Jeremiah
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Carolina College of Biblical Studies *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
6
Subject
Religion
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
12
Uploaded by puck2113
COLORADO CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Jeremiah 31:23-34
Submitted to Dr. Lorie Lee,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
BIB 522
Interpreting the Bible I
by
Paul Bock
20 July 2019
Introduction
Jeremiah lived at a dark period in Israel’s history. The nation had turned its back on
YHVH and split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. By
the time Jeremiah is called as a prophet, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen and the
Southern Kingdom of Judah faced God’s divine judgment at the hands of their enemies.
1
God
appointed Jeremiah as a prophet to warn Judah of the impending judgment; however, the people
and leadership refused to listen.
2
As Judah falls and the people are led away to the Babylonian
captivity, God offers consolation with the promise of a new covenant between the Lord and the
Nation with one of the most important passages in the Old Testament (Jer 31:23-34).
Historical Context
Situation and Judgment
The book of
Jeremiah is an account of Judah’s final days prior to, and during the three
Babylonian sieges.
3
It powerfully presents Jeremiah’s message so later generations might avoid
the same sins.
4
Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry spanned from 626 B.C. to 586 B.C.
5
during the
reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah who were the last five Kings of
Judah.
6
By the time Josiah ascended to the throne in 640 B.C.
7
at the age of 8 (2 Ki 22:1), the
reforms of his great grandfather Hezekiah (2 Ch 29:1-31:1) were done away with by Manasseh
1
Henry H. Halley,
Halley’s Bible Handbook,
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 307.
2
Larry Richards,
The Teachers Commentary
(Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1988), 414
3
Bill T. Arnold and Bryan Beyer,
Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey
(Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2008),
384.
4
Ibid., 385
5
Halley,
Halley’s
, 309.
6
Michael L. Brown, “Commentary on Jeremiah 31
.” In Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel.
The Expositor's
Bible Commentary, ed. Tremper Longman, III and David E. Garland, vol. 7, 13 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2008), Olive Tree Bible Software.
7
Ibid.,
The Kingdom of Judah: A brief Synopsis of the Biblical Account
, “Commentary on Jeremiah 31.”
1
who led Judah into the worst apostasy it had experienced.
8
Though Manasseh eventually repented
and reestablished the worship of YHVH (2 Ch 33:10-19), his son Amon followed in his father’s
footsteps, refused to follow the Lord, and continued the nations movement towards divine
judgment. After Amon’s assassination two years into his rule, Josiah came to power and over the
course of his life he “
did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the
way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left” (2 Ki 22:2). As with
Hezekiah, the revival of Josiah died with him because the nation did not embrace the reform, and
the subsequent kings again turned their backs on YHVH.
It is during the reforms of Josiah in which God called Jeremiah be a prophet to Judah. As
stated, the revival of Josiah never took root within the populace. The subsequent kings turned
their backs on the Lord and listened to the false prophets rather than the prophetic warnings of
Jeremiah. The depth of apostasy became so bad during this period that God declared a blood
curse on the Davidic line (Jer 22:30). A third and final siege of Babylon also led to the
destruction of Jerusalem and the end of David’s Kingdom.
9
With Jerusalem in ruins and the
nation exiled in Babylon it was the lowest point in Judah’s history.
The Man
Much is known about Jeremiah because the book is autobiographical. Jeremiah was the
son of a priest, though nothing in the text suggests he served in that capacity. In part, this is
supported by the age requirement for priesthood (Num 4:3) and he was a young man when called
to be a prophet (Jer 1:6).
Jeremiah fulfilled the office at great cost to himself: he suffered
beatings and public humiliation (20:1-6), was considered a traitor, opposed the false prophets
(6:13-14; 28:1-17; 19:8-9), kings attempted to kill him, (36:21-26), and he was taken forcibly to
8
Ibid.,
The Kingdom of Judah: A brief Synopsis of the Biblical Account.
9
Halley,
Halley’s
, 309.
2
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Egypt (43:4-7).
10
Despite the adversity, Jeremiah carried out his tasks faithfully and for this is
considered one of the most spiritual and revered prophets by many scholars.
Literary Context
Prose, Poetry, and Style
The book contains both poetry and prose; however, due to Jeremiah’s writing style the
different uses do not give a “substantive exegetical or interpretive gain in constantly identifying
passages as poetry or prose.”
11
Jeremiah’s writing characteristics could be considered the
opposite of Isaiah’s.
Isaiah,
whose style was elegant and lofty-an- elegant writer, but with a very high style…
In contrast, Jeremiah is very direct, very simple, but as a result, very vivid, incisive and
clear…Heavy use of nature, he is a man of the earth.
He is called the “Weeping Prophet”
as he is tender, sympathetic and will almost continually express a deep anguish of soul.
This is not casual stuff; it is in the very fiber of his being and will come through even in
the translations.
12
Book of Comfort
In the first 29 chapters, Jeremiah is a prophet who declares Judah’s sin and their
judgment. His argument is not that the God of Israel was “more powerful, and therefore more
worthy of reverence than any other divinity;”
13
but that the “God of the Hebrews was the only
proper object of worship, obedience, and confidence, and that the so-called gods of the gentiles
were not entitled to the honor paid them by their devotees. He repeatedly contrasts the true God
10
Arnold and Breyer,
Encountering
, 384.
11
Brown, Literary Style,
“Commentary on Jeremiah 31.”
12
Chuck Missler,
The Books of Jeremiah and Lamentations,
7-8.
13
H. G. Mitchell, "The Theology of Jeremiah,"
Journal of Biblical Literature
20 (1901): 57, accessed June
26, 2019, doi:10.2307/3268993.
3
and His false rivals.”
14
A shift occurs with chapters 30-33, which brings hope through the
guarantee that God had not cast his people aside.
15
This section is called “Book of
Comfort/Consolation,”
16
due to God’s promise to restore the people to their land, bring
judgement upon their enemies, and establish a new covenant between Him and the nation.
Jeremiah 31:23-34 is part of this “Comfort/Consolation” section with a focus on Jerusalem, all
Israel, and the New Covenant.
Features
As stated, Jeremiah uses both prose and poetry, and in this passage there is a carefully
orchestrated use of both. Verses 23-33, which reference Israel, the Old Covenant, and
comparison of the New Covenant to the Old are in prose format. The prose section is followed
by normal Hebrew poetry in verses 33-34, which are the declaration of what God will do under
the New Covenant.
17
God speaks throughout the entire prose and poetry section except for verse
26.
As with many Hebrew writers, Jeremiah uses recurring ideas and expressions. It is
important to note the recurring phrases as “they are of value in many cases as an indication of the
ideas and lines of thought most prominent in the book.”
18
One of the most prominent expressions
Jeremiah uses, “pluck up, to break down, and destroy, to build and to plant,” occurs in Jeremiah
31:28. This particular expression appears seven times throughout the book in both prose and
poetry form, and is applied in the following ways: “those dealing with the judgment and
14
Ibid., 57.
15
Arnold and Breyer,
Encountering
,396.
16
Ibid.,
Encountering
, 396.
17
T. M. Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations (The College Press NIV Commentary: College Press Pub
Company, 2002), 257.
18
S. R. Driver,
The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah,
41-42
quoted in
Michael L. Brown, “Commentary on
Jeremiah 31
.” In Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel.
The Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Tremper Longman, III
and David E. Garland, vol. 7, 13 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), Olive Tree Bible Software.
4
condemnation of Israel, which are pre-exilic…those occurring in the oracles against the
nations…and those with salvation themes which are exilic or postexilic.”
19
The particular
repetition of usage in the Jeremiah 31 passage is specifically used in the post-exilic salvific
application.
Structure
The book itself is laid out typologically rather than chronologically, which in part is the
reason it is considered a difficult book.
20
Some scholars have stated the focus does not need to be
on the specific order and arrangement, but on the content within the apparent sections. A chiastic
structure appears throughout the arrangement of the book as well as the passage specific to the
New Covenant. The following is a basic outline of the passage:
1.
The Lord promises restoration of Judah (23-25)
2.
The Lord promises restoration of the people after the Babylonian captivity (27-30)
3.
The Lord promises a future, new covenant with both Israel and Judah (31-34)
As stated, verses 31 to the initial part of 33 are prose while the latter part of verse 33
through 34 are poetry. The prose section follows a chiastic structure with the fulcrum centered on
God’s deliverance of the people out of the land of Egypt:
21
A.
Behold, the days are coming (31a, NASB)
B.
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah (31b)
C.
Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers (32a)
D.
In the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt (32b)
19
Macchi,
Les Doublets Dans de Livre de Jérémie
, 110–50,
quoted in
Michael L. Brown, “Commentary on
Jeremiah 31
.” In Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel.
The Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Tremper Longman, III
and David E. Garland, vol. 7, 13 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), Olive Tree Bible Software.
20
Missler,
The Books
, 7.
21
William L. Holladay,” Jeremiah 2”,
Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989), 164.
5
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
C. My covenant which they broke; although I was a husband to them (32c)
B. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel (33a)
A. After those days (33b)
22
The poetical section is broken into four dualistic statements:
1.
I will put My Law within them - On their heart I will write it (33c)
2.
I will be their God – they shall be My people (33d)
3.
They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying,
“Know the Lord,” – for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of
them.
4.
I will forgive their iniquity – their sins I will remember no more
23
While the prose section centers on deliverance, the poetry section centers around an intimate
relationship with the Lord and full knowledge of His law.
Exegetical Outline
1.
The Lord promises restoration of Judah (23-25)
a.
The people will be returned to the land
b.
They will speak in a manner that honors the Lord
i.
A possible reference to the Hebrew language
c.
They will be restored to a place of blessing with all needs supplied
2.
Jeremiah wakes up and is pleased with God’s declaration (26)
3.
The Lord describes the restoration (27-30)
a.
The restoration will include both Judah and Israel
22
Ibid., 164.
23
Willis,
Jeremiah and Lamentations,
257.
6
b.
Just as YHVH oversaw their judgment, He will also oversee their restoration
c.
Each person will be held accountable for their own sins
4.
The Lord promises the New Covenant
a.
The Covenant is yet future
b.
The Covenant will involve all Israel, both Northern and Southern Kingdoms
c.
The New Covenant is separate and distinct from the Siniatic Covenant
i.
The New is based on God and not on man
ii.
As God wrote the law in stone in Exodus 20, so He will write it on the
hearts of the people
iii.
The restoration of relationship between God and chosen Israel
iv.
They will not need to be taught of the Law or God as everyone will be in
full knowledge of the Lord
v.
The sins of the nation will be forgiven and put away from remembrance
Exegetical Explanation
Jeremiah 31:23-26
The first statement in verse 23 makes it clear that God is speaking. Two titles are invoked
at the beginning of the passage: Lord of Hosts, which uses the tetragrammaton translated Lord,
and
Elohiym,
for God of Israel. Both denote a declaration of authority.
The focus at this point is on the people. The middle part of verse 23 states, “Once again
they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities.” Some see this as a reinstatement
of divine worship within the Land or that they will speak what is currently declared by the Lord.
Others see a tie with the prophecy of Zepheniah 3:9 in which,
7
He is prophesying that when they gather in the land they will return to pure Hebrew as
the language…Commentaries from a hundred years ago point out that the literal part of
that cannot be true. Never in the history of man has a dead language been resurrected to
be a live language…as a Jew living in an orthodox household,” for many centuries, “the
only Hebrew you knew was the Catechism.
24
God next states that He” will restore their fortunes” (31:23), that He will bless them, they
will dwell in the land, and the needs of all will be met. At the time of this statement the people
are still under the Mosaic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant gave the people the right to the
land, whereas the Mosaic provided conditional requirements to stay in the land and experience
blessings from the Lord. Deuteronomy 28 is still applicable as they are under the Old Covenant;
therefore, in order for what is described in Jeremiah 31:23-25 to take place and they be called
“abode of righteousness,” they must be living in obedience to the Lord and “
have become worthy
of receiving divine favor.”
25
Verse 26 may seem out of place within the flow of the passage; however, due to the
autobiographical nature of the entire book this poses no theological issue nor should it be
assumed as allegory. Also, it should be noted that many people experienced prophetic dreams
throughout the Old Testament: Jacob, Joseph, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and others. The
statement, “and my sleep was peasant to me,” gives deep insight into Jeremiah’s reception of this
revelation,
26
because to this point he was a prophet of “impending doom,” who endured much
travail and abuse.
27
Jeremiah 31:27-30
24
Missler,
The Books
, 152.
25
Brown,
Commentary on Jeremiah 31:23-25,
Olive Tree Bible Software
.
26
Ibid.,
Commentary on Jeremiah 31:26,
Olive Tree Bible Software
.
27
Arnold and Breyer,
Encountering
,396
8
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
In verse 27 it is clarified that the restoration will include all Israel both Northern and
Southern Kingdoms. God then provides a promise which would bring comfort to Jeremiah and
the people. It is clear throughout their law and history that God is the one who oversaw their
judgments. At this point, God uses a past tense in reference to judgment and a future tense for
restoration, “
as
I have
(emphasis added) watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to
overthrow, to destroy, and to bring disaster,
so I will
(emphasis added) watch over them to build
and to plant.” As they are now sure that God is true to his word in judgment, they can rest on the
fact that He will restore.
The beginning phrase of 29-30, “in those days,” refers to the period referenced in verse
27 through the rest of the chapter of the chapter. These verses may not seem to be a blessing at
first glance; however, for the Jew in that day it is an important promise because the “principle of
Exodus 20:5-7 was never revoked, namely, that the Lord visits the sins of one sinning generation
upon the next sinning generation.”
28
Verse 29-30 pronounces the end of this practice after the
restoration. People will be judged based on their own sins, rather than those of their ancestors.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
The repetition of the phrase “Behold, the days are coming,” is continued with verse 31. It
is a demarcation from the previous 4 verses and calls the reader to pay attention as God states He
will establish the New Covenant. The covenant will deal with both Kingdoms, therefore all
national Israel (31:31). In Verse 32 there is a clear point that the people broke the covenant
despite what the Lord did for them. An important contrast is drawn between the two covenants.
The New Covenant is based on the Lord rather than the people with this fact delineated from the
repetitive “I will” statements in His description of the New Covenant in contrast to the Old in
which He states what the people did.
28
Brown,
Commentary on Jeremiah 31:29-30,
Olive Tree Bible Software
.
9
Conclusion
The writer of Hebrews uses the contrast posited above to explain that the New Covenant
is a “better covenant which has been enacted on better promises” (Heb 8:6). While it is not
explicitly stated, it is likely the comparison was not lost on Jeremiah. The passage’s importance
cannot be expressed enough as the promise of the New Covenant for a trodden down nation was
a promise of a future hope.
Bibliography
Arnold, Bill T., and Bryan Beyer.
Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian
Survey
. Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008.
Brown, Michael L. “Commentary on Jeremiah 31
.” In Jeremiah, Lamentation,
Ezekiel.
The
Expositor's Bible Commentary. Edited by Tremper Longman,
III and David E.
Garland. Vol. 7. 13 vols. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
2008. Olive Tree Bible
Software.
Driver, S. R. The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. London: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1906
Halley, Henry H.
Halley’s Bible Handbook.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
1965.
Holladay, William L. Jeremiah 2, Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical
Commentary on the
......................
Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989.
Missler, Chuck.
The Books of Jeremiah and Lamentations
.
Coeur D’Alene, ID:
Koinonia
House 2007.
Mitchell, H. G. "The Theology of Jeremiah. "
Journal of Biblical Literature
20,
no. 1 (1901): 56
76. Accessed June 26, 2019. doi:10.2307/3268993.
10
Richards, Larry.
The Teachers Commentary
. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1988.
Willis, T.M.
Jeremiah and Lamentations.
The College Press NIV Commentary.
College Press
Pub Company, 2002
11
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help