Isaiah 49:8

49:8 This is what the Lord says:

“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;

in the day of deliverance I will help you;

I will protect you ¹  and make you a covenant mediator for people, ² 

to rebuild ³  the land ⁴ 

and to reassign the desolate property.

Isaiah 55:3

55:3 Pay attention and come to me!

Listen, so you can live! ⁵ 

Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to ⁶  you,

just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. ⁷ 

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31:31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, ⁸  “when I will make a new covenant ⁹  with the people of Israel and Judah. ¹⁰  31:32 It will not be like the old ¹¹  covenant that I made with their ancestors ¹²  when I delivered them ¹³  from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” ¹⁴  says the Lord. ¹⁵  31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel ¹⁶  after I plant them back in the land,” ¹⁷  says the Lord. ¹⁸  “I will ¹⁹  put my law within them ²⁰  and write it on their hearts and minds. ²¹  I will be their God and they will be my people. ²² 

31:34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. ²³  For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” ²⁴  says the Lord. “For ²⁵  I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

Jeremiah 32:38-41

32:38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²⁶  32:39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for ²⁷  their own good and the good of the children who descend from them. 32:40 I will make a lasting covenant ²⁸  with them that I will never stop doing good to them. ²⁹  I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that ³⁰  they will never again turn ³¹  away from me. 32:41 I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and wholeheartedly plant them ³²  firmly in the land.’

Ezekiel 36:25-27

36:25 I will sprinkle you with pure water ³³  and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. 36:26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone ³⁴  from your body and give you a heart of flesh. ³⁵  36:27 I will put my Spirit within you; ³⁶  I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes ³⁷  and carefully observe my regulations. ³⁸ 

Ezekiel 37:25-27

37:25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it – they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever. 37:26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant with them. ³⁹  I will establish them, ⁴⁰  increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever. 37:27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Ezekiel 39:25-29

39:25 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Now I will restore ⁴¹  the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name. 39:26 They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid. 39:27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of many nations. 39:28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will not leave any of them in exile ⁴²  any longer. 39:29 I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, ⁴³  declares the sovereign Lord.”

Hebrews 8:6-13

8:6 But ⁴⁴  now Jesus ⁴⁵  has obtained a superior ministry, since ⁴⁶  the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted ⁴⁷  on better promises. ⁴⁸ 

8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one. ⁴⁹  8:8 But ⁵⁰  showing its fault, ⁵¹  God ⁵²  says to them, ⁵³ 

“Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

8:9 “It will not be like the covenant ⁵⁴  that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put ⁵⁵  my laws in their minds ⁵⁶  and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. ⁵⁷ 

8:11 “And there will be no need at all ⁵⁸  for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. ⁵⁹ 

8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.” ⁶⁰ 

8:13 When he speaks of a new covenant, ⁶¹  he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear. ⁶² 

Hebrews 10:16

10:16 “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put ⁶³  my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,” ⁶⁴ 

[49:8]  ¹ tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצָר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצָר (yatsar, “form”).

[49:8]  ² tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. Here עָם (’am, “people”) appears to refer to Israel. See the note at 42:6.

[49:8]  ³ tn The Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “arise”) is probably used here in the sense of “rebuild.”

[49:8]  ⁴ tn The “land” probably stands by metonymy for the ruins within it.

[55:3]  ⁵ tn The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive following the imperative indicates purpose/result.

[55:3]  ⁶ tn Or “an eternal covenant with.”

[55:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “the reliable expressions of loyalty of David.” The syntactical relationship of חַסְדֵי (khasde, “expressions of loyalty”) to the preceding line is unclear. If the term is appositional to בְּרִית (bÿrit, “covenant”), then the Lord here transfers the promises of the Davidic covenant to the entire nation. Another option is to take חַסְדֵי (khasde) as an adverbial accusative and to translate “according to the reliable covenantal promises.” In this case the new covenantal arrangement proposed here is viewed as an extension or perhaps fulfillment of the Davidic promises. A third option, the one reflected in the above translation, is to take the last line as comparative. In this case the new covenant being proposed is analogous to the Davidic covenant. Verses 4-5, which compare David’s international prominence to what Israel will experience, favors this view. In all three of these interpretations, “David” is an objective genitive; he is the recipient of covenantal promises. A fourth option would be to take David as a subjective genitive and understand the line as giving the basis for the preceding promise: “Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, because of David’s faithful acts of covenantal loyalty.”

[31:31]  ⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:31]  ¹⁰ tn Or “a renewed covenant” (also in vv. 22-23).

[31:31]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

[31:32]  ¹³ 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.

[31:32]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “fathers.”

[31:32]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “when I took them by the hand and led them out.”

[31:32]  ¹⁶ tn Or “I was their master.” See the study note on 3:14.

[31:32]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ¹⁷ 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.

[31:33]  ¹⁸ 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.

[31:33]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ²⁰ 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.

[31:33]  ²¹ 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.

[31:33]  ²² 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.

[31:33]  ²³ sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.

[31:34]  ²¹ tn Heb “teach…, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’” The indirect quote has been chosen for stylistic reasons, i.e., to better parallel the following line.

[31:34]  ²² 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).

[31:34]  ²³ 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 Lord) but to all of vv. 31-34a (See BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.c).

[32:38]  ²⁵ sn The covenant formula setting forth the basic relationship is reinstituted along with a new covenant (v. 40). See also 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and the study note on 30:22.

[32:39]  ²⁹ tn Heb “I will give to them one heart and one way to [= in order that they may] fear me all the days for good to them.” The phrase “one heart” refers both to unanimity of will and accord (cf. 1 Chr 12:38 [12:39 HT]; 2 Chr 30:12) and to singleness of purpose or intent (cf. Ezek 11:19 and see BDB 525 s.v. ֵלב 4 where reference is made to “inclinations, resolutions, and determinations of the will”). The phrase “one way” refers to one way of life or conduct (cf. BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a where reference is made to moral action and character), a way of life that is further qualified by the goal of showing “fear, reverence, respect” for the Lord. The Hebrew sentence has been broken up to avoid a long complex sentence in English which is contrary to contemporary English style. However, an attempt has been made to preserve all the connections of the original.

[32:40]  ³³ tn Heb “an everlasting covenant.” For the rationale for the rendering “agreement” and the nature of the biblical covenants see the study note on 11:2.

[32:40]  ³⁴ tn Or “stop being gracious to them” or “stop blessing them with good”; Heb “turn back from them to do good to them.”

[32:40]  ³⁵ tn Or “I will make them want to fear and respect me so much that”; Heb “I will put the fear of me in their hearts.” However, as has been noted several times, “heart” in Hebrew is more the center of the volition (and intellect) than the center of emotions as it is in English. Both translations are intended to reflect the difference in psychology.

[32:40]  ³⁶ tn The words “never again” are not in the text but are implicit from the context and are supplied not only by this translation but by a number of others.

[32:41]  ³⁷ tn Heb “will plant them in the land with faithfulness with all my heart and with all my soul.” The latter expressions are, of course, anthropomorphisms (see Deut 6:5).

[36:25]  ⁴¹ sn The Lord here uses a metaphor from the realm of ritual purification. For the use of water in ritual cleansing, see Exod 30:19-20; Lev 14:51; Num 19:18; Heb 10:22.

[36:26]  ⁴⁵ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is stubborn and unresponsive (see 1 Sam 25:37). In Rabbinic literature a “stone” was associated with an evil inclination (b. Sukkah 52a).

[36:26]  ⁴⁶ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is responsive and obedient to God.

[36:27]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “in the midst of you.” The word “you” is plural.

[36:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and I will do that which in my statutes you will walk.” The awkward syntax (verb “to do, act” + accusative sign + relative clause + prepositional phrase + second person verb) is unique, though Eccl 3:14 contains a similar construction. In the last line of that verse we read that “God acts so that (relative pronoun) they fear before him.” However, unlike Ezek 36:27, the statement has no accusative sign before the relative pronoun.

[36:27]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and my laws you will guard and you will do them.” Jer 31:31-34 is parallel to this passage.

[37:26]  ⁵³ sn See Isa 24:5; 55:3; 61:8; Jer 32:40; 50:5; Ezek 16:60, for other references to perpetual covenants.

[37:26]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “give them.”

[39:25]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “cause to return.”

[39:28]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “there,” referring to the foreign nations to which they were exiled. The translation makes the referent clear.

[39:29]  ⁶⁵ sn See Ezek 11:19; 37:14.

[8:6]  ⁶⁹ sn The Greek text indicates a contrast between vv. 4-5 and v. 6 that is difficult to render in English: Jesus’ status in the old order of priests (vv. 4-5) versus his superior ministry (v. 6).

[8:6]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Jesus) has been specified for clarity.

[8:6]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “to the degree that.”

[8:6]  ⁷² tn Grk “which is enacted.”

[8:6]  ⁷³ sn This linkage of the change in priesthood with a change in the law or the covenant goes back to Heb 7:12, 22 and is picked up again in Heb 9:6-15 and 10:1-18.

[8:7]  ⁷³ tn Grk “no occasion for a second one would have been sought.”

[8:8]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “for,” but providing an explanation of the God-intended limitation of the first covenant from v. 7.

[8:8]  ⁷⁸ sn The “fault” or limitation in the first covenant was not in its inherent righteousness, but in its design from God himself. It was never intended to be his final revelation or provision for mankind; it was provisional, always pointing toward the fulfillment to come in Christ.

[8:8]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:8]  ⁸⁰ tc ‡ Several witnesses (א* A D* I K P Ψ 33 81 326 365 1505 2464 al latt co Cyr) have αὐτούς (autous) here, “[in finding fault with] them, [he says],” alluding to Israel’s failings mentioned in v. 9b. (The verb μέμφομαι [memfomai, “to find fault with”] can take an accusative or dative direct object.) The reading behind the text above (αὐτοίς, autoi"), supported by Ì⁴⁶ א² B D² 0278 1739 1881 Ï, is perhaps a harder reading theologically, and is more ambiguous in meaning. If αὐτοίς goes with μεμφόμενος (memfomeno", here translated “showing its fault”), the clause could be translated “in finding fault with them” or “in showing [its] faults to them.” If αὐτοίς goes with the following λέγει (legei, “he says”), the clause is best translated, “in finding/showing [its] faults, he says to them.” The accusative pronoun suffers no such ambiguity, for it must be the object of μεμφόμενος rather than λέγει. Although a decision is difficult, the dative form of the pronoun best explains the rise of the other reading and is thus more likely to be original.

[8:9]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “not like the covenant,” continuing the description of v. 8b.

[8:10]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”

[8:10]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “mind.”

[8:10]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “I will be to them for a God and they will be to me for a people,” following the Hebrew constructions of Jer 31.

[8:11]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen…” The Greek makes this negation emphatic: “they will certainly not teach.”

[8:11]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “from the small to the great.”

[8:12]  ⁹³ sn A quotation from Jer 31:31-34.

[8:13]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “when he says, ‘new,’” (referring to the covenant).

[8:13]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “near to disappearing.”

[10:16]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”

[10:16]  ¹⁰² sn A quotation from Jer 31:33.