Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 33:12-13

"Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet again shall there be in this place, which is waste, without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the hill-country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks again pass under the hands of him that numbereth them, saith Jehovah." — Jeremiah 33:12-13 (ASV)

Again in this place. — The “place” includes, as in Jeremiah 33:10, “the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem.” The “habitation” for shepherds is translated sometimes as “sheepcote” (1 Chronicles 17:7; 2 Samuel 7:8), sometimes as “fold” (Isaiah 65:10; Ezekiel 34:14), and sometimes as “dwelling” or “habitation.”

It would seem here to correspond to the “towns” of older English usage, meaning enclosed spaces with a watchman’s tower (2 Kings 17:9; Isaiah 1:8). During times of relative peace, shepherds and their flocks found shelter in these enclosures; however, these were abandoned when an invading army overran the land.

In Jeremiah 33:13, the prophet’s vision sweeps over such districts within the kingdom of Judah, both north and south of Jerusalem. He adds a vivid detail to the picture: the sheep shall pass under the hands of him that telleth them.

This refers to the shepherd whose task it was to count the flock—in older English, “to tell his tale.” As the sheep went out in the morning and returned at nightfall, he would find that he had lost none of them.