Jeremiah 31

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Jeremiah 31 proclaims God's everlasting love for Israel and His promise of future restoration. He declares He will gather His scattered people, rebuild their land, and turn their sorrow into joy. Central to this is the establishment of a new covenant, where God's law will be written upon their hearts, and their sins will be forgiven.

Restoration of Israel and Judah 1–6

At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

Thus saith Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

Jehovah appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: again shalt thou be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit thereof.

For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God.

The Joyous Global Gathering 7–14

For thus saith Jehovah, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall they return hither.

They shall come with weeping; and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.

Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off; and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of Jehovah, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

Then shall the virgin 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 make them rejoice from their sorrow.

And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith Jehovah.

Rachel Weeps, God Comforts 15–17

Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not.

Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

And there is hope for thy latter end, saith Jehovah; and thy children shall come again to their own border.

Ephraim's Repentance and Restoration 18–22

I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.

Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearneth for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith Jehovah.

Set thee up waymarks, make thee guide-posts; set thy heart toward the highway, even the way by which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.

How long wilt thou go hither and thither, O thou backsliding daughter? for Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall encompass a man.

Prosperity in Judah 23–26

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity: Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness.

And Judah and all the cities thereof shall dwell therein together, the husbandmen, and they that go about with flocks.

For I have satiated the weary soul, and every sorrowful soul have I replenished.

Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

Seeds of Future Growth 27–30

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.

And it shall come to pass that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith Jehovah.

In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.

But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

The New Covenant 31–34

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

The Everlasting Nature of the Covenant 35–37

Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name:

If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

Thus saith Jehovah: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith Jehovah.

The Rebuilding of Jerusalem 38–40

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner.

And the measuring line shall go out further straight onward unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn about unto Goah.

And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 31

Verse 1

the God of all the families of Israel — The words 'I will be the God… and they shall be my people' open the chapter and return in v.33 as the substance of the new covenant (also Jer 30:22). 'Families' (mishpachah, a clan) takes in every branch of Israel, the two houses named together in vv.27 and 31.

Verse 2

found grace in the wilderness — 'Grace' is chen, favour, the word the LORD used to Moses, 'thou hast found grace in my sight' (Ex 33:12, 17). The LORD 'went' with them, as he had promised, 'My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest' (Ex 33:14). 'Cause him to rest' is raga, to quiet or settle.

Verse 3

everlasting love — Ahavah joined to olam, time stretching beyond sight. The reason for this love lies with the LORD and not with Israel: 'therefore with lovingkindness (chesed) have I drawn thee'. 'Drawn' is mashak, the pulling of Hos 11:4, 'I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love'. 'Of old' is rachoq, 'distant', so also 'from afar'.

Verse 4

O virgin of Israel — The title bethulah is that of Amos 5:2, 'The virgin of Israel is fallen'; here it is reversed, 'I will build thee, and thou shalt be built'. 'Tabrets' are toph, the timbrel Miriam took when 'all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances' (Ex 15:20).

Verse 5

the mountains of Samaria — Samaria was the head of the northern kingdom, 'the head of Ephraim is Samaria' (Isa 7:9), so the promise reaches the tribes carried off to Assyria. 'Eat them as common things' is chalal, the verb of Deut 28:30, 'thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof': the curse is lifted.

Verse 6

Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion — Ephraim's own watchmen (notsrim, guards) call the pilgrimage. It is the journey Jeroboam closed with 'It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem' when he set calves in Bethel and Dan (1 Kgs 12:28–29). Jer 50:4–5 pictures Israel and Judah going to Zion together.

Verse 7

O LORD, save thy people — 'Save' is hoshea, from yasha, the root of the name Joshua, 'the LORD saves'. Matthew gives the same sense to the name of Jesus, 'for he shall save his people from their sins' (Matt 1:21). The 'remnant' (she'erith) is the surviving part of Israel.

Verse 9

Ephraim is my firstborn — 'Israel is my son, even my firstborn' (Ex 4:22) is here said of Ephraim. Jacob set the younger Ephraim before Manasseh (Gen 48:14, 19–20), and the birthright went to Joseph's sons (1 Chr 5:1–2). 'Weeping and supplications' echo Jer 3:21, the cry on the high places; now they come back led 'by the rivers of waters'.

Verse 12

as a watered garden — 'Flow together' is nahar, the verb of Isa 2:2, 'all nations shall flow unto it'. The goodness of the LORD is named in its produce: wheat, wine, oil, and the young of flock and herd. 'A watered garden' (gan raveh) is the figure of Isa 58:11, where the LORD will 'satisfy thy soul in drought'.

Verse 15

Rahel weeping for her children — Rachel was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem (Gen 35:19), and was the mother of Joseph, whose son was Ephraim (v.9). At Ramah Jeremiah himself was freed from the chains of the captives (Jer 40:1). Matthew applies the verse to the children slain at Bethlehem (Matt 2:16–18).

Verse 16

thy work shall be rewarded — The reply to Rachel is a wage: 'reward' is sakar, also the word of 2 Chr 15:7, 'your work shall be rewarded'. 'Refrain' (mana) is to hold back. v.17 gives the substance: 'there is hope in thine end… that thy children shall come again to their own border'.

Verse 18

turn thou me, and I shall be turned — Shub, the verb of return, stands twice: 'cause me to return, and I shall return', as in the prayer of Lam 5:21. 'Unaccustomed' is lo lummad, 'not taught': a calf not trained to the yoke, as Hos 10:11 calls Ephraim 'an heifer that is taught'. The speech is Ephraim's, and the LORD has 'heard' it.

Verse 20

Is Ephraim my dear son? — The question answers itself. 'Dear' is yaqqir, precious, found only here. 'I do earnestly remember him still' uses zakar, the verb of v.34, where the LORD will 'remember their sin no more'. 'My bowels are troubled' is me'im with hamah, to moan; 'have mercy' is racham.

Verse 22

A woman shall compass a man — 'Backsliding' (shovevah) answers v.21, 'turn again, O virgin of Israel'; 'go about' is chamaq, to turn this way and that. The 'new thing' the LORD has 'created' is told in a few words and its reading is disputed: Israel turning to the LORD, or, as many in the church have read it, the conception of Christ in the virgin's womb (Luke 1:34–35).

Verse 23

habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness — Naveh tsedeq is a title the LORD himself bears in Jer 50:7, 'the habitation of justice'. 'Mountain of holiness' is Zion, as in Zech 8:3, 'Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain'. The blessing is to be said in Judah's cities.

Verse 26

my sleep was sweet unto me — Jeremiah wakes after the promises just spoken. 'Sweet' is arab, the word of Prov 3:24, 'thy sleep shall be sweet', of one who lies down without fear; Ps 127:2 says 'he giveth his beloved sleep'.

Verse 27

I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah — The LORD is the sower: 'I will sow her unto me in the earth' (Hos 2:23). 'The seed of man, and… of beast' is the increase of Ezek 36:11, 'I will multiply upon you man and beast'. The two houses, parted since Rehoboam, are named together again in v.31.

Verse 28

so will I watch over them — 'Watched' is shaqad, to be wakeful, the verb of the almond rod, 'I will hasten my word to perform it' (Jer 1:11–12). Jer 1:10's six verbs return here: 'pluck up', 'break down', 'destroy', 'throw down', 'build', 'plant', with 'afflict' added.

Verse 29

The fathers have eaten a sour grape — Boser is an unripe grape. The proverb recurs in Ezek 18:2, and Lam 5:7 voices the same complaint, 'Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities'. Ezek 18:3 ends it too: 'ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb'.

Verse 30

every one shall die for his own iniquity — The proverb is answered by the rule already in the law, 'every man shall be put to death for his own sin' (Deut 24:16), which Ezek 18:20 states as 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father'. Avon is iniquity.

Verse 31

a new covenant — 'New covenant' (berith chadashah) occurs only here in the Old Testament; 'make' is literally 'cut' (karath). At the supper Christ says, 'This cup is the new testament in my blood' (Luke 22:20). Heb 8:8–12 quotes vv.31–34 in full, and Heb 10:16–17 v.33 and the last clause of v.34.

Verse 32

I took them by the hand — The old covenant was made at the Exodus (chazaq, to take hold), sealed with 'the blood of the covenant' (Ex 24:8). The fault lay in the keeping: 'my covenant they brake' is parar, the verb of Gen 17:14. 'Husband' is ba'al; Hos 2:16 says 'thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali'.

Verse 33

in their inward parts — 'Law' is torah, put in the qereb, the centre, and written 'in their hearts'. Paul sets the two writings side by side: 'not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart' (2 Cor 3:3). Ezek 11:19–20 gives the same promise as one heart and a new spirit, ending 'they shall be my people, and I will be their God'.

Verse 34

for I will forgive their iniquity — Pardon comes first: 'forgive' is salach, and 'remember… no more' uses zakar, the verb of v.20 where the LORD 'earnestly' remembers Ephraim. 'They shall all know me' agrees with Isa 54:13, which Christ cites: 'And they shall be all taught of God' (John 6:45).

Verse 35

the ordinances of the moon and of the stars — 'Ordinances' are chuqqoth, fixed appointments. The close of the verse, the sea and its roaring waves and 'The LORD of hosts is his name', stands also in Isa 51:15. Ps 136:7–9 praises the same sun, moon and stars.

Verse 36

shall cease from being a nation — 'Depart' is mush, to move away; 'cease' is shabath. The pledge is the same as for David's seed, 'as the sun before me' (Ps 89:36), and Jer 33:20–21 sets 'my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night' beside it. Paul asks 'Hath God cast away his people? God forbid' (Rom 11:1).

Verse 38

the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner — Both points are on the wall of Jerusalem: the tower of Hananeel (Neh 3:1) and the corner gate, where Jehoash 'brake down the wall' (2 Kgs 14:13) and Uzziah built towers (2 Chr 26:9). The city is 'built to the LORD', and what was broken is built again.

Verse 40

holy unto the LORD — Josiah burned Baal's vessels 'in the fields of Kidron' and cast the powder of the grove on the graves (2 Kgs 23:4, 6). That ground is now 'holy unto the LORD', as even 'the bells of the horses' are in Zech 14:20. 'Plucked up' and 'thrown down' are the verbs of v.28 and Jer 1:10, ruled out 'for ever'.