Jeremiah-Chap-31
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Note: Some alterations or (additions)
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Remember the
following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2.
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens,
PhD.
Introduction:
Chapter 31 is the pinnacle of the “Consolation
of Israel”. After the harsh rebukes of earlier chapters, the prophet speaks to
the eternity
of the Covenant. It addresses the reunification of the Northern
Kingdom (Ephraim) with the Southern Kingdom (Judah), the maternal merit of our
Matriarch Rachel, and the promise that the Torah will one day be so naturally
integrated into the Hebrew soul that “no man shall teach his neighbour”, for
the knowledge of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) will be innate.
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Let us now read this somewhat longer chapter of Jeremiah Chapter 31: (JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh).
1. Thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD: the people that were left of the sword have found grace in
the wilderness, even Israel, when I go to cause him to rest. ‘From afar יְהוָה - the LORD appeared unto me’. ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love; therefore with affection have I drawn thee.
3. 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.
4. Again shalt
thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant,
and shall have the use thereof.
5. For there shall be a day,
that the watchmen shall call upon the mount Ephraim: arise ye, and let
us go up to Zion, unto יְהוָה - the LORD our אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’.
6. For thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD: sing with
gladness for Jacob, and shout at the head of the nations; announce ye, praise ye, and say: ‘O יְהוָה - LORD, save Thy people, The remnant of Israel’.
7. 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.
8. 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 become a father to
Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born.
9. Hear the word of the יְהוָה - LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say: ‘He
that scattered Israel doth gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his
flock’.
10. For יְהוָה - the LORD hath ransomed Jacob, and He redeemeth
him from the hand of him that is stronger than he.
11. And they shall come and sing in the
height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of יְהוָה - the LORD, to the corn, and to the 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 pine any more at all.
12. 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.
13. And I will satiate the soul of the
priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied
with My goodness, saith the יְהוָה - LORD.
14. Thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD: 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.
15. Thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine
eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith
יְהוָה - the LORD; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
16. And there is hope for thy future, saith יְהוָה - the LORD; and thy children shall return to their own border.
17. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning
himself: ‘hou hast chastised me, and I was chastised,
as a calf untrained; turn thou me, and I shall be turned, for Thou art אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה
- the LORD my Elohim.
18. 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’.
19. Is Ephraim a darling son unto Me? Is he a child that is dandled? For as often as I speak
of him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart yearneth for him, I will surely have compassion upon him, saith יְהוָה - the LORD.
20. Set thee up waymarks,
make thee guide-posts; set thy heart toward the high-way, even the way by which
thou wentest; return, O virgin of Israel, return to
these thy cities.
21. How long wilt thou turn away coyly, O
thou backsliding daughter? For יְהוָה - the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall court a
man.
22. Thus saith יְהוָה - צְבָאוֹת
- the LORD of hosts, the אֱלֹהִים
- Elohim
of Israel: ‘yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in
the cities thereof, when I shall turn their captivity: יְהוָה - ‘the
LORD bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O
mountain of holiness’.
23. And Judah and all the cities thereof
shall dwell therein together: the husbandmen, and they that go forth with
flocks. 24. For I have satiated the weary soul,
and every pining soul have I replenished.
25. Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my
sleep was sweet unto me.
26. Behold, the days come, saith the יְהוָה - 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.
27. 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 יְהוָה - the LORD.
28. In those days they shall say no more: ‘he
fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’
29 But every one shall die for his own
iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grapes, his
teeth shall be set on edge.
30. ‘Behold, the days come’, saith יְהוָה - the LORD, ‘that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah;
31. 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; forasmuch as they broke My covenant,
although I was a lord over them, saith יְהוָה - the LORD.
32. But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, saith יְהוָה - the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart
will I write it; and I will be their אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and they shall be My people;
33. and they shall teach no more every man
his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying:
‘now the LORD’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the
greatest of them, saith יְהוָה - the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I
remember no more.
34. Thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD, 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, that the waves thereof roar, צְבָאוֹת-יְהוָה - the LORD of hosts is His Name:
35. If these ordinances depart from before Me, saith יְהוָה - the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation
before Me for ever.
36. Thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD: 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 יְהוָה - the LORD.
37. Behold, the days come, saith יְהוָה - the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner.
38. And the measuring line shall yet go out
straight forward unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn
about unto Goah.
39. 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 יְהוָה - the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for
ever”.
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Let us now look at the interesting ‘Verse by Verse’ with Explanations: (JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh.)
Verse 1: This
is the “General Proclamation”.
Explanation: It establishes that the rift between the ten
tribes and Judah is healed. יְהוָה - the LORD becomes the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of all the families, signifying a total national
rebirth.
Verses 2-3: These
are verses of deep comfort.
Explanation: The “grace in the wilderness” refers to the survivors of the exile. The Ahavat Olam (Everlasting Love) is the central pillar here it teaches us that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s love for the Hebraic people is a primordial force, existing before time and continuing forever.
Verses 4-6: Here
we see the physical restoration.
Explanation: The “tabrets” and “dances” represent the return of joy. When the watchmen on Mount Ephraim call out to go up to Zion, it signifies the Northern Kingdom finally acknowledging the holiness of Jerusalem.
Verses 7-9: This
describes the “Ingathering of the Exiles”.
Explanation: יְהוָה - the LORD specifically mentions the “blind and the lame” to show that no Hebrew is too broken or weak to be brought home. He leads them by “rivers of waters”, ensuring their journey is one of refreshment, not hardship.
Verses 10-14: This
is the “Shepherd’s Promise”.
Explanation: Just as a shepherd guards his flock, יְהוָה - the LORD promises that the Jewish soul will become like a “watered garden”. This is a metaphor for a life filled with Torah and prosperity, where “pining” and sorrow are finally banished.
Verses 15-17: One of the most famous passages in the Tanakh.
Explanation: Rachel Imeinu (our Mother Rachel) is depicted weeping for her children. In our tradition, Rachel chose to be buried on the road to Bethlehem so she could pray for the exiles as they were led away. יְהוָה - the LORD hears her specifically, promising that her “work shall be rewarded” and the children will return.
Verses 18-20: Here
we see the Teshuva (Repentance) of Ephraim. The "bullock
unaccustomed to the yoke" is a metaphor for the stubbornness of the
tribes. Verse 20 is the climax of divine mercy: יְהוָה - he LORD asks, “Is Ephraim a darling son?”
Explanation: The answer is a resounding yes. Even when we err, the “yearning” of the Divine Heart never ceases.
Verses 21-22: Israel
is told to set up “waymarks”, spiritual and mental
reminders of who they are.
Explanation: The “new thing” in verse 22 is understood by our sages as a time when the “Bride” (Israel) will no longer wait to be pursued, but will seek out her “Husband” יְהוָה - the LORD) with newfound strength.
Verses 23-26: The blessing of the “Habitation of Righteousness”.
Explanation: Jeremiah’s mention that his “sleep was sweet” highlights that this vision was a rare respite from his usual prophecies of doom.
Verses 27-30: This
is the “Law of Individual Responsibility”.
Explanation: The old proverb about “sour grapes” is abolished. In the era of redemption, our relationship with יְהוָה - the LORD is direct; every man is responsible for his own soul, and no one is held back by the sins of the past.
Verses 31-34: To
us, this is the Internalisation of the Torah.
Explanation: It is not a new set of laws, but the same Torah written on the “inward parts”. It means we will no longer need to struggle to remember the commandments; they will be part of our very nature.
Verses 35-37: This
is the “Eternal Guarantee” יְהוָה - the LORD uses the sun, moon, and stars as witnesses.
Explanation: He says that if a human could ever fully measure the heavens, only then could He cast off the seed of Israel”. Since the heavens are infinite, Israel’s existence is guaranteed for eternity.
Verses 38-40: The
chapter closes with the “Blueprint of the Holy City”.
Explanation: It names specific gates and hills to show this is not a dream, but a physical reality. The “valley of the dead bodies” becoming holy means that even the most defiled places of our history will be purified and dedicated to יְהוָה - the LORD forever.
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My Closing Message:
This Chapter is a balm for the weary. It tells
us that nothing
is lost. Certainly not the ‘Ten Tribes’, they were with us all
the time, not the tears of Rachel, and not the holiness of Jerusalem. As we
rest every day, remember Verse 17: “And there is hope for thy future”. This
hope is not a wish, but a Divine decree. May the “everlasting love” mentioned
in this text bring you comfort in your body and peace in your spirit!
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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following via several of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).
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May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom =
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שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom
Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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