Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 3:16
And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit [it]; neither shall [that] be done any more.
16. The Ark, which had been the seat of the special manifestation of Jehovah, shall be forgotten, because the whole city shall be filled with His presence.
And it shall in the land ] Probably a later insertion in the passage, connecting with the “one” and “two” of Jer 3:14, and implying that when they came to be numerous, they would no longer need the Ark as symbol, while till then it would be essential. In accordance with this view are the words “be multiplied and increased,” as being an expression characteristic of the exilic document (P), which forms one of the component parts of the Pentateuch. Cp. the same two verbs (identical in the Hebrew) in Jer 23:3, and so in Eze 36:2.
in those days ] a phrase denoting the ideal future. Cp. Jer 5:18, Jer 33:16.
visit ] rather (with mg.) miss, feel the want of.
neither shall that be done any more ] rather (with mg.) neither shall it (the Ark) be made any more; no visible symbol shall be needed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In those days – This and the phrase the latter days, had become under the Messianic teaching of the prophets a regular formula for the time of Christs coming, when all the nations hopes would be fulfilled.
The ark was the center of the Mosaic economy, containing within it the two tables of the Law as the conditions of the covenant and having over it, upon the mercy-seat, the Shechinah as the visible sign of Gods presence. But in those days the symbol must pass away, because God will then dwell in His people by the gift of the Holy Spirit 1Co 3:16, and the terms of the covenant will be written on their hearts Jer 31:33.
Neither shall they visit it – Rather, neither shall they miss it; i. e., they will not trouble about it, nor regret its loss.
Neither shall that be done anymore – Rather, neither shall it (the ark) be made anymore; it shall not be renewed or repaired, because the tabernacle of God will be one made without hands Heb 9:11, even the heart of His believing people.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jer 3:16
The ark of the covenant of the Lord.
The ark of the covenant
When inward piety is low the externals of religion are frequently cried up. Those who know nothing of God are the very people to exclaim concerning themselves and their brethren, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these. The more phylactery, the less sanctity. On the other hand, whenever the Spirit of God is largely poured out, although the ordinances of God are carefully attended to, yet as external things they are sure to be put into their proper place, and that proper place is a secondary one.
I. The symbol reverenced.
1. The ark of the covenant was the object of great reverence, and very fitly so, because it symbolised Gods presence, the presence of Jehovah, the living God, in the midst of His people.
2. That presence of God meant blessing; for God was with His people in love to them. The Lord abides not with His enemies, but with His chosen. So long as He gave the token of His presence it was a sign that He had not cast them off as hopeless.
3. The ark was held in reverence by the Israelites because it was their leader. When the time came to march through the wilderness the ark went in the forefront.
4. The ark was to the Israelites, after their wanderings were over, the fixed centre of their nationality, even as while they were in the wilderness it had always been placed in the centre of the camp.
5. Marvel not that the men of Judah paid great reverence to this ark when, in so many ways, it was a token for good to them. What they did to this ark is mentioned in the text. First, they recognised it as the ark of the covenant of the Lord. They were wont to say, The ark of the covenant of the Lord. They spoke much of it, and prided themselves upon the possession of it. Nay, they not only spoke of it: but they loved it; for we read, Neither shall it come to mind, or as the margin has it, Neither shall it come upon the heart. In the next place, they remembered it, as the text plainly informs us. If they were captives they prayed in the direction in which the ark was situated; wherever they wandered they thought of God and of the coffer which represented His presence. Next, they visited it. On certain holy days they came from the utmost ends of their land, in joyful companies, singing from stage to stage, and making joyful holiday as they went up to the place where God did dwell between the cherubim. Visiting it, they were accustomed also to speak highly of it; for in the margin of your Bibles you will find, Neither shall they magnify it any more. They used to tell to one another what the ark had done; the glory that shone forth from it, the acceptance of the offering whose blood was sprinkled upon it on the day of atonement, and the testimony which was heard from between the cherubic wings.
II. That reverence obliterated. They were to say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord. Yet that fact was to be a blessing. They were no more to speak of the ark itself, because they would have that which the ark was intended to foreshadow.
1. Our Lord Jesus by His coming has put out of His peoples thoughts the material ark of the covenant, because its meaning is fulfilled in Him; and this, first, in the sense of preservation. He said, Thy law is within My heart. It was not within His heart alone, but within all. His life; His whole thoughts, words, and acts went to make up a golden chest in which the precious treasure of the perfect law of God should be contained.
2. Next, the ark signified propitiation; for over the top of the sacred box, which held the two tables of the law, was the slab of gold called the mercy seat, which covered all. When God looks down upon His law, He does not see it nakedly, but He beholds it in the person of His Son. He sees it there perfectly preserved, without taint or flaw of any kind, and He rejoices therein.
3. The next word is a very blessed one, and that is covenant. The ark was called the ark of the covenant. Ah, how soon we should lose the sweet things of God if we were under the covenant of works, and how soon we should miss the gentle sovereignty of His shepherd rod! I thank God that in Christ Jesus we have a covenant of grace which can never fail, and never can be broken, and in Him we have all that our souls desire: pot of manna and rod of Aaron, covenant provision and covenant rule we find in Him.
4. Because this ark was the ark of the covenant of God it was from it that He was accustomed to reveal Himself, and so it is called the ark of testimony. We say no more, The ark of the testimony, but we rejoice that God was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, and saw the Father in the Son.
5. This ark also signified enthronement; for the top of the ark was, so to speak, the throne of God. It was the throne of the heavenly grace. If you would see the throne of God, behold the person of the Christ; for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Oh, what a blessing to have such a throne to come to–to Jesus Himself, who is the throne of the invisible God!
6. As it was the place of Gods enthronement, so it was the door of mans approach. You and I need not speak of the ark of the covenant; for we have a blessed way of approach. We do not come to Christ once in the year only, but every day in the year, and every hour of the day.
7. The ark was the place of gracious power. On the top of the mercy seat stood cherubic figures, types of angelic power, and of all the powers of providence which God is pleased to use in the behalf of His people. Yet we will not speak of the ark, neither will we remember it, neither will we visit it; for we see in Christ Jesus that all the power of God is on our side: He is God with us, and if God be with us, who can be against us?
8. The ark was much reverenced by the Jews, because it was the centre of their nationality. Find me a dozen spiritual men, and describe their different modes of thought; but let them sit together and begin to talk of the things of God, and of the covenant of grace, and of the work of the Spirit in the soul, and of the preciousness of the blood of Jesus, and you will see that they are one. There is, there must be, an essential unity among those who are quickened by the Spirit: and I rejoice that the name, the person, and the work of Jesus are at this hour the centre of Christendom.
III. This reverence transferred.
1. Let us say that Jesus is our covenant. We are told, They shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord. People must talk, it is natural to them–what else are their tongues for? Let us, then, say concerning Christ that He is the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Say this, say it often, nobody will rebuke you; it is a subject upon which you may be as fluent as you please. This is a kind of note of which the human ear, when once it is cleansed, never grows weary.
2. The text takes you a step further; for it says of the original ark, Neither shall it come to mind. or (I give the margin), Neither shall it come upon your heart. Let Christ come upon your heart and dwell there. Oh, love the Lord, alive His saints! You can love other things too much; but not your Lord.
3. And, next, if we should ever grow dull or cold at any time, let us take the third step in the text, and let us remember the Lord. O memory, leave no other name than that of Jesus recorded upon thy tablets.
4. The next thing is, let us visit Him. We cannot set out on journeys now to go to Jerusalem on foot,–little bands of us together; yet let us visit Jesus. Let us continually come to the mercy seat. No prayer, no power. The ark of the covenant is gone when the people no longer come together to cry unto the Lord.
5. The last thing is, Neither shall that he done any more; but the margin has it, Neither shall that be magnified any more. Transfer your reverence, then, and as you cannot magnify the literal mercy seat, come and magnify Christ, who is the real mercy seat. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Christ, the true ark of the covenant
I. A most alarming and unwelcome announcement. That the ark would disappear, and another not be made. Israels safety and prosperity were connected with the ark of covenant. By some regarded with superstitious awe rather than reverential fear; yet by all as of incalculable value to the nations.
II. A bitter and irreconcilable loss.
1. Prophecy soon fulfilled.
2. Loss deeply lamented.
III. A surpassing compensation predicted.
1. Must have seemed incredible at the time; yet afterwards proved consolatory.
2. How was the prediction fulfilled? In the appearing of Christ, the antitype of the ark.
IV. The realisation in Christ of the ark symbolised.
1. The Divine nearness.
2. The Deity bending mercifully over mere
3. The helpful and healing grace of God.
Conclusion–
1. Israelites who early became Christians, and enjoyed the presence of Christ on earth, must have readily surrendered and forgotten the ark in the realisation of Jesus and His tender grace.
2. Believers, though now not realising Christ bodily among them, experience His Spirits indwelling, revealing Christ within.
3. Contrite sinners can rejoice in the tenderness, lowliness, and compassion of Christ. (R. Gordon, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. The ark of the covenant of the Lord] This symbol of the Divine presence, given to the Jews as a token and pledge of God’s dwelling among them, shall be no longer necessary, and shall no longer exist; for in the days of the Messiah, to which this promise seems to relate, God’s worship shall not be confined either to one place or to one people. The temple of God shall be among men, and every where God be adored through Christ Jesus.
Neither shall that be done any more.] The ark shall be no more established, nor carried from place to place, nor shall men go to visit it. All its ceremonies and importance shall cease; and, if lost, shall never be rebuilt.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
When ye be multiplied; after the growth of the church under the Messiah.
In those days; pointing at the great work of conversion that should be among them, especially in the days of the Messias, and how greatly the church should be increased by the accession of the Gentiles, a beginning whereof we read Act 2:41; 4:4.
The ark; a synecdoehical expression for all the legal ceremonies, whereof the ark was a chief part: the sense is, that whole worship, with all the rites and ceremonies belonging to it, should wholly cease, Christ being come, who was the substance of what the ark and all other rites did but shadow out for a time he being now our propitiatory, instead of the covering of the ark or mercy-seat, Rom 3:25; he answers all the uses and purposes thereof. In the ark was laid up the manna, Aarons rod, and the tables of the law, Heb 9:4. He is now the bread of life, Joh 6 35, he is our rod of government, Psa 23:4, in him is the whole law fulfilled, Rom 10:4; and now God shall reign gloriously in his church by his word and Spirit, and shall be so worshipped without ceremony, Joh 4:21,23. For if this so eminent and comprehensive a token of Gods presence must cease in the days of the gospel, much more the temple service, with all the rites belonging to it, Joh 1:17; Col 2:17; Heb 10:8,9.
The ark of the covenant; called also the ark of the testimony, Exo 25:22; 30:26; 31:7; and the reason is, because the two tables of the law, which were the testimony or witness of the covenant, were closed up in it, Exo 25:16,21; 40:20.
Neither shall it come to mind, & c., i.e. it shall be no more in use, neither shall there be any miss of it, or any thing like it, there shall be no such thing; men shall not trouble their thoughts about it, or mention it; compare Isa 65:17; or repair to it as an oracle to receive the answers of God; nor for Gods worship; compare Jer 16:14,15; or the place of its residence, as if no where else to be had; in a word, it shall not at all be had in honour or respect, or made much of. The word hhasah, done or made, signifies to magnify, as it seems to be used, Deu 32:6; 1Sa 12:6. The whole church shall now be the throne of God, Jer 3:17, to which purpose the ark formerly served; now God foreseeing, partly how hard a thing it would be to be believed, and partly the pleas that the corrupt wit and invention of man would find out for the retaining of these rites, and by consequence their lothness to forego them, he useth such a heap and variety of expressions to the same thing, that he may leave no room for doubting in a thing so plainly and fully prohibited in gospel times.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. they shall say no moreTheJews shall no longer glory in the possession of the ark; it shall notbe missed, so great shall be the blessings of the new dispensation.The throne of the Lord, present Himself, shall eclipse and putout of mind the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat between thecherubim, God’s former throne. The ark, containing the two tables ofthe law, disappeared at the Babylonian captivity, and was notrestored to the second temple, implying that the symbolical “glory”was to be superseded by a “greater glory” (Hag2:9).
neither . . . visititrather, “neither shall it be missed” (so inJer 23:4).
donerather, “neithershall it (the ark) be made (that is, be restored) any more”[MAURER].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land,…. That is, when the number of the disciples and followers of Christ, and true believers in him, shall be multiplied and increased in the land of Judea, and in the Gentile world also, under the ministry of the above said pastors, apostles, and ministers of the Gospel, who should be succeeded everywhere, as they were; see Ac 6:1:
in those days, saith the Lord of hosts, they shall say no more, the ark of the covenant of the Lord; because the antitype of it would be come, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word that is made flesh and dwelt among men; and in whom the Shechinah, or divine Majesty, dwells in a more glorious manner than it did over the ark, for in him dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and the ark may be put for the whole ceremonial law, which was abolished at the death of Christ, and to be used and spoken of no more; and whereas it was, for a good while after the abrogation of it, a matter of debate and contention, and was not wholly under the church’s feet until about the times of Constantine, when there was a great multiplication and increase of Christians throughout the Roman empire, the prophecy may be thought to belong to those times, at least there was then a greater accomplishment of it; see Re 12:1:
neither shall it come to mind, neither shall they remember it; as it should not be spoken of, so it should not be thought of any more than if it had never been:
neither shall they visit it; to inquire of the Lord, before it, about what they wanted to be informed of, as they used to do,
Jud 20:23:
neither shall that be done any more; or, “made any more” g the Jews h say, the ark was wanting in the second temple, and was never afterwards remade: all the expressions denote the utter abolition of legal rites and ceremonies, never to be revived more. The Targum paraphrases the last clause,
“neither shall they make war with it any more;”
and so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it as if it was a prophecy of such a time of profound peace, that there would be no need of bringing out the ark as formerly; this use of it would be quite forgotten; but this was not the principal use of the ark, and very rarely was it ever used in this way.
g “neque reparabitur amplius, [vel] et non constuetur amplius”, Schmidt. h T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 21. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In Jer 3:16 and Jer 3:17 also the thought is clothed in a form characteristic of the Old Testament. When the returned Israelites shall increase and be fruitful in the land, then shall they no more remember the ark of the covenant of the Lord or feel the want of it, because Jerusalem will then be the throne of the Lord. The fruitfulness and increase of the saved remnant is a constant feature in the picture of Israel’s Messianic future; cf. Jer 23:3; Eze 36:11; Hos 2:1. This promise rests on the blessing given at the creation, Gen 1:28. God as creator and preserver of the world increases mankind together with the creatures; even so, as covenant God, He increases His people Israel. Thus He increased the sons of Israel in Egypt to be a numerous nation, Exo 1:12; thus, too, He will again make fruitful and multiply the small number of those who have been saved from the judgment that scattered Israel amongst the heathen. In the passages which treat of this blessing, generally precedes ; here, on the contrary, and in Eze 36:11, the latter is put first. The words ‘ must not be translated: they will speak no more of the ark of the covenant; c. accus. never has this meaning. They must be taken as the substance of what is said, the predicate being omitted for rhetorical effect, so that the words are to be taken as an exclamation. Hgstb. supplies: It is the aim of all our wishes, the object of our longing. Mov. simply: It is our most precious treasure, or the glory of Israel, 1Sa 4:21.; Psa 78:61. And they will no more remember it. Ascend into the heart, i.e., come to mind, joined with here and in Isa 65:17; cf. Jer 7:31; Jer 32:35; Jer 51:50; 1Co 2:9. , and they will not miss it; cf. Isa 34:16; 1Sa 20:6, etc. This meaning is called for by the context, and especially by the next clause: it will not be made again. Hitz.’s objection against this, that the words cannot mean this, is an arbitrary dictum. Non fiet amplius (Chr. B. Mich.), or, it will not happen any more, is an unsuitable translation, for this would be but an unmeaning addition; and the expansion, that the ark will be taken into the battle as it formerly was, is such a manifest rabbinical attempt to twist the words, that it needs no further refutation. Luther’s translation, nor offer more there, is untenable, since by itself never means offer.
The thought is this: then they will no longer have any feeling of desire or want towards the ark. And wherefore? The answer is contained in Jer 3:17: At that time will they call Jerusalem the throne of Jahveh. The ark was the throne of Jahveh, inasmuch as Jahveh, in fulfilment of His promise in Exo 25:22, and as covenant God, was ever present to His people in a cloud over the extended wings of the two cherubim that were upon the covering of the ark of the law; from the mercy-seat too, between the two cherubs, He spake with His people, and made known to them His gracious presence: Lev 16:2; cf. 1Ch 13:6; Psa 80:2; 1Sa 4:4. The ark was therefore called the footstool of God, 1Ch 28:2; Psa 99:5; Psa 132:7; Lam 2:1. But in future Jerusalem is to be, and to be called, the throne of Jahveh; and it is in such a manner to take the place of the ark, that the people will neither miss it nor make any more mention of it. The promise by no means presumes that when Jeremiah spoke or wrote this prophecy the ark was no longer in existence; “was gone out of sight in some mysterious manner,” as Movers, Chron. S. 139, and Hitz. suppose,
(Note: Against this Hgstb. well says, that this allegation springs from the incapacity of modern exegesis to accommodate itself to the prophetic anticipation of the future; and that we might as well infer from Jer 3:18, that at the time these words were spoken, the house of Judah must already in some mysterious manner have come into the land of the north. 2Ch 35:5 furnishes unimpeachable testimony to the existence of the ark in the 18th year of Josiah. And even Graf says he cannot find anything to justify Movers’ conclusion, since from the special stress laid on the fact that at a future time they will have the ark no longer, it might more naturally be inferred that the ark was still in the people’s possession, and was an object of care to them.)
but only that it will be lost or destroyed. This could happen only at and along with the destruction of Jerusalem; and history testifies that the temple after the exile had no ark. Hence it is justly concluded that the ark had perished in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, and that upon the rebuilding of the temple after the exile, the ark was not restored, because the nucleus of it, the tables of the law written by the finger of God, could not be constructed by the hand of man. Without the ark the second temple was also without the gracious presence of Jahveh, the Shechinah or dwelling-place of God; so that this temple was no longer the throne of God, but only a seeming temple, without substance or reality. And thus the Old Testament covenant had come to an end. “We have here then before us,” Hgstb. truly observes, “the announcement of an entire overthrow of the earlier form of the kingdom; but it is such an overthrow of the form that it is at the same time the highest perfection of the substance – a process like that in seed-corn, which only dies in order to bring forth much fruit; like that in the body, which is sown a corruptible that it may rise an incorruptible.” For the dwelling and enthronement of the Lord amidst His people was again to come about, but in a higher form. Jerusalem is to become the throne of Jahveh, i.e., Jerusalem is to be for the renewed Israel that which the ark had been for the former Israel, the holy dwelling-place of God. Under the old covenant Jerusalem had been the city of Jahveh, of the great King (Psa 48:3); because Jerusalem had possessed the temple, in which the Lord sat enthroned in the holy of holies over the ark. If in the future Jerusalem is to become the throne of the Lord instead of the ark, Jerusalem must itself become a sanctuary of God; God the Lord must fill all Jerusalem with His glory ( ), as Isaiah prophesied He would in Isaiah 60, of which prophecy we have the fulfilment portrayed in Apoc. 21 and 22. Jeremiah does not more particularly explain how this is to happen, or how the raising of Jerusalem to be the throne of the Lord is to be accomplished; for he is not seeking in this discourse to proclaim the future reconstitution of the kingdom of God. His immediate aim is to clear away the false props of their confidence from a people that set its trust in the possession of the temple and the ark, and further to show it that the presence of the temple and ark will not protect it from judgment; that, on the contrary, the Lord will reject faithless Judah, destroying Jerusalem and the temple; that nevertheless He will keep His covenant promises, and that by receiving again as His people the repentant members of the ten tribes, regarded by Judah as wholly repudiated, with whom indeed He will renew His covenant.
As a consequence of Jerusalem’s being raised to the glory of being the Lord’s throne, all nations will gather themselves to her, the city of God; cf. Zec 2:1-13:15. Indeed in the Old Testament every revelation of the glory of God amongst His people attracted the heathen; cf. Jos 9:9. , not, to the name of Jahveh towards Jerusalem (Hitz.), but, because of the name of Jahveh at Jerusalem (as in Jos 9:9), i.e., because Jahveh reveals His glory there; for the name of Jahveh is Jahveh Himself in the making of His glorious being known in deeds of almighty power and grace. , prop. belonging to Jerusalem, because the name makes itself known there; cf. Jer 16:19; Mic 4:2; Zec 8:22. – The last clause, they will walk no more, etc., refers not to the heathen peoples, but to the Israelites as being the principal subject of the discourse (cf. Jer 5:16), since is used of Israel in all the cases (Jer 7:24; Jer 9:13; Jer 11:8; Jer 13:10; Jer 16:12; Jer 18:12; Jer 23:17, and Psa 81:13), thus corresponding to the original in Deu 29:18, whence it is taken. prop. firmness, but in Hebr. always sensu malo : obstinacy, obduracy of heart, see in Deut. l.c.; here strengthened by the adjective belonging to .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Interpreters have perverted this verse, for none of them have understood the design of the Prophet. The Jews, for the most part, have adduced frigid and far — fetched glosses, — that they would no more bring out to battles the Ark of the Covenant, as no enemy would invade their land. They think then that a peaceable state is promised to the people, as they would be constrained by no hostile force to carry the Ark of the Covenant here and there. But we clearly see that the words mean no such thing: it is then a comment wholly foreign to the subject. Others say, that what is said must be applied to the time of the Messiah, and none even of the Jews deny this; for it afterwards follows, that the Israelites would return with the tribe of Judah. This had not yet been fulfilled; it hence follows, that the Prophet here predicts of the kingdom of Christ. But the Jews, while allowing this, do not understand that anything is said of the abrogation of legal ceremonies; it has yet been thought by almost all Christians, that the Prophet here teaches us, that when Christ should come, an end would be put to all the shadows of the law, so that there would be no more any Ark of the Covenant, as the fullness of the Godhead would dwell in Christ.
This indeed is a view which seems plausible, but the meaning of the Prophet, as I think, is wholly different: for he refers here to that divorce or division which had for a long time existed between the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel. Though the kingdom of Israel, as to the number of its men, largeness of territory and wealth, was more flourishing and prosperous than the kingdom of Judah; yet there remained these advantages to the Jews, — that they had a Temple built according to God’s command, — that its place had been chosen by God, — that they had the Ark of the Covenant as a symbol of God’s presence. Hence there was contention between the kingdom of Judah and the ten tribes: the Israelites were elated on account of their number and their riches, and other temporal advantages; and the Jews gloried in their Temple and the Ark of the Covenant. And what now does the Prophet say? He declares that such would be the concord between the Israelites and the Jews, that the Jews would no more say, “The Ark of the Covenant,” “The Temple of God;” for God would be present with them all. And the Prophet proceeds to confirm more fully what I have just said: it is therefore necessary to add the two following verses. He then says —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) In those days.No time had been named, but the phrase had become familiar for the far-off better time of the true king of the Messianic kingdom.
They shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord.Noteworthy both for its exceeding boldness and as containing the germ, or more than the germ, of the great thought of the New Covenant developed in Jer. 31:31. The ark, the very centre of the worship of Israel, the symbol and, it might seem, more than the symbol, of the Divine presence, that, too, should pass away, as the brasen serpent had become Nehushtan (2Ki. 18:4), and take its place as belonging only to the past. Foremost among the prophets was Jeremiah to perceive and proclaim that
God fulfils Himself in many ways.
The legend of 2Ma. 2:4-5, that Jeremiah had hidden the tabernacle and the ark in a cave that they might be restored in the latter days, presents a singular contrast to the higher thoughts of the prophet.
Neither shall it come to mind.Literally, come upon the heart, which throughout the Old Testament implies the intellect rather than the affections.
Neither shall they visit it.Better, shall they miss it, as men miss what they value. The words probably refer to the feelings with which the ark had been restored to its place by Josiah (2Ch. 35:3) after its displacement by Manasseh (2Ch. 33:7).
Neither shall that be done any more.Better, neither shall it [the ark] be made any more. It shall be left to decay and perish, and none shall care to reconstruct it. The words had, of course, a fulfilment in the ritual of the second Temple, where there was no ark in the Holy of Holies, and that loss was probably what Jeremiah foresaw most clearly, and for which he sought to prepare his people, as the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 8:13) did to prepare those of his time for the more entire destruction of the Temple and its worship. But even within this horizon the thought was bold in itself and pregnant with yet greater truths.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. No more, The ark, etc. They shall not want the symbol, because they have the high and glorious reality. They shall not need the tables of stone, for God shall write the law on the tables of their hearts. They shall no longer need the symbolized presence of Jehovah, for Jerusalem shall be his throne and dwellingplace. This passage has an exact parallel ina higher plane in Rev 21:22. “And I saw no temple therein.” Heaven, as has been well said, will be “a templeless, because an all-temple, state.” So the full spiritual revelation of God must of necessity do away with all material symbols.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 3:16. Neither shall that be done any more There can be no doubt to any reader of this and the subsequent verses, that, however they may refer, in their primary sense, to the restoration of the Jews after the Babylonish captivity, they have their full and perfect completion only in the abolition of the law, and the conversion of Jews and Gentiles to the faith of Christ; whereby both are made one, fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. See Eph 2:14; Eph 2:22.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 3:16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit [it]; neither shall [that] be done any more.
Ver. 16. They shall say no more, The ark, &c. ] When the gospel shall be preached, the ancient ceremonies shall be abolished. a This was not so easily believed, and is therefore here again and again assured.
a Paulus ea vocat stercora et rudera.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
in those days: i.e. the days of the Restoration spoken of in verses: Jer 3:14, Jer 3:15. Compare Jer 31:38-40; Jer 33:13.
they: i.e. those who return.
shall say no more, ‘The ark’, &c. The ark was still in the land in the days of this prophecy (2Ch 35:3); but it was to disappear with the broken covenant, of which it was the symbol.
The ark of the covenant of the LORD. Reference to Pentateuch, (see notes on Exo 25:22). Compare note on 1Ch 13:3).
visit it. This is conclusive of the fact that it was burnt together with the Temple (as it is not included in the excepted things, in 2Ki 25:9, 2Ki 25:13-15), notwithstanding the Jewish tradition recorded in 2 Macc. 2:4-8, and the impossible stories of its being taken over to North Africa, Constantinople, or Ireland.
neither shall that be done, &c. = neither shall it be made any more. It disappeared together with the covenant, of which it was the symbol (Jer 8:19; Jer 12:7. Psa 132:13, Psa 132:14). The reason follows in Jer 3:17. Jehovah’s throne will be substituted for it: the reality will take the place of the symbol. Jehovah Himself will take the place of the Shekinah.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
when: Jer 30:19, Jer 31:8, Jer 31:27, Isa 60:22, Isa 61:4, Eze 36:8-12, Eze 37:26, Hos 1:10, Hos 1:11, Amo 9:9, Amo 9:14, Amo 9:15, Zec 8:4, Zec 8:5, Zec 10:7-9
say: Jer 7:4, Zep 3:11, Mat 3:9
The ark: Isa 65:17, Isa 66:1, Isa 66:2, Mat 1:11, Joh 4:20-24, Heb 9:9-12, Heb 10:8, Heb 10:9, Heb 10:19-21
to mind: Heb. upon the heart
that be done: or, it be magnified
Reciprocal: Num 10:33 – the ark Jos 3:14 – bearing the ark 1Sa 4:3 – the ark 1Ch 15:29 – as the ark Jer 16:19 – Gentiles Jer 50:4 – those Eze 15:5 – meet
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
AN OBSOLETE WATCHWORD
And it shall come to pass they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind.
Jer 3:16
I. There was a time in Israel when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was the symbol of the national hopes and deliverances.If Israel was smitten before her enemies, it was thither that the people turned for help. On one memorable occasion they brought from Shiloh the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim, and when it came into the camp all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again; and even the Philistines were afraid. But Jeremiah says that this would never be done in the coming time. Why? Partly because the people would rely more on the spiritual presence than the material emblem, and partly because a new covenant would have been inaugurated, superseding the old.
II. In all true lives there is something of this.We outgrow our old experiences, and get as far beyond them, as they were once beyond anything we had attained. It seems to you that you cannot look for higher heights, more heavenly experiences, or deeper insight than you have had. Beware, lest you limit God. Your highest watermark shall be overleapt when the tide comes in again.
Illustration
The doctrine of setting aside of ancient codes by the authority of the Inner Law is implied in many passages of Jeremiah. The superseding of the Mosaic Law is here set forth by a most expressive symbol. The Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah shall no longer be the watchword of Israel. The Ark and the Mosaic Torah were inseparably connected; if the Ark was to perish and be forgotten, the Law must also be annulled.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Jer 3:16. Many things written by the prophets had a twofold bearing, applying in some sense to both fleshly and spiritual Israel and this verse is one of them. When Gods people get back into their own land they will be so happy over their escape from the Babylonian captivity they will cease to repine for the ark of the Lord which then will have been lost. All this was true of the Jews as may be seen in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. But the “telescope (see illustration offered in General Remarks at Isa. ch. 1) is here extended and the prophet sees into the time of the reign of Christ. The ark represents the Jewish Dispensation which will be replaced by that under Christ. When that time comes spiritual Israel will not be calling for the ark (containing the 10 commandments issued at Sinai), but all attention will be centered in the law of Christ that will be issued at Jerusalem. Neither shall they remember it does not teach that Christians should literally forget all about the Old Testament law, for Rom 15:4 and 1Co 10:11 teach that they are expected to remember Its history. The meaning is that the people under Christ will not be longing to go back to the old law for guidance, for to do so will cause them to lose the favor of God. (See Gal 5:4.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 3:16. And when ye be multiplied That is, when the kingdom of the Messiah shall be set up, and there shall be a vast increase of the members of the church by the accession of the Gentiles: for that the days of the Messiah are here intended, the Jewish masters themselves acknowledge; they shall say no more, The ark, &c. The ark is here put for all the legal ceremonies, being, with the rites connected with it, the chief part thereof. The sense is, that whole worship, with all the rites and ceremonies belonging to it, shall wholly cease, Christ being come, who was the substance of what the ark and all other rites did but shadow out for a time. Here, says Blaney, God comforts the Jews with an assurance that, though upon their return to him they might not find themselves in possession of exactly the same privileges as they had before, they should be no losers, but should receive ample indemnification, so as to leave them no just cause of regret. The ark of the covenant was the visible seat of Gods residence among his people; it was therefore the object of their boast; but after the destruction of the first temple they had it no more. But, to compensate this loss, they are told, in the next verse, that Jerusalem should be called the throne of Jehovah, to which, not the Jews only, but all nations should resort. By Jerusalem is probably meant the Christian Church: see Gal 4:26; Rev 21:2-3. The greater privileges of this latter would, of course, supersede all boast on account of those which had belonged to the Jewish Church at any time.
Neither shall it come to mind Hebrew, , which Blaney renders, Nor shall it be the delight of their heart; namely, as it formerly was, observing, that several passages of Scripture where the same phrase occurs show this to be the import of it. What value the Israelites set upon the ark, and how much they were attached to it, appears from many parts of their history. Neither shall they remember it They shall forget the less in contemplation of the greater benefit. Neither shall they visit it Or care for it, as Blaney translates , which often signifies to look after a thing, which has been long lost or neglected, with a wish or design to recover or restore it. In this sense God is said to have visited his people, Exo 3:16; Luk 1:68; that is, he again showed that he concerned himself about them. And so it is said of the people, Isa 26:16, O Lord, in trouble have they visited thee; that is, they, who before neglected thee, in their affliction turned their thoughts and desires toward thee. Neither shall that be done any more It shall be no more in use; neither shall men trouble their thoughts about it, or mention it. The Hebrew, , is literally rendered by the LXX., , Nor shall it be made any more. So also the Vulgate, nec fiet ultra. The ark, once lost, was never to be made again, or restored: and for a good reason, which immediately follows; because, instead of the ark, Jerusalem itself, that is, the Christian Church, was to become the seat of Gods residence. It is probable that this great variety of expressions is used, not only to show that the ceremonies of the law of Moses should be totally and finally abolished, never to be used any more, but that it would be with difficulty that those who had been so long wedded to them would be weaned from them; and that they would not quite relinquish them till their holy city and holy house should both be levelled with the ground.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3:16 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The {q} ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they miss [it]; neither shall [that] be done any more.
(q) This is to be understood of the coming of Christ: for then they will not seek the Lord by ceremonies, and all figures will cease.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
When many Israelites had repented and returned to the land, they would not take pride in the ark of the covenant. The ark would not even come into their minds, they would not even remember it, they would not miss it, nor would they attempt to rebuild it. Most scholars assume that the Babylonians took the ark into captivity or destroyed it when they destroyed the temple in 586 B.C. There is no historical record of it following that event. It is possible, of course, that the Jews may have hidden it sometime before the razing of the temple.
"Verse 16b shows that the old economy was to be dissolved. The old covenant, of which the ark was a central feature, was to give way to another-a preview of Jer 31:31-34." [Note: Feinberg, p. 402.]
At this point in the oracle, it becomes clear that at least some in Israel definitely would repent and experience divine restoration, sometime in the future. Note the recurrence of "in those days" and "at that time" (Jer 3:16-18). We believe that the repentance in view will take place at the second coming of Christ, when the Jews realize that Jesus is their Messiah. They will then put their trust in Him (Zec 12:10; Zec 13:1; cf. Rom 11:26). Much that follows in this oracle concerning the blessings of Israel’s repentance describes millennial conditions. [Note: See Walter C. Kaiser Jr., "Evidence from Jeremiah," in A Case for Premillennialism: A New Consensus, pp. 105-7.]