Jeremiah 32:9
And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
Jeremiah bought from his cousin Hanameel an ancestral field at Anathoth for seventeen shekels of silver, completing the transaction before witnesses with careful observance of all necessary legal forms. From every human point of view the purchase looked like folly, for the surrounding territory was already under Babylonian control. Jerusalem's destruction, Judea's desolation, and a long captivity in Babylon had been foretold, and Jeremiah was advanced in years with no hope of ever gaining personal benefit from the land.
The purchase was an acted parable by which he laid hold on God's promises and illustrated his strong faith in the ultimate fulfillment of God's purpose for His people. That faith had been created by his study of the recorded prophecies, which had convinced him that the Lord purposed to restore the children of the captivity to their ancient possession in the land of promise. With the eye of faith he saw the exiles returning at the end of affliction to reoccupy the land of their fathers. Through the purchase he sought to inspire others with the hope that comforted his own heart.