Jeremiah

CHAPTER 31

Good News of the Return

I will be the God of all the families of Israel,

and they shall be my people.^a

The people who escaped the sword

find favor in the wilderness.

As Israel comes forward to receive rest,

With age-old love I have loved you;

so I have kept my mercy toward you.^b

virgin Israel;

Carrying your festive tambourines,

you shall go forth dancing with merrymakers.

on the mountains of Samaria;

those who plant them shall enjoy their fruits.^c

call out on Mount Ephraim:

“Come, let us go up to Zion,

to the LORD, our God.”^d

The Road of Return

Shout with joy for Jacob,

exult at the head of the nations;

proclaim your praise and say:

The LORD has saved his people,

the remnant of Israel.^e

from the land of the north;

I will gather them from the ends of the earth,

the blind and the lame in their midst,

Pregnant women, together with those in labor—

an immense throng—they shall return.^f

but with compassion I will guide them;

I will lead them to streams of water,

on a level road, without stumbling.

For I am a father to Israel,

Ephraim is my firstborn.^g

proclaim it on distant coasts, and say:

The One who scattered Israel, now gathers them;

he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

he shall redeem him from a hand too strong for him.^h

they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings:

The grain, the wine, and the oil,

flocks of sheep and cattle;

They themselves shall be like watered gardens,

never again neglected.ⁱ

young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into joy,

I will show them compassion and have them rejoice after their sorrows.

and my people shall be filled with my blessings—

oracle of the LORD.

End of Rachel’s Mourning

In Ramah^* is heard the sound of sobbing,

bitter weeping!

Rachel mourns for her children,

she refuses to be consoled

for her children—they are no more!^j

Cease your cries of weeping,

hold back your tears!

There is compensation for your labor—

oracle of the LORD—

they shall return from the enemy’s land.

your children shall return to their own territory.^k

You chastised me, and I was chastised;

I was like an untamed calf.

Bring me back, let me come back,

for you are the LORD, my God.^l

after I came to myself, I struck my thigh;^*

I was ashamed, even humiliated,

because I bore the disgrace of my youth.^m

the child in whom I delight?

Even though I threaten him,

I must still remember him!

My heart stirs for him,

I must show him compassion!—oracle of the LORD.ⁿ

Summons to Return Home

put up signposts;

Turn your attention to the highway,

the road you walked.

Turn back, virgin Israel,

turn back to these your cities.

rebellious daughter?

The LORD has created a new thing upon the earth:

woman encompasses man.^*

“The parents ate unripe grapes,^q

and the children’s teeth are set on edge,”^*

The New Covenant.^*

Certainty of God’s Promise

Who gives the sun to light the day,

moon and stars to light the night;

Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar,

whose name is LORD of hosts:^v

before me—oracle of the LORD—

Then would the offspring of Israel cease

as a people before me forever.^w

If the heavens on high could be measured,

or the foundations below the earth be explored,

Then would I reject all the offspring of Israel

because of all they have done—oracle of the LORD.

Jerusalem Rebuilt.^*

* [31:2–3] Jeremiah describes the exiles of the Northern Kingdom on their way home from the nations where the Assyrians had resettled them (722/721 B.C.). The favor they discover in the wilderness is the appearance of the Lord (v. 3) coming to guide them to Jerusalem. Implicit in these verses is the presentation of the people’s return from captivity as a second exodus, a unifying theme in Second Isaiah (chaps. 40–55).

* [31:15] Ramah: a village about five miles north of Jerusalem, where one tradition locates Rachel’s tomb (1 Sm 10:2). The wife of Jacob/Israel, Rachel is the matriarchal ancestor of Ephraim, chief among the northern tribes. She personified Israel as a mother whose grief for her lost children is especially poignant because she had to wait a long time to bear them. Mt 2:18 applies this verse to Herod’s slaughter of the innocents.

* [31:19] Struck my thigh: a gesture signifying grief and dread (cf. Ez 21:17).

* [31:22] No satisfactory explanation has been given for this text. Jerome, for example, saw the image as a reference to the infant Jesus enclosed in Mary’s womb. Since Jeremiah often uses marital imagery in his description of a restored Israel, the phrase may refer to a wedding custom, perhaps women circling the groom in a dance. It may also be a metaphor describing the security of a new Israel, a security so complete that it defies the imagination and must be expressed as hyperbolic role reversal: any danger will be so insignificant that women can protect their men.

* [31:26] I awoke…satisfying: an intrusive comment.

* [31:29] “The parents…on edge”: Jeremiah’s opponents use this proverb to complain that they are being punished for sins of their ancestors. Jeremiah, however, insists that the Lord knows the depth of their wickedness and holds them accountable for their actions.

* [31:31–34] The new covenant is an occasional prophetic theme, beginning with Hosea. According to Jeremiah, (a) it lasts forever; (b) its law (torah) is written in human hearts; (c) it gives everyone true knowledge of God, making additional instruction (torah) unnecessary. The Dead Sea Scroll community claimed they were partners in a “new covenant.” The New Testament presents the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as inaugurating a new covenant open to anyone who professes faith in Jesus the Christ. Cf. Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 8:8–12. Know the LORD: cf. note on 22:15–16.

* [31:38–40] The landmarks in these verses outline the borders of Jerusalem during the time of Nehemiah: the Tower of Hananel (Neh 3:1; 12:39) in the northeast and the Corner Gate (2 Kgs 14:13) in the northwest; Goah in the southeast and Gareb Hill in the southwest; the Valley of Ben-hinnom (“the Valley of corpses and ashes”), which met the Wadi Kidron in the southeast, and the Horse Gate in the eastern wall at the southeast corner of the Temple area.

a. [31:1] Jer 30:22.

b. [31:3] Dt 7:8; 10:15; Is 43:4; 63:9; Hos 11:1, 4.

c. [31:5] Dt 28:30; Is 65:21; Am 9:14.

d. [31:6] Is 2:3; 27:13; Mi 4:2.

e. [31:7] Is 12:6.

f. [31:8] Jer 3:18; 23:3, 8; Is 35:5–6.

g. [31:9] Ex 4:22.

h. [31:11] Is 44:23; 48:20.

i. [31:12] Is 58:11.

j. [31:15] Mt 2:18.

k. [31:17] Jer 29:10–14.

l. [31:18] Lv 26:40–42.

m. [31:19] Dt 30:1–3.

n. [31:20] Hos 11:8.

o. [31:23] Jer 30:3; Ps 122:8.

p. [31:28] Jer 1:10; 18:7.

q. [31:29] Dt 24:16; Ez 18:2.

r. [31:31] Jer 32:40; Heb 9:15.

s. [31:32] Ex 24:7–8; Dt 5:2.

t. [31:33] Jer 32:40; Ez 37:26; Heb 10:16.

u. [31:34] Is 54:13.

v. [31:35] Gn 1:14–18.

w. [31:36] Jer 33:20–21.

x. [31:38] Neh 12:38; Zec 14:10–11.