Jeremiah 31
OGCREVIEW OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I. Facts to Master
That which Jeremiah is told to write (Jeremiah 30:2).
That which God will do for Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 30:3).
The one the Israelites serve upon returning to their homeland (Jeremiah 30:9).
That which will happen to the nations which had scattered Israel (Jeremiah 30:11).
The figure used in Jeremiah 30:12-17 to depict the ter rible sin, punishment and restoration of Israel.
The identity of the Ruler mentioned in Jeremiah 30:21.
The new relationship which will exist between God and Israel in the future (Jeremiah 31:1; Jeremiah 31:9).
The new thing which God will create in the land (Jeremiah 31:22).
A proverb current in the days of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:29).
That which God would make with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31).
Jeremiah’s personal condition during the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 32:1-3).
Jeremiah’s prediction regarding king Zedekiah (Jeremiah 32:4-5).
The name of Jeremiah’s cousin who offered to sell a field (Jeremiah 32:7).
The price of the field (Jeremiah 32:9).
Significance of this act of purchasing the field (Jeremiah 32:15; Jeremiah 32:42-44).
Name of a pagan god to whom the Jews sacrificed their children (Jeremiah 32:35).
Jeremiah’s personal situation at the time he de livered the oracle in Chapter 33.
That which God will cause to sprout (Jeremiah 33:15).
Special promises to the house of David and Levitical priests (Jeremiah 33:17-18).
II. Questions to Ponder
What is the fulfillment of the promises to bring Israel and Judah back to Palestine? Were they fulfilled in the returns of Zerubbabel (536 B.C.) and Ezra (458 B.C.)? Do these promises have any relationship to the Zionist movement of recent years?
In what way were the Jews encouraged to look upon their present trials? Jeremiah 30:4-11, esp. Jeremiah 30:11.
What is the permanent lesson that can be learned from Jeremiah 30:12-17?
What is the basis for thinking that the Prince of Jer 30:21 is Christ?
What figures of speech set forth the new relationship between Israel and God after the restoration? Jeremiah 31:2-5
Matthew (Jeremiah 2:18) quotes Jeremiah 31:15 and says it was fulfilled when Herod slew the Bethlehem innocents. Is Jeremiah 31:15 then a direct prophecy of what would happen at Bethlehem or does Matthew simply mean to say there is an analogy be tween the two events?
What is the new covenant predicted in Jeremiah 31? See Hebrews 8:8-12; Hebrews 10:16. 17; Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25. In what respect is the new covenant superior to the old?
What city does Jeremiah describe in Jeremiah 31:38-40, the earthly Jerusalem, the spiritual Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, or all three?
How does the principle actions speak louder than words especially apply in chapter 32?
How do the events of chapter 32 fit chronologically with Chapter s 30 and 37?
Is it necessary for a people to face the future with confidence? Why? What is the only solid basis for hope?
Why did the cousin come to Jeremiah and ask him to purchase the field? Jeremiah 32:6-8. Did Jeremiah fully understand the significance of the transaction?
What seeming contradiction is Jeremiah attempting to work out in his prayer? Jeremiah 32:16-25
What is significant about calling the Messiah a Shoot? Jeremiah 33:15. Where else is this designation used?
Have the promises of Jer 33:17-18 been fulfilled? When and how?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
OBEDIENCE AND DISOBEDIENCE
Jeremiah 34:1 to Jeremiah 36:32
In Chapter s 34-36 Jeremiah relates three incidents which vividly illustrate the disobedience of the people of God in general and their leaders in particular. The episodes as they stand in the book are in reverse chronological order. Chapter 36 relates an event which transpired in the year 605-604 B.C. Chapter 35 can be assigned to almost any year between 602 and 598 B.C. The event in chapter 34 transpired during the final siege of Jerusalem (589-588 B.C.). The section contains narrative prose primarily biographical in character. An action parable is recorded in chapter 35.
A NOTE ON THE CHRONOLOGICAL PLACEMENT OF Chapter S 32-33
Chapter 32 contains the following chronological details which aid in integrating this chapter into the chronological framework of the last days of Jerusalem: (1) It was the tenth year of Zedekiah which began in March/ April 588 B.C.; (2) the Babylonian armies were besieging Jerusalem; and (3) Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the guard. Now since the arrest of Jeremiah, his imprisonment and subsequent confinement to the court of the guard are recorded in chapter 37 commentators are all but unanimously agreed that chapter 32 follows chapter 37 chronologically. Of course the basic assumption in this placement is that Jeremiah was only once confined to the court of the guard. This reconstruction may well be correct. The present writer, however, would like to offer an alternative reconstruction.
A close relationship exists between chapter 32 and chapter 34 of Jeremiah. Chapter 34 relates how Nebuchadnezzar was fighting against Jerusalem (Jeremiah 34:1). Outlying fortresses were still holding out against the Chaldeans, Lachish and Azekah being named in particular (Jeremiah 34:7). This would imply that chapter 34 must be assigned to an early part of the siege. The Chaldean strategy seems to have been to eliminate all military outposts before beginning the siege of Jerusalem in earnest.
These were the circumstances which existed when God told Jeremiah to go and deliver an oracle to king Zedekiah (Jeremiah 34:2). The precise words of that oracle should be noted with great care. (See the chart which follows). Chapter 34 does not reveal what the reaction of the king was to this message of doom. In Jeremiah 34:8 the narrator jumps ahead to a later phase in the siege of Jerusalem. The present writer would suggest that Jeremiah 32:2-5 indicates what king Zedekiah did when he heard the word of the Lord. He ordered Jeremiah confined to the court of the guard which was in the house of the king of Judah.
In support of the above suggestion the following points can be made:
- Chapter 32 gives all the appearance of being the initial confinement of Jeremiah in the reign of Zedekiah. There is not the slightest hint that he had previously been confined by the king.
- In chapter 32 Jeremiah is confined in the court of the guard as a punishment for what he had preached. In chapter 37 he is placed in the court of the guard as an act of mercy (see 19-21). Surely this would indicate that the confinement in chapter 32 and that in chapter 37 must be two different occasions.
- The message for which Jeremiah is confined in chapter 32 is very similar to the message which he de livered to Zedekiah at the beginning of the siege in chapter 34. (See following chart).
How then are the events concerning the confinement of Jeremiah to be arranged chronologically? In the tenth year of Zedekiah (March/April 588 B.C.) Jeremiah went to the king and delivered an oracle of doom (Jeremiah 34:1-7). He was arrested by Zedekiah and confined in the court of the guard in the house of the king (Jeremiah 32:1-5). When the Babylonians temporarily raised the siege in the summer of 588 B.C. the prophet was probably released. Since most of the inhabitants of Jerusalem thought the Chaldeans were gone for good there was no further reason for detaining the political prisoners who might have proved dangerous in time of siege. During the lull in the siege operations Jeremiah preached a blistering sermon against the Jerusalem nobles (Jeremiah 34:8-22). No doubt he made some bitter enemies among the princes because of this sermon. As Jeremiah attempted to leave the city to tend to some business in Anathoth, he was arrested by the guard and hailed before the embittered princes who threw him into a dungeon as a traitor (Jeremiah 37:11-15). When the siege resumed Zedekiah was anxious to receive a further word from the Lord and so he sent secretly for Jeremiah. The prophet reiterated in one terse sentence the threat that he had been making for some time against the king (Jeremiah 37:17). Since Jeremiah knew he was innocent of the charge of treason he pleaded with Zedekiah that he might not have to return to the dungeon where he had been kept for some time (Jeremiah 37:20; cf. Jeremiah 37:16). Zedekiah acquiesced in the request of Jeremiah and ordered him confined henceforth in the court of the guard (Jeremiah 37:21). Jeremiah continued to preach even in the court of the guard and so the princes demanded that he be put to death. Zedekiah gave in to the princes and Jeremiah was thrown into an abandoned well (Jeremiah 38:1-6). From thence he was rescued by Ebedmelech (Jeremiah 38:7-13) and confined in the court of the guard until Jerusalem fell to the Chaldeans (Jeremiah 38:28).
THE SERMON WHICH GOT JEREMIAH ARRESTED DURING THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM
Reference back to the sermon
The actual preaching
Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 4:3)
Thus says the LORD, Behold I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 4:2)
and he shall take it (Jeremiah 4:3)
and he shall burn it with fire (Jeremiah 4:2)
And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 4:4)
and you shall not escape out of his hand but you shall surely be taken and delivered into his hand (Jeremiah 4:3)
and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes. (Jeremiah 4:4)
and your eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth (Jeremiah 4:9)
and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon (Jeremiah 4:5)
and you shall go to Babylon (Jeremiah 4:3)
and there shall he be until I visit him (oracle of the LORD). Though you fight against the Chaldeans you shall not prosper (v.5).
Jeremiah 31:1
D. The purposes of a Sovereign God Jeremiah 30:23 to Jeremiah 31:1
TRANSLATION
(23) Behold, the tempest of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a sweeping tempest! It will whirl upon the heads of the wicked. (24) The fierce anger of the LORD shall not turn back until He has done it, until He has accomplished the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you shall understand it. (1) In that time (oracle of the LORD) I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel and they shall be My people.
COMMENTS
The three verses[253] of this paragraph serve to point to the purpose of God in history. Jeremiah 30:23-24 are almost identical with the threat made against the false prophets in Jeremiah 23:19 f. Here the words apply to the Gentile enemies of Israel and particularly wicked Babylon. The wrath of God like a whirlwind goes forth to execute the intents of His heart. He will not relent until (a) evil has been punished and (b) the families or clans of Israel acknowledge His lordship. Only in the latter days, after the judgment against Babylon has been accomplished, will the people of God fully comprehend the sovereign purposes of God. The latter days as envisioned by the Old Testament seers commenced with the coming of Jesus Christ.[254]
[253] The Hebrew chapter division places Jeremiah 31:1 as the last verse of chapter 30.
[254] See Hebrews 1:1; Acts 2:16-17; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1; 1 John 2:18.
Jeremiah 31:2-6
H. THE BLESSINGS OF RESTORATION
In this second major section of the Book of Consolation the focus is upon the blessings which those who return from exile will enjoy. Both Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah are addressed. Jeremiah 31:2-22 deal mainly with Israel, 23-26 with Judah, and 27-40 with both kingdoms. It is absolutely clear that both kingdoms will return to Palestine and jointly share the blessings of God.
A. The New Concord Jeremiah 31:2-6
TRANSLATION
(2) Thus says the LORD: The people who escaped the sword have found grace in the wilderness. Go, O Israel, to dwell peacefully. (3) From afar the LORD appeared to me. With everlasting love I have loved you. Therefore in loving kindness I have drawn you to Me. (4) Again I will build you, and you will be built up, O Virgin of Israel! Again you will adorn yourself with timbrels, and go out in the dance of those who rejoice. (5) Again you will plant vineyards in the mountains of Samaria; the planters who plant shall enjoy the fruit. (6) For there shall be a day when the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
COMMENTS
Jeremiah 31:2-6 of chapter 31 are an amplification of the first verse of the chapter. The prophet here paints the picture of the concord and harmony which characterize the relationship between God and His people in that glorious day of restoration. In making his point Jeremiah uses four figures: the divine Lover (Jeremiah 31:2-3), the joyous virgin (Jeremiah 31:4), the satisfied farmer (Jeremiah 31:5), and the anxious watchman (Jeremiah 31:6).
Those who had escaped the sword of the Babylonians have found favor in the eyes of God in the wilderness of exile (Jeremiah 31:2). The last part of Jer 31:2 is extremely difficult to translate. The Hebrew reads literally going to cause himIsraelto rest. Perhaps the meaning is that God will give the true Israelthose who repented in captivityrest in the land of Canaan. Those Israelites in far off places[255] who have found favor in the wilderness joyously acknowledge the grace of the Lord. It is best to regard Jeremiah 31:3 as the words of the nation speaking collectively. In captivity the people discover anew the everlasting love of God. By His grace He has once again drawn His people to Himself.[256] How wonderful and incomprehensible is the love of God!
[255] Following here the American Standard Version marginal reading which is decidedly superior to the reading of old.
[256] Some commentators have rendered the clause I have prolonged lovingkindness to you. But the Hebrew verb is frequently used in the sense of drawing toward oneself. Cf. Hosea 11:4; Isaiah 5:18; Judges 6:4.
The virgin who had committed such horrible sins against her divine Husband by idolatrous flirtation is still the precious object of God’s love. He treats her as a pure and chaste virgin. She has been completely forgiven. God will build her up again or make her to prosper. She shall again go forth joyously dancing to the accompaniment of her tabrets or timbrels as young maidens were wont to do (Jeremiah 31:4).
Farmers will plant new vineyards in the hills surrounding Samaria. After waiting the prescribed length of time these farmers would enjoy the fruit of their labors (Jeremiah 31:5). The fruit produced by a tree for the first three years was not to be gathered and that of the fourth year was to be consecrated to God. Only in the fifth year could the owner eat of that fruit.[257] The present verse uses the technical Hebrew word (chillel) which is used in the law of Moses to indicate the use of fruit by the owner after the waiting period was over.[258]
[257] See Leviticus 19:23-25; Deuteronomy 20:6; Deuteronomy 28:30.
[258] The translation of chillel in the King James Version is unfortunate shall eat them as common things. This translation misses the sense of the original.
On the hills men would anxiously be watching for the crescent of the moon which would be a signal for the celebration of the new moon.[259] The schism between the north and south is over. The Ephramites are anxious to join in the worship of God in Jerusalem. Come, they say, Let us go up to Zion, unto the Lord our God. What a beautiful picture of the new relationship which will exist between God and His people. Laetsch makes the point that to go to Zion in the Old Testament prophecy is to join the church of Christ. See Hebrews 12:22 ff. There are many examples in the New Testament of inhabitants of Ephraim or Samaria who were converted to the Lord Jesus Christ.[260]
[259] Freedman has a slightly different interpretation. He thinks the watchmen are looking for the procession of pilgrims from the more distant cities approaching. When they would spot the procession they would signal their own pilgrims to make ready to join the band.
[260] John 4:1-42; Acts 1:8; Acts 8:5-17; Acts 10:1 ff.
Jeremiah 31:8-9
B. A New Consolation Jeremiah 31:7-20
Jeremiah 31:7 sets the tone for the four paragraphs which follow. The prophet foresees the day when salvation will be accomplished and a new joy will fill the hearts of God’s people. Jeremiah calls for shouts of joy and praise. It is not clear to whom this exhortation is addressed. The imperatives throughout the verse are in the plural. Jeremiah is probably calling upon all those who love the Lord whether Jew or Gentile to burst forth into joyous strains. Israel is here called the chief of the nations because God had chosen them from among all the nations for special privileges and obligations.[261] In the verses of this section
[261] Amos 3:2; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 4:7-8.
Jeremiah offers divine consolation to four different groups: the distressed (Jeremiah 31:8-9), the disheartened (Jeremiah 31:10-14), the disconsolate (Jeremiah 31:15-17) and the despondent (Jeremiah 31:18-20).
- The distressed (Jeremiah 31:8-9)
TRANSLATION
(7) For thus says the LORD: Shout joyously for Jacob! Rejoice over the head of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Say, Save, O LORD, your people, the remnant of Israel. (8) Behold, I am about to bring them from the land of the north, and I will gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them shall be the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together. As a great throng they shall return to this place. (9) With weeping they shall come, and with supplication I will lead them; I will guide them alongside streams of water, in a straight way in which they will not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born.
COMMENTS
The journey home from exile would be particularly difficult for certain segments of the population. Nonetheless, those in distressthe blind, the lame, the woman travailing with childwill return with tears of joy and contrition upon their cheeks, and with supplications upon their lips. God will hear their prayers and will lead them in a straight way where there will be no danger of stumbling. He will lead them beside streams of water where they can find refreshment. How careful were the prophets to always include the distressed of humanity in God’s program of salvation and deliverance. The reason for God’s concern for the distressed is clearly stated: For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born. It is not entirely clear whether Israel in this verse is the entire nation, Judah or the Northern Kingdom. The concept of Israel as the son of God is as old as the accounts of the Exodus (Exodus 4:22). The heavenly Father will not allow His son, the spiritual remnant of the nation, to remain in captivity.
Jeremiah 31:10-14
- The disheartened (Jeremiah 31:10-14)
TRANSLATION
(10) Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the distant isles! Say, The one who scattered Israel has gathered him, and keeps him as a shepherd keeps his flock. (11) For the LORD redeemed Jacob, and bought him back from the grip of one who was stronger than he. (12) They shall come and shout in the height of Zion, and they shall stream unto the goodness of the LORD because of the grain, the new wine, the oil, the sheep and the cattle. Their soul shall be as a well-watered garden, and they shall not languish again. (13) Then shall a virgin rejoice in dance, young men and old men as well; For I will turn their mourning to joy, and I will comfort them, and give them joy after their sorrow. (14) I will give the priests their fill of fat things, and My people shall be gorged with My goodness (oracle of the LORD).
COMMENTS
Israel was the flock of God, but during the exile a scattered and miserable flock (cf. Jeremiah 13:17). The day will shortly come, says the prophet, when the Good Shepherd shall seek His own. The Gentiles, the nations, are called upon to hear the word of the Lord i.e., to accept His word with a believing heart. Then they in turn are to become proclaimers of the Good News to Israel (Jeremiah 31:10). The Lord will redeem Jacob, the true Israel of God, from the hand of his captor (Jeremiah 31:11). The proclamation of the Gentiles will not be in vain. Together Jews and Gentiles will flow like a mighty stream to Zion. There they will both enjoy the blessings of the Lordgrain, wine, oil, the young of the flock and herd. God’s people will be like a well-watered garden in the midst of a barren waste in that day. What an exquisite picture of the peace, contentment and prosperity of the people of God! Zion shall echo with glad songs of praise. God’s people shall sorrow no more (Jeremiah 31:12). Their mourning shall be turned into joy. Old and young, men and women rejoice together in the joyous deliverance which they have experienced (Jeremiah 31:13). So many sacrifices will be brought to the Temple that the priests, to whom portions of the sacrificial animals belonged (Leviticus 7:31-34), will have more than enough to fill their own needs. The paragraph closes with a declaration which only the child of God who has come to spiritual Zion can appreciate: My people shall be satisfied with My goodness!
Jeremiah 31:15-17
- The disconsolate (Jeremiah 31:15-17)
TRANSLATION
(15) Thus says the LORD: Listen! In Ramah lamentation is heard! bitter weeping! Rachel is weeping over her children. She refuses to be comforted concerning her children, because they are no more. (16) Thus says the LORD: Restrain your voice from weeping, your eyes from tears. For there is a reward for your labor (oracle of the LORD) when they shall return from the land of the enemy. (17) There is hope for your latter end (oracle of the LORD) when sons return to their borders.
COMMENTS
With brilliant poetic imagination Jeremiah represents Rachel (Rahel, KJV) in her grave near Bethlehem lifting up her voice in bitter lamentation over the recent fate of her children. Rachel, who had pined for children all her life (Genesis 30:1), died with sorrow in giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:18-19). It is most appropriate that this one who loved children so much should here bemoan the loss of them. The meaning of the name Rachel (ewe) adds force to the prophet’s description. He hears the cry of the ewe in Ramah (literally, on the hill-top) bleating for her lambs. Rachel was the mother of Benjamin and Joseph and, through the latter, of Ephraim and Manasseh. As Ephraim was the leading tribe of the north it is likely that Rachel was regarded as the mother of Israel, the ideal representative of the northern kingdom. In a bit broader sense, Rachel symbolizes all the mothers of the entire nation who had lost sons through death and deportation.
Rachel is disconsolate because her children are being slain and snatched away. No one can comfort her in this moment of sorrow because her children are not, i.e., they are dead. The following verses seem to indicate that the prophet primarily has in mind the symbolic death of exile. But since many were slain when the Assyrians and Babylonians conquered the people of God, and since many died in captivity in foreign lands, an allusion to literal death cannot be absolutely eliminated from the expression they are not. The question arises as to whether Rachel is weeping over the deportations of Israelites to Assyria or of Jews to Babylon. One cannot be absolutely sure. But in view of the fact that Jeremiah 31:18-20 speak exclusively of Ephraim it is likely that it is the early Assyrian deportation which is in mind.
The mention of Ramah raises an exegetical problem. Which Ramah does the writer have in mind and why does he mention the place? TWO places called Ramah are prominent in the Old Testament. Both of them were some miles north of Jerusalem.[262] Some think that the reference is to another Ramah in the vicinity of Bethlehem which is otherwise unknown in the Old Testament. Still others fed that the term Ramah is not a proper name at all but means simply a mountain height. On the whole, however, it is best to regard Ramah as a definite location though it is impossible to determine which of the two places of this name is intended.
[262] One Ramah is mentioned in Joshua 18:25 and was five miles north of Jerusalem; the other Ramah, the home town of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:19; 1 Samuel 25:1) about four miles north-west of Jerusalem.
Why is Ramah mentioned in this passage? Various suggestions have been made. Some think that Ramah is mentioned because Rachel was buried near there. But nowhere is Ramah explicitly designated as the site of Rachel’s tomb. Others think that Ramah is mentioned because this was the spot at which the exiles were assembled before being slain or deported.[263] Jeremiah himself was taken in chains to Ramah (Jeremiah 40:1; Jeremiah 39:11-12). He may have actually heard the women of Israel weeping and wailing as they watched the cruel fate of their sons. Still another view is that Ramah is mentioned only to indicate the distance at which the lamentation was heard. According to this view the weeping originated at Bethlehem but was heard as far away as Ramah. On the whole the last view seems to be the most satisfactory.
[263] The mention of Ramah in Isaiah 10:29 seems to indicate that it was the scene of some special massacre by Sennacherib in the days of king Hezekiah.
Matthew cites Jeremiah 31:15 as being fulfilled in the massacre of the infants of Bethlehem by Herod. Because of the inspired statement of Matthew some commentators have argued that Jeremiah 31:15 is a direct prophecy of what would transpire in Bethlehem centuries later.[264] However the word fulfilled as used in Matthew 2:17 probably only means that the words in Jeremiah aptly express the event which Matthew is recording. The language used by Old Testament writers to describe events of their own or previous times is often so full and rich that it can be appropriately used to describe New Testament events which occurred in similar circumstances and were of similar import. In such cases the language of the Old Testament is said to have been fulfilled in the New Testament.[265] Thus the slaughter of the Bethlehem infants was not the fulfillment of a prediction of Jeremiah, but only of certain words spoken by the prophet.[266] Rachel’s grief was reawakened by the slaughter of the innocent babes of Bethlehem.
[264] Laetsch (op. cit., p. 250), has, perhaps, the most capable defense of this position. According to Laetsch, Rachel is introduced as bewailing her children because her tomb was located at Bethlehem where the infants were to be slain.
[265] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Matthew and Mark (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1964), p. 17.
[266] J. W. McGarvey, The New Testament Commentary: Matthew and Mark (Cincinnati: Chase and Hall, 1875), p. 30,
The word fulfilled does not seem to have the same force in every passage of the New Testament where it occurs. Some time ago J. W. McGarvey suggested that the word was used by Matthew in the second chapter of his Gospel in three different ways. He writes: The three quotations from the prophets contained in this chapter (6, 15, 18) belong to and illustrate three distinct classes of such quotations which are found in the New Testament, and which especially abound in Matthew. The first, concerning the birth-place of Jesus, is strictly a prediction, for it refers directly to the event. The second, concerning the call out of Egypt, is an example of words used with a double reference, having both a primary and secondary reference and fulfillment. Such predictions are sometimes called typical, because they are originally spoken concerning a type and find another fulfillment in the antetype. The third, concerning the weeping at Bethlehem, is an example in which the event fulfills the meaning of words used by a prophet, though the words had originally no reference at all to this event. It is a verbal fulfillment, and not a real fulfillment, as in the other two cases.[267]
[267] Ibid.
In Jeremiah 31:16-17 God wipes away the tears from the cheek of the disconsolate Rachel. Using the language of the prophet Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:7) Jeremiah assures the mother of Israel that there will be a reward for her work. The work refers to the parental weeping for her children.[268] Rachel is not weeping in vain. Her children will one day return to their homeland. Though the present prospects are exceedingly dismal. there is hope for the future of Israel.
[268] Others take the work to be the travail of childbirth.
Jeremiah 31:18-20
- The despondent (Jeremiah 31:18-20)
TRANSLATION
(18) I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning him self, You have chastened me and I was chastened, like a calf that would not be taught; restore me that I might be restored, for You are the LORD my God. (19) For after I strayed, I repented; and after I learned my lesson, I slapped my thigh; I am ashamed and embarrassed, for I bore the reproach of my youth. (20) Is Ephraim My precious son? Is he My darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I longingly think of him. Therefore MY heart yearns for him; I surely will show compassion to him (oracle of the LORD).
COMMENTS
Not only does the prophet hear Rachel weeping for her children he also hears despondent Ephraim lamenting his waywardness. Like a calf which would not submit to the yoke, Ephraim went his own rebellious way and thus incurred the chastisement of the Lord. Finally the prodigal son came to himself and cried out unto God to help him repent: Turn me that I may return! (Jeremiah 31:18). That prayer was answered. Through the discipline of exile Ephraim came to recognize his miserable condition. He was confused and confounded, utterly ashamed of the reproach of his youth, the sins committed in the earlier history of the nation. He smote his thigh in consternation and contrition (Jeremiah 31:19). This sets the stage for one of the most beautiful verses in the Book of Jeremiah. God asks the question IS Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? literally, a child of delights i.e., one in whom a parent takes intense pleasure. It is as though God is expressing surprise at His own mercy for wayward man. Ephraim had certainly been unworthy of the love of the heavenly Father. He had not been the kind of child in whom a parent could delight. But as often as God speaks of Ephraim He remembers the close relationship which in the past existed between them. His bowels (the seat of the emotions in Hebrew thought) yearn (literally, sound, moan) for the wayward son. God must exercise mercy on behalf of Ephraim! (Jeremiah 31:20).
Jeremiah 31:21-22
C. A New Creation Jeremiah 31:21-22
TRANSLATION
(21) Erect for yourself road marks, set up guideposts! Set your heart toward the highway, the way you have walked! Return, O Virgin of Israel, return to these your cities! (22) How long will you dilly-dally, O backsliding daughter, for the LORD has created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall compass a man.
COMMENTS
Jeremiah 31:21-22 form a distinct unit within chapter 31. The certainty of restoration is indicated in Jeremiah 31:21 as Jeremiah urges those going into captivity to mark the road they travel into exile so that they might know the return route. They are to erect, as it were, waymarks (stone pillars) and high heaps or signposts to mark the way home. They are to turn their attention to that highway in order that they might be able to retrace their steps. Jeremiah calls upon the virgin of Israel, the nation, to return to Palestine (Jeremiah 31:21). How long, asks the prophet, will you hesitate to return to your land? The backsliding daughter is admonished to put away her rebellious reluctance.
In the last part of Jer 31:22 the prophet holds out a wondrous sign as an incentive to the reluctant nation. The Lord has created a new thing in the earth (or land). These words introduce a miracle which completely reverses ordinary human experience. It is something entirely new, something that had never happened before. A woman shall compass (or surround) a man. Many interpretations of these words which have been proposed clearly do not satisfy the requirements of the context.[269] In order to set forth the marvelous prophecy of this verse three questions need to be asked.
[269] All of the following interpretations have been offered: (1) **the **woman will become manly in spirit; (2) the woman will keep close to the man; (3) the woman will seek protection from the man.
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Who is the woman who is the subject of the prophecy? Most commentators assume that the woman is Israel. Support for this interpretation is gained from the allusion to the nation as the virgin of Israel in the previous verse and a backsliding daughter in the present verse. While this interpretation cannot be absolutely ruled out, another interpretation is altogether possible. Many years before the time of Jeremiah, Isaiah prophesied of a virgin who would miraculously give birth to a child who would be Immanuel (God with us). Is it possible that Jeremiah is referring to that same woman? Certainly a virgin giving birth to a child would fulfill the requirements of this passage which states that the Lord would create a new thing. This particular section of Jeremiah (Chapter s 30-31) contains several Messianic predictions and thus a reference to the virgin birth of Christ would not be out of place.
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Who is the man who is the object of the sentence? The Hebrew word used here (gever) is not the ordinary word for a man as a frail being of clay. Rather it is the word for man par excellence, strong, virile, powerful. Commentators commonly reason that if Israel is the woman then the man must be the divine husband or the Lord. It is the view of the present writer that the Man here is none other than the Messiah. Certainly the use of the Hebrew word gever and related words for the Messiah is not without parallel (see Zechariah 13:7).
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What is involved in the verb that is used here? The Hebrew verb translated compass literally means to surround. The verb could well describe the fact that a man-child is enfolded in the womb of a woman. It might be argued that this would not be anything new as the context demands. But if the woman mentioned here is the virgin and if the man is that holy thing which was born of her who was to be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35) then certainly this could be a new thing created by the Lord Himself.
Jeremiah 31:23-30
D. New Conditions Jeremiah 31:23-30
TRANSLATION
(23) Thus says the LORD of hosts the God of Israel: Yet they shall speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I reverse their fortunes: May the LORD, the Habitation of Justice, bless you, O mountain of holiness! (24) And Judah and all of its cities will dwell there together, farmers and nomadic shepherds. (25) For I satiate the weary soul and every languishing SOU1 I fill up. (26) At this moment I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. (27) Behold, days are coming (oracle of the LORD) when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of men and the seed of cattle. (28) And it will come to pass as I have looked upon them to uproot, tear down, raze, destroy and do hurt, so will I look upon them to build and to plant (oracle of the LORD). (29) In those days they shall not say any more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes but the teeth of the children have been set on edge. (30) But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats sour grapes, his own teeth shall be set on edge.
COMMENTS
After the prophet has promised Ephraim, the ten northern tribes, an abundant material and spiritual blessing from God he does the same for Judah. -When God’s people return from exile completely new conditions will exist throughout the land. Pure religion will be restored. The people will again pronounce blessings upon the sacred sanctuary and the holy city. Throughout the cities of Judah the people will say, May the Lord, the Habitation of Justice, bless you, O mountain of holiness (Jeremiah 31:23). In both the title for God[270] and the designation of the holy city[271] the people who return from exile seem to realize the important place of justice and holiness for the first time.
[270] On the basis of Jer 50:7 the present writer takes the phrase Habitation of Justice to be a title for God. Others regard this as a title for Jerusalem and/or the Temple.
[271] The expression mountain of holiness or holy mountain is used both for the Temple mountain and for Jerusalem itself. See Psalms 2:6; Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 27:13; Isaiah 66:20; Daniel 9:16; Zechariah 8:3.
Not only will idyllic conditions exist in the realm of religion but also among the various elements of society. Peace and harmony shall exist between farmers and nomads (Jeremiah 31:24). The weary world shall find rest and the sorrowful will find abundant comfort (Jeremiah 31:25).[272]
[272] In Hebrew the verbs are in the perfect or completed state. It is another example of the so-called prophetic perfect which represents future facts as already accomplished.
At this point Jeremiah says something rather unexpected. He declares that he awoke from a deep.[273] The question is whether real physical sleep is meant or some ecstatic condition resembling sleep. On the whole it is best to think in terms of real sleep for dreams were frequently the channels of communication for divine revelation to prophets.[274] Since the prophecies just enunciated were hopeful and comforting it is quite understandable why the prophet describes his sleep as sweet.
[273] There can be little doubt that it is Jeremiah who is speaking in Jeremiah 31:26 for the language would not be appropriate to God or to the exiles,
[274] Cf. Genesis 31:10-11; 1 Kings 3:5; 1 Kings 9:2; Joe 2:28; Zechariah 1:8.
It is impossible to tell whether or not an interval of time elapsed between Jeremiah 31:26 and Jeremiah 31:27. Perhaps Jeremiah at once fell asleep again much as a dreamer might go back to sleep after being awakened in order to continue a pleasant dream. At any rate the four verses which follow continue the picture of the new conditions which will exist in the Messianic age.
There is in these verses, first, a promise of fruitfulness. God will make the people and their cattle multiply so fast that it will seem as though they spring up like seed sown in fertile soil (Jeremiah 31:27). It is both Israel and Judah reunited into one people who are the recipients of this promise.
Secondly, there is here a promise of faithfulness. Just as God has been watchful over the fulfillment of the prophecies of judgment and destruction, so will He now be equally zealous in fulfilling his promises of restoration (Jeremiah 31:28). In this chapter Jeremiah is beginning to develop that more positive side of his message of which mention was made in his call (Jeremiah 1:10).
Thirdly, there is a promise of fairness. Apparently the people of Jerusalem and the exiles already in Babylon had complained that it was unfair for them to have to suffer for the sins of their fathers. A popular proverb expressed the mood of the people, The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the teeth of the children are set on edge. Such a proverb could only be uttered by a generation blind to their own sin and disobedience and utterly deluded in thinking that they were innocent of all wrong-doing. Ezekiel (chapter 18) attacks this proverb as a blasphemy of God’s justice. On the other hand, Jeremiah is not so much concerned to refute this notion as to merely assert that in the Messianic age people will have no occasion to make such a complaint. There are certain implications and involvements in Jeremiah’s prediction that the sour grapes proverb will no longer be used in the Messianic age. a) The prophet may be suggesting that individuals in the Messiah’s kingdom will be more sensitive to the sin in their own lives. Unlike the people of Jeremiah’s day they will recognize that divine judgment is their just desert, Thus the prediction here would involve a change of attitude on the part of the people. b) Similarly, the thought may be that in the Messianic age the absolute justice of God will come to be fully recognized by all members of the covenant people. c) A further implication of the prediction might be that in the Messianic Age the emphasis will be more upon the individual than upon the community. Individual responsibility will be the mark of the new age. Heretofore the basic unit of responsibility before God was the nation; in the future it would be the individual. d) Another possible implication of Jeremiah’s prediction would be the holiness of Messianic Israel. The prophet may be saying that the moral level in the Messianic age will be so high that collective or corporate guilt will no longer be possible. Only individual transgression will occur as isolated exceptions from the rule. God will not allow the sins of individuals to permeate the whole. Each individual sinner will suffer the consequences of his own sin.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
E. A New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31-34
TRANSLATION
(31) Behold, days are coming (oracle of the LORD) when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. (32) It will not be like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out from the land of Egypt which covenant of mine they broke though I was lord over them (oracle of the LORD). (33) But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days (oracle of the LORD): I will place My law within them and I will write it upon their heart and I will be their God and they shall be My people. (34) No more will they teach each man his neighbor and his brother saying, Know the LORD, for all of them shall know Me from the least of them to the greatest (oracle of the LORD), for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.
COMMENTS
The verses translated above are the four most important verses in the book of Jeremiah. Here Jeremiah envisions a time when the covenant between God and Israel instituted at Mt. Sinai will be replaced by a new and better covenant. After giving the promise of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-32) Jeremiah then outlines some of the provisions of that covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34).
- The promise of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-32)
The new covenant will be made with reunited Judah and Israel. In Old Testament prophecy the unification of Judah and Israel points to that day when there would be neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female but all the redeemed would be one in Christ Jesus. Both Peter (1 Peter 2:10) and Paul (Romans 9:25 f.) so interpreted the earlier prophecies of Hosea (Hosea 1:10-11) with regard to the restoration of the northern kingdom and the unification of the two kingdoms. Those interpreters who regard the covenant promised by Jeremiah to be something yet futurea covenant between God and national Israelare proved to be dead wrong by such passages as Hebrews 8:8-12 which quotes at length from Jeremiah 31 and applies it to the Christian dispensation. Paul again and again takes up the matter of the new covenant and emphasizes the distinction between it and the old Sinai covenant (e.g., 2 Corinthians 3:6; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16). Jesus alluded to this new covenant when he instituted the Lord’s Supper by saying This is my blood of the new testament (covenant) which is shed for many (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24). In the prophetic view of the future the restoration of Israel reaches its climax with the institution of the new covenant.
Jeremiah 31:32 compares the old covenant to a marriage in which God was the lord or husband and Israel was the bride. God being the perfect Husband never gave His bride any cause for desiring the dissolution of the matrimonial connection. But Israel had again and again been unfaithful to the marriage vows, i.e. she had been disobedient to the covenant.[275] A new arrangement or agreement between God and His people was therefore necessary.
[275] Exodus 32; Numbers 14:16; Psalms 95:8-11; Acts 7:51-60.
- The provisions of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34)
It was not given Jeremiah to see all that the new covenant would involve. All that the Holy Spirit was concerned to do at this point in time was to reveal in broad outline the basic character of that future covenant. Four statements are made with regard to the promised covenant.
a) I will place My law within them, and write it on their heart (Jeremiah 31:33 a). Here is a new spiritual dimension. Heretofore the laws of God had been written on tablets of stone; now they are to be written on the heart. Under the new covenant men will respond to the divine will from inward motivation rather than outward compulsion. Every individual born in Israel was automatically under the law of God; he had no choice in the matter. But one can enter into the new covenant Israel, the church of Christ, only by willingly submitting himself to the command ments of God.
b) I will be their God and they shall be My people (Jeremiah 31:33 b). Here is a new relationship. Those who enter into the new covenant Israel through faith and obedience will come into a special relationship with God. Peter de scribes the Christian Church as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a people of God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9). only such as have today the law of God written upon their hearts have this unique relationship to God.
c) All will know Me from the least to the greatest (Jeremiah 31:34 a). Infants and small children were members of the old covenant Israel; but this would no longer be true under the new covenant. Every member of the new covenant Israel will know God. The word know in Hebrew has the connotation of knowledge derived from personal experience. It is not knowledge about, it is knowledge of. It is the kind of knowledge of which Jesus spoke when He said: And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). To know the Lord is saving faith, that basic and indispensable prerequisite to membership in the new covenant Israel. A Christian will not need to go around to fellow Christians and exhort them to know the Lord. If they are Christians they already have come to a saving knowledge of the Lord. Thus the point of this statement is not that there shall be no longer any need of instruction in religion, but that here will be a directness of access to God for both Jew and Gentile, which did not exist under the old covenant.
d) I will forgive their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more (Jeremiah 31:34 b). It is not by self-acquired holiness or meritorious works that a man enters the new covenant Israel. It is through the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb without spot and blemish. The basic inadequacy of the old covenant was its failure to provide a perfect sacrifice for sin. The ever-repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament foreshadowed and typified that once-for-all perfect sacrifice that took place on the hill called Calvary. The Hebrew verbs in the present verse are in the imperfect state denoting that the forgiveness here predicted will take place again and again as men and women appropriate to themselves the benefits of the Saviour’s sacrifice.
Jeremiah 31:35-37
F. A New Commitment Jeremiah 31:35-37
TRANSLATION
(35) Thus says the LORD who gave the sun for light by day, and the statutes of moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so its waves roar; the LORD of hosts is His name: (36) If these statutes shall be removed from before Me (oracle of the LORD), then the seed of Israel shall cease being a nation before Me forever. (37) Thus says the LORD: If heaven above can be measured, or the foundations of the earth below searched out, then I will reject all the seed of Israel because of all that they have done (oracle of the LORD).
COMMENTS
In view of the establishment of the new covenant with the spiritual Israel of God, the church of Christ, God makes an astonishing commitment. The old covenant was broken by Israel and therefore the nation was rejected by the Lord. This will no more take place under the new covenant. God’s faithfulness in keeping His ordinances in the realm of nature are here offered as a pledge that He will similarly keep His covenant commitments. The sun, moon, and stars daily perform their assigned tasks of governing the day and the night. The waves of the sea never cease their constant ebb and flow, roaring, crashing against the beach (Jeremiah 31:35). As certainly as the laws of nature are inviolable, so certainly shall Israel everlastingly continue as a nation before the Lord (Jeremiah 31:36). To the end of this world God will always have a special people and that people is Israel. The outward form of Israel has changed through the yearsa patriarchal family, confederation of tribes, monarchy, hierocracy. At times during those centuries since Jacob and his family migrated to Egypt all formal, outward governmental organization ceased to exist. Israel as a nation ceased to exist in 587 B.C. but Israel as a people survived the destruction of their homeland and deportation to a foreign land. Jeremiah is in the present passage looking to a time when the outward form of Israel would change once again. The Israel he envisions would be a pure theocracy ruled from heaven itself. It would be an invisible kingdom, a kingdom not of this world, a kingdom unlike anything this world has ever known.
Jeremiah 31:37 underscores the same thought as is found in the previous two verses. The heavens above are immeasurable and the earth beneath unsearchable. On the day that man is able to measure the heavens and search out the foundations of the earthon that day and not beforeGod will cast off the new covenant Israel as He had the Israel of old. This is equivalent to saying that God will never cast off His people.
Jeremiah 31:38-40
G. The New City Jeremiah 31:38-40
TRANSLATION
(38) Behold, days are coming (oracle of the LORD) when the city of the LORD shall be built from the tower of Hananeel unto the Corner Gate. (39) And the measuring line shall go out farther right on to the hill Gareb, and then around to Goath. (40) And the entire valley of corpses and ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the Horse Gate to the east, shall be holy to the LORD; it shall never again be uprooted or thrown down.
COMMENTS
In the closing paragraph of the chapter Jeremiah looks forward to the building of a new city, the city of the Lord. The geographical details of this passage are not particularly important and may be dealt with summarily. a) Tower of Hananeelnortheast corner of the city of Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate.[276]
[276] Nehemiah 3:1; Nehemiah 12:39; Zechariah 14:10.
b) Gate of the Cornernorthwest corner of Jeru salem.[277]
[277] 2 Kings 14:13; 2 Chronicles 26:9; Zechariah 14:10.
c) Hill of Gareblocation unknown. but if the etymology of the word has any significance (Gareb-itch or leprosy) this hill would be the hill outside the limits of Jerusalem proper where the unclean lepers lived. d) Goathlocation unknown; mentioned only here. e) Valley of the CarcassesProbably the Valley of Hinnom.[278]
[278] 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:32-33; Jeremiah 19:11-13.
f) Brook Kidrona torrent-bed which begins north of Jerusalem, passes the Temple mount and Mount of Olives en route to the Dead Sea.
g) Horse Gateon the east side of Jerusalem near the Temple.[279]
[279] Nehemiah 3:28; 2 Chronicles 23:15.
For what purpose are these geographical details enumerated? Is it to show that Jerusalem when rebuilt will be somewhat enlarged? This is certainly a prominent theme in prophetic Scripture. That there is some increase in the size of old Jerusalem here in Jeremiah seems fairly obvious from the boundaries which are listed. But lack of information as to the precise position of some of the places named makes it impossible to determine how much gain in space is anticipated. It would seem that the circumference of the city is extended only so far as to include certain spots which were at present regarded as unclean. This is the real point of the passage. Those unclean areasplaces once reserved for outcasts, burial grounds, garbage dumpswill be brought within the city limits of the new Jerusalem. Those unclean areas will be transformed, sanctified, cleansed and the entire city will be holy to the Lord (Jeremiah 31:40).
Of what Jerusalem is the prophet speaking in this passage? Those commentators who think he speaks here of the spiritual Jerusalem, the church of Christ, are certainly correct. Some rather cogent arguments can be raised in favor of this view.
a) Jeremiah has already alluded to the church as spiritual Jerusalem in Jeremiah 3:17.
b) Nothing is said in this passage about the rebuilding of the Temple although Jeremiah had foretold its destruction as well as that of the city. This omission would be most strange if Jeremiah had in mind the literal city of Jerusalem.[280]
[280] Streane, op. cit, p. 218.
c) The church of Christ is called in the New Testament Mt. Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22).
d) The context of chapter 31 is that of the Messianic Age as has been clearly demonstrated earlier. e) On the assumption that only literal Jerusalem is in view it would be most difficult to find an appropriate fulfillment for the concept of city-wide sanctification embraced in this passage. The city of which Jeremiah speaks has no need of refuse dumps. It is in itself so thoroughly holy to the Lord that it will have nothing unholy to cast out. On the other hand if Jeremiah is speaking of Messianic Jerusalem he could well be alluding to the incorporation of Gentilespeoples formerly thought to be unclean and profaneinto the church of Christ.
f) The idea that once this city has been built it will not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever (Jeremiah 31:40) was certainly not fulfilled in the history of literal Jerusalem. The city of which Jeremiah speaks will be safe from destruction for all eternity. This could only be fulfilled by that kingdom which cannot be moved (Hebrews 12:28).
g) Other prophets speak of the Messianic kingdom under the figure of Jerusalem (e.g., Zechariah 2:1-5; Zechariah 8:3-6).