Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 31:13
Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
13. the young men and the old, etc.] For “together” it is best (pointing the MT. differently) to read with LXX “shall rejoice.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Both gives the idea of the men dancing, which is incorrect. Except at a religious solemnity 2Sa 6:14, dancing was confined to women. Render and young men and old rejoice together.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jer 31:13
I will turn their mourning into Joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Transfigured troubles
In one of the German picture galleries is a painting called Cloudland. It hangs at the end of a long gallery, and at first sight it looks like a huge, repulsive daub of confused colour, without form or comeliness. As you walk towards it the picture begins to take shape. It proves to be a mass of exquisite little cherub faces, like those at the head of the canvas in Raphaels Madonna San Sisto. If you come close to the picture you see only an innumerable company of little angels and cherubim. How often the soul that is frightened by trial sees nothing but a confused mass of crushed hopes! But if that soul, instead of fleeing away into unbelief and despair, would only draw up nearer to God, it would soon discover that the cloud was full of angels of mercy. In one cherub face it would see, Whom I love I chasten. Another angel would say, All things work together for good to them that love God. In still another sweet face the heavenly words are coming forth, Let not your heart be troubled: in My Fathers house are many mansions. (T. L. Cuyler.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
This verse containeth only a further variety of expressions, all signifying the same thing, viz. their happy state for some time after the captivity. We may understand the dancings here of all sorts of people, either of their religious rejoicing in their holy festivals, (for under the Old Testament in their religious rejoicing they used these external expressions of joy, as appears from Psa 150:4, and from Davids dancing before the ark,) or of their civil joy, where dancing was more usual: the last words of the verse expound all the former.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. young . . . old (Zec 8:4;Zec 8:5).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together,…. Not any particular virgin, but all virgins, as Kimchi interprets it. The Targum is,
“then shall the congregation of Israel rejoice as in dances;”
it may very well be understood of the church of Christ, espoused to him as a chaste virgin, and of her spiritual joy in him, in allusion to the joy expressed by such persons in dancing, both upon civil and religious accounts; and it denotes that the joy should be very general and extensive, that persons of every age and sex should partake of it; see Zec 9:17;
for I will turn their mourning into joy: their mourning for sin, and for want of the divine presence, into joy, on account of the goodness of the Lord to them, and the large provisions made for them; though they come weeping to Zion, yet, when come thither, sing in the height of it, Jer 31:9; their fasts, as elsewhere, are turned into festivals; sometimes the joy of the saints is suddenly turned into grief, and again their sorrow turned into joy; see Ps 30:5;
and will comfort them; with the discoveries of love, with the divine Presence, and views of pardoning grace:
and make them rejoice from their sorrow; cause their sorrow to break off through joy: or, “after their sorrow” p; that being ended, joy shall succeed.
p “post moerorem suum”, Cataker.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This is a confirmation of the former verse; for he says that joy would be in common to young women and young men, and also to the old. He had spoken of the perpetuity of joy; but he now extends this joy to both sexes, women and men, and to all ages. Of the dance we have spoken elsewhere, — that wantonness in which the world indulges in its hilarity, was not permitted; as to profane men, there is no moderation in their joy. The Prophets followed the common mode of speaking; and, indeed, the Israelites had their dances while celebrating the praises of God; but it was a chaste and modest joy, yea, and a sacred joy, for it was a mode of worshipping God. Yet the Prophet speaks according to the common practices of the people, as in many other places, when he says that young women and young men would rejoice in the dance
He then adds, I will turn their mourning to joy, I will console them and exhilarate them from their grief (31) Here the Prophet averts the thoughts of the Israelites from the evils they then had, lest their grief should so darken their minds as to prevent them to taste of God’s goodness promised them. That the feeling, then, of present evils might not hinder them to come to God and receive his favor, he speaks of their grief and mourning, and intimates that the change would be easily made by God’s hand, when it pleased him to deliver his people and restore them to their former state, so that their complete happiness would take place under the reign of Christ.
(31) This clause may be rendered thus, —
For I will turn their mourning into rejoicing, And I will comfort them and cheer them above their sorrow.
That is, “I will give them comfort and joy more than the sorrow which they have had.” The preposition מ, has often the meaning of above or more than. See Deu 14:2. Their sorrow had been great, but the promise here is, to give them in proportion a comfort and a joy still greater. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
13. Young men and old shall rejoice together See Zec 8:4-5.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Ver. 13. And make them rejoice from their sorrow. ] Or, After their sorrow. I will turn all their sadness into gladness, their sighing into singing, their tears into triumphs, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
shall: Jer 31:4, Neh 12:27, Neh 12:43, Psa 30:11, Psa 149:3, Zec 8:4, Zec 8:5, Zec 8:19
for: Ezr 6:22, Est 9:22, Isa 35:10, Isa 51:3, Isa 51:11, Isa 60:20, Isa 61:3, Isa 65:18, Isa 65:19, Joh 16:22
Reciprocal: Jdg 11:34 – his daughter Jdg 21:21 – dance Psa 68:25 – among Psa 87:3 – Glorious Psa 90:15 – Make Psa 95:2 – Let us Psa 126:2 – Then was Psa 137:3 – the songs of Zion Psa 148:12 – young men Isa 25:6 – make Isa 48:20 – with a voice Isa 49:13 – the Lord Isa 61:2 – to comfort Jer 30:19 – out Zep 3:14 – shout Zec 1:17 – the Lord shall Luk 6:21 – ye that weep 2Co 7:6 – that comforteth 2Ti 1:4 – filled Jam 4:9 – afflicted Rev 21:4 – neither sorrow
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 31:13. Dancing was engaged in by various age groups in ancient times, but the indications are that the practice was an expression of joy. The women and men danced separately, for the motive of happiness did not even suggest the familiar association of the sexes at such a time. This verse predicts their engaging in the dance as an evidence of the joy and lightness of heart the people would have after being made free from their bondage in tbe land of Babylon.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the {r} dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
(r) In the company of the faithful, who ever praise God for his benefits.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
All ages of people would celebrate because the Lord would change their mourning and sorrow into comfort and rejoicing. The priests would enjoy great abundance of blessing, and all the people would find satisfaction in the Lord for His goodness.
Jer 31:12-14 may be referring to the eschatological banquet that will occur on earth at the beginning of the Millennium (cf. Isa 25:6-10). Then the Israelites will appreciate Yahweh as their father (Jer 31:9), shepherd (Jer 31:10), redeemer (Jer 31:11), and king (Jer 31:12). These verses cannot be describing the conditions following the Israelites’ return to the land after the Babylonian Captivity. This is clear from Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.