Jeremiah31

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.

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Restoration of Israel and Judah

¶ At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

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

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

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

Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.

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

The Joyous Global Gathering

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

Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts 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 return thither.

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

¶ Hear the word of the LORD, 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 the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for 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, both young men and 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 the LORD.

Rachel Weeps, God Comforts

Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

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

And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

Ephraim's Repentance and Restoration

¶ I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD 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 pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.

Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.

How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.

Prosperity in Judah

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.

And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.

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

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

Seeds of Future Growth

¶ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, 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 throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.

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

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

The Promise of a New Covenant

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, 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 an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

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

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

The Everlasting Nature of the Covenant

¶ Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:

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

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

The Rebuilding of Jerusalem

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

And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.

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

Study Notes for Jeremiah 31

Verse 1

This verse sets the theme of the Book of Consolation: the future reunification and restoration of all twelve tribes of Israel, affirming God’s enduring covenant relationship.

Verse 2

This verse looks back to the Exodus, comparing the return from Babylonian exile to the first wilderness journey. God’s grace is shown to the 'remnant' who survived judgment.

Verse 3

This is a theological cornerstone. God’s commitment to Israel is rooted not in their merit but in His *everlasting love* ('ahabat 'olam), which is the motivating force behind the restoration.

Verse 4

The term 'virgin of Israel' suggests a return to purity and innocence after the defilement of exile. The imagery of *tabrets* (tambourines) and dancing symbolizes joyous celebration and rebuilding.

Verse 5

The mountains of Samaria refer specifically to the territory of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim), confirming that the promise of restoration includes the tribes scattered by Assyria centuries earlier (722 BC).

Verse 6

The return of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) is marked by their voluntary pilgrimage back to Jerusalem (Zion), symbolizing the spiritual and political reunification of God’s people.

Verse 7

The nations are called upon to witness and celebrate the miraculous gathering of Israel, demonstrating that God’s saving work is universally known.

Verse 9

The returnees come 'with weeping' (of repentance and joy) but are led gently by God, who acts as a caring Father. Ephraim, though rebellious, is still recognized as God's 'firstborn.'

Verse 12

The restored life is characterized by abundance ('wheat, and for wine, and for oil') and profound spiritual satisfaction, where the soul is likened to a well-watered garden.

Verse 15

Rachel, the ancestress buried near Ramah, is personified as weeping for her lost descendants (Israel and Judah). This verse is cited in Matthew 2:18 regarding the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem.

Verse 16

God’s response to Rachel’s grief is a promise of hope: the 'work' (the pain of childbirth and loss) will be rewarded with the certain return of the exiled children.

Verse 18

This is a dramatic monologue where Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) confesses his stubbornness and accepts God’s chastisement, pleading for restoration and guidance.

Verse 20

God’s emotional response demonstrates profound compassion. 'My bowels are troubled' is a Hebrew idiom expressing deep, visceral pity and parental affection for the prodigal son (Ephraim).

Verse 22

The enigmatic phrase, 'A woman shall compass a man,' likely signifies a miraculous reversal of power, where the weak (Israel) will surround and protect, or the nation will return without relying on foreign masculine strength.

Verse 23

This section confirms the restoration of Judah (the Southern Kingdom), emphasizing that the land will be rebuilt and recognized once again as a place of justice and holiness.

Verse 26

This verse is Jeremiah’s personal reflection, indicating that the preceding vision of restoration was given during a moment of profound, comforting rest, suggesting divine origin and certainty.

Verse 27

The metaphor of 'sowing the seed' signifies demographic and economic growth, ensuring that the land will be filled with people and livestock again, reversing the devastation of the exile.

Verse 28

God promises to reverse His previous judgment. Just as He actively oversaw the destruction ('to pluck up'), He will now actively oversee the restoration ('to build, and to plant').

Verse 29

This addresses the common proverb used by the exiles to blame their condition on their ancestors. God promises a new era of individual accountability.

Verse 30

Under the coming covenant structure, judgment will be based strictly on personal iniquity, replacing the system of inherited or collective guilt.

Verse 31

This is the most important theological passage in Jeremiah, predicting the establishment of a 'New Covenant.' This prophecy is foundational for Christian theology (Hebrews 8:8).

Verse 32

The weakness of the Mosaic Covenant was not in the Law itself, but in the people who 'broke' it. The New Covenant solves the problem of human inadequacy.

Verse 33

The core feature of the New Covenant: the law will be internalized, moving from external tablets (stone) to the 'inward parts' and 'hearts,' enabling true obedience through divine empowerment.

Verse 34

Universal knowledge of God will be achieved because the foundation of the New Covenant is the complete and final forgiveness of sin, removing the barrier between God and humanity.

Verse 35

God guarantees the permanence of the covenant by comparing it to the immutable, fixed laws of creation (sun, moon, stars, sea), emphasizing His omnipotence.

Verse 36

The stability of Israel as a nation is linked directly to the stability of the cosmic order. If the physical laws of nature fail, only then will Israel cease to exist as a people.

Verse 38

The chapter concludes with a specific promise regarding the total restoration and expansion of the physical city of Jerusalem, signifying the completeness of God’s restoration plan.

Verse 40

Even areas previously considered unclean (like the Kidron Valley where refuse was burned) will be sanctified. The promise that the city 'shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more' assures eternal security.

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