31:31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, 1 “when I will make a new covenant 2 with the people of Israel and Judah. 3 31:32 It will not be like the old 4 covenant that I made with their ancestors 5 when I delivered them 6 from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” 7 says the Lord. 8 31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel 9 after I plant them back in the land,” 10 says the Lord. 11 “I will 12 put my law within them 13 and write it on their hearts and minds. 14 I will be their God and they will be my people. 15
31:34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. 16 For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” 17 says the Lord. “For 18 I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”
31:35 The Lord has made a promise to Israel.
He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by day
and the moon and stars to give light by night.
He promises it as the one who stirs up the sea so that its waves roll.
He promises it as the one who is known as the Lord who rules over all. 19
31:36 The Lord affirms, 20 “The descendants of Israel will not
cease forever to be a nation in my sight.
That could only happen if the fixed ordering of the heavenly lights
were to cease to operate before me.” 21
1 tn Heb “Oracle of the
2 tn Or “a renewed covenant” (also in vv. 22-23).
3 tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
4 tn The word “old” is not in the text but is implicit in the use of the word “new.” It is supplied in the translation for greater clarity.
5 tn Heb “fathers.”
6 tn Heb “when I took them by the hand and led them out.”
7 tn Or “I was their master.” See the study note on 3:14.
8 tn Heb “Oracle of the
9 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.
10 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.
11 tn Heb “Oracle of the
12 tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the
13 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.
14 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.
15 sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.
16 tn Heb “teach…, saying, ‘Know the
17 sn This statement should be understood against the background of Jer 8:8-9 where class distinctions were drawn and certain people were considered to have more awareness and responsibility for knowing the law and also Jer 5:1-5 and 9:3-9 where the sinfulness of Israel was seen to be universal across these class distinctions and no trust was to be placed in friends, neighbors, or relatives because all without distinction had cast off God’s yoke (i.e., refused to submit themselves to his authority).
18 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) that introduces this clause refers to more than just the preceding clause (i.e., that all will know the
19 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” See the study note on 2:19 for this title. In the Hebrew text the verse reads: “Thus says the
20 tn Heb “Oracle of the
21 tn Heb “‘If these fixed orderings were to fail to be present before me,’ oracle of the