Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 31:21
Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, [even] the way [which] thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
21. That the travellers should themselves be bidden to set up signposts has caused needless trouble to some commentators. Israel is bidden to mark out the way for his return, perhaps by pioneers sent in advance.
guide-posts ] The Heb. word occurs here only.
set thine heart ] The heart in Heb. denotes the seat of the intellect. Hence the sense is, turn thy attention to the way by which thou wentest into exile, that thou mayest retrace thy steps.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. Set thee up waymarks] Alluding to stones, or heaps of stones, which travellers in the desert set up to ascertain the way, that they may know how to return. Mark the way to Babylon: thither ye shall certainly go; but from it ye shall as certainly return.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The latter part of this verse expounds the former. Thou shalt (saith God) return again to these cities which thou now leavest, therefore take good notice of the way thou seest, set up some marks by which thou mayst know it again; make thee pillars of some high heaps of stone in the way, which thou mayst know again when thou comest at them; mind well the way that the Assyrians and the Babylonians carried thee, for thou shalt come back the same way. Further to assure them they should return, he calls to them
to turn again, and doubleth his words, for the further confirmation of the thing.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. waymarkspillars tomark the road for the returning exiles. Caravans set up pillars,or pointed heaps of stones, to mark the way through the desertagainst their return. So Israel is told by God to mark the way bywhich they went in leaving their country for exile; for by the sameway they shall return.
highway (Isa 35:8;Isa 35:10).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Set thee up way marks, make thee high heaps,…. Of stones, raised up as pillars, or like pyramids; or upright, as palm trees, which signification the word z has; to be marks and signs, to know the way again upon a return. The Targum is,
“O congregation of Israel, remember the right works of thy fathers; pour out supplications; in bitterness set thy heart.”
And so the Vulgate Latin version interprets the last clause, “put on bitternesses”, without any sense; so Cocceius. The design of the words is to put the Jews upon thoughts of returning to their own land, and to prepare for it;
set thine heart towards the highway, [even] the way [which] thou wentest; from Judea to Babylon, or into other countries; think of going the same way back again; for, as there was a highway from Judea, there is one to it; let thine heart be upon returning that way. Jarchi reads, “the way which I went”; that is, the way in which the Lord went with the people; the right way in which he guided and directed them; and in which following him, they could not err; see Isa 35:8. The Targum is,
“consider the works which thou hast done, whether they are fight, when thou goest in a way afar off;”
turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities; an invitation and encouragement to the Jews to turn again to their own land; as from the Babylonish captivity, so from all lands in the latter day; which is yet to be fulfilled, and to which the prophecy more properly belongs.
z “columnulas”, Schmidt; “pyramidas”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “palmulas”, Tigurine version, “a palma”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He describes what mercy would do, even that God would at length restore the captives and bring them back from exile to their own country. There was however mention made previously of his favor, that we may know that the people were restored for no other reason but because God had mercy on them. The Prophet then having pointed out the fountain of redemption, passes on now to the external effect, by which God proved that he was reconciled to his people. Hence he says, set up for thee titles
We must first understand why the Prophet speaks thus. When the Jews were led away into Chaldea, they thought that a return was closed up against them. Having then given up every concern for their country, they dwelt among foreign nations, as though they were dead to the land of Canaan. They knew that they had forfeited that land; but they did not understand what had been so often said to them by the Prophets, that their punishment was to be temporary. As they had before disregarded all threatenings, so when God began to fulminate against them, despair overwhelmed their minds, so that they did not wish to hear anything about a return. As then they thought that they were never to return to their own country, they had forgotten the way. As when one moves to another place where he intends to dwell all his life, he only seeks to know the way thither, but does not observe the accommodations on the road, in order to use them again, nor does he take notice which way he goes, whether he turns here to the right and there to the left; it is enough for him to reach the place to which he is going; so also it was with the Jews; they had made up their minds to remain in perpetual exile, they were not therefore solicitous about the road, so as to remember their journey. Therefore the Prophet says now, Set up for thee titles, or inscriptions; for those who travel anywhere, if they mean to return, know that such an inn was commodious, and also that there was so much distance between this town or city and that village, and in like manner, that the road was straight or turned more to one side than another. When therefore they think of a return, they attend to such things as these.
It is for this purpose that the Prophet says, Set up for thee titles, that is, that thou mayest assist thy memory, as travelers are wont to do, who intend to return by the same way. Set up then for thee titles, and raise up for thee heaps, or stones, which we call in our language monioyes; as though he had said, “Thou indeed hast hitherto thought that the way has been closed up against thee, so that thou art to return no more: but God will stretch forth his hand and restore thee to thy former state.” We hence see that the similitude is taken from the common practice of men, but employed for this end, that the Jews might not despair of their restoration as they had previously don. (42)
He then says, Apply thy heart — he now explains himself — apply thy heart to the footpath, to the way through which thou hast passed We thus see that the Prophet becomes the interpreter of his own words, even that the people would return along the same road, though they expected no such thing. And he again confirms the same declaration in other words, Return, thou daughter of Israel, return to thine own cities; as though he had said, “Though the land has beea deserted for a time, and reduced to solitude, yet the cities remain, which shall again receive their inhabitants; and through the wonderful favor of God the land still waits for its people.” Though it cast them out for a time, yet the exile was not to be perpetual, for the cities which remained were still by right the property of the people, not because they were worthy of them, but because God had prefixed, as it has elsewhere appeared, a set time for their exile and punishment.
(42)
Raise up for thyself heaps, Fix for thyself pillars.
Instead of צינים many copies read ציונים see 2Kg 23:17; Eze 39:15. That תמרורים cannot mean “bitternesses,” as rendered by the Vulg. and the Targ., is evident from the verb that precedes it, which means to place, to set, to fix. תמר is the palm-tree; the word then means palm-tree pillars, or pillars straight and high as the palm-tree. The remainder of the verse is as follows, —
Set thy heart on the highway, The way thou didst go; Return, O virgin of Israel, return, To thy cities ascend.
The word for “highway” means a raised road, a road prepared for travelling. The “virgin” here signifies one that is of an age to be married. When Israel repented, they were in a fit state to be united to God, as their husband. The last line is rendered according to the proposed emendation of Houbigant and approved by Horsley, עלה instead of, אלה which seems to have no meaning. — Ed
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
C. A New Creation Jer. 31:21-22
TRANSLATION
(21) Erect for yourself road marks, set up guideposts! Set your heart toward the highway, the way you have walked! Return, O Virgin of Israel, return to these your cities! (22) How long will you dilly-dally, O backsliding daughter, for the LORD has created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall compass a man.
COMMENTS
Jer. 31:21-22 form a distinct unit within chapter 31. The certainty of restoration is indicated in Jer. 31:21 as Jeremiah urges those going into captivity to mark the road they travel into exile so that they might know the return route. They are to erect, as it were, waymarks (stone pillars) and high heaps or signposts to mark the way home. They are to turn their attention to that highway in order that they might be able to retrace their steps. Jeremiah calls upon the virgin of Israel, the nation, to return to Palestine (Jer. 31:21). How long, asks the prophet, will you hesitate to return to your land? The backsliding daughter is admonished to put away her rebellious reluctance.
In the last part of Jer. 31:22 the prophet holds out a wondrous sign as an incentive to the reluctant nation. The Lord has created a new thing in the earth (or land). These words introduce a miracle which completely reverses ordinary human experience. It is something entirely new, something that had never happened before. A woman shall compass (or surround) a man. Many interpretations of these words which have been proposed clearly do not satisfy the requirements of the context.[269] In order to set forth the marvelous prophecy of this verse three questions need to be asked.
[269] All of the following interpretations have been offered: (1) the woman will become manly in spirit; (2) the woman will keep close to the man; (3) the woman will seek protection from the man.
1. Who is the woman who is the subject of the prophecy? Most commentators assume that the woman is Israel. Support for this interpretation is gained from the allusion to the nation as the virgin of Israel in the previous verse and a backsliding daughter in the present verse. While this interpretation cannot be absolutely ruled out, another interpretation is altogether possible. Many years before the time of Jeremiah, Isaiah prophesied of a virgin who would miraculously give birth to a child who would be Immanuel (God with us). Is it possible that Jeremiah is referring to that same woman? Certainly a virgin giving birth to a child would fulfill the requirements of this passage which states that the Lord would create a new thing. This particular section of Jeremiah (chapters 3031) contains several Messianic predictions and thus a reference to the virgin birth of Christ would not be out of place.
2. Who is the man who is the object of the sentence? The Hebrew word used here (gever) is not the ordinary word for a man as a frail being of clay. Rather it is the word for man par excellence, strong, virile, powerful. Commentators commonly reason that if Israel is the woman then the man must be the divine husband or the Lord. It is the view of the present writer that the Man here is none other than the Messiah. Certainly the use of the Hebrew word gever and related words for the Messiah is not without parallel (see Zec. 13:7).
3. What is involved in the verb that is used here? The Hebrew verb translated compass literally means to surround. The verb could well describe the fact that a man-child is enfolded in the womb of a woman. It might be argued that this would not be anything new as the context demands. But if the woman mentioned here is the virgin and if the man is that holy thing which was born of her who was to be called the Son of God (Luk. 1:35) then certainly this could be a new thing created by the Lord Himself.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(21) Set thee up way marks . . .It will be noted that the figure is changed, and that instead of Ephraim, the dear son, we have Israel, the back-sliding daughter. The idea of the return of the exiles is still prominent, and she, as represented by the first group of those who came back, is called on to set up heaps of stones, after the manner of Eastern travellers, as waymarks for those who followed. (Comp. Eze. 39:15.) The way which she had trodden when she was led out into captivity was to be re-trodden in the fulness of joy on her return. She was to pass in her joy through the self-same cities that had then seen her in her shame.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. High heaps Pillars, or signposts.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 31:21. Set thee up way-marks The prophet bids them to think of preparing for their return to their own country; and, in order to that end, to set up landmarks to direct travellers in the right path. Instead of, make thee high heaps, Houbigant reads, erect monuments of thy grief; that is, tokens in thy return of thy late unhappy and captive state.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I do not presume to decide upon this passage, but I venture to propose my views of it to the Reader. I do not object to the comment of those who suppose the return of the people from Babylon might be implied in it. But I cannot but think an infinitely higher object was intended from what is here said. A woman compassing a man, cannot have the smallest connection with the mere event of the people’s returning from Babylon. Surely an eye to the incarnation of Jesus, is here plainly set forth. Isaiah’s prophesy compared with it, and explained together, make the matter pretty clear. And if so, what a blessed prophesy is here? Isa 7:14Isa 7:14 . And yet further, God’s creating a new thing in the earth, is eminently so, in respect to the incarnation of Christ. For, if Christ’s human nature had been made out of man, as Eve was, this would not have been a new thing. Neither, had his human nature been made out of nothing, as Adam was, would this have been new. But to make Christ’s human nature of a woman, yea, of the seed of the woman, and that without an human father; this was a thing new indeed. Isa 43:19 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 31:21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, [even] the way [which] thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
Ver. 21. Set thee up waymarks. ] Statue tibi statuas Mercuriales – q.d., I will surely bring thee back by the same way thou wentest hence into captivity; therefore take good notice of the way now, that thou mayest know it again another time. This God saith to quicken their faith, and to ascertain them of his love and favour; which is not like the winter sun, which casteth a goodly countenance when it shineth, but giveth little heat and comfort, &c. We must also set up waymarks, observe how we fell from the Lord, repent and do our first works.
Set thine heart towards the highway.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 31:21-22
21Set up for yourself roadmarks,
Place for yourself guideposts;
Direct your mind to the highway,
The way by which you went.
Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
22How long will you go here and there,
O faithless daughter?
For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth-
A woman will encompass a man.
Jer 31:21-22 There is a series of IMPERATIVES given to the exiles related to their return trip to Palestine.
1. set up for yourselves roadmarks – BDB 662, KB 714, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
2. place for yourselves guideposts – BDB 962, KB 1321, Qal IMPERATIVE
3. direct your mind to the highway – BDB 1011, KB 1483, Qal IMPERATIVE
4. return – BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal IMPERATIVE (twice). This same word is often used of repentance, see Special Topic: Repentance in the Old Testament
Notice how the imagery changes.
1. in Jer 31:20 Ephraim is a son, a child (MASCULINE, cf. Jer 31:9)
2. in Jer 31:21 she is a virgin of Israel (FEMININE, cf. Jer 31:4)
Jer 31:21 roadmarks. . .guideposts These two terms are rare.
1. roadmarks – BDB 846, usually denotes a grave marker (cf. 2Ki 23:17; Eze 39:15)
2. guideposts – BDB 1071, found only here in the OT
The third line of the verse shows the context as a highway (BDB 700, only here in Jeremiah) so the first two parallel lines must fit this imagery. The exiles are to set their minds to the road that took them into exile (i.e., idolatry), but now to the road (i.e., repentance, faith) that will bring them home.
Jeremiah continued to tell Judah that she would go into exile for 70 years. Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. Here he seems to say to them, mark your path/road as you travel into exile because one day you will return and these markers you set up in grief will become markers of joy on the way home to Palestine!
Jer 31:22 For the LORD has created a new thing The mention of new (BDB 294) brings the imagery from Isaiah of the Messianic age (i.e., new covenant, Jer 31:31-34).
1. new things, Isa 42:9; Isa 48:6
2. new song, Isa 42:10 (Rev 5:9; Rev 14:3)
3. something new, Isa 43:19 (Rev 3:12)
4. new name, Isa 62:2 (cf. Isa 56:5)
5. new heavens and new earth, Isa 65:17; Isa 66:22 (cf. 2Pe 3:13)
Also note Eze 11:19; Eze 18:31; Eze 36:26 (Jer 36:22-32 is a description of the new covenant age).
Note that the same VERB (BDB 135, KB 153) used in Gen 1:1 is used again of YHWH’s creative activity in restoring His people (and through them His eternal redemptive plan). Creation was for fellowship with all humanity (cf. Gen 1:26-27; Gen 3:8), so too, the restoration of Israel. The Messiah will come from her and for all!
NASB, NKJV,
NRSVA woman will encompass a man
TEV, NETa woman protecting a man
NJBthe woman sets out to find her husband again
JPSOAa woman courts a man
REBa woman will play a man’s part
LXXpeople will go about in safety
PESHITTAa woman shall love her husband
There are many theories (notice no parallel passages) about the meaning of this phrase.
1. reference to Israel’s renewed love for YHWH (BDB 686, Poel #1, cf. NJB)
2. women will stand guard on the way home
3. the virgin birth (i.e., Jerome, Calvin)
4. the rabbis say women take on the male characteristics of firmness or strength
5. cultural proverb whose meaning is lost
6. the LXX has in which people will go about in safety (i.e., different text)
7. if the thrust is role reversal (i.e., Jer 30:6) then I wonder how much it may relate to the subservience of women in Genesis 3, restored to the mutuality of Genesis 1-2? There are many Pentateuch allusions in this chapter.
I like #5. The same VERB and form is used of YHWH’s care and protection for Israel in the Wilderness Wandering Period in Deu 32:10.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Set thee up = Erect.
make thee = set up.
high heaps: i.e. finger posts.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 31:21-22
Jer 31:21-22
Set thee up waymarks, make thee guide-posts; set thy heart toward the highway, even the way by which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities. How long wilt thou go hither and thither, O thou backsliding daughter? for Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall encompass a man.
O thou backsliding daughter…
(Jer 31:22). This refers to the actual condition of Israel. God here addressed her as Virgin of Israel; but that envisions her status at the time after she receives and obeys the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The glorious promises of the Messianic age most certainly cast their long shadows over these verses.
A woman shall encompass a man…
(Jer 31:22). In a word, we agree with Matthew Henry who followed the patristic interpretation of this passage and referred it to The Incarnation of Christ. Yes, we are aware that practically all of the present crop of commentators reject this interpretation out of hand; but no better interpretation has ever been proposed; and practically all of the current generation of scholars admit that they do not have the slightest idea what the passage means. Moreover the objections that are offered to this very old and satisfactory understanding of the passage have no value at all. For example, Cheyne thought that it was impossible for this to refer to the Virgin Mary’s bearing the Christ in her womb, because, he said, The definite article for woman does not appear, as in Isaiah’s promise that ‘The Virgin’ shall conceive. This objection has no weight because the great protoevangel of Gen 3:15 likewise omits the definite article in the announcement that The seed of woman shall bruise the head of Satan, there being no definite article for woman.
Also, let it be noted that whatever is prophesied here, God called it a “new thing in the earth,” a description that cannot possibly apply to any other explanation of this passage that we have ever seen; but it does apply to the virgin birth of the Son of God. Such explanations as, “The female shall protect the strong man, or the woman shall turn the man,” or “a woman shall embrace a man,” are certainly not any “new thing in the earth.” Until the critics who do their best to remove every prophecy of the Son of God from the Old Testament can tell us what this passage means, we shall cling to the only explanation that has ever made any sense at all.
A New Creation Jer 31:21-22
Jer 31:21-22 form a distinct unit within chapter 31. The certainty of restoration is indicated in Jer 31:21 as Jeremiah urges those going into captivity to mark the road they travel into exile so that they might know the return route. They are to erect, as it were, waymarks (stone pillars) and high heaps or signposts to mark the way home. They are to turn their attention to that highway in order that they might be able to retrace their steps. Jeremiah calls upon the virgin of Israel, the nation, to return to Palestine (Jer 31:21). How long, asks the prophet, will you hesitate to return to your land? The backsliding daughter is admonished to put away her rebellious reluctance.
In the last part of Jer 31:22 the prophet holds out a wondrous sign as an incentive to the reluctant nation. The Lord has created a new thing in the earth (or land). These words introduce a miracle which completely reverses ordinary human experience. It is something entirely new, something that had never happened before. A woman shall compass (or surround) a man. Many interpretations of these words which have been proposed clearly do not satisfy the requirements of the context. All of the following interpretations have been offered: (1) the woman will become manly in spirit; (2) the woman will keep close to the man; (3) the woman will seek protection from the man. In order to set forth the marvelous prophecy of this verse three questions need to be asked.
1. Who is the woman who is the subject of the prophecy? Most commentators assume that the woman is Israel. Support for this interpretation is gained from the allusion to the nation as the virgin of Israel in the previous verse and a backsliding daughter in the present verse. While this interpretation cannot be absolutely ruled out, another interpretation is altogether possible. Many years before the time of Jeremiah, Isaiah prophesied of a virgin who would miraculously give birth to a child who would be Immanuel (God with us). Is it possible that Jeremiah is referring to that same woman? Certainly a virgin giving birth to a child would fulfill the requirements of this passage which states that the Lord would create a new thing. This particular section of Jeremiah (chapters 30-31) contains several Messianic predictions and thus a reference to the virgin birth of Christ would not be out of place.
2. Who is the man who is the object of the sentence? The Hebrew word used here (gever) is not the ordinary word for a man as a frail being of clay. Rather it is the word for man par excellence, strong, virile, powerful. Commentators commonly reason that if Israel is the woman then the man must be the divine husband or the Lord. It is the view of the present writer that the Man here is none other than the Messiah. Certainly the use of the Hebrew word gever and related words for the Messiah is not without parallel (see Zec 13:7).
3. What is involved in the verb that is used here? The Hebrew verb translated compass literally means to surround. The verb could well describe the fact that a man-child is enfolded in the womb of a woman. It might be argued that this would not be anything new as the context demands. But if the woman mentioned here is the virgin and if the man is that holy thing which was born of her who was to be called the Son of God (Luk 1:35) then certainly this could be a new thing created by the Lord Himself.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Set thee: Isa 57:14, Isa 62:10
set thine: Jer 50:5, Deu 32:46, 1Ch 29:3, 2Ch 11:16, 2Ch 20:3, Psa 62:10, Psa 84:5, Pro 24:32,*marg. Eze 40:4, Hag 1:5, *marg.
turn: Jer 51:6, Jer 51:50, Isa 48:20, Isa 52:11, Isa 52:12, Zec 2:6, Zec 2:7
O: Jer 31:4, Jer 3:14, Zec 10:9
Reciprocal: 2Sa 20:13 – the highway Isa 35:8 – an highway
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 31:21. The 10 tribes had been in exile more than a century when Jere- imah wrote and they really w’ere beyond the opportunity of erecting waymarks or monuments to mark their way back. The language is figurative and prophetic, meaning that God could conduct them on their return home as definitely as if they had set up such marks.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 31:21. Set thee up way-marks These words are a call to Israel to prepare for their return. The word , rendered way-marks, means stone pillars, and , translated heaps, from , a palm-tree, probably signifies tall-poles, like palm-trees, or, perhaps, made of palm- trees; both set up in the roads, at certain distances, for the travellers direction, and extremely necessary for those who had to pass wild and spacious deserts, Blaney. Set thy heart toward the way which thou wentest Mind well the way that the Assyrians and Babylonians carried thee captive, for thou shalt return the same way. Turn again That is, Return to thine own country; O virgin of Israel See note on Jer 31:14. Turn again to these thy cities The expression is doubled for the greater certainty of the event.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
31:21 Set thee up {c} waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thy heart toward the highway, [even] the way [which] thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
(c) Mark by what way you went into captivity and you will turn again by the same.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The special object of Yahweh’s love, Israel (cf. Jer 31:4), should give attention to returning to the Promised Land (cf. Isaiah 35; Isa 40:3-5; Isa 40:11; Isa 41:18-20; Isa 42:16; Isa 43:1-7; Isa 44:3-4; Isa 49:9-13).