hagee