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JEREMIAH 31

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

(The parentheses represent poetic literary units)

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. Many of these strophes were written in different historical contexts. There is a mixing of references to Israel (the northern ten tribes) and Judah (the southern three tribes). These separate poems were combined in this chapter, which emphasizes the restoration of both.
   
   
2. Note the references in Jeremiah 31 to:
   1. the united seed of Abraham
      1. Jer. 31:1,2 (i.e., the Exodus)
      2. Jer. 31:4,21 ("O virgin of Israel")
      3. Jer. 31:7 ("for Jacob. . .remnant of Israel")
      4. Jer. 31:27 ("the house of Israel and the house of Judah")
      5. Jer. 31:33 ("the house of Israel after those days")
   2. Israel
      1. Jer. 31: 5 ("the hills of Samaria")
      2. Jer. 31:6 ("the hills of Ephraim")
      3. Jer. 31:9 ("Ephraim is My first-born")
      4. Jer. 31:15 ("Ramah. . .Rachel")
      5. Jer. 31:18,20 ("Ephraim")
   3. Judah
      1. Jer. 31:12 ("the height of Zion")
      2. Jer. 31:14 ("the priests")
      3. Jer. 31:23 ("the land of Judah")
      4. Jer. 31:23 ("O holy hill")
   
   
3. The unique reference to a "new covenant" is very important. It points toward a new way of being right with YHWH based on faith and repentance, not human performance. Obedience is an evidence of the new relationship but not the means to it (cf. Eph. 2:8-9,10). Fallen mankind was unable to please God and follow Him. Substitutionary atonement became the new mechanism for a free and full salvation (cf. Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21) which issues in Christlikeness (cf. Eph. 1:4). God now has a people who reflect His character to those who do not yet know Him.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:1-6
¹"At that time," declares the Lord, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people."
²Thus says the Lord,
"The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness-
Israel, when it went to find its rest."
³The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
⁴Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
Again you will take up your tambourines,
And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers.
⁵Again you will plant vineyards
On the hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will enjoy them.
⁶For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
'Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.'"

31:1 "At that time" This refers to Jer. 30:23-24 or the words Jeremiah wrote (i.e., Jer. 30:1-24).

▣ Notice the covenant terminology (cf. Jer. 30:22) and that Judah and Israel are united again (cf. Gen. 17:7-8). This covenant terminology can also be seen in Lev. 26:12; Jer. 7:23; 11:4; 24:7; 30:22; 31:33; 32:38.

31:2 This may be an allusion to a new "wilderness wandering period." The VERB "went to find rest" (BDB 921, KB 1188, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) communicates a reality of peace and YHWH's presence. A different word (BDB 628) is used in Exod. 33:14 and Deut. 28:65, but reflects the same theological concept (cf. Hos. 2:14).

▣ "the sword" The Aramaic Targums have "Egypt's sword," therefore, the "sword" is imagery for death more than a reference to war. This section seems to refer to God's loving acts during the Wilderness Wandering Period.

31:3 "him" The MT has "me" (cf. NKJV, NJB; the UBS Text Project, p. 263, gives the MT a "B" rating). The LXX has "him" (cf NRSV). It seems to refer to the descendants of Jacob/Israel (cf. Deut. 4:37; 7:8).

▣ "I have loved you. . .I have drawn you" Both of these VERBS are Qal PERFECTS.

The word "you" must be a COLLECTIVE FEMININE SINGULAR (twice) because of

1. the context of Jer. 31:4 as national renewal and restoration
2. the continuation of the COLLECTIVE FEMININE SINGULAR

▣ "everlasting love. . .lovingkindness" These are covenant terms and promises. God wants His exiled people to know He has not forsaken them.

1. everlasting love ‒ BDB 12 CONSTRUCT BDB 761, see SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER ('olam)
2. lovingkindness ‒ BDB 338, see SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (Hesed)

31:4 The things asserted in Jer. 31:4-5 are the very things that were taken with them into the exile.

▣ "O virgin of Israel" This phrase is used several times in the OT (cf. Jer. 31:21; 14:17; 18:13; 46:11; Amos 5:2; see full note at Jer. 46:11). God's people have committed spiritual adultery (cf. Jer. 31:22b). God forgives and restores them. The title "Israel" is used in three ways in this chapter.

1. as a reference to Jacob
2. as the whole nation of his descendants
3. as the northern ten tribes also called Ephraim or Samaria

31:5 "hills of Samaria" This was the site of the capital of the northern kingdom built by Omri. Jeremiah 31:5-6 speak to the area of the northern tribes, Israel.

▣ "enjoy" This VERB literally means "profane" (BDB 320, KB 319, Piel PERFECT with waw). It is a reference to the OT custom of offering first fruits to God (cf. Lev. 19:23-25; Deut. 20:6). Here "profane" means "to use for normal consumption." The first four years' fruit and then the first ripened fruit of the following years were symbolically given to YHWH in order to show His ownership of all the crops. However, here the phrase is imagery for a long extended period of peace and abundance (cf. Deuteronomy 28).

31:6 "Ephraim" This is a reference to the northern ten tribes who had by Jeremiah's day already been exiled by Assyria (722 B.C.). It went by several names after the united monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon split in 922 B.C.

1. Israel (a collective term)
2. Samaria (their capital)
3. Ephraim (their largest tribe)

To keep Ephraim from returning to Zion to worship YHWH, Jeroboam I set up "golden calves" at the cities of Bethel and Dan (i.e., alternate sites of temples to YHWH). They were turned into sites of Ba'al worship but now they no longer exist!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:7-9
⁷For thus says the Lord,
"Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
'O Lord, save Your people,
The remnant of Israel.'
⁸Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,
And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great company, they will return here.
⁹With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will not stumble;
For I am a father to Israel,
And Ephraim is My firstborn."

31:7 Jer. 31:7-9 are another poem/strophe. There is a series of IMPERATIVES expressing YHWH's will for the reunified covenant people (Israel/Jacob).

1. sing aloud ‒ BDB 943, KB 1247, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. shout ‒ BDB 843, KB 1007, Qal IMPERATIVE
3. proclaim ‒ BDB 1033, KB 1570, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
4. give praise ‒ BDB 237, KB 248, Piel IMPERATIVE
5. say ‒ BDB 55, KB 65, Qal IMPERATIVE
6. save ‒ BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil imperative (this is a prayer to YHWH expressed loudly. The LXX changes the IMPERATIVE to a DECLARATIVE, which makes it the OBJECT of the other IMPERATIVES)

This imagery goes back to

1. Exod. 4:22; Ps. 2:7, where Israel is YHWH's firstborn
2. Ps. 18:43, where David is called "the head of the nations"
3. Both of the above are combined in Ps. 89:27.
4. In Deut. 28:13 Israel is called "the head and not the tail," which is the same imagery (cf. Isa. 61:9)

This imagery shows the central place of Abraham's descendants (cf. Deut. 26:19) in YHWH's plan for all the earth (see SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN).

The MT is reflected in the NASB. The issue is the form of the VERB; is it an IMPERATIVE or a PERFECT? The UBS Text Project, p. 263, gives the MT Hiphil IMPERATIVE a "C" rating (considerable doubt).

▣ "the remnant of Israel" In this context it is parallel to "those who survived the sword" of Jer. 31:2b. Jeremiah uses this term (BDB 984) twenty-three times.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE REMNANT, THREE SENSES

31:8 "I am bringing them from the north country" This reference is to the Assyrian exile of the northern kingdom in 722 b.c. The only land route into Palestine from Mesopotamia was from the north because the Arabian Desert was to the east. It became a symbol of invasion, but here is a symbol of hope and restoration.

▣ Notice how the returnees are characterized.

1. from the remote parts of the earth (cf. Isa. 43:6)
2. the blind (cf. Isa. 42:16)
3. the lame (cf. Micah 4:6; Zeph. 3:19)
4. women with children
5. pregnant women

This is in contrast to how they were taken into captivity. Only the strong, middle-aged were taken. The young, the old, the sick, the weak, the leaders were all killed!

31:9 "with weeping. . . by supplication" Verse 9 refers to the repentant nature of the returners (cf. Jer. 31:7e,9b; Deut. 30:6). This same form appears in Zech. 12:10 for Israel's repentance and faith in the Messiah.

The MT has "supplications" (BDB 337, cf. Jer. 3:21; Zech. 12:10), but the Targums and LXX have "consolation" (BDB 636).

1. supplications ‒ ובתחנונים
2. consolations ‒ ובתנחומים

The UBS Text Project, p. 264, gives the MT a "B" rating. In context, verse 9 refers to a repentant, prayerful people brought back to the Promised Land by YHWH.

▣ "walk by streams of water" This imagery describes the new age (cf. Deut. 28:1-14) of abundance. The desert is transformed into a "watered garden" (cf. Jer. 31:12; Isa. 58:11). This is imagery from Isaiah (cf. Jer. 35:7-8; 41:17-20; 43:19-20; 49:10-11.

The way home (i.e., highway) will be easy and "without want!" YHWH is bringing His people back to the Promised Land. A new exodus and wilderness wandering period has begun.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WATERS

▣ "on a straight path in which they shall not stumble" The way home will be smooth and easy. YHWH will prepare the road (physically and spiritually). This is the "highway of holiness" described by Isaiah (cf. Jer. 35:8; 40:3; 49:11; 57:14; 62:10).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WAY. . .THE PATH

▣ "I am a Father to Israel" God is spoken of as "Father" to the descendants of Abraham. God is spoken of as a husband to them in Jer. 11:15 (cf. Hosea 1-3). The Bible uses the most intimate family terms to describe the relationship between God and His people (cf. Hosea 1-3,11).

It is difficult in this chapter (which seems to combine poems from several periods of Jeremiah's ministry) to know when the terminology refers to the Northern Ten Tribes or to all Israelites (see Contextual Insights, B).

SPECIAL TOPIC: FATHERHOOD OF GOD

SPECIAL TOPIC: FATHER

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:10-14
¹⁰Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
And declare in the coastlands afar off,
And say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him
And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock."
¹¹For the Lord has ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.
¹²"They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion,
And they will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord-
Over the grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the flock and the herd;
And their life will be like a watered garden,
And they will never languish again.
¹³Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.
¹⁴I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance,
And My people will be satisfied with My goodness," declares the Lord.

▣ This strophe is describing the joyful return of the exiles. The theology is twofold.

1. YHWH exiled them for their sin. He will restore them in their repentance and faith (Jer. 31:9).
2. YHWH is sovereign over all nations (cf. Jer. 31:10; Deut. 32:8). YHWH, not the non-existent idols of the pagan nations He alone controls time/history.

31:10 There are three IMPERATIVES.

1. hear ‒ BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. declare ‒ BDB 616, KB 665, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
3. say ‒ BDB 55, KB 65, Qal IMPERATIVE

The nations must hear YHWH's message of restoration. They must know Him: His love, power, provision! YHWH works with the descendants of Abraham in special ways to inform and attract the descendants of Adam! This is surely the implication of monotheism.

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM

▣ "shepherd keeps his flock" This is an OT title for "God" (cf. Psalm 23; Isa. 40:11; Ezek. 34:11-14,31). This title is used of Jesus in John 10 (cf. Ezek. 34:23; Micah 5:4). Attributing OT titles for YHWH to Jesus is a common way for NT writers to confirm the deity of Christ.

1. OT titles of YHWH applied to Jesus
2. OT actions of YHWH applied to Jesus
3. grammatical constructions where God and Jesus are the dual OBJECTS of VERBS or PREPOSITIONS
4. clear statements (cf. John 1:1; 5:18; 8:58; 10:30; 14:9; 17:11; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1)

SPECIAL TOPIC: OT TITLES OF THE SPECIAL COMING ONE

31:11 "ransomed. . .redeemed" These two terms are parallel. Both are imagery of God's love for fallen humanity.

1. ransom ‒ BDB 804, KB 911, Qal PERFECT, Jer. 15:21; Hosea 13:14; Micah 6:4; Zech. 10:8
2. redeem ‒ BDB 145, KB 169, Qal PERFECT, so common in Leviticus, Ruth, Isaiah. Title for YHWH in Isa. 41:14; 43:14, but used only twice in Jeremiah, here and 50:34 (also title for YHWH).

SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM

31:12 "on the height of Zion" Zion is one of seven hills on which Jerusalem was built. Mt. Zion was the site of the Jebusite fortress captured by David. He built his palace on this hill.

However, in this context, Zion stands for Jerusalem. The word "height" would refer to Mt. Moriah, the site of the rebuilt temple. The place "God chose His name to dwell" (recurrent phrase in Deuteronomy).

SPECIAL TOPIC: ZION

The MT has the VERB "stream" (BDB 625 I, KB 676, Qal PERFECT with waw). This same VERB is used in the wonderful universal restoration of all nations "streaming" to YHWH in Isa. 2:2 and Micah 4:1; also note the usage in Jer. 51:44.

The NASB translation comes from the same root (BDB 626 II) which means "to shine" or "to beam" (cf. Ps. 34:5; Isa. 60:5). It is a much rarer VERB than the first option. BDB does not even list it as an option in Jer. 31:12!

▣ "they shall never languish again" The covenant blessing of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are present and secure (cf. Jer. 31:5). In this statement is the promise of no more exiles (cf. Isa. 35:10; 60:20; 65:17-25)! The new day has come!

1. Was this fulfilled in the post-exilic return?
2. Was that restoration still conditional?
3. Has the new day of a new heart, mind, and spirit arrived?

I think this imagery points toward the gospel (initiated covenant) and eschatological fulfillment (consummated covenant).

31:13-14 Notice the people who were rejoicing.

1. young women (lit. "virgin")
2. young men
3. old men
4. the priests
5. "my people" (collective term)

Jeremiah 31:12 is related to "the nations" which will be included, but Jer. 31:13 relates to the returning exiles. This inclusiveness reminds one of Joel 2:28-29, quoted in the first Apostolic sermon in Acts 2.

The MT is reflected in the NASB. The different options are related to vowels, not consonants. The UBS Text Project, p. 264, gives the MT a "B" rating. The LXX tries to make the line of poetry a better literary parallel.

1. line 1 ‒ "rejoice" (BDB 970)
2. line 2 ‒ "merry" (BDB 403)
3. line 3 ‒ "joy" (BDB 965)
4. line 4 ‒ "gladness/joy" (BDB 970)

31:14 "I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance" This refers to the re-instigation of the sacrificial system. Jeremiah was not opposed to the cultus but wanted faith and ritual (cf. Lev. 7:32-36), not ritual alone.

For "soul" (nephesh) see notes at Gen. 35:18; Lev. 17:11; and Ezek. 18:4 online.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:15-20
¹⁵Thus says the Lord,
"A voice is heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
She refuses to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more."
¹⁶Thus says the Lord,
"Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your work will be rewarded," declares the Lord,
"And they will return from the land of the enemy.
¹⁷There is hope for your future," declares the Lord,
"And your children will return to their own territory.
¹⁸I have surely heard Ephraim grieving,
'You have chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained calf;
Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
¹⁹For after I turned back, I repented;
And after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh;
I was ashamed and also humiliated
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.'
²⁰Is Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him;
Therefore My heart yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him," declares the Lord.

31:15-20 The strophe is addressed to the northern ten tribes. They, too, will participate in YHWH's restoration and new day! The split of the United Monarchy in 922 B.C. was a sad and destructive event, both physically and spiritually. All of the prophets condemned the northern kings. Restoration was the only option.

31:15 "Ramah" The Hebrew word "height" (BDB 928) is possibly not a reference to a place name. The rabbis see this as a reference to God's hearing in heaven. However, the MT is not pointed for a place name.

▣ "Rachel" This was Jacob's favorite wife and the mother of Joseph (and, therefore, the grandmother of Ephraim and Manasseh) and Benjamin (cf. Gen. 35:16-18). The rabbis say she was buried by the very road on which the northern tribes were taken into exile by Assyria in 722 B.C. This verse is quoted in Matt. 2:18 concerning Herod's killing of the children of Bethlehem (in order to kill the newborn "King of the Jews" who the Wise Men sought).

31:16 Rachel should not weep because the exiles from Israel will be brought back to Palestine.

31:17 This "hope for the future" may refer back to Jer. 29:11.

31:18 "I have surely heard" This is an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and IMPERFECT VERB from the same root (BDB 1033, KB 1570) for emphasis. God does hear when we pray (cf. Exod. 3:7).

▣ "Like an untrained calf" This is terminology from Hosea 4:16.

▣ "Bring me back that I may be restored" This is a Hiphil IMPERATIVE (i.e., a prayer to YHWH). The rabbis say that such a radical repentance is involved that only God can give it (i.e., the new covenant of Jer. 31:31-34, described in Ezek. 36:22-36). The divine initiation is stressed in Jer. 31:19. This reflects Jeremiah's prayer of Jer. 17:12-18.

31:19 "I smote on my thigh" This is a cultural idiom of grief or shame (cf. Ezek. 21:12). The thigh was the largest muscle in the body.

31:20 This verse begins with a question(s). Some translations have

1. no question mark (possibly assuming the question[s] expect a "yes," LXX, Peshitta, JPSOA, TEV)
2. one question (NJB, REB, NIV)
3. two questions (NASB, NKJV, NRSV)

Verse 20 describes YHWH as a loving parent who disciplines His son but still loves him. This may reflect 2 Sam. 7:14-15. The discipline is for the purpose of restoration (cf. Hosea 11:8-9; 14:4-7).

The UBS Handbook on Jeremiah (p. 641) makes the interesting comment, "This verse is God's reply to Israel's statement of repentance, just as Jer. 4:1-2 is God's response to Israel's repentance in Jer. 3:22-25."

▣ "dear son. . .delightful child" These statements are parallel. The words (BDB 430 and 1044) express YHWH's love in parental terms. It reminds me of Exod. 19:5-6. There was so much potential in the covenant people, but what a disaster their idolatry caused (cf. Ezek. 36:22-36).

▣ "I have spoken against him" The Hebrew can be interpreted as "of him" (Peshitta, NJB), which fits the context better.

▣ "remember. . .have mercy" Both of these are the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and IMPERFECT VERB of the same root for the intensity of YHWH's love and forgiveness!

1. I certainly still remember him ‒ BDB 269, KB 269
2. I will surely have mercy on him ‒ BDB 933, KB 1216

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:21-22
²¹"Set up for yourself roadmarks,
Place for yourself guideposts;
Direct your mind to the highway,
The way by which you went.
Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
²²How long will you go here and there,
O faithless daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth-
A woman will encompass a man."

31:21-22 There is a series of IMPERATIVES given to the exiles related to their return trip to Palestine.

1. set up for yourselves roadmarks ‒ BDB 662, KB 714, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
2. place for yourselves guideposts ‒ BDB 962, KB 1321, Qal IMPERATIVE
3. direct your mind to the highway ‒ BDB 1011, KB 1483, Qal IMPERATIVE
4. return ‒ BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal IMPERATIVE (twice). This same word is often used of "repentance," see SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE (OT)

Notice how the imagery changes.

1. in Jer. 31:20 Ephraim is a "son," a "child" (MASCULINE, cf. Jer. 31:9)
2. in Jer. 31:21 she is a "virgin of Israel" (FEMININE, cf. Jer. 31:4; see full note at Jer. 46:11)

31:21 "roadmarks. . .guideposts" These two terms are rare.

1. roadmarks ‒ BDB 846, usually denotes a grave marker (cf. 2 Kgs. 23:17; Ezek. 39:15)
2. guideposts ‒ BDB 1071, found only here in the OT

The third line of the verse shows the context as a "highway" (BDB 700, only here in Jeremiah) so the first two parallel lines must fit this imagery. The exiles are to set their minds to the road that took them into exile (i.e., idolatry), but now to the road (i.e., repentance, faith) that will bring them home.

Jeremiah continued to tell Judah that she would go into exile for 70 years. Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. Here he seems to say to them, mark your path/road as you travel into exile because one day you will return and these markers you set up in grief will become markers of joy on the way home to Palestine!

31:22 "For the Lord has created a new thing" The mention of "new" (BDB 294) brings the imagery from Isaiah of the Messianic age (i.e., "new covenant," 31:31-34). See SPECIAL TOPIC: OLD THINGS. . .NEW THINGS

1. new things, Isa. 42:9; 48:6
2. new song, Isa. 42:10 (Rev. 5:9; 14:3)
3. something new, Isa. 43:19 (Rev. 3:12)
4. new name, Isa. 62:2 (cf. Isa. 56:5)
5. new heavens and new earth, Isa. 65:17; 66:22 (cf. 2 Pet. 3:13)

Also note Ezek. 11:19; 18:31; 36:26 (36:22-36 is a description of the new covenant age).

Note that the same VERB (BDB 135, KB 153) used in Gen. 1:1 is used again of YHWH's creative activity in restoring His people (and through them His eternal redemptive plan). Creation was to provide a place for fellowship between God and all humanity (cf. Gen. 1:26-27; 3:8), so too, the restoration of Israel. The Messiah will come from her and for all!

SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN THE BIBLE

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

There are many theories (notice no parallel passages) about the meaning of this phrase.

1. reference to Israel's renewed love for YHWH (BDB 686, Poel #1, cf. NJB)
2. women will stand guard on the way home
3. the virgin birth (i.e., Jerome, Calvin)
4. the rabbis say women take on the male characteristics of firmness or strength
5. cultural proverb whose meaning is lost
6. the LXX has "in which people will go about in safety" (i.e., different text)
7. if the thrust is role reversal (i.e., Jer. 30:6) then I wonder how much it may relate to the subservience of women in Genesis 3, restored to the mutuality of Genesis 1-2? There are many Pentateuch allusions in this chapter.

I like #5. The same VERB and form is used of YHWH's care and protection for Israel in the Wilderness Wandering Period in Deut. 32:10.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WILDERNESSES OF THE EXODUS

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:23-26
²³Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their fortunes,
'The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness,
O holy hill!'
²⁴Judah and all its cities will dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. ²⁵For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes." ²⁶At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.

31:23-26 These verses are about the restoration of Judah.

1. her cities, Jer. 31:24)
2. her capital
3. the temple (i.e., "holy hill")

Jeremiah 31:24 is difficult in the MT, "and they shall wander," but in the LXX, "and he shall be raised up with a flock." The point from the context is that "farmers" and "herdsmen" will dwell together. This may be a veiled allusion to the problem between Cain and Abel (i.e., Genesis 4), but in the new day there will be no tensions related to vocations.

Jer. 31:26 is also difficult. It seems out of place or at least ambiguous as to whom it relates.

1. northern ten tribes
2. all descendants of Abraham (TEV)
3. the prophet receiving revelation ("I," cf. Jer. 30:1)

31:26 "I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant" This is possibly a reference to

1. the prophet's current dream of restoration (Jewish Study Bible marginal note suggests he saw in a dream of the future, much like Abraham in Gen. 15:12-21, p. 990)
2. a statement of the inhabitants relating to the restored Judah (TEV)

SPECIAL TOPIC: WAYS OF REVELATION

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:27-30
²⁷"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. ²⁸As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the Lord.
²⁹"In those days they will not say again,
'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children's teeth are set on edge.'
³⁰But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.

31:27 The verse is using "abundance imagery" from Lev. 26:1-13 and Deut. 28:1-14; 30:1-10. The fruitfulness of humans, animals, and crops will be restored (cf. Ezek. 36:9,11; Hosea 2:23).

Notice that Jer. 31:27,31, and 38 all begin with the same introductory formula, "Behold, days are coming," which denotes the new Messianic age, the age of the Spirit, the age of the "New" (see note at Jer. 31:31).

31:28 This is a series of INFINITIVE CONSTRUCTS that describe YHWH's activities of judgment and restoration. This is the prophetic mandate that was given to Jeremiah in Jer. 1:10. The first VERB "watched over them" (BDB 1052, KB 1638; Qal PERFECT also appears in Qal IMPERFECT in v. 28) also occurs in Jer. 1:12.

31:29 "The fathers have eaten sour grapes" This was a proverb (cf. Ezek. 18:2; Lam. 5:7) that tried to blame the parent's actions for God's current judgments. Ezekiel 18 was written to help explain Deut. 5:9. Yes, families are affected by sin, but God's forgiveness relates to the individual's faith and obedience (cf. Jer. 31:30b; Deut. 7:9; 24:16). This is where Hebrew corporality and individualism meet.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:31-34
³¹"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, ³²not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. ³³"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

31:31 "Behold, days are coming" Notice that the same introductory phrase begins three poems in this chapter (Jer. 31:27,31,38),

The question has always been, "When does this new day start?"

1. the return under Cyrus in 538 B.C. (i.e., Ezra, Nehemiah, Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel, Joshua)
2. the life of Christ (cf. Heb. 8:8-12 which quotes this text)
3. the second coming of Christ

The post-exilic period embodied the hope of a new day of faith, but it did not materialize (cf. Malachi). The new internal nature of the covenant based on God's grace and performance, not mankind's, even covenant mankind (cf. Ezek. 36:22-36), was not manifested until the ministry and death/resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The new covenant has been inaugurated with Jesus' first coming and will be consummated at His second coming!

▣ "I will make a new covenant" This is the only mention in the OT of a "new covenant," although Isa. 55:3 mentions "an everlasting covenant" (it is possible that Duet. 18:15-19 implies the need of a new covenant with the coming of the new prophet). This would have been very shocking to the Jews. They thought God's covenant with Moses was unconditional and eternal (cf. Gen. 17:7,13,19; Lev. 16:34; 24:8; Num. 25:13; 1 Chr. 16:17; Ps. 105:10). Isaiah 24:5 says it was broken! Jesus calls His death "the new covenant in My blood," which links to Moses' words in Exod. 24:8.

The Jewish Study Bible, p. 991, has the following quote about "the new covenant."

"The new covenant has been interpreted by Christians as a prophecy of the new covenant through Jesus (New Testament means new covenant), but here it refers to the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian exile and the reconstruction of the Temple. According to this passage, it is not the content of the new covenant which will be different, but how it is learned."

For me, the NT has priority over even OT context. Jesus is the full and final revelation. We must view and interpret the OT through the eyes of the NT.

1. Luke 22:20 ‒ Jesus used the term "new covenant" at the Last Supper to describe Himself and His work.
2. 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6 ‒ Paul picks up on the same vocabulary and uses it for the Last Supper.
3. 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 John 2:27 use the same OT imagery to show the difference between the letter of the Law and the new way in the Spirit.
4. Hebrews 8:8-12; 10:16-17 ‒ the author of Hebrews reveals the relationship between the covenant of Moses and the new covenant in Jesus. This book is the comparison of the OT vs. NT.

Clearly, my NT bias is showing! I will live and die and stand before God with the priority of NT revelation. Jesus is the perfect and ultimate revelation of the one true God, YHWH (i.e., Matt. 5:17-48).

SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT

SPECIAL TOPIC: PAUL'S VIEW OF THE MOSAIC LAW

▣ "house of Israel. . .house of Judah" The New Covenant would restore unity to the divided kingdom (cf. Jer. 31:1-3,27,33). It will go far beyond that and restore the unity between God and humanity so obvious in Genesis 1-2 (cf. Rom. 2:28-29; 3:21-31; 9:24-33; 11:11-24,25; 15:7-16; Galatians 2; 3; Eph. 2:11-3:13).

31:32 "not like the covenant which I made with their Father" There is both a continuity and discontinuity between the old covenant and the new covenant. First, it is important to list the different significant covenants.

1. Abraham
2. Moses
3. David
4. new covenant (i.e., Jesus, cf. Hebrews)

The first and third are still in effect, as far as YHWH's eternal redemptive plan. The fourth is the fulfillment of that plan. Here are some of the similarities.

1. God initiates it and sets its parameters
2. humans must respond in repentance, faith, obedience, and perseverance
3. the Spirit draws humans to respond appropriately (i.e., John 6:44,65)

The big difference is that the performance model is replaced by a grace model. God still wants a people to reflect and reveal His character to a lost world. However, because of the Fall, His covenant people, with all their privileges (cf. Rom. 9:4-5), could not keep the Mosaic covenant. Therefore, God initiates a covenant of grace that uses the Messiah's obedience and sacrifice (cf. Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21) to fulfill the old covenant and begin a new age characterized by a new heart, a new mind, a new spirit (cf. Ezek. 36:22-36). Internal motivation will replace external laws. But remember the goal is still a Christlike people (i.e., covenant language, cf. Jer. 31:33d; 24:7)! The eternal redemptive purpose continues.

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

▣ "I took them by the hand" The emphasis here is on God's parenthood (cf. Hosea 11:1-4,8-9).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD

▣ "My covenant which they broke" This is a summary of the history of the Jewish nation (cf. Jer. 25:4; 33:8; Galatians 3; the book of Hebrews).

The translations show a shocking diversity which seems to be related to the term "husband" (BDB 127), which literally means "Lord," "master," or "owner." This was also the title for the Caananite fertility god, Ba'al. YHWH is called "husband" in Jer. 3:14.

31:33 "the house of Israel" Notice that in Jer. 31:27,31 "Israel" refers to the northern ten tribes after the split of the United Monarchy in 922 B.C. The northern ten tribes, led by Jeroboam I, were called

1. Israel (collective term)
2. Samaria (the capital)
3. Ephraim (the largest tribe)

However, here in Jer. 31:33 it must refer to its original meaning of the descendants of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. See full note in Contextual Insights, B.

▣ "I will put My law within them" This is analogous to the phrase "circumcise your heart" of Deut. 30:6. It is parallel to the new heart, new mind, and new spirit of Ezek. 36:22-36. From the NT this refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit (cf. John 16:8-24).

▣ "on their heart" This refers to the entire person (cf. Deut. 6:6; 11:18; 30:14). See SPECIAL TOPIC: HEART.

The Fall of Genesis 3 affected human's spiritual orientation and worldview (see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FALL). They came to focus on "self," not God. This fallenness was the reason that Abraham's descendants could not keep/perform the Mosaic covenant (cf. Deut. 31:29; Josh. 24:19). Therefore, YHWH must give them a new heart (cf. Jer. 24:7 and "the circumcised heart," cf. Deut. 30:6). Then the Scriptures of Deut. 6:6; 30:11,14 can be fulfilled. The clearest description of this new orientation and spiritual worldview is

1. OT ‒ Ezek. 36:22-36
2. NT ‒ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7
3. also note the book of Hebrews

▣ "I will write it" As YHWH wrote the Ten Commandments before Moses on Mt. Sinai (cf. Exod. 31:18; 32:15-16; 34:1,28), He now writes on the human heart by His Spirit. The new covenant is a new internal code from a restored image of God! This faith relationship has always been the plan of God (cf. Lev. 26:41; Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:25-26).

31:34 "for they will all know Me" Notice the play between the IMPERATIVE (BDB 353, KB 390, Qal IMPERATIVE, which relates to the performance model, i.e., the Old Testament) and the IMPERFECT, which relates to the new age, new mind, new heart, new spirit (i.e., new covenant).

There will be an intimate, personal relationship between YHWH and all of His people. This intimacy is illustrated by the Hebrew concept of "know" in Gen. 4:1 and Jer. 1:5; 9:24.

SPECIAL TOPIC: KNOW

▣ "from the least of them to the greatest of them" This inclusive, "no respecter of persons" language is parallel to Joel 2:28-29 (quoted in Acts 2:17-18). It is used in a negative sense in Jer. 6:13; 8:10.

▣ "I will forgive" When God forgives, God forgets (cf. Isa. 1:18; 38:17; 43:25; 44:22; Ezek. 18:22; 33:16; Ps. 103:10-14; Micah 7:19)! What a great truth!

SPECIAL TOPIC: FORGIVENESS IN THE OT

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:35-37
³⁵Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for light by day
And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
The Lord of hosts is His name:
³⁶"If this fixed order departs
From before Me," declares the Lord,
"Then the offspring of Israel also will cease
From being a nation before Me forever."
³⁷Thus says the Lord,
"If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel
For all that they have done," declares the Lord.

31:35-37 YHWH's new covenant is as stable and permanent as the fixed orders (BDB 349) and cycles of creation. Verse 37 expresses the positive truth in a negative statement (i.e., conditional expression which cannot be fulfilled).

The MT has the FEMININE NOUN, חקת, which could come from

1. decree ‒ חקק, BDB 349
2. something prescribed or enacted ‒ חקה, BDB 349

The same word, referring to the regular order of nature, occurs in v. 36. The UBS Text Project, p. 266, gives the MT a "B" rating.

SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD'S REVELATION

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: JEREMIAH 31:38-40
³⁸"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when the city will be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. ³⁹The measuring line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. ⁴⁰And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the Lord; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever."

31:38-40 This paragraph is declaring the full restoration of Jerusalem. Not only will the city be rebuilt but expanded. This new city (cf. Isa. 1:26; 45:13; 60:14) will never be

1. plucked up ‒ BDB 684, KB 737, Niphal IMPERFECT
2. overthrown ‒ BDB 248, KB 256, Niphal IMPERFECT

Since the rebuilt Jerusalem of the post-exilic period was destroyed by Titus in A.D. 70, this must be interpreted as

1. the promises of God are conditional (see SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT)
2. it points toward the "new Jerusalem" (i.e., heaven) of Rev. 21:1-21 (which also uses "new" imagery)

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHY DO OT COVENANT PROMISES SEEM SO DIFFERENT FROM NT COVENANT PROMISES?

31:40 "valley of dead bodies and of the ashes" This phrase refers to the "Valley of the Sons of Hinnom" (cf. Jer. 7:31; 19:2,6), which became the Hebrew contraction for Gehenna.

This phrase is missing in the LXX. There are some scholars who do not accept this identification because the word used for "valley" (BDB 770) is different in Jer. 7:31-32 and 19:2,6 (BDB 161). However, the dead bones and ashes seem to demand it.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE DEAD, WHERE ARE THEY? (Sheol/Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why was the prophecy so radical to its hearers?
2. Has this been fulfilled? When?
3. Why is Jer. 31:30-34 so significant?
4. What is involved in the New Covenant?

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