Jeremiah 3:16-19

3:16 In those days, your population will greatly increase ¹  in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the ark ²  that contains the Lord’s covenant with us. ³  They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more! ⁴  3:17 At that time the city of Jerusalem ⁵  will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. ⁶  They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. ⁷  3:18 At that time ⁸  the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited. ⁹  Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession. ” ¹⁰ 

3:19 “I thought to myself, ¹¹ 

‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! ¹² 

What a joy it would be for me to give ¹³  you a pleasant land,

the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’ ¹⁴ 

I thought you would call me, ‘Father’ ¹⁵ 

and would never cease being loyal to me. ¹⁶ 

[3:16]  ¹ tn Heb “you will become numerous and fruitful.”

[3:16]  ² tn Or “chest.”

[3:16]  ³ tn Heb “the ark of the covenant.” It is called this because it contained the tables of the law which in abbreviated form constituted their covenant obligations to the Lord, cf. Exod 31:18; 32:15; 34:29.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Or “Nor will another one be made”; Heb “one will not do/make [it?] again.”

[3:17]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “will gather to the name of the Lord.”

[3:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “the stubbornness of their evil hearts.”

[3:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “In those days.”

[3:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the house of Judah will walk together with the house of Israel.”

[3:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the land that I gave your [fore]fathers as an inheritance.”

[3:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “I, myself, said.” See note on “I thought that she might come back to me” in 3:7.

[3:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “How I would place you among the sons.” Israel appears to be addressed here contextually as the Lord’s wife (see the next verse). The pronouns of address in the first two lines are second feminine singular as are the readings of the two verbs preferred by the Masoretes (the Qere readings) in the third and fourth lines. The verbs that are written in the text in the third and fourth lines (the Kethib readings) are second masculine plural as is the verb describing Israel’s treachery in the next verse.

[3:19]  ¹⁵ tn The words “What a joy it would be for me to” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied in the parallel structure.

[3:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the most beautiful heritage among the nations.”

[3:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “my father.”

[3:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “turn back from [following] after me.”