Jeremiah 31:29

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.’ ¹ 

Jeremiah 33:15-16

33:15 In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous descendant ²  of David.

“‘He will do what is just and right in the land. 33:16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety ³  and Jerusalem ⁴  will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called “The Lord has provided us with justice.” ⁵ 

Jeremiah 31:33

31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel ⁶  after I plant them back in the land,” ⁷  says the Lord. ⁸  “I will ⁹  put my law within them ¹⁰  and write it on their hearts and minds. ¹¹  I will be their God and they will be my people. ¹² 

Jeremiah 50:20

50:20 When that time comes,

no guilt will be found in Israel.

No sin will be found in Judah. ¹³ 

For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive. ¹⁴ 

I, the Lord, affirm it!’” ¹⁵ 

¹ tn This word only occurs here and in the parallel passage in Ezek 18:2 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.

² tn Heb “sprig” or “shoot.”

³ tn For the translation of this term in this context see the parallel context in 23:6 and consult the translator’s note there.

⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁵ tn Heb “And this is what will be called to it: ‘The Lord our righteousness.’”

⁴ 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.

⁵ 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.

⁶ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

⁷ tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the Lord, ‘I will….’” The sentence has been reworded and restructured to avoid the awkwardness of the original style.

⁸ 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.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.

⁵ tn Heb “In those days and at that time, oracle of the Lord, the iniquity [or guilt] of Israel will be sought but there will be none and the sins of Judah but they will not be found.” The passive construction “will be sought” raises the question of who is doing the seeking which is not really the main point. The translation has avoided this question by simply referring to the result which is the main point.

⁶ sn Compare Jer 31:34 and 33:8.

⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.” In this case it is necessary to place this in the first person because this is already in a quote whose speaker is identified as the Lord (v. 18).