1 At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.
6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
7 For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.
15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.
21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.
24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.
27 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
38 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.
39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.
40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
1 At the same time, H6256 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 will I be the God H430 of all the families H4940 of Israel, H3478 and they shall be my people. H5971
2 Thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 The people H5971 which were left H8300 of the sword H2719 found H4672 grace H2580 in the wilderness; H4057 even Israel, H3478 when I went H1980 to cause him to rest. H7280
3 The LORD H3068 hath appeared H7200 of old H7350 unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved H157 thee with an everlasting H5769 love: H160 therefore with lovingkindness H2617 have I drawn H4900 thee.
4 Again I will build H1129 thee, and thou shalt be built, H1129 O virgin H1330 of Israel: H3478 thou shalt again be adorned H5710 with thy tabrets, H8596 and shalt go forth H3318 in the dances H4234 of them that make merry. H7832
5 Thou shalt yet plant H5193 vines H3754 upon the mountains H2022 of Samaria: H8111 the planters H5193 shall plant, H5193 and shall eat them as common things. H2490
6 For there shall be H3426 a day, H3117 that the watchmen H5341 upon the mount H2022 Ephraim H669 shall cry, H7121 Arise H6965 ye, and let us go up H5927 to Zion H6726 unto the LORD H3068 our God. H430
7 For thus saith H559 the LORD; H3068 Sing H7442 with gladness H8057 for Jacob, H3290 and shout H6670 among the chief H7218 of the nations: H1471 publish H8085 ye, praise H1984 ye, and say, H559 O LORD, H3068 save H3467 thy people, H5971 the remnant H7611 of Israel. H3478
8 Behold, I will bring H935 them from the north H6828 country, H776 and gather H6908 them from the coasts H3411 of the earth, H776 and with them the blind H5787 and the lame, H6455 the woman with child H2030 and her that travaileth with child H3205 together: H3162 a great H1419 company H6951 shall return H7725 thither.
9 They shall come H935 with weeping, H1065 and with supplications H8469 will I lead H2986 them: I will cause them to walk H3212 by the rivers H5158 of waters H4325 in a straight H3477 way, H1870 wherein they shall not stumble: H3782 for I am a father H1 to Israel, H3478 and Ephraim H669 is my firstborn. H1060
10 Hear H8085 the word H1697 of the LORD, H3068 O ye nations, H1471 and declare H5046 it in the isles H339 afar off, H4801 and say, H559 He that scattered H2219 Israel H3478 will gather H6908 him, and keep H8104 him, as a shepherd H7462 doth his flock. H5739
11 For the LORD H3068 hath redeemed H6299 Jacob, H3290 and ransomed H1350 him from the hand H3027 of him that was stronger H2389 than he.
12 Therefore they shall come H935 and sing H7442 in the height H4791 of Zion, H6726 and shall flow together H5102 to the goodness H2898 of the LORD, H3068 for wheat, H1715 and for wine, H8492 and for oil, H3323 and for the young H1121 of the flock H6629 and of the herd: H1241 and their soul H5315 shall be as a watered H7302 garden; H1588 and they shall not sorrow H1669 any more H3254 at all.
13 Then shall the virgin H1330 rejoice H8055 in the dance, H4234 both young men H970 and old H2205 together: H3162 for I will turn H2015 their mourning H60 into joy, H8342 and will comfort H5162 them, and make them rejoice H8055 from their sorrow. H3015
14 And I will satiate H7301 the soul H5315 of the priests H3548 with fatness, H1880 and my people H5971 shall be satisfied H7646 with my goodness, H2898 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
15 Thus saith H559 the LORD; H3068 A voice H6963 was heard H8085 in Ramah, H7414 lamentation, H5092 and bitter H8563 weeping; H1065 Rahel H7354 weeping H1058 for her children H1121 refused H3985 to be comforted H5162 for her children, H1121 because they were not.
16 Thus saith H559 the LORD; H3068 Refrain H4513 thy voice H6963 from weeping, H1065 and thine eyes H5869 from tears: H1832 for thy work H6468 shall be H3426 rewarded, H7939 saith H5002 the LORD; H3068 and they shall come again H7725 from the land H776 of the enemy. H341
17 And there is H3426 hope H8615 in thine end, H319 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 that thy children H1121 shall come again H7725 to their own border. H1366
18 I have surely H8085 heard H8085 Ephraim H669 bemoaning H5110 himself thus; Thou hast chastised H3256 me, and I was chastised, H3256 as a bullock H5695 unaccustomed H3808 H3925 to the yoke: turn H7725 thou me, and I shall be turned; H7725 for thou art the LORD H3068 my God. H430
19 Surely after H310 that I was turned, H7725 I repented; H5162 and after H310 that I was instructed, H3045 I smote H5606 upon my thigh: H3409 I was ashamed, H954 yea, even confounded, H3637 because I did bear H5375 the reproach H2781 of my youth. H5271
20 Is Ephraim H669 my dear H3357 son? H1121 is he a pleasant H8191 child? H3206 for since H1767 I spake H1696 against him, I do earnestly H2142 remember H2142 him still: therefore my bowels H4578 are troubled H1993 for him; I will surely H7355 have mercy H7355 upon him, saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
21 Set thee up H5324 waymarks, H6725 make H7760 thee high heaps: H8564 set H7896 thine heart H3820 toward the highway, H4546 even the way H1870 which thou wentest: H1980 turn again, H7725 O virgin H1330 of Israel, H3478 turn again H7725 to these thy cities. H5892
22 How long wilt thou go about, H2559 O thou backsliding H7728 daughter? H1323 for the LORD H3068 hath created H1254 a new thing H2319 in the earth, H776 A woman H5347 shall compass H5437 a man. H1397
23 Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 of hosts, H6635 the God H430 of Israel; H3478 As yet they shall use H559 this speech H1697 in the land H776 of Judah H3063 and in the cities H5892 thereof, when I shall bring again H7725 their captivity; H7622 The LORD H3068 bless H1288 thee, O habitation H5116 of justice, H6664 and mountain H2022 of holiness. H6944
24 And there shall dwell H3427 in Judah H3063 itself, and in all the cities H5892 thereof together, H3162 husbandmen, H406 and they that go forth H5265 with flocks. H5739
25 For I have satiated H7301 the weary H5889 soul, H5315 and I have replenished H4390 every sorrowful H1669 soul. H5315
26 Upon this I awaked, H6974 and beheld; H7200 and my sleep H8142 was sweet H6149 unto me.
27 Behold, the days H3117 come, H935 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 that I will sow H2232 the house H1004 of Israel H3478 and the house H1004 of Judah H3063 with the seed H2233 of man, H120 and with the seed H2233 of beast. H929
28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over H8245 them, to pluck up, H5428 and to break down, H5422 and to throw down, H2040 and to destroy, H6 and to afflict; H7489 so will I watch over H8245 them, to build, H1129 and to plant, H5193 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
29 In those days H3117 they shall say H559 no more, The fathers H1 have eaten H398 a sour grape, H1155 and the children's H1121 teeth H8127 are set on edge. H6949
30 But every one H376 shall die H4191 for his own iniquity: H5771 every man H120 that eateth H398 the sour grape, H1155 his teeth H8127 shall be set on edge. H6949
31 Behold, the days H3117 come, H935 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 that I will make H3772 a new H2319 covenant H1285 with the house H1004 of Israel, H3478 and with the house H1004 of Judah: H3063
32 Not according to the covenant H1285 that I made H3772 with their fathers H1 in the day H3117 that I took H2388 them by the hand H3027 to bring them out H3318 of the land H776 of Egypt; H4714 which my covenant H1285 they brake, H6565 although I was an husband H1166 unto them, saith H5002 the LORD: H3068
33 But this shall be the covenant H1285 that I will make H3772 with the house H1004 of Israel; H3478 After H310 those days, H3117 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 I will put H5414 my law H8451 in their inward parts, H7130 and write H3789 it in their hearts; H3820 and will be their God, H430 and they shall be my people. H5971
34 And they shall teach H3925 no more every man H376 his neighbour, H7453 and every man H376 his brother, H251 saying, H559 Know H3045 the LORD: H3068 for they shall all know H3045 me, from the least H6996 of them unto the greatest H1419 of them, saith H5002 the LORD: H3068 for I will forgive H5545 their iniquity, H5771 and I will remember H2142 their sin H2403 no more.
35 Thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 which giveth H5414 the sun H8121 for a light H216 by day, H3119 and the ordinances H2708 of the moon H3394 and of the stars H3556 for a light H216 by night, H3915 which divideth H7280 the sea H3220 when the waves H1530 thereof roar; H1993 The LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 is his name: H8034
36 If those ordinances H2706 depart H4185 from before H6440 me, saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 then the seed H2233 of Israel H3478 also shall cease H7673 from being a nation H1471 before H6440 me for ever. H3117
37 Thus saith H559 the LORD; H3068 If heaven H8064 above H4605 can be measured, H4058 and the foundations H4146 of the earth H776 searched out H2713 beneath, H4295 I will also cast off H3988 all the seed H2233 of Israel H3478 for all that they have done, H6213 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
38 Behold, the days H3117 come, H935 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 that the city H5892 shall be built H1129 to the LORD H3068 from the tower H4026 of Hananeel H2606 unto the gate H8179 of the corner. H6438
39 And the measuring H4060 line H6957 H6961 shall yet go forth H3318 over against it upon the hill H1389 Gareb, H1619 and shall compass about H5437 to Goath. H1601
40 And the whole valley H6010 of the dead bodies, H6297 and of the ashes, H1880 and all the fields H7709 H8309 unto the brook H5158 of Kidron, H6939 unto the corner H6438 of the horse H5483 gate H8179 toward the east, H4217 shall be holy H6944 unto the LORD; H3068 it shall not be plucked up, H5428 nor thrown down H2040 any more for ever. H5769
1 At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
3 Jehovah appeared of old unto me, `saying', Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
4 Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: again shalt thou be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
5 Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy `the fruit thereof'.
6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God.
7 For thus saith Jehovah, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, `and' with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall they return hither.
9 They shall come with weeping; and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.
10 Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off; and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as shepherd doth his flock.
11 For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
12 And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of Jehovah, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith Jehovah.
15 Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not.
16 Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope for thy latter end, saith Jehovah; and `thy' children shall come again to their own border.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself `thus', Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed `to the yoke': turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.
19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearneth for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith Jehovah.
21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee guide-posts; set thy heart toward the highway, even the way by which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
22 How long wilt thou go hither and thither, O thou backsliding daughter? for Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall encompass a man.
23 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity: Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness.
24 And Judah and all the cities thereof shall dwell therein together, the husbandmen, and they that go about with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and every sorrowful soul have I replenished.
26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.
27 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith Jehovah.
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:
34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
35 Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name:
36 If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith Jehovah: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith Jehovah.
38 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner.
39 And the measuring line shall go out further straight onward unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn about unto Goah.
40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
1 At that time, an affirmation of Jehovah, I am for God to all families of Israel, And they -- they are to Me for a people.
2 Thus said Jehovah: Found grace in the wilderness Hath a people remaining from the sword Going to cause it to rest -- Israel.
3 From afar Jehovah hath appeared to me, With love age-during I have loved thee, Therefore I have drawn thee `with' kindness.
4 Again do I build thee, And thou hast been built, O virgin of Israel, Again thou puttest on thy tabrets, And hast gone out in the chorus of the playful.
5 Again thou dost plant vineyards In mountains of Samaria, Planters have planted, and made common.
6 For there is a day, Cried have watchmen on mount Ephraim, `Rise, and we go up to Zion, unto Jehovah our God;
7 For thus said Jehovah: Sing, O ye to Jacob, `with' joy, And cry aloud at the head of the nations, Sound ye, praise ye, and say, Save, O Jehovah, thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Lo, I am bringing them in from the north country, And have gathered them from the sides of the earth, Among them `are' blind and lame, Conceiving and travailing one -- together, A great assembly -- they turn back hither.
9 With weeping they come in, And with supplications I bring them, I cause them to go unto streams of waters, In a right way -- they stumble not in it, For I have been to Israel for a father, And Ephraim -- My first-born `is' he.
10 Hear a word of Jehovah, O nations, And declare ye among isles afar off, and say: He who is scattering Israel doth gather him, And hath kept him as a shepherd `doth' his flock,
11 For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, And redeemed him from a hand stronger than he.
12 And they have come in, And have sung in the high place of Zion, And flowed unto the goodness of Jehovah, For wheat, and for new wine, and for oil, And for the young of the flock and herd, And their soul hath been as a watered garden, And they add not to grieve any more.
13 Then rejoice doth a virgin in a chorus, Both young men and old men -- together, And I have turned their mourning to joy, And have comforted them, And gladdened them above their sorrow,
14 And satisfied the soul of the priests `with' fatness, And My people with My goodness are satisfied, An affirmation of Jehovah.
15 Thus said Jehovah, A voice in Ramah is heard, wailing, weeping most bitter, Rachel is weeping for her sons, She hath refused to be comforted for her sons, because they are not.
16 Thus said Jehovah: Withhold thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears, For there is a reward for thy work, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they have turned back from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope for thy latter end, An affirmation of Jehovah, And the sons have turned back `to' their border.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, `Thou hast chastised me, And I am chastised, as a heifer not taught, Turn me back, and I turn back, For thou `art' Jehovah my God.
19 For after my turning back I repented, And after my being instructed I struck on the thigh, I have been ashamed, I have also blushed, For I have borne the reproach of my youth.
20 A precious son is Ephraim to Me? A child of delights? For since My speaking against him, I do thoroughly remember him still, Therefore have My bowels been moved for him, I do greatly love him, An affirmation of Jehovah.
21 Set up for thee signs, make for thee heaps, Set thy heart to the highway, the way thou wentest, Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back unto these thy cities.
22 Till when dost thou withdraw thyself, O backsliding daughter? For Jehovah hath prepared a new thing in the land, Woman doth compass man.
23 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Still they say this word in the land of Judah, And in its cities, In My turning back `to' their captivity, Jehovah doth bless thee, habitation of righteousness, Mountain of holiness.
24 And dwelt in Judah have husbandmen, and in all its cities together, And they have journeyed in order.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, And every grieved soul I have filled.'
26 On this I have awaked, and I behold, and my sleep hath been sweet to me.
27 Lo, days are coming, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have sown the house of Israel, And the house of Judah, With seed of man, and seed of beast.
28 And it hath been, as I watched over them to pluck up, And to break down, and to throw down, And to destroy, and to afflict; So do I watch over them to build, and to plant, An affirmation of Jehovah.
29 In those days they do not say any more: Fathers have eaten unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted.
30 But -- each for his own iniquity doth die, Every man who is eating the unripe fruit, Blunted are his teeth.
31 Lo, days are coming, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have made with the house of Israel And with the house of Judah a new covenant,
32 Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers, In the day of My laying hold on their hand, To bring them out of the land of Egypt, In that they made void My covenant, And I ruled over them -- an affirmation of Jehovah.
33 For this `is' the covenant that I make, With the house of Israel, after those days, An affirmation of Jehovah, I have given My law in their inward part, And on their heart I do write it, And I have been to them for God, And they are to me for a people.
34 And they do not teach any more Each his neighbour, and each his brother, Saying, Know ye Jehovah, For they all know Me, from their least unto their greatest, An affirmation of Jehovah; For I pardon their iniquity, And of their sin I make mention no more.
35 Thus said Jehovah, Who is giving the sun for a light by day, The statutes of moon and stars for a light by night, Quieting the sea when its billows roar, Jehovah of Hosts `is' His name:
36 If these statutes depart from before Me, An affirmation of Jehovah, Even the seed of Israel doth cease From being a nation before Me all the days.
37 Thus said Jehovah: If the heavens above be measured, And the foundations of earth below searched, Even I kick against all the seed of Israel, For all that they have done, An affirmation of Jehovah.
38 Lo, days `are coming', an affirmation of Jehovah, And the city hath been built to Jehovah, From the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner.
39 And gone out again hath the measuring line Over-against it, unto the height of Gareb, And it hath compassed to Goah.
40 And all the valley of the carcases and of the ashes, And all the fields unto the brook Kidron, Unto the corner of the horse-gate eastward, `Are' holy to Jehovah, it is not plucked up, Nor is it thrown down any more to the age!
1 At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith Jehovah: The people [that were] left of the sword have found grace in the wilderness, [even] Israel, when I go to give him rest.
3 Jehovah hath appeared from afar unto me, [saying,] Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.
4 I will build thee again, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel! Thou shalt again be adorned with thy tambours, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
5 Thou shalt again plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat the fruit.
6 For there shall be a day, when the watchmen upon mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise, and let us go up to Zion, unto Jehovah our God.
7 For thus saith Jehovah: Sing aloud [with] gladness for Jacob, and shout at the head of the nations; publish ye, praise ye, and say, Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold, I bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth; [and] among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great assemblage shall they return hither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by water-brooks, in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble; for I will be a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare [it] to the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd his flock.
11 For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of one stronger than he.
12 And they shall come and sing aloud upon the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of Jehovah, for corn, and for new wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not languish any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and old together; for I will turn their mourning into gladness, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice after their sorrow.
14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith Jehovah.
15 Thus saith Jehovah: A voice hath been heard in Ramah, the wail of very bitter weeping, -- Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are not.
16 Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for there is a reward for thy work, saith Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope for thy latter end, saith Jehovah, and thy children shall come again to their own border.
18 I have indeed heard Ephraim bemoaning himself [thus]: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock not trained: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.
19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after I knew myself, I smote upon [my] thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, for I bear the reproach of my youth.
20 Is Ephraim a dear son unto me? is he a child of delights? For whilst I have been speaking against him, I do constantly remember him still. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him: I will certainly have mercy upon him, saith Jehovah.
21 Set up waymarks, make for thyself signposts; set thy heart toward the highway, the way by which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
22 How long wilt thou wander about, thou backsliding daughter? For Jehovah hath created a new thing on the earth, a woman shall encompass a man.
23 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: They shall again use this speech, in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall turn their captivity: Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness!
24 And therein shall dwell Judah, and all the cities thereof together, the husbandmen, and they that go about with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and every languishing soul have I replenished.
26 -- Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.
27 Behold, days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah [with] the seed of man and the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass, as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to overthrow, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them to build, and to plant, saith Jehovah.
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge:
30 for every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold, days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day of my taking them by the hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and will write it in their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will pardon their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
35 Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for light by day, the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for light by night, who stirreth up the sea so that the waves thereof roar, -- Jehovah of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith Jehovah: If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off the whole seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith Jehovah.
38 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah, from the tower of Hananeel unto the corner-gate.
39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth before it unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn toward Goath.
40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the torrent Kidron, unto the corner of the horse-gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah: it shall not be plucked up, nor overthrown any more for ever.
1 At that time, says Yahweh, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus says Yahweh, The people who were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
3 Yahweh appeared of old to me, [saying], Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.
4 Again will I build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel: again shall you be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who make merry.
5 Again shall you plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy [the fruit of it].
6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise you, and let us go up to Zion to Yahweh our God.
7 For thus says Yahweh, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish you, praise you, and say, Yahweh, save your people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, [and] with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who travails with child together: a great company shall they return here.
9 They shall come with weeping; and with petitions will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of Yahweh, you nations, and declare it in the isles afar off; and say, He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as shepherd does his flock.
11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.
12 They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow to the goodness of Yahweh, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
14 I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says Yahweh.
15 Thus says Yahweh: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.
16 Thus says Yahweh: Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says Yahweh; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your latter end, says Yahweh; and [your] children shall come again to their own border.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself [thus], You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed [to the yoke]: turn you me, and I shall be turned; for you are Yahweh my God.
19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I struck on my thigh: I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says Yahweh.
21 Set up road signs, make guideposts; set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went: turn again, virgin of Israel, turn again to these your cities.
22 How long will you go here and there, you backsliding daughter? for Yahweh has created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall encompass a man.
23 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, Yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities of it, when I shall bring again their captivity: Yahweh bless you, habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness.
24 Judah and all the cities of it shall dwell therein together, the farmers, and those who go about with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and every sorrowful soul have I replenished.
26 On this I awakened, and saw; and my sleep was sweet to me.
27 Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of animal.
28 It shall happen that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, says Yahweh.
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.
30 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity: every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:
34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
35 Thus says Yahweh, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that the waves of it roar; Yahweh of hosts is his name:
36 If these ordinances depart from before me, says Yahweh, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.
37 Thus says Yahweh: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says Yahweh.
38 Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that the city shall be built to Yahweh from the tower of Hananel to the gate of the corner.
39 The measuring line shall go out further straight onward to the hill Gareb, and shall turn about to Goah.
40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy to Yahweh; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever.
1 At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.
2 The Lord has said, Grace came in the waste land to a people kept safe from the sword, even to Israel on the way to his resting-place.
3 From far away he saw the Lord: my love for you is an eternal love: so with mercy I have made you come with me.
4 I will again make new your buildings, O virgin of Israel, and you will take up your place: again you will take up your instruments of music, and go out in the dances of those who are glad.
5 Again will your vine-gardens be planted on the hill of Samaria: the planters will be planting and using the fruit.
6 For there will be a day when those who get in the grapes on the hills of Ephraim will be crying, Up! let us go up to Zion to the Lord our God.
7 For the Lord has said, Make a glad song for Jacob and give a cry on the top of the mountains: give the news, give praise, and say, The Lord has given salvation to his people, even to the rest of Israel.
8 See, I will take them from the north country, and get them from the inmost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the feeble-footed, the woman with child and her who is in birth-pains together: a very great army, they will come back here.
9 They will come with weeping, and going before them I will be their guide: guiding them by streams of water in a straight way where there is no falling: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is the first of my sons.
10 Give ear to the word of the Lord, O you nations, and give news of it in the sea-lands far away, and say, He who has sent Israel wandering will get him together and will keep him as a keeper does his flock.
11 For the Lord has given a price for Jacob, and made him free from the hands of him who was stronger than he.
12 So they will come with songs on the high places, flowing together to the good things of the Lord, to the grain and the wine and the oil, to the young ones of the flock and of the herd: their souls will be like a watered garden, and they will have no more sorrow.
13 Then the virgin will have joy in the dance, and the young men and the old will be glad: for I will have their weeping turned into joy, I will give them comfort and make them glad after their sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their desired fat things, and my people will have a full measure of my good things, says the Lord.
15 So has the Lord said: In Ramah there is a sound of crying, weeping and bitter sorrow; Rachel weeping for her children; she will not be comforted for their loss.
16 The Lord has said this: Keep your voice from sorrow and your eyes from weeping: for your work will be rewarded, says the Lord; and they will come back from the land of their hater.
17 And there is hope for the future, says the Lord; and your children will come back to the land which is theirs.
18 Certainly Ephraim's words of grief have come to my ears, You have given me training and I have undergone it like a young cow unused to the yoke: let me be turned and come back, for you are the Lord my God.
19 Truly, after I had been turned, I had regret for my ways; and after I had got knowledge, I made signs of sorrow: I was put to shame, truly, I was covered with shame, because I had to undergo the shame of my early years.
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he the child of my delight? for whenever I say things against him, I still keep him in my memory: so my heart is troubled for him; I will certainly have mercy on him, says the Lord.
21 Put up guiding pillars, make road signs for yourself: give attention to the highway, even the way in which you went: be turned again, O virgin of Israel, be turned to these your towns.
22 How long will you go on turning this way and that, O wandering daughter? for the Lord has made a new thing on the earth, a woman changed into a man.
23 So the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said, Again will these words be used in the land of Judah and in its towns, when I have let their fate be changed: May the blessing of the Lord be on you, O resting-place of righteousness, O holy mountain.
24 And Judah and all its towns will be living there together; the farmers and those who go about with flocks.
25 For I have given new strength to the tired soul and to every sorrowing soul in full measure.
26 At this, awaking from my sleep, I saw; and my sleep was sweet to me.
27 See, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will have Israel and Judah planted with the seed of man and with the seed of beast.
28 And it will come about that, as I have been watching over them for the purpose of uprooting and smashing down and overturning and sending destruction and causing trouble; so I will be watching over them for the purpose of building up and planting, says the Lord.
29 In those days they will no longer say, The fathers have been tasting bitter grapes and the children's teeth are put on edge.
30 But everyone will be put to death for the evil which he himself has done: whoever has taken bitter grapes will himself have his teeth put on edge.
31 See, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah:
32 Not like the agreement which I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to be their guide out of the land of Egypt; which agreement was broken by them, and I gave them up, says the Lord.
33 But this is the agreement which I will make with the people of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my law in their inner parts, writing it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34 And no longer will they be teaching every man his neighbour and every man his brother, saying, Get knowledge of the Lord: for they will all have knowledge of me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord: for they will have my forgiveness for their evil-doing, and their sin will go from my memory for ever.
35 These are the words of the Lord, who has given the sun for a light by day, ordering the moon and stars for a light by night, who puts the sea in motion, causing the thunder of its waves; the Lord of armies is his name.
36 If the order of these things before me is ever broken, says the Lord, then will the seed of Israel come to an end as a nation before me for ever.
37 This is what the Lord has said: If the heavens on high may be measured, and the bases of the earth searched out, then I will give up the seed of Israel, because of all they have done, says the Lord.
38 See, the days are coming, says the Lord, for the building of the Lord's town, from the tower of Hananel to the doorway of the angle.
39 And the measuring-line will go out in front of it as far as the hill Gareb, going round to Goah.
40 And all the valley of the dead bodies, and all the field of death as far as the stream Kidron, up to the angle of the horses' doorway to the east, will be holy to the Lord; it will not again be uprooted or overturned for ever.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Jeremiah 31
Commentary on Jeremiah 31 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 31
Jer 31:1-40. Continuation of the Prophecy in the Thirtieth Chapter.
As in that chapter the restoration of Judah, so in this the restoration of Israel's ten tribes is foretold.
1. At the same time—"In the latter days" (Jer 30:24).
the God of—manifesting My grace to (Ge 17:7; Mt 22:32; Re 21:3).
all … Israel—not the exiles of the south kingdom of Judah only, but also the north kingdom of the ten tribes; and not merely Israel in general, but "all the families of Israel." Never yet fulfilled (Ro 11:26).
2. Upon the grace manifested to Israel "in the wilderness" God grounds His argument for renewing His favors to them now in their exile; because His covenant is "everlasting" (Jer 31:3), and changes not. The same argument occurs in Ho 13:5, 9, 10; 14:4, 5, 8. Babylon is fitly compared to the "wilderness," as in both alike Israel was as a stranger far from his appointed "rest" or home, and Babylon is in Isa 40:3 called a "desert" (compare Jer 50:12).
I went to cause him to rest—namely, in the pillar of cloud and fire, the symbol of God's presence, which went before Israel to search a resting-place (Nu 10:33; Isa 63:14) for the people, both a temporary one at each halt in the wilderness, and a permanent one in Canaan (Ex 33:14; De 3:20; Jos 21:44; Ps 95:11; Heb 3:11).
3. Israel gratefully acknowledges in reply God's past grace; but at the same time tacitly implies by the expression "of old," that God does not appear to her now. "God appeared to me of old, but now I am forsaken!" God replies, Nay, I love thee with the same love now as of old. My love was not a momentary impulse, but from "everlasting" in My counsels, and to "everlasting" in its continuance; hence originated the covenant whereby I gratuitously adopted thee (Mal 1:2; Ro 11:28, 29). Margin translates, "from afar," which does not answer so well as "of old," to "in the wilderness" (Jer 31:2), which refers to the olden times of Israel's history.
with loving kindness … drawn—(Ho 11:4). Rather, "I have drawn out continually My loving kindness toward thee." So Ps 36:10, "Continue (Margin, 'Draw out at length') Thy loving kindness." By virtue of My everlasting love I will still extend My loving kindness to thee. So Isa 44:21, "O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of Me."
4. I will build … thou shalt be built—The combination of the active and passive to express the same fact implies the infallible certainty of its accomplishment. "Build," that is, establish in prosperity (Jer 33:7).
adorned with … tabrets—(1Sa 18:6). Or, "adorn thyself with thy timbrels"; used by damsels on occasions of public rejoicings (Ex 15:20; Jud 11:34). Israel had cast away all instruments of joy in her exile (Ps 137:4).
dances—holy joy, not carnal mirth.
5. Samaria—the metropolis of the ten tribes; here equivalent to Israel. The mountainous nature of their country suited the growth of the vine.
eat … as common—literally, "shall profane," that is, shall put to common use. For the first three years after planting, the vine was "not to be eaten of"; on the fourth year the fruit was to be "holy to praise the Lord withal"; on the fifth year the fruit was to be eaten as common, no longer restricted to holy use (Le 19:23-25; compare De 20:6; 28:30, Margin). Thus the idea here is, "The same persons who plant shall reap the fruits"; it shall no longer be that one shall plant and another reap the fruit.
6. The watchmen stationed on eminences (types of the preachers of the gospel), shall summon the ten tribes to go up to the annual feasts at Jerusalem ("Zion"), as they used to do before the revolt and the setting up of the idol calves at Dan and Beer-sheba (Eze 37:21, 22).
Mount Ephraim—not one single mountain, but the whole mountainous region of the ten tribes.
our God—from whom we formerly revolted, but who is now our God. An earnest of that good time to come is given in the partial success of the gospel in its first preaching in Samaria (Joh 4:1-42; Ac 8:5-25).
7. The people are urged with praises and prayers to supplicate for their universal restoration. Jehovah is represented in the context (Jer 31:1, 8), as promising immediately to restore Israel. They therefore praise God for the restoration, being as certain of it as if it were actually accomplished; and at the same time pray for it, as prayer was a means to the desired end. Prayer does not move God to grant our wishes, but when God has determined to grant our wishes, He puts it into our hearts to pray for the thing desired. Compare Ps 102:13-17, as to the connection of Israel's restoration with the prayers of His people (Isa 62:1-6).
for Jacob—on account of Jacob; on account of his approaching deliverance by Jehovah.
among—"for," that is, on account of, would more exactly suit the parallelism to "for Jacob."
chief of the nations—Israel: as the parallelism to "Jacob" proves (compare Ex 19:5; Ps 135:4; Am 6:1). God estimates the greatness of nations not by man's standard of material resources, but by His electing favor.
8. north—Assyria, Media, &c. (see on Jer 3:12; Jer 3:18; 23:8).
gather from … coasts of … earth—(Eze 20:34, 41; 34:13).
blind … lame, &c.—Not even the most infirm and unfit persons for a journey shall be left behind, so universal shall be the restoration.
a great company—or, they shall return "in a great company" [Maurer].
9. weeping—for their past sins which caused their exile (Ps 126:5, 6). Although they come with weeping, they shall return with joy (Jer 50:4, 5).
supplications—(Compare Jer 31:18, 19; Jer 3:21-25; Zec 12:10). Margin translates "favors," as in Jos 11:20; Ezr 9:8; thus God's favors or compassions are put in opposition to the people's weeping; their tears shall be turned into joy. But English Version suits the parellelism best.
I will cause … to walk by … waters … straight way—(Isa 35:6-8; 43:19; 49:10, 11). God will give them waters to satisfy their thirst as in the wilderness journey from Egypt. So spiritually (Mt 5:6; Joh 7:37).
Ephraim—the ten tribes no longer severed from Judah, but forming one people with it.
my first-born—(Ex 4:22; Ho 11:1; Ro 9:4). So the elect Church (2Co 6:18; Jas 1:18).
10. The tidings of God's interposition in behalf of Israel will arrest the attention of even the uttermost Gentile nations.
He that scattered will gather—He who scattered knows where to find Israel; He who smote can also heal.
keep—not only will gather, but keep safely to the end (Joh 13:1; 17:11).
shepherd—(Isa 40:11; Eze 34:12-14).
11. ransomed … from … hand of … stronger—No strength of the foe can prevent the Lord from delivering Jacob (Isa 49:24, 25).
12. height of Zion—(Eze 17:23).
flow—There shall be a conflux of worshippers to the temple on Zion (Isa 2:2; Mic 4:1).
to the goodness of … Lord—(See Jer 31:14). Beneficence, that is, to the Lord as the source of all good things (Ho 3:5), to pray to Him and praise Him for these blessings of which He is the Fountainhead.
watered garden—(Isa 58:11). Not merely for a time, but continually full of holy comfort.
not sorrow any more—referring to the Church triumphant, as well as to literal Israel (Isa 35:10; 65:19; Re 21:4).
13. young … old—(Zec 8:4, 5).
14. my goodness—(Jer 31:12).
15. Ramah—In Benjamin, east of the great northern road, two hours' journey from Jerusalem. Rachel, who all her life had pined for children (Ge 30:1), and who died with "sorrow" in giving birth to Benjamin (Ge 35:18, 19, Margin; 1Sa 10:2), and was buried at Ramah, near Beth-lehem, is represented as raising her head from the tomb, and as breaking forth into "weeping" at seeing the whole land depopulated of her sons, the Ephraimites. Ramah was the place where Nebuzara-dan collected all the Jews in chains, previous to their removal to Babylon (Jer 40:1). God therefore consoles her with the promise of their restoration. Mt 2:17, 18 quotes this as fulfilled in the massacre of the innocents under Herod. "A lesser and a greater event, of different times, may answer to the single sense of one passage of Scripture, until the prophecy is exhausted" [Bengel]. Besides the temporary reference to the exiles in Babylon, the Holy Spirit foreshadowed ultimately Messiah's exile in Egypt, and the desolation caused in the neighborhood of Rachel's tomb by Herod's massacre of the children, whose mothers had "sons of sorrow" (Ben-oni), just as Rachel had. The return of Messiah (the representative of Israel) from Egypt, and the future restoration of Israel, both the literal and the spiritual (including the innocents), at the Lord's second advent, are antitypical of the restoration of Israel from Babylon, which is the ground of consolation held out here by Jeremiah. The clause, "They were not," that is, were dead (Ge 42:13), does not apply so strictly to the exiles in Babylon as it does to the history of Messiah and His people—past, present, and future. So the words, "There is hope in thine end," are to be fulfilled ultimately, when Rachel shall meet her murdered children at the resurrection, at the same time that literal Israel is to be restored. "They were not," in Hebrew, is singular; each was not: each mother at the Beth-lehem massacre had but one child to lament, as the limitation of age in Herod's order, "two years and under," implies; this use of the singular distributively (the mothers weeping severally, each for her own child), is a coincidence between the prophecy of the Beth-lehem massacre and the event, the more remarkable as not being obvious: the singular, too, is appropriate as to Messiah in His Egyptian exile, who was to be a leading object of Rachel's lamentation.
16. thy work—thy parental weeping for thy children [Rosenmuller]. Thine affliction in the loss of thy children, murdered for Christ's sake, shall not be fruitless to thee, as was the case in thy giving birth to the "child of thy sorrow," Benjamin. Primarily, also, thy grief shall not be perpetual: the exiles shall return, and the land be inhabited again [Calvin].
come again—(Ho 1:11).
17. hope in … end—All thy calamities shall have a prosperous issue.
18. Ephraim—representing the ten tribes.
bemoaning himself—The spirit of penitent supplication shall at last be poured on Israel as the necessary forerunner of their restoration (Zec 12:10-14).
Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised—In the first clause the chastisement itself is meant; in the second the beneficial effect of it in teaching the penitent true wisdom.
bullock unaccustomed to … yoke—A similar image occurs in De 32:15. Compare "stiff-necked," Ac 7:51; Ex 32:9, an image from refractory oxen. Before my chastisement I needed the severe correction I received, as much as an untamed bullock needs the goad. Compare Ac 9:5, where the same figure is used of Saul while unconverted. Israel has had a longer chastisement than Judah, not having been restored even at the Jews' return from Babylon. Hereafter, at its restoration, it shall confess the sore discipline was all needed to "accustom" it to God's "easy yoke" (Mt 11:29, 30).
turn thou me—by Thy converting Spirit (La 5:21). But why does Ephraim pray for conversion, seeing that he is already converted? Because we are converted by progressive steps, and need the same power of God to carry forward, as to originate, our conversion (Joh 6:44, 65; compare with Isa 27:3; 1Pe 1:5; Php 1:6).
19. after that I was turned, I repented—Repentance in the full sense follows, not precedes, our being turned to God by God (Zec 12:10). The Jews' "looking to Him whom they pierced" shall result in their "mourning for Him." Repentance is the tear that flows from the eye of faith turned to Jesus. He Himself gives it: we give it not of ourselves, but must come to Him for it (Ac 5:31).
instructed—made to learn by chastisement. God's Spirit often works through the corrections of His providence.
smote upon … thigh—(Eze 21:12). A token of indignant remorse, shame, and grief, because of his past sin.
bear … reproach of … youth—"because the calamities which I bore were the just punishment of my scandalous wantonness against God in my youth"; alluding to the idols set up at Dan and Beth-el immediately after the ten tribes revolted from Judah. His sense of shame shows that he no longer delights in his sin.
20. Is Ephraim my dear son? &c.—The question implies that a negative answer was to be expected. Who would have thought that one so undutiful to His heavenly Father as Ephraim had been should still be regarded by God as a "pleasant child?" Certainly he was not so in respect to his sin. But by virtue of God's "everlasting love" (Jer 31:3) on Ephraim's being "turned" to God, he was immediately welcomed as God's "dear son." This verse sets forth God's readiness to welcome the penitent (Jer 31:18, 19), anticipating his return with prevenient grace and love. Compare Lu 15:20: "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion," &c.
spake against—threatened him for his idolatry.
remember—with favor and concern, as in Ge 8:1; 30:22.
bowels … troubled for him—(De 32:36; Isa 63:15; Ho 11:8)—namely, with the yearnings of compassionate love. The "bowels" include the region of the heart, the seat of the affections.
21. waymarks—pillars to mark the road for the returning exiles. Caravans set up pillars, or pointed heaps of stones, to mark the way through the desert against their return. So Israel is told by God to mark the way by which they went in leaving their country for exile; for by the same way they shall return.
highway—(Isa 35:8, 10).
22. go about—namely, after human helps (Jer 2:18, 23, 36). Why not return immediately to me? Maurer translates, as in So 5:6, "How long wilt thou withdraw thyself?" Let thy past backslidings suffice thee now that a new era approaches. What God finds fault with in them is, that they looked hither and thither, leaning on contingencies, instead of at once trusting the word of God, which promised their restoration. To assure them of this, God promises to create a new thing in their land, A woman shall compass a man. Calvin explains this: Israel, who is feeble as a woman, shall be superior to the warlike Chaldeans; the captives shall reduce their captors to captivity. Hengstenberg makes the "woman" the Jewish Church, and the "man" Jehovah, her husband, whose love she will again seek (Ho 2:6, 7). Maurer, A woman shall protect (De 32:10, Margin; Ps 32:10) a man, that is, You need fear no foes in returning, for all things shall be so peaceful that a woman would be able to take man's part, and act as his protector. But the Christian fathers (Augustine, &c.) almost unanimously interpreted it of the Virgin Mary compassing Christ in her womb. This view is favored:—(1) By the connection; it gives a reason why the exiles should desire a return to their country, namely, because Christ was conceived there. (2) The word "created" implies a divine power put forth in the creation of a body in the Virgin's womb by the Holy Ghost for the second Adam, such as was exerted in creating the first Adam (Lu 1:35; Heb 10:5). (3) The phrase, "a new thing," something unprecedented; a man whose like had never existed before, at once God and man; a mother out of the ordinary course of nature, at once mother and virgin. An extraordinary mode of generation; one conceived by the Holy Ghost without man. (4) The specification "in the land" (not "earth," as English Version), namely, of Judah, where probably Christ was conceived, in Hebron (compare Lu 1:39, 42, 44, with Jos 21:11) or else in Nazareth, "in the territory" of Israel, to whom Jer 31:5, 6, 15, 18, 21 refer; His birth was at Beth-lehem (Mic 5:2; Mt 2:5, 6). As the place of His nativity, and of His being reared (Mt 2:23), and of His preaching (Hag 2:7; Mal 3:1), are specified, so it is likely the Holy Spirit designated the place of His being conceived. (5) The Hebrew for "woman" implies an individual, as the Virgin Mary, rather than a collection of persons. (6) The restoration of Israel is grounded on God's covenant in Christ, to whom, therefore, allusion is naturally made as the foundation of Israel's hope (compare Isa 7:14). The Virgin Mary's conception of Messiah in the womb answers to the "Virgin of Israel" (therefore so called, Jer 31:21), that is, Israel and her sons at their final restoration, receiving Jesus as Messiah (Zec 12:10). (7) The reference to the conception of the child Messiah accords with the mention of the massacre of "children" referred to in Jer 31:15 (compare Mt 2:17). (8) The Hebrew for "man" is properly "mighty man," a term applied to God (De 10:17); and to Christ (Zec 13:7; compare Ps 45:3; Isa 9:6) [Calovius].
23. Jerusalem again shall be the metropolis of the whole nation, the seat of "justice" (Ps 122:5-8; Isa 1:26), and of sacred worship ("holiness," Zec 8:3) on "Mount" Moriah.
24. Judah … cities … husbandmen … they with flocks—Two classes, citizens and countrymen, the latter divided into agriculturists and shepherds, all alike in security, though the latter were to be outside the protection of city walls. "Judah" here stands for the country, as distinguished from its cities.
25. The "weary, sorrowful," and indigent state of Israel will prove no obstacle in the way of My helping them.
26. The words of Jeremiah: Upon this (or, By reason of this) announcement of a happy restoration, "I awaked" from the prophetic dream vouchsafed to me (Jer 23:25) with the "sweet" impression thereof remaining on my mind. "Sleep" here means dream, as in Ps 90:5.
27. He shows how a land so depopulated shall again be peopled. God will cause both men and beasts in it to increase to a multitude (Eze 36:9-11; Ho 2:23).
28. (Jer 44:27). The same God who, as it were (in human language), was on the watch for all means to destroy, shall be as much on the watch for the means of their restoration.
29. In those days—after their punishment has been completed, and mercy again visits them.
fathers … eaten … sour grape … children's teeth … on edge—the proverb among the exiles' children born in Babylon, to express that they suffered the evil consequences of their fathers' sins rather than of their own (La 5:7; Eze 18:2, 3).
30. (Ga 6:5, 7).
31. the days … new covenant with … Israel … Judah—The new covenant is made with literal Israel and Judah, not with the spiritual Israel, that is, believers, except secondarily, and as grafted on the stock of Israel (Ro 11:16-27). For the whole subject of the thirtieth and thirty-first chapters is the restoration of the Hebrews (Jer 30:4, 7, 10, 18; 31:7, 10, 11, 23, 24, 27, 36). With the "remnant according to the election of grace" in Israel, the new covenant has already taken effect. But with regard to the whole nation, its realization is reserved for the last days, to which Paul refers this prophecy in an abridged form (Ro 11:27).
32. Not … the covenant that I made with … fathers—the Old Testament covenant, as contrasted with our gospel covenant (Heb 8:8-12; 10:16, 17, where this prophecy is quoted to prove the abrogation of the law by the gospel), of which the distinguishing features are its securing by an adequate atonement the forgiveness of sins, and by the inworking of effectual grace ensuring permanent obedience. An earnest of this is given partially in the present eclectic or elect Church gathered out of Jews and Gentiles. But the promise here to Israel in the last days is national and universal, and effected by an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit (Jer 31:33, 34; Eze 11:17-20), independent of any merit on their part (Eze 36:25-32; 37:1-28; 39:29; Joe 2:23-28; Zec 12:10; 2Co 3:16).
took … by … hand—(De 1:31; Ho 11:3).
although I was an husband—(compare Jer 3:14; Ho 2:7, 8). But the Septuagint, Syriac, and St. Paul (Heb 8:9) translate, "I regarded them not"; and Gesenius, &c., justify this rendering of the Hebrew from the Arabic. The Hebrews regarded not God, so God regarded them not.
33. will be their God—(Jer 32:38).
34. True, specially of Israel (Isa 54:13); secondarily, true of believers (Joh 6:45; 1Co 2:10; 1Jo 2:20).
forgive … iniquity … remember … no more—(Jer 33:8; 50:20; Mic 7:18); applying peculiarly to Israel (Ro 11:27). Secondarily, all believers (Ac 10:43).
35. divideth … sea when … waves … roar … Lord of hosts … name—quoted from Isa 51:15, the genuineness of which passage is thus established on Jeremiah's authority.
36. a nation—Israel's national polity has been broken up by the Romans. But their preservation as a distinct people amidst violent persecutions, though scattered among all nations for eighteen centuries, unamalgamated, whereas all other peoples under such circumstances have become incorporated with the nations in which they have been dispersed, is a perpetual standing miracle (compare Jer 33:20; Ps 148:6; Isa 54:9, 10).
37. (Compare Jer 33:22).
for all that they have done—namely, all the sins. God will regard His own covenant promise, rather than their merits.
38. tower of Hananeel—The city shall extend beyond its former bounds (Ne 3:1; 12:39; Zec 14:10).
gate of … corner—(2Ki 14:13; 2Ch 26:9).
39. measuring-line—(Eze 40:8; Zec 2:1).
Gareb—from a Hebrew root, "to scrape"; Syriac, "leprosy"; the locality outside of the city, to which lepers were removed.
Goath—from a root, "to toil," referring to the toilsome ascent there: outside of the city of David, towards the southwest, as Gareb was northwest [Junius].
40. valley of … dead—Tophet, where the bodies of malefactors were cast (Isa 30:33), south of the city.
fields … Kidron—so 2Ki 23:4. Fields in the suburbs reaching as far as Kidron, east of the city.
horse gate—Through it the king's horses were led forth for watering to the brook Kidron (2Ki 11:16; Ne 3:28).
for ever—The city shall not only be spacious, but both "holy to the Lord," that is, freed from all pollutions, and everlasting (Joe 3:17, 20; Re 21:2, 10, 27).