Jeremiah 31:27–34

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.

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Jeremiah continues his message from the Lord, relating His promises to the people. Here (vv. 27–34) he quotes the Lord. The exclamation “behold” (often translated as “lo,” “see,” or “look”) tends to add emphasis and assurance to what is being said. Here the Lord says to the people through Jeremiah, “Look!” as if calling them to pay attention to what He is about to tell them. The Lord’s promise to the people is that He will repopulate the houses of Israel and Judah with both the “seed of man” and “the seed of beast.” The Lord uses an agricultural metaphor of sowing seed to describe how He will replenish the land with people and animals (cf. Hosea 2:23). This metaphor is also used to describe scattering the people from their land (Zechariah 10:9).

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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.

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In verse 28, the Lord assures the people of a total reversal of the calamity that previously befell them (both Israel and Judah) under His watchful eyes. Here, just as in the past when He watched the destruction of the people, the Lord will watch over them to ensure their rebuilding and replanting in their land. In the past, the Lord seemed to supervise the total destruction of the land as described by a number of action verbs—“pluck up … break down … to destroy, and to afflict”—but in the future, He will watch over them “to build, and to plant” them again in the land. The terrible loss of human and animal lives during the invasion of the land and the cities of the past (see Jeremiah 7:20) will be reversed in the future. Old horrors will be replaced with blessings to come.

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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.

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When all these things come to pass, the people would no longer have reason to complain or criticize God’s righteousness and justice, using the common adage “the fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” which they used during their suffering and exile. Unlike in the past when the people complained of being punished because of their father’s sins, the future will be different (Ezekiel 18:1–4, 20–21). Instead, everyone will be responsible for his or her own acts. No more will the children pay for the sins of their fathers; nor will the fathers bear the brunt of their children’s wrongdoing. But anyone who sins will be punished for his or her own iniquity since every soul belongs to God (Ezekiel 18:4).

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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.

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The good news of the future is not restricted to improving the people’s physical condition. The Lord promises to change His relational condition to His people. The change in relationship will focus on improving His “covenant” (Heb. berit, beh-REET) with “the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Berit or “covenant” can also be rendered as “an alliance” or a “treaty between two people or a group of people”; it is more binding than a mere agreement between two people. The Hebrew verb used for “to make” a covenant is karat (Heb. kah-ROT), which in its simplest form means “to cut.” This originally involved cutting of flesh (e.g., animals) and passing through the pieces. The implication of “cutting” a covenant was that whoever broke the covenant would be cut in pieces just like an animal. In some traditions such as the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, people made treaties by making a little cut in each person’s finger and squeezing their blood into a cup of wine. The cup is then passed around from which each person drinks. It is strongly believed that whoever broke the covenant would die.

The Lord promises to make a new covenant with the people, which will replace the old one He had made with their forefathers when they left Egypt. The old covenant with Israel after the Exodus from Egypt refers to the Sinai covenant, also known as the Law of Moses. The problem with the old covenant is that the people did not keep it and therefore rendered it ineffective. Hence, the Lord finds it necessary to make a new covenant (see Hebrews 8:6–13).

Different translators have interpreted the phrase “although I was an husband unto them” in a number of ways. The word “husband” comes from the Hebrew word ba‘al (bah-AHL), which can be rendered as a master, one who has dominion, husband, or married spouse. Hence the differences in interpretation, where other translations speak of authority and dominion or a reassertion of authority. The phrase refers to the people breaking the covenant. The word ba‘al should therefore be interpreted with the idea of a “loving and caring” attitude of a husband towards his wife. The Lord uses the husband and wife metaphor to describe His loving relationship with the Children of Israel (Isaiah 54:5; Hosea 2:16). Therefore, it makes sense to render this part of the verse as “my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them”.

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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.

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The new covenant will not be the same as the old. The two have a number of differences and special features. First, while the old covenant was written on tablets of stone, the new covenant will be written in the heart; the material the covenant is written on and the content is markedly different. The tablets of stone are external, while the law written on the heart is internal (Psalm 37:31). Obedience to this covenant comes from the inside, not the outside.

This Scripture clearly states that the new covenant will not be the same as the old covenant God made with Moses (v. 32). The new covenant is what has been accomplished through Jesus as found in the New Testament (see Hebrews 12:24, 13:20). This promise points beyond the time of Jeremiah and the house of Israel; it points us to the New Testament and the Christian Gospel, fulfilled in Christ Jesus when He confirms: “This cup is the new testament [covenant] in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). This covenant is for all those who will come to God through His Son, Jesus Christ—both Jews and Gentiles. The new covenant will bring about a relational restoration between the Lord and His people, which hitherto had been severed as a result of breaking the old covenant. Now, God says that He “will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

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34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, 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.

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The second special feature of the new covenant is that because the Law would be written in their hearts, the people would have no need to teach others to know God. Until now the priests, scribes, and prophets were the custodians of the Law and so-called mediators of knowledge, but in the new covenant, the Law would be internalized in the hearts of God’s people. This divine transformation of human nature will result in the personal knowledge and love of God from the least to the greatest. This means class distinction will be no more, and everyone will have equal opportunity and responsibility to know and love God. Consequently, their iniquity will be forgiven and their sin remembered no more. Just as forgiveness was incorporated in the old covenant (Leviticus 4:31, 35), forgiveness would become the cornerstone of the relationship. This prophecy is now completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ for all generations. Through Him we have forgiveness and the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us leads us and guides us into all truth (John 14:17, 16:13).