“‘The fathers eat sour grapes
And the children’s teeth become numb?’ 2
51:10 Create for me a pure heart, O God! 5
Renew a resolute spirit within me! 6
1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together 20 in him.
1 sn In Ezek 11:19, 36:26 the new heart and new spirit are promised as future blessings.
2 tn This word only occurs here and in the parallel passage in Jer 31:29-30 in the Qal stem and in Eccl 10:10 in the Piel stem. In the latter passage it refers to the bluntness of an ax that has not been sharpened. Here the idea is of the “bluntness” of the teeth, not from having ground them down due to the bitter taste of sour grapes but to the fact that they have lost their “edge,” “bite,” or “sharpness” because they are numb from the sour taste. For this meaning for the word, see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 2:197.
3 tn The Hebrew second person pronoun is masculine plural here and in vv. 19b-21, indicating that the people are being addressed.
4 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
5 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s motives and moral character.
6 tn Heb “and a reliable spirit renew in my inner being.”
7 tn Heb “with the house of Israel.” All commentators agree that the term here refers to both the whole nation which was divided into the house of Israel and the house of Judah in v. 30.
8 tn Heb “after those days.” Commentators are generally agreed that this refers to the return from exile and the repopulation of the land referred to in vv. 27-28 and not to something subsequent to the time mentioned in v. 30. This is the sequencing that is also presupposed in other new covenant passages such as Deut 30:1-6; Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28.
9 tn Heb “Oracle of the
10 tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the
11 tn Heb “in their inward parts.” The Hebrew word here refers to the seat of the thoughts, emotions, and decisions (Jer 9:8 [9:7 HT]). It is essentially synonymous with “heart” in Hebrew psychological terms.
12 tn The words “and minds” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to bring the English psychology more into line with the Hebrew where the “heart” is the center both of knowing/thinking/reflecting and deciding/willing.
13 sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.
14 tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.
15 sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.
16 tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in v. 16 for a discussion of how this word is translated.
17 tn Grk “that one will teach you.” The words “that one” have been omitted from the translation since they are redundant in English.
18 tn Grk “all things.”
19 tn Grk “all things.”
20 tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.
21 tc The phrase “in Christ Jesus” is found after “For” in some
22 tn Grk “is.”
23 tn Grk “but a new creation”; the words “the only thing that matters” have been supplied to reflect the implied contrast with the previous clause (see also Gal 5:6).