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Text -- Jeremiah 31:1-32 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
31:1 At that time I will be the God of all the clans of Israel and they will be my people . I, the Lord , affirm it!”
Israel Will Be Restored and Join Judah in Worship
31:2 The Lord says , “The people of Israel who survived death at the hands of the enemy will find favor in the wilderness as they journey to find rest for themselves.
31:3 In a far-off land the Lord will manifest himself to them. He will say to them, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love . That is why I have continued to be faithful to you.
31:4 I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel , so that you will once again be built up . Once again you will take up the tambourine and join in the happy throng of dancers .
31:5 Once again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria . Those who plant them will once again enjoy their fruit .
31:6 Yes , a time is coming when watchmen will call out on the mountains of Ephraim , “Come ! Let us go to Zion to worship the Lord our God !”’”
31:7 Moreover , the Lord says , “Sing for joy for the descendants of Jacob . Utter glad shouts for that foremost of the nations . Make your praises heard . Then say , ‘Lord , rescue your people . Deliver those of Israel who remain alive .’
31:8 Then I will reply, ‘I will bring them back from the land of the north . I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth . Blind and lame people will come with them, so will pregnant women and women about to give birth . A vast throng of people will come back here .
31:9 They will come back shedding tears of contrition. I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. I will lead them besides streams of water , along smooth paths where they will never stumble . I will do this because I am Israel’s father ; Ephraim is my firstborn son .’”
31:10 Hear what the Lord has to say, O nations . Proclaim it in the faraway lands along the sea . Say , “The one who scattered Israel will regather them. He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock .”
31:11 For the Lord will rescue the descendants of Jacob . He will secure their release from those who had overpowered them.
31:12 They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion . They will be radiant with joy over the good things the Lord provides, the grain , the fresh wine , the olive oil , the young sheep and calves he has given to them. They will be like a well-watered garden and will not grow faint or weary any more .
31:13 The Lord says, “At that time young women will dance and be glad . Young men and old men will rejoice. I will turn their grief into gladness . I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow .
31:14 I will provide the priests with abundant provisions . My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.”
31:15 The Lord says , “A sound is heard in Ramah , a sound of crying in bitter grief . It is the sound of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted , because her children are gone .”
31:16 The Lord says to her, “Stop crying ! Do not shed any more tears ! For your heartfelt repentance will be rewarded . Your children will return from the land of the enemy . I, the Lord , affirm it!
31:17 Indeed, there is hope for your posterity . Your children will return to their own territory . I, the Lord , affirm it!
31:18 I have indeed heard the people of Israel say mournfully , ‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. You disciplined us and we learned from it. Let us come back to you and we will do so, for you are the Lord our God .
31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented . After we came to our senses we beat our breasts in sorrow. We are ashamed and humiliated because of the disgraceful things we did previously .’
31:20 Indeed , the people of Israel are my dear children . They are the children I take delight in. For even though I must often rebuke them, I still remember them with fondness. So I am deeply moved with pity for them and will surely have compassion on them. I, the Lord , affirm it!
31:21 I will say, ‘My dear children of Israel, keep in mind the road you took when you were carried off. Mark off in your minds the landmarks . Make a mental note of telltale signs marking the way back . Return , my dear children of Israel . Return to these cities of yours .
31:22 How long will you vacillate , you who were once like an unfaithful daughter ? For I, the Lord , promise to bring about something new on the earth , something as unique as a woman protecting a man !’”
Judah Will Be Restored
31:23 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says , “I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns . When I do, they will again say of Jerusalem, ‘May the Lord bless you, you holy mountain , the place where righteousness dwells .’
31:24 The land of Judah will be inhabited by people who live in its towns as well as by farmers and shepherds with their flocks .
31:25 I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint .
31:26 Then they will say, ‘Under these conditions I can enjoy sweet sleep when I wake up and look around.’”
Israel and Judah Will Be Repopulated
31:27 “Indeed , a time is coming ,” says the Lord , “when I will cause people and animals to sprout up in the lands of Israel and Judah .
31:28 In the past I saw to it that they were uprooted and torn down , that they were destroyed and demolished . But now I will see to it that they are built up and firmly planted . I, the Lord , affirm it!”
The Lord Will Make a New Covenant with Israel and Judah
31:29 “When that time comes, people will no longer say , ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes , but the children’s teeth have grown numb .’
31:30 Rather, each person will die for his own sins . The teeth of the person who eats the sour grapes will themselves grow numb .
31:31 “Indeed , a time is coming ,” says the Lord , “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah .
31:32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt . For they violated that covenant , even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the Lord .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
JEREMIAH (2) |
Ephraim |
Church |
God |
EZEKIEL, 1 |
ZECHARIAH, BOOK OF |
Joy |
Afflictions and Adversities |
SALVATION |
DANCE |
Sin |
GAMES |
Regeneration |
VINE |
Chastisement |
Quotations and Allusions |
Repentance |
Righteous |
Prophecy |
Adoption |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Jer 31:1; Jer 31:1; Jer 31:2; Jer 31:2; Jer 31:3; Jer 31:4; Jer 31:4; Jer 31:4; Jer 31:5; Jer 31:5; Jer 31:6; Jer 31:6; Jer 31:7; Jer 31:7; Jer 31:7; Jer 31:7; Jer 31:8; Jer 31:9; Jer 31:9; Jer 31:9; Jer 31:11; Jer 31:11; Jer 31:12; Jer 31:13; Jer 31:13; Jer 31:14; Jer 31:15; Jer 31:15; Jer 31:16; Jer 31:16; Jer 31:16; Jer 31:16; Jer 31:17; Jer 31:17; Jer 31:18; Jer 31:18; Jer 31:18; Jer 31:18; Jer 31:18; Jer 31:18; Jer 31:18; Jer 31:19; Jer 31:19; Jer 31:19; Jer 31:19; Jer 31:20; Jer 31:20; Jer 31:20; Jer 31:21; Jer 31:21; Jer 31:21; Jer 31:21; Jer 31:22; Jer 31:22; Jer 31:22; Jer 31:22; Jer 31:22; Jer 31:23; Jer 31:23; Jer 31:23; Jer 31:23; Jer 31:23; Jer 31:24; Jer 31:25; Jer 31:25; Jer 31:26; Jer 31:27; Jer 31:27; Jer 31:27; Jer 31:27; Jer 31:27; Jer 31:28; Jer 31:28; Jer 31:29; Jer 31:29; Jer 31:30; Jer 31:31; Jer 31:31; Jer 31:31; Jer 31:32; Jer 31:32; Jer 31:32; Jer 31:32; Jer 31:32; Jer 31:32; Jer 31:32
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NET Notes: Jer 31:2 This refers to the remnant of northern Israel who had not been killed when Assyria conquered Israel in 722 b.c. or who had not died in exile. Referenc...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:3 Or “The people of Israel who survived the onslaughts of Egypt and Amalek found favor in the wilderness as they journeyed to find rest. At that t...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:5 The terms used here refer to the enjoyment of a period of peace and stability and the reversal of the curse (contrast, e.g., Deut 28:30). The Hebrew w...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:6 Not only will Israel and Judah be reunited under one ruler (cf. 23:5-6), but they will share a unified place and practice of worship once again in con...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:7 Or “The Lord will rescue his people. He will deliver those of Israel who remain alive.” The translation used in the text follows the Hebre...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:8 The words “And I will reply” are not in the text but the words vv. 8-9 appear to be the answer to the petition at the end of v. 7. These w...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:9 Ephraim was the second son of Joseph who was elevated to a place of prominence in the family of Jacob by the patriarch’s special blessing. It wa...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:12 Reading a Qal perfect from the root II נָהַר (nahar; so KBL 509 s.v. and HALOT 639 s.v.) rather than I נָ...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:13 The translation follows the reading of the LXX (Greek version). The Hebrew reads “will dance and be glad, young men and old men together.”...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:14 Heb “I will satiate the priests with fat.” However, the word translated “fat” refers literally to the fat ashes of the sacrifi...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:15 Or “gone into exile” (cf. v. 16), though some English versions take this as meaning “dead” (e.g., NCV, CEV, NLT), presumably i...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:18 There is a wordplay on several different nuances of the same Hebrew verb in vv. 16-19. The Hebrew verb shub refers both to their turning away from God...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:19 The expression the disgraceful things we did in our earlier history refers to the disgrace that accompanied the sins that Israel did in her earlier ye...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:21 Heb “Set your mind to the highway, the way which you went.” The phrase “the way you went” has been translated “the road ...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:22 The meaning of this last line is uncertain. The translation has taken it as proverbial for something new and unique. For a fairly complete discussion ...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:23 The blessing pronounced on the city of Zion/Jerusalem by the restored exiles looks at the restoration of its once exalted state as the city known for ...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:24 The translation “those who move about with their flocks” is based on an emendation of the Hebrew text which reads a third plural Qal perfe...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:25 For the concept here compare Jer 31:12 where the promise was applied to northern Israel. This represents the reversal of the conditions that would cha...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:26 Or “When I, Jeremiah, heard this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been very pleasant.” The text is somewhat enigmatic. It has of...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:27 The metaphor used here presupposes that drawn in Hos 2:23 (2:25 HT) which is in turn based on the wordplay with Jezreel (meaning “God sows”...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:29 This is a proverbial statement that is also found in Ezek 18:2. It served to articulate the complaint that the present generation was suffering for th...
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NET Notes: Jer 31:30 The Lord answers their charge by stating that each person is responsible for his own sin and will himself bear the consequences. Ezek 18 has a more ex...
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