Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 31:7
For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
7. for the chief ] i.e. Israel; cp. Amo 6:1; or, as mg. at the head, i.e. as leader of the nations thus set free. But it is perhaps best (so Du.) to read on the top of the mountains (for “nations”), as suggested by the mention of them in Jer 31:5-6. Cp. Isa 42:11.
O Lord, save thy people ] LXX and Targ. read, The Lord hath saved his people. If we adopt that reading, we must understand the verb as the prophetic perfect (hath determined to save). The actual event is still future in Jer 31:8.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 15. These vv. are probably on the whole post-exilic, having close affinities with 2 Isaiah.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Among – Or, because of. Israel is the chief or, first of the nations Deu 26:19, and Yahweh summons mankind to rejoice, because the remnant of Israel is about to be restored to its old position.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. The chief of the nations] The same as Jacob or Israel; for most certainly this people was once the most honourable on the face of the earth.
O Lord, save thy people] Let the Jews earnestly intercede in behalf of their Israelitish brethren; or let them rejoice and praise the Lord, who hath saved the remnant of Israel. So Dr. Blayney thinks the clause should be understood.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This grave, authoritative preface,
Thus saith the Lord, seemeth to be prefixed to put the people of God out of fear of the accomplishment of the good things he had before promised and prophesied of. The verse in itself is either an exhortation to those amongst the Jews who feared God, or to the heathen, to sing and rejoice on the behalf of the Jews, to whom God would certainly show such mercy as they might
sing for; before they had it in their hands, they might both publish the thing that it should certainly be, and also bless God for it. But withal he minds them that there would be occasion for prayer as well as praise, there would be a
remnant of Israel that would have at least no present share in these mercies, through their impenitency, unbelief, and hardness of heart. Hereby minding us that we ought not so to rejoice in our good things, as to forget those who are no sharers with us. The best of Gods peoples lot, while they are in this life, is such as will show them a need of prayer as well as praise.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. The people are urged withpraises and prayers to supplicate for their universal restoration.Jehovah is represented in the context (Jer 31:1;Jer 31:8), as promisingimmediately to restore Israel. They therefore praise God for therestoration, being as certain of it as if it were actuallyaccomplished; and at the same time pray for it, as prayer wasa means to the desired end. Prayer does not move God to grant ourwishes, but when God has determined to grant our wishes, He puts itinto our hearts to pray for the thing desired. Compare Ps102:13-17, as to the connection of Israel’s restoration with theprayers of His people (Isa62:1-6).
for Jacobon account ofJacob; on account of his approaching deliverance by Jehovah.
among“for,”that is, on account of, would more exactly suit the parallelism to”for Jacob.”
chief of the nationsIsrael:as the parallelism to “Jacob” proves (compare Exo 19:5;Psa 135:4; Amo 6:1).God estimates the greatness of nations not by man’s standard ofmaterial resources, but by His electing favor.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thus saith the Lord, sing with gladness for Jacob,…. For the restoration of Jacob, or the conversion of the Jews; which will be matter of joy to the Christians among the Gentiles; who seem to be here called upon to express their joy on that occasion, as they will; for it will be to them as life from the dead, Ro 11:15. Kimchi thinks there is a trajection in the words; and that they may be rendered, “thus saith the Lord to Jacob, sing with gladness”; as if the exhortation was to him to rejoice, and not to others on his account; and so the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it; and to the same sense the Syriac version, “thus saith the Lord, sing, O ye of the house of Jacob, with gladness”; and so the Targum; it will no doubt be a joyful time with them:
and shout among the chief of the nations; where they shall be when converted, as in Great Britain, and other places: or, “on the top of the nations” l; on some high place among them. It seems to denote the publicness of the shout; it will be open and manifest to all; so the Targum,
“and exult with head uncovered, in the sight of all people;”
Turks, Papists, and Pagans:
publish ye; or “cause to hear”, or “to be heard” m; cause their voice to be heard, both in prayer and praise to God; or cause men to hear their faith in Christ, and profession of it; and publish that Gospel, and spread it among others, which before they rejected and despised:
praise ye; the Lord for his wonderful grace in the conversion of them:
and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel; his covenant people; the remnant according to the election of grace. This is a direction to the Jews that are converted, to pray for the rest that are not; or to the Gentiles to pray for them; who are before called upon to rejoice at the first appearance of this wonderful work, and to spread it abroad, and to go on publishing the Gospel for the more forwarding of it; and to praise the Lord for what he had done; and to pray unto him to go on with the work of saving his people, the residue of them.
l “in cacumine gentium”, Castalio; “in capite gentium”, Pagninus, Montanus. m “auditum facite”, Pagninus, Montanus; “audiri facite”, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The restoration of Israel. – Jer 31:7 . “For thus saith Jahveh: Shout for joy over Jacob, and cry out over the head of the nations! Make known, praise, and say, I Jahveh, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel! Jer 31:8 . Behold, I will bring them out of the land of the north, and will gather them from the sides of the earth. Among them are the blind and lame, the woman with child and she that hath born, together; a great company shall they return hither. Jer 31:9 . With weeping shall they come, and with supplications will I lead them: I will bring them to streams of water, by a straight way in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born. Jer 31:10. Hear the word of Jahveh, ye nations, and declare among the islands far off, and say: He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd his flock. Jer 31:11. For Jahveh hath redeemed Israel and ransomed him out of the hand of one stronger than he. Jer 31:12. And they shall come and sing with joy on the height of Zion, and come like a flood to the goodness of Jahveh, because of corn, and new wine, and fresh oil, and the young of the flock and the herd; and their soul shall be like a well-watered garden, neither shall they pine away any more. Jer 31:13. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and young men and old men together; and I will turn their mourning to joy, and will comfort them, and will cause them to rejoice after their sorrow. Jer 31:14. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fat, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith Jahveh.”
In order to set forth the greatness of the salvation which the Lord will prepare for Israel, so long outcast, Israel is commanded to make loud jubilation, and exhorted to approach the Lord with entreaties for the fulfilment of His purpose of grace. The statement regarding this salvation is introduced by , “for,” since the description, given in this strophe, of Israel’s being led back and re-established, furnishes the actual proof that the nation shall be built up again. The summons to rejoice comes from Jahveh (since, by His gracious dealings, He gives the people material for praise), and is addressed to the members of the nation. These are to rejoice over Jacob, i.e., over the glorious destiny before the people. is translated by Hitzig: “shout at the head of the nations,” i.e., making a beginning among them all; but this is incorrect and against the context. The thought that many other enslaved nations besides Israel will rejoice over the fall of their oppressors, has not the least foundation in this passage. The summons to the nations, which follows in Jer 31:19, is simply a command to make known God’s purpose regarding the deliverance of Israel. Of course, , taken literally and by itself, may be rendered “at the head” (1Ki 21:12; Amo 6:7, etc.); but in this place, the expression of which it forms the first word is the object of , which is construed with , “to rejoice over something,” Isa 24:4. “The head of the nations” signifies “the first of the nations” ( , Amo 6:1), i.e., the most exalted among the nations. Such is the designation given to Israel, because God has chosen them before all the nations of the earth to be His peculiar people (Deu 7:6; 2Sa 7:23.), made them the highest over ( , Deu 26:19) all nations. This high honour of Israel, which seemed to have been taken from him by his being delivered over to the power of heathen nations, is now to appear again. , “make to be heard, sing praise,” are to be combined into one thought, “sing praise loudly” (so that people may hear it). The words of praise, “Save Thy people, O Jahveh,” form rather the expression of a wish than of a request, just as in many psalms, e.g., Ps. 20:10; Psa 28:9, especially Psa 118:25 in , with which Jesus was greeted on His entry into Jerusalem, Mat 21:9 (Graf). – To the rejoicing and praise the Lord replies with the promise that He will lead back His people out of the most distant countries of the north, – every one, even the feeble and frail, who ordinarily would not have strength for so long a journey, “Hither,” i.e., to Palestine, where Jeremiah wrote the promise; cf. Jer 3:18; Jer 16:15.
“With weeping,” i.e., with tears of joy, and with contrition of heart over favour so undeserved, they come, and God leads them with weeping, “amidst earnest prayers to the God they have found again, as a lost son returns to the arms of his father” (Umbreit). Hitzig and Graf would connect with what precedes, and combine “I will lead them, I will bring them;” by this arrangement, it is said, the careful guidance of God, in leaving nothing behind, is properly set forth. But the symmetry of the verse is thereby destroyed; and the reason assigned for this construction (which is opposed by the accents), viz., that does not mean miseratio, clementia , will not stand the test. As in Isa 55:12 it is the being brought that is the chief point, so here, it is the bringing , amidst weeping, i.e., fervent prayer. At the same time, the Lord will care like a father for their refreshment and nurture; He will lead them to brooks of water, so that they shall not suffer thirst in the desert (Isa 48:21), and guide them by a straight (i.e., level) road, so that they shall not fall. For He shows Himself again to Israel as a father, one who cares for them like a father (cf. Jer 3:19; Deu 32:6; Isa 63:6), and treats Ephraim as His first-born. “The first-born of Jahveh,” in Exo 4:22, means the people of Israel as compared with the other nations of the earth. This designation is here transferred to Ephraim as the head and representative of the ten tribes; but it is not likely that there is in this any allusion to the preference which Jacob displayed for the sons of Joseph, Gen 49:22. compared with Jer 31:4 (Venema, J. D. Michaelis, Ngelsbach) – the advantage they obtained consisting in this, that Ephraim and Manasseh were placed on an equal footing with Jacob’s sons as regards inheritance in the land of Canaan; in other words, they were elevated to the dignity of being founders of tribes. There is no trace in this prophecy of any preference given to Ephraim before Judah, or of the ten tribes before the two tribes of the kingdom of Judah. That the deliverance of Ephraim (Israel) from exile is mentioned before that of Judah, and is further more minutely described, is simply due to the fact, already mentioned, that the ten tribes, who had long languished in exile, had the least hope, according to man’s estimation, of deliverance. The designation of Ephraim as the first-born of Jahveh simply shows that, in the deliverance of the people, Ephraim is in no respect to be behind Judah, – that they are to receive their full share in the Messianic salvation of the whole people; in other words, that the love which the Lord once displayed towards Israel, when He delivered them out of the power of Pharaoh, is also to be, in the future, displayed towards the ten tribes, who were looked on as lost. The nature of fatherhood and sonship, as set forth in the Old Testament, does not contain the element of the Spirit’s testimony to our spirit, but only the idea of paternal care and love, founded on the choosing of Israel out of all the nations to be the peculiar people of God; see on Exo 4:22 and Isa 63:16; Isa 64:7. is substantially the same as been and in Jer 31:20.
Jer 31:10-11 The most remote of the heathen, too, are to be told that Jahveh will free His people from their hands, gather them again, and highly favour them, lest they should imagine that the God of Israel has not the power to save His people, and that they may learn to fear Him as the Almighty God, who has given His people into their power, not from any inability to defend them, but merely for the purpose of chastising them for their sins. are the islands in, and countries lying along the coast of, the Mediterranean Sea; in the language of prophecy, the word is used as a designation of the distant countries of the west; cf. Psa 72:10; Isa 41:1, Isa 41:5; Isa 42:12, etc. On Jer 31:10, cf. Jer 23:3; Exo 34:12., Isa 40:11. “Stronger than he,” as in Psa 35:10; the expression is here used of the heathen master of the world.
Jer 31:12-14 Thus led by the Lord through the wilderness (Jer 31:9), the redeemed shall come rejoicing to the sacred height of Zion (see on Jer 17:12), and thence go in streams, i.e., scatter themselves over the country like a stream, for the goodness of the Lord, i.e., for the good things which He deals out to them in their native land. “To the goodness of Jahveh” is explained by “because of corn,” etc. ( for ), cf. Hos 3:5. As to the good things of the country, cf. Deu 8:8. Their soul will be like a well-watered garden, an emblem of the fulness and freshness of living power; cf. Isa 58:11.
Jer 31:13 Then shall young men and old live in unclouded joy, and forget all their former sorrow. “In the dance” refers merely to the virgins: to “young men and old together,” only the notion of joy is to be repeated from the context.
Jer 31:14 The priests and the people will refresh themselves with the fat, i.e., the fat pieces of the thank-offerings, because numerous offerings will be presented to the Lord in consequence of the blessing received from Him.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 7-14: ANTICIPATION OF JOY
1. Here is a call for joyful song, celebration and praise to Jehovah, (vs.7; Jer 20:13; Psa 14:7).
a. He has saved His people, the remnant of Israel, (Jer 23:3; comp. Psa 28:9; Isa 25:9).
b. He has exalted Jacob to be the leader (chief) of the nations, (comp. Deu 26:18-19; Deu 28:13; Isa 61:9).
2. Those whom the Lord is pictured as bringing from all the places to which they have been scattered (the blind, the lame, the woman that is with child, etc.) seem calculated to reveal that deliverance does not come through rugged determination, or personal vigor; it comes through the love, grace and power of the Almighty! (vs. 8; Jer 3:18; Jer 23:7-8).
3. Tears of repentance and joy characterize the remnant of Israel as God leads them home – through unknown (Isa 42:16), but refreshing, paths (Isa 40:3-5; Isa 42:1-7; Isa 49:9-13) upon which is no cause for stumbling, (vs. 9; comp. Isa 63:10-14).
a. Such gentle care demonstrates the Father’s love.
b. Ephraim He regards as His “firstborn”: though, chronologically, Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son (Gen 24:32); the term “firstborn” was applied to Ephraim because of that tribe’s recognized leadership during the era of the Northern kingdom. (It is also worthy of note that Jacob had a special love for this favored grandson of Rachel -the wife whom he truly loved.)
4. When the nation returns to Him, the Lord will be to them a Good Shepherd of provision and protection, (vs. 10; Isa 40:11; comp. Joh 10:1-14).
5. He will fully ransom and redeem them from those who oppress them, (vs. 11; Jer 15:21; Jer 50:34; Isa 44:23; Isa 48:20).
6. Verses 12-14 describe the deep joy of the redeemed in Zion, and their abundant soul-satisfaction in the bounty of Jehovah, (Jer 50:19; Psa 36:8; Isa 51:11; Isa 55:2; Isa 61:3).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
The Prophet confirms the contents of the verse we have explained; and it was necessary to make this addition, because what he had said was almost incredible. He therefore enlarged upon it. Thus saith Jehovah; this preface he made, as I have often reminded you, that his doctrine might have more weight. Jeremiah, indeed, adduced nothing but what he had learnt from God, and by the revelation of his Spirit; but it was needful sometimes expressly to testify this on account of his hearers.
He now bids them to exult with joy, and to shout for joy It must be observed that this prophecy was announced, when the utter destruction of the people, of the city, and temple, was not far distant; but it was the Prophet’s object to comfort, so to speak, the dead in their graves, so that they might patiently wait for their promised deliverance, and that they might feel assured that it was not more difficult for God to raise the dead than to heal the sick. Therefore the prophecy had its use when the Jews were driven into exile and miserably scattered, so as to have no hope of deliverance. But that his doctrine might more effectually enter into their hearts, he exhorts them to rejoice, to shout for joy, and to sing; and not only them, but also strangers. For though it will presently appear that their joy was not in common with the unbelieving, the Prophet yet seems to address his words on purpose to aliens, that the Jews themselves might become ashamed for not embracing the promise offered to them. For what doth the Prophet say? “Ye alien nations, shout for joy, for Jacob.” What should Jacob himself do in the meantime? We now then see the design of the Prophet’s vehemence in bidding all to rejoice for the redemption of the people, even that this prophecy might not only bring some comfort to the miserable exiles, but that they might also know, that whilst in the midst of death, they would live before God, provided they did not despair.
In short, he not only intended to mitigate their sorrow, but also to fill them with spiritual joy, that they might not cease to entertain hope and to take courage, and not only patiently, but cheerfully to bear their calamities, because God promised to be propitious to them. This is the reason why he bids them to exult with joy, and to shout for joy
He adds, among the chief of the nations This may be understood as though the Prophet had said, that the nations would be so contemptible, that the children of God would not be disposed to insult them; but I understand the words in a simpler way, — that the Prophet bids them to exult at the head of nations, as though he had said, “openly, so that your joy may be observed by all.” For though the Jews entertained the hope of a return, yet they hardly dared to give any sign of their confidence, because they might have thus exasperated the minds of their enemies. They were, therefore, under the necessity of being wholly silent, and, as it were, without life. Now the Prophet sets this manifest joy in opposition to that fear which constrained the Jews to be almost wholly mute, so that they dared not by gesture nor by words, to make known what they had learned from the holy servants of God. In short, the Prophet intimates that the liberation of the Jews would be so glorious, that they would dread no danger in proclaiming openly the kindness of God. This seems to be denoted by the head of the nations
He then adds, Proclaim ye, praise and say, Save, etc. This refers properly to the faithful; for we know that God is not really invoked by the unbelieving. Faith alone opens a door of access to us, and there cannot be any right praying except what proceeds from faith. The Prophet then addresses here the children of God, when he says, “Proclaim ye, praise and say,” etc. And though all the ungodly were by evident experience convinced of the wonderful power of God, yet there was not among them any herald of God’s grace. It is then enjoined on the faithful, as their own proper office, to celebrate the favor of God. And to this is added thanksgiving, as though the Prophet had said that God’s grace cannot be rightly proclaimed unless his goodness be acknowledged, and the sacrifice of praise be offered to him. We hence learn that we are to be so animated by his promises to trust in God as not to grow torpid. For many cheer themselves up when they hear some joyful news, but this joy produces in them security. Thus it comes that faith is choked, and does not produce its proper fruits; for the chief work of faith is prayer to God. Now, they who are secure because they think of no danger, do not flee to God, and thus omit that work of religion in which they ought mainly to exercise themselves. Hence the Prophet reminds the faithful here that they are so to praise God as not to neglect prayer.
The meaning is, that when God promises that he will be propitious to us, he gives us a sufficient reason for joy. We ought then to be satisfied with the naked word of God, when he declares that he will be a Father to us, and when he promises that our salvation will be the object of his care. But yet, as I have already said, joy ought not to render us secure, so as to make faith idle, but it ought rather to stimulate us to prayer. True and spiritual joy we then have, derived from God’s word, when we are diligent in prayer; and coldness and security are no tokens of faith, but of insensibility; and the promises of God produce no real effects in us, as it must needs be, unless our minds are kindled into a desire for prayer, yea, into a fervor in prayer. This then is the reason why the Prophet, after having bidden the faithful to praise and exalt the favor of God, adds this prayer — “Say ye, Save thou, Jehovah, thy people.” It then behoved them so to rejoice as to feel solicitous for the restoration of the Church. And it behoves us, also, at this time, whenever God shines on us with the testimony of his favor, so to rejoice as not to omit that primary exercise of faith, even prayer.
He further adds, the remnant of Israel, because it was necessary that what Isaiah had predicted should be fulfilled,
“
Though thy people were as sand of the sea, a remnant only shall be delivered.” (Isa 10:22)
Though, then, the Prophet has been speaking generally of all the posterity of Abraham, and included the ten tribes, yet here he qualifies that statement by mentioning the remnant or residue of Israel, and this in order that the faithful might not despond on seeing hardly one in ten or in fifty returning from exile; for we know that in comparison of their great number, a few only returned from exile. He has then mentioned here “the remnant of Israel,” that the faithful at a future time might not be shaken in their hope, though God did not immediately restore the whole Church; and it was also necessary to deprive the hypocrites of that vain confidence with which they were filled; for they were wont to seize on everything which God promised by his servants. Hence Jeremiah excluded them, that they might know that this promise did not belong to them, according to what Paul, while handling this subject, shews to us at large. (Rom 9:27; Rom 11:5) And he is a correct interpreter of this passage and of similar ones, when he says that God was never so bound to the people of Israel, but that he could freely do what he pleased, so that a remnant only should he saved. And he calls them the “remnant of grace,” because they are in no other way saved than through the free and gratuitous goodness of God.
And this doctrine may also be justly applied to our time. For we are by no means to expect that God will so restore his Church in the world, that all shall be renewed by his Spirit, and unite in true religion; but he gathers his Church on all sides, and yet in such a way, that his gratuitous mercy ever appears, because there shall be remnants only. It follows, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) Shout among the chief of the nations . . .Better, Shout over the head of the nations, i.e., over Israel. It would seem from Amo. 6:1 as if this was a title specially claimed by the kingdom of the Ten Tribes. (Comp. Exo. 19:5; Lev. 20:24; Lev. 20:26; Deu. 7:6; Deu. 26:19.) The prophet, in his vision of the future, calls even on the heathen (see Jer. 31:10) to rejoice in the restoration of the remnant of Israel, and pray for their prosperity. In deliver we have the same verb as in the Hosanna of Psa. 118:25, Mat. 21:9. The old bitterness of feeling was to pass away, and heathen and Israelite were to join together in a chorus of praise and prayer. The thought is the same as that of Isa. 49:6; Isa. 60:3.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Sing shout praise In the next three verses we have a bright and joyous picture of the return of the people. As if in response to the cry of the watchman, the prophet calls for the voice of singing and gladness, for praise and the proclamation of deliverance. The whole passage is one of those vivid emotional passages in which this book so much abounds.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
YHWH Will Lead The Remnant Of Israel Back From Exile As A Father Does His Children And On The Height Of Zion They Will Rejoice In The Resulting Glorious Provision Of YHWH ( Jer 31:7-14 ).
In striking contrast to the present state of the exiles we now have a glorious picture of restoration, but one that is then immediately and deliberately set in contrast to a flashback to the weeping figure of Rachel weeping over the condition of her children (Jer 31:15). This is a reminder of the pattern found in Jer 30:5-11 and Jer 30:12-17. Deliverance may be coming, but it is to be remembered that it is out of the deserved misery of the present. Nor must the fact be overlooked that they must return with responsive weeping because they are repentant over their sins (Jer 31:9), and this even though it will later be followed by a call to ‘weep no more’ (Jer 31:16 ff.). Deliverance was not to be on easy terms. It was clearly considered important that it be recognised that their deliverance would arise from despair and weeping, and must be accompanied by repentance and weeping. They are not being rewarded for good behaviour, but are being, as it were, lifted out of the pit which they have deliberately dug for themselves and into which they have fallen. They must therefore respond accordingly. When God delivers and ‘brings salvation’ it always results in repentant hearts and changed lives. His righteousness is both imputed and imparted (Isa 61:10). On the other hand that must not take away from the glory of that deliverance which is the result of God’s sovereign love (Jer 31:3).
Jer 31:7
‘For thus says YHWH,’
Once again YHWH has spoken and it will therefore come about.
Jer 31:7
“Sing with gladness for Jacob,
And shout for the chief (head) of the nations,
Publish you, praise you, and say, ‘O YHWH,
Save your people, the remnant of Israel’.”
This call may be seen as addressed to those who had said, ‘Zion for whom no one cares’ (Jer 30:17). Or simply as addressed to the nations more generally (compare Jer 31:10). Or as addressed to the ‘remnant of Israel’. Whichever way it is they are called on to sing with gladness for Jacob (Judah/Israel), and to shout with triumph on behalf of ‘the chief of the nations’, a title applied to Israel in Amo 6:1, but equally applicable to Judah. The idea was based on such verses as Exo 19:5; Lev 20:24; Lev 20:26; Deu 7:6; Deu 26:19. Note the acknowledgement that once again Israel and Zion are the chosen of YHWH. Thus these ‘singers and callers’ are to publish abroad their desire for YHWH to save His people, and are to praise YHWH concerning it. Their cry is to be, ‘O YHWH, save your people, the remnant of Israel’. It underlines the fact that now someone does care about Zion. If we see it as spoken to the Gentile nations ( for which there is a good argument on the basis that it does counter the fact of ‘Zion for whom no one cares’, and because it explains the reference to Israel as ‘the chief (head) of the nations’), then there is also here an indication that they are hoping for some of the blessing also to fall on them once Israel is restored (Gen 12:3; and often).
It is noteworthy that, as always, it is ‘the remnant’ of Israel who are to be saved (compare Isa 6:13), the repentant ones who respond to YHWH’s call. There is never any suggestion that Israel as a whole will be saved. Many indeed would have been absorbed into the nations among whom they dwelt, while other would have lapsed into unbelief and despair, or been killed. But from among them would come those who believed. It was they who would be saved.
Jer 31:8
“Behold, I will bring them from the north country,
And gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth,
With them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and her who travails with child together,
A great company will they return here.”
Israelites are to be gathered from the north country to which the Assyrians had taken them, and from the uttermost parts of the earth (see Isa 11:11), and it will include the weak and helpless, the blind, the lame, the pregnant woman and the woman in labour. The road will be made so easy for them that such conditions will not matter. They will return as ‘a great company’, (in other words a good quantity will return), but clearly in equally great weakness. While we have no record of their return in the Scriptures, there is no reason to doubt that many northern exiles did actually join in the return to the land once the news reached them of the new settlement of Israel by returning Babylonian exiles and the rebuilding of the Temple, and they would help each other along. Weakness was to be no bar to travel for YHWH would be with them. It was the time for which many of them had been waiting (compare how they were depicted as watching what was going on in the land in Jer 8:19) and now it was here, and they were not going to miss it. Those who came would be those who were the most zealous for YHWH, establishing the nation in readiness for the arrival of the coming Shoot of David.
Jer 31:9
“They will come with weeping,
And with supplications will I lead them,
I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters,
In a straight way in which they will not stumble,
For I am a father to Israel,
And Ephraim is my first-born.
But when they returned it was to be in repentance, weeping as they came. There could be no restoration without repentance. That the primary reference is to repentance comes out in the combination with ‘supplications’. Compare also Jer 31:16 where they are to cease weeping because of their deliverance. It was thus not seen as weeping for joy. They are rather seen as seeking the face of YHWH in tears. Of course, we need not necessarily wholly exclude the idea of their also weeping for joy (see Ezr 3:12-13), for repentance and joy in the end go together. Joy follows repentance. But it is clear that we cannot exclude the idea of repentance. That is the first requirement for their return as has been made apparent earlier (e.g. Jer 29:12-14). Compare Jer 31:18-19.
And they would make continual supplications to YHWH as He led them in the way, just as they had in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. It would be a new Exodus. But they would not thirst because He would lead them by rivers of water, and they would not stumble because the way would be made straight. For He would be like a Father to them, and they would be His first-born.
They can be pictured as like the prodigal son as he wended his way home to his father, and indeed that is what they were. He too came with weeping and supplication (Luk 15:12-20)
This is probably describing what would be true spiritually rather than physically, although it clearly also included the thought of provision on the way. He would be with them as they struggled towards their homeland, encouraging them in the way. ‘Ephraim is my first-born’ indicates that the stress is at present very much inclusive of the return of the northern tribes, but not exclusively, for as His first-born it must include Judah (Exo 4:22). Ephraim was the one chosen by YHWH over Manasseh (Gen 48:19), and was a name later applied to the northern kingdom, and then as here to all Israel. It can thus signify ‘My chosen one’. The phrase is reminiscent of ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn’ in Exo 4:22. Judah will be emphasised in Jer 31:23-30. But all will return (Jer 30:3-4; Jer 30:17; Jer 31:1; Jer 31:27; Jer 31:31). To prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah Israel and Judah were still really one nation under any title.
Jer 31:10-11
“Hear the word of YHWH, O you nations,
And declare it in the isles afar off, and say,
He who scattered Israel will gather him,
And keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.
“For YHWH has ransomed Jacob,
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.”
The call again goes out to the nations, as in Jer 31:7, and to the isles across the sea, (Cyprus, Crete and the Aegean coastlands), declaring what YHWH is doing for His people. YHWH is now like a shepherd to His people. He Who had (by means of the wolf and the lion – Jer 2:15; Jer 4:7; Jer 5:6) scattered them, would now gather them and lead them forward, safely kept under His protecting hand. For YHWH has proved His might. He has ransomed ‘Jacob’ (Judah/Israel) and redeemed him from the hands of those who were stronger than he (compare Psa 35:10). Assyria and Babylon may have seemed stronger, but they would perish. Israel would, however, go on in God’s purposes.
The idea behind ransom and redemption was of a kinsman redeemer who himself would sacrifice of his own in order to assist the setting free of a kinsman. For YHWH too there would be a price to pay.
Jer 31:12
“And they will come and sing in the height of Zion,
And will flow to the goodness of YHWH,
To the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil,
And to the young of the flock and of the herd,
And their soul will be as a watered garden,
And they will not sorrow any more at all.”
An idyllic picture is drawn of the future. They will return to Zion, and there they will sing on its ‘height’, its holy mount. And they will flow like a river into YHWH’s goodness (i.e. into YHWH as He is in His goodness). Compare the similar picture of all nations flowing to YHWH in Isa 2:2. The grain, new wine and olive oil will flourish as they flow into it as part of the goodness of YHWH, and the flock and the herd will abundantly produce their young. Their own inner lives will be like a watered garden full of life and vitality, and they will sorrow no more. The watered garden was the ideal of luxury and fruitfulness, never running dry because its owner could always afford water.
To a certain extent this was fulfilled as far as they were concerned when they returned to their land and things appeared to prosper as they lived semi-independently under their Persian rulers. And even more so when they found independence from the later (Greek) Seleucids through Jonathan and Simon Maccabaeus. Even under Rome they would be more allies than subjects, with Herod being seen as the friend of Rome, at least until towards the end. But its greater fulfilment awaits the eternal kingdom, the new Heaven and the new earth as described in Rev 21:3-4; Rev 22:1-5. Interestingly it is reminiscent of the idyllic life depicted in Ecclesiastes.
Jer 31:13
“Then will 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.”
All sorrow will be over. All will join in the dancing. The virgin, the young man and the old together will rejoice in the dance. There is no reason for excluding the males from the dance. It would be remembered that David danced before YHWH when the Ark was brought safely into Jerusalem. Perhaps that is in mind here. Their mourning will be turned into joy, and YHWH will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrows. In the end, however, this is not something that can finally be accomplished in this life. It requires the perfecting of men’s hearts at the resurrection, and will come to fulfilment in the eternal kingdom.
We can compare here Isa 35:10, ‘the ransomed of YHWH will return, and come to Zion with singing, everlasting joy will be on their heads, they will obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away’. Everlasting joy is only obtainable in the everlasting kingdom.
Jer 31:14
“And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness,
And my people will be satisfied with my goodness,
The word of YHWH.”
Both priests and people will be satisfied in YHWH. To be satisfied ‘with fat’ is to have the best of provision. The fat was the best of the sacrifice, and was sacred to YHWH. It was not partaken of by the priests. It therefore here means receiving the very best, and is not a direct reference to sacrifices. The provision of YHWH will thus be abundant, and His goodness overflowing. And this is on the assured word of YHWH.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 31:7. Among the the chief of the nations On the tops of the mountains. Houbigant. See Psa 72:16. Mic 4:1. We may read the whole clause, For thus hath JEHOVAH said, Shout forth joy unto Jacob; and congratulate with the chief of the nations; publish ye, praise ye, and say, JEHOVAH hath saved thy people, the remnant of Israel.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2. The Execution
Jer 31:7-14
7For thus saith Jehovah, Shout joyfully over4 Jacob,
And exult5 over the head of the nations! Sing praises6 aloud and say:
Deliver, O Jehovah, thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8Behold, I bring them from the North country,
And collect them from the ends of the earth.
Among them are the blind and lame,
The pregnant and the parturient together;
A great assemblage shall they return hither.
9With weeping shall they come, and with supplication.
I conduct them;7 I lead them to water brooks,
By a straight way in which they shall not stumble:
For I am Israels father,
And Ephraim is my first-born son.
10Hear Jehovahs word, ye nations,
And proclaim it to the isles afar off,8 and say:
He that scattered Israel will collect him,
And guard him as a shepherd his flock.
11For Jehovah has redeemed Jacob,
And liberated him from the hand of him who was too strong for him.
12And they will come and shout on the summit of Zion,
And stream hither to the blessing9 of Jehovah,
For the corn and the new wine and the oil,
And for young lambs and calves:
And their soul shall be as a watered garden;
And they shall not languish any more.10
13Then will the virgin rejoice in the dance,
And young men with the aged together;
And I will turn their mourning into joy,
And comfort them after their sorrow.
14And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fat,
And my people shall be full of the blessing, saith Jehovah.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
After in the previous strophe the Lord has made known His purpose to liberate and restore Israel, the present strophe goes a step farther. It contains a summons at the head of each of its two halves. The first (Jer 31:7) is addressed to the Israelites themselves, and exhorts them, after the Lord in the foregoing verses, 16, has made known His gracious determination, to approach Him now with petitions for its actual execution. It is also at once promised that the Lord will respond to these petitions (Jer 31:8-9), for in these verses it is described how they will accomplish their journey from the North country and the most remote lands, a journey which will set in the most glorious light the filial relation of Israel to his God. At the head of the second half (Jer 31:10-14) is a summons to all nations to hear and proclaim the decree which God has formed with respect to His people, that, namely, they shall be liberated (Jer 31:10-11) and be brought home to a glorious life in joy and abundance on their native soil (Jer 31:12-14).
Jer 31:7-9. For thus saith first-born son.For refers not merely to Jer 31:7 but to all that follows. All that is subsequently said of the realization of the divine intentions is a proof of the truth of the promise given in Jer 31:1-6. The summons to exult joyfully is addressed to the individual members of the holy nation. Who else will then supplicate for Israel? The antithesis to Jer 31:10 also favors this view. There the heathen are summoned not to pray for Israel but to proclaim the purpose which the Lord has formed on this account. Israel is called the head of the nations. The prophet depends in this expression on those passages in the Pentateuch where Israel is called the holy nation, the treasure above all people, (Exo 19:5-6; Lev 20:24; Lev 20:26; Deu 7:6; Deu 14:2; Deu 26:18), the great nation, to which the Deity approaches (Deu 4:7-8), the people of inheritance (Deu 4:20), the highest above all nations (Deu 26:19); further on prophetic passages which designate the nation as chief of the nations (Amo 6:1 coll. Jer 3:2) as one nation in the earth (2Sa 7:23 coll. Num 23:9; Deu 33:28).Deliver, etc. It is evident that this is meant as an earnest petition from the accusative thy people. By His promise in Jer 31:1-6 the Lord has given the Israelites the right and the courage to supplicate in comfort and in joy for the redemption of their nation. There is, it is true, an assonance in this word to the words of praise [Hosanna. A.V.: save now. Comp. Mat 21:9] (Psa 118:25) which are however not merely words of praise, but according to their verbal significance, are at the same time a petition, and in so far as they are that form of petition which is sure of being heard are at the same time praise. Jer 31:8-9 then contain the comforting promise that the petition will be heard. It is as if the Lord in Jer 31:7 had only provoked the petition, in order to announce His readiness to realize the promise given in vers 26.From the North country. As the came from the North, the must also be brought back from the North country. Comp. Jer 3:12; Jer 3:18; Jer 16:15.Ends of the earth. Comp. Jer 6:22; Jer 25:32; Jer 50:41.Among them, etc. The deliverance is to comprise the whole people. The weak and frail will then not be excluded, but be conducted in a manner suited to their circumstances. With tears of joy and contrition, with prayer and supplication to the Lord their God will they retrace their way. Comp. Jer 3:21; Jer 50:4. As in Psa 45:15; Isa 55:12, a being led forth with gladness and with peace is spoken of, so here it is said that the Lord will lead Israel with supplication, i. e., in the continued spirit and practice of prayer. Only thus is the symmetry of the construction preserved, according to which a more particular definition is to be given to each verb by means of a prepositional expression.To water-brooks, in a level and comfortable path, are they to be brought. Comp. Isa 48:21.This careful guidance is truly paternal. No wonder; for Jehovah is Israels father (comp. Deu 32:6; Isa 63:16; Jer 3:19; Herzog, R.-Enc. XVII.S. 252), and Ephraim is His first-born son. This predicate is ascribed to the whole nation. Exo 4:22 coll. Deu 14:1. Here however Ephraim is purposely designated as first-born, in allusion to the preference, which Jacob awarded to the sons of Joseph (Gen 49:22 coll. 4), and which is distinctly defined in 1Ch 5:2, where it is said that Judah obtained the dignity of chief ruler (), but Joseph the birthright (). Comp. Delitszch on Gen 49:3-4; Herzog, R.-Enc. XIV., S. 769.
Jer 31:10-14. Hear saith Jehovah. The nations themselves which held Israel captive and mocked at his expulsion (Jer 15:4; Jer 24:9; Jer 29:18), must proclaim the purpose of God to liberate His people. We are here reminded of the edict of Cyrus (Ezr 1:1 sqq.). This proclamation by those hitherto in power is itself a new and important step towards the realization of the promise given in Jer 31:1-6.Isles. Comp. Exeg. rems. on Jer 2:10; Jer 25:22.Scattered. Comp. Jer 15:7 to Jer 23:3; Jer 29:14.Observe that the prophet, as in Jer 31:8-9 he had described the glory of the return, so now he portrays the glory of the arrival and the prosperity to be expected afterwards.For the corn. Comp. Deu 28:51; Joe 1:10; Joe 2:19, etc.Watered garden. Isa 58:11.Then will the virgin, etc. Comp. Jer 31:4. The dances of virgins with men according to our custom are not to be thought of, for such dancing was not practised by the ancients generally and especially not by the Hebrews. (Comp. Herzog, R.-Enc. XV., S. 414 sqq.). Mens dances also occur (comp. Jdg 9:27; 2Sa 6:14), but in general dancing was regarded as something particularly appropriated to women and especially virgins. (Comp. Exo 15:20; Jdg 21:21; Jdg 11:34; 1Sa 18:6; Winer, R.-W.-B. s. v. Tanz). Hence the joy in the dance is to be referred to the virgin alone. When it is further said that youths and old men would rejoice with each other, this is to express the general diffusion of the joy. Not only youth, the period addicted to joyousness, but even age shall be infected by the joy, so that all ages and sexes will participate in it. And every rank also! Hence the priests are rendered especially prominent, their share in the sacrifices (Lev 7:32-34; Lev 9:21) being set forth as particularly fat, i. e. ample and dainty (the eating of fat being strictly forbidden, Lev 7:23-25).
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Joh. Conr. Schaller, pastor at Cautendorf, says in his Gospel Sermons, (Hof. 1742, S. 628), These chapters are like a sky in which sparkle many brilliant stars of strong and consolatory declarations, a paradise and pleasure-garden in which a believing soul is refreshed with delightsome flowers of instruction, and solaced with sweetly flavored apples of gracious promise.
2. On Jer 30:1-3. The people of Israel were not then capable of bearing such a prophecy, brimming over with happiness and glory. They would have misused it, hearing to the end what was promised them, and then only the more certainly postponing what was the only thing then necessarysincere repentance. Hence they are not yet to hear this gloriously consolatory address. It is to be written, that it may in due time be perceived that the Lord, even at the time when He was obliged to threaten most severely, had thoughts of peace concerning the people, and that thus the period of prosperity has not come by chance, nor in consequence of a change of mind, but in consequence of a plan conceived from the beginning and executed accordingly.
3. On Jer 30:7. The great and terrible day of the Lord (Joe 3:4) has not the dimensions of a human day. It has long sent out its heralds in advance. Yea, it has itself already dawned. For since by the total destruction of the external theocracy judgment is begun at the house of God (1Pe 4:17), we stand in the midst of the day of God in the midst of the judgment of the world. Then the time of trouble for Jacob has begun (Jer 30:7), from which he is to be delivered, when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in (Romans 11.)
4. On Jer 30:9. Christ is David in his highest potency, and He is also still more. For if we represent all the typical points in Davids life as a circle, and draw a line from each of these points, the great circle thus formed would comprise only a part of the given in Christ. Nevertheless Christ is the true David, who was not chosen like Saul for his bodily stature, but only for his inward relation to God (comp. Psa 2:7), whose kingdom also does not cease after a short period of glory, but endures forever; who will not like Saul succumb to his enemies, but will conquer them all, and will give to his kingdom the widest extent promised; all this however not without, like David, having gone through the bitterest trials.
5. On Jer 30:11. Modus patern castigationis accommodatus et quasi appensus ad stateram judicii Dei adeoque non immensus sed dimensus. Christus ecclesiam crucis su hredem constituit. Gregor. M. Frster.
6. On Jer 30:14. Cum virlutem patienti nostr flagella transeunt, valde metuendum est, ne peccatis nostris exigentibus non jam quasi filii a patre, sed quasi hostes a Domino feriamur. Gregor. M. Moral. XIV. 20, on Job 19:11. Ghisler.
7. On Jer 30:17. Providentia Dei mortalibus salutifera, antequam percutiat, pharmaca medendi grati componit, et gladium ir su acuit. Evagr. Hist. Ecc 4:6.Quando incidis in tentationem, crede, quod nisi cognovisset te posse illam evadere, non permisisset te in illam incidere. Theophyl. in cap. 18 Joh. Frster.Feriam prius et sanabo melius. Theophyl. in Hosea 11. Ghisler.
8. On Jer 30:21. This church of God will own a, Prince from its midstJesus, of our flesh and blood through the virgin Mary, and He approaches God, as no other can, for He is Gods image, Gods Son, and at the same time the perfect, holy in all His sufferings, only obedient son of man. This king is mediator and reconciler with God; He is also high-priest and fulfilled all righteousness, as was necessary for our propitiation. What glory to have such a king, who brings us nigh unto God, and this is our glory! Diedrich.
9. On Jer 31:1. There is no greater promise than this: I will be thy God. For if He is our God we are His creatures, His redeemed, His sanctified, according to all the three articles of the Christian faith. Cramer.
10. On Jer 31:2. The rough heap had to be sifted by the sword, but those who survived, though afflicted in the desert of this life, found favor with God, and these, the true Israel, God leads into His rest. Diedrich.
11. On Jer 31:3. The love of God towards us comes from love and has no other cause above or beside itself, but, is in God and remains in God, so that Christ who is in God is its centre. For herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us (1Jn 4:10). Cramer. Totum grati imputatur, non nostris meritis. Augustine in Psalms 31. Frster. Before I had done anything good Thou hadst already moved towards me. Let these words be written on your hearts with the pen of the living God, that they may light you like flames of fire on the day of the marriage. It is your certificate of birth, your testimonial. Let me never lose sight of how much it has cost Thee to redeem me. Zinzendorf. God says: My chastisement even was pure love, though then you did not understand it; you shall learn it afterwards. Diedrich. [I incline to the construction given in the English version, both because the suffix to the verb is more naturally, I have drawn thee, than I have drawn out toward thee, and because there seems to be a tacit allusion to Hos 11:4, With loving kindness have I drawn thee.-A great moral truth lies in this passage so construed, viz., that the main power which humbles mans pride, softens his hard heart and makes him recoil in shame and sorrow from sinning, comes through his apprehension of Gods love as manifested in Christ and His cross. It is love that, draws the fearful or stubborn soul to the feet of divine mercy. Cowles.S. R. A.]
12. On Jer 31:6. It is well: the watchmen on Mount Ephraim had to go to Zion. They received however another visit from the Jewish priests, which they could not have expected at the great reformation, introduced by John, and which had its seat among other places on Mount Ephraim. The Samaritans were not far distant, and Mount Ephraim had even this honor that when the Lord came to His temple He took His Seat as a teacher there. Zinzendorf. [Gods grace loves to triumph over the most inveterate prejudices No words could represent a greater and more benign change in national feeling than these: Samaria saying through her spiritual watchmen, Let us go up to Zion to worship, for our God is there. Cowles. Ascendamus in Sion, hoc est in Ecclesiam says S. Jerome. According to this view, the watchmen here mentioned are the Preachers of the Gospel. Wordsworth.S. R. A.]
13. On Jer 31:9. I will lead them. It is an old sighing couplet, but full of wisdom and solid truth:
Lord Jesus, while I live on earth, O guide me,
Let me not, self-led, wander from beside Thee.
Zinzendorf.
14. On Jer 31:10. He who has scattered Israel will also collect it. Why? lie is the Shepherd. It is no wolf-scattering. He interposes His hand, then they go asunder, and directly come together again more orderly. Zinzendorf.
15. On Jer 31:12-14. Gaudebunt electi, quando videbunt supra se, intra se, juxta se, infra se. Augustine.Prmia clestia erunt tam magna, ut non possint mensurari, tam multa, ut non possint numerari, tam copiosa, ut non possint terminari, tam pretiosa, ut non possint stimari. Bernhard. Frster.
16. On Jer 31:15. Because at all times there is a similar state of things in the church of God, the lament of Rachel is a common one. For as this lament is over the carrying away captive and oppressions of Babylon, so is it also a lament over the tyranny of Herod in slaughtering the innocent children (Mat 2:1-7.)Cramer. Premuntur justi in ecclesia ut clament, clamantes exaudiuntur, exauditi glorificent Deum. Augustin. Frster.With respect to this, that Rachels lament may be regarded as a type of maternal lamentation over lost children, Frster quotes this sentence of Cyprian: non amisimus, sed prmisimus (2Sa 12:23). [On the application of this verse to the murder of the innocents consult W. L. Alexander, Connexion of the Old and New. Testament, p. 54, and W. H. Mill in Wordsworths Note in loc.S. R. A.]
17. On Jer 31:18. The conversion of man must always be a product of two factors. A conversion which man alone should bring about, without God, would be an empty pretence of conversion; a conversion, which God should produce, without man, would be a compulsory, manufactured affair, without any moral value. The merit and the praise is, however, always on Gods side. He gives the will and the execution. Did He not discipline us, we should never learn discipline. Did He not lead back our thoughts to our Fathers house which we have left (Luke 15) we should never think of returning.
18. On Jer 31:19. The children of God are ashamed their life long, they cannot raise their heads for humiliation. For their sins always seem great to them, and the grace of God always remains something incomprehensible to them.Zinzendorf. The farther the Christian advances in his consciousness of sonship and in sanctification, the more brilliantly rises the light of grace, the more distinctly does he perceive in this light, how black is the night of his sins from which God has delivered him. [It is the ripest and fullest ears of grain which hang their heads the lowest.S. R. A.]
19. On Jer 31:19. The use of the dear cross is to make us blush (Dan 9:8) and not regard ourselves as innocent (Jer 30:11). And as it pleases a father when a child soon blushes, so also is this tincture a flower of virtue well-pleasing to God. Cramer. Deus oleum miserationis su non nisi in vas contritum et contribulatum infundit. Bernhard.Frster.
20. On Jer 31:19. The reproach of my youth. The sins of youth are not easily to be forgotten (Psa 25:7; Job 31:18). Therefore we ought to be careful so to act in our youth as not to have to chew the cud of bitter reflection in our old age. It is a comfort that past sins of youth will not injure the truly penitent. Non nocent peccata prterita, cum non placent prsentia. Augustine. To transgress no more is the best sign of repentance. Cramer.
21. On Jer 31:20. Comforting and weighty words, which each one should lay to heart. God loves and caresses us as a mother her good child. He remembers His promise. His heart yearns and breaks, and it is His pleasure to do us good. Cramer. lpsius proprium est, misereri semper et parcere. Augustine.Major est Dei misericordia quam omnium hominum miseria. Idem.
22. On Jer 31:23. The Lord bless thee, thou dwelling-place of righteousness, thou holy mountain. Certainly no greater honor was ever done to the Jewish mountains than that the womans seed prayed and wept on them, was transfigured, killed and ascended above all heaven. Zinzendorf. It cannot be denied that a church sanctifies a whole place . Members of Jesus are real guardian angels, who do not exist in the imagination, but are founded on Gods promise (Mat 25:40). Idem.
23. On Jer 31:29-30. The so-called family curse has no influence on the servants of God; one may sleep calmly nevertheless. This does not mean that we should continue in the track of our predecessors, ex. gr., when our ancestors have gained much wealth by sinful trade, that we should continue this trade with this wealth with the hope of the divine blessing. If this or that property, house, right, condition be afflicted with a curse, the children of God may soon by prudent separation deliver themselves from these unsafe circumstances. For nothing attaches to their persons, when they have been baptized with the blood of Jesus and are blessed by Him. Zinzendorf.
24. On Jer 31:29-30. In testamento novo per sarguinem mediatoris deleto paterno chirographo incipit homo paternis debitis non esse obnoxius renascendo, quibus nascendo fuerat obligatus, ipso Mediatore di cente: Ne vobis patrem dicis in terra (Mat 23:9). Secundum hoc utique, quod alios natales, quibus non patri succederemus, sed cum patre semper viveremus, invenimus. Augustine, contra Julian, VI. 12, in Ghisler.
25. On Jer 31:31. In veteribus libris aut nusquam aut difficile prter hunc propheticum locum legitur facta commemoratio testamenti novi, ut omnino ipso nomine appellaretur. Nam multis locis hoc significalur et prnuntiatur futurum, sed non ita ut etiam nomen lega ur expressum. Augustine, de Spir. et Lit. ad Marcellin, Cap. 19 (where to Cap. 29 there is a detailed discussion of this passage) in Ghisler.In the whole of the Old Testament there is no passage, in which the view is so clearly and distinctly expressed as here that the law is only . And though some commentators have supposed that the passage contains only a censure of the Israelites and not of the Old Covenant, they only show thus that they have not understood the simple meaning of the words. Ebrard. Comm. zum Hebrerbr. S. 275.
26. On Jer 31:31, sqq. Propter veteris hominis noxam, qu per literam jubentem et minantem minime sanabatur, dicitur illud testamentum vetus; hoc antem novum propter novitatem spiritus, qu hominem novum sanat a vitio vetustatis. Augustine, c. Lit. Cap. 19.
27. On Jer 31:33. Quid sunt ergo leges Dei ab ipso Deo script in cordibus, nisi ipsa prsentia Spiritus sancti, qui est digitus Dei, quo prsente diffunditur charitas in cordibus nostrio, qu plenitudo legis est et prcepti finis? Augustine, l. c. Cap. 20.
28. On Jer 31:34. Quomodo tempus est novi testamenti, de quo propheta dixit: et non docebit unusquisque civem suum, etc. nisi quia rjusdem testamenti novi ternam mercedem, id est ipsius Dei beatissimam contemplationem promittendo conjunxit? Augustine, l. c. Cap. 24.
29. On Jer 31:33-34. This is the blessed difference between law and Gospel, between form and substance. Therefore are the great and small alike, and the youths like the elders, the pupils more learned than their teachers, and the young wiser than the ancients (1Jn 2:20 sqq.). Here is the cause:For I will forgive their iniquities. This is the occasion of the above; no one can effect this without it. Forgiveness of sins makes the scales fall from peoples eyes, and gives them a cheerful temper, clear conceptions, a clear head.Zinzendorf.
30. On Jer 31:35-37. Etsi particulares ecclesi intotum deficere possunt, ecclesia tamen catholica nunquam defecit aut deficiet. Obstant enim Dei amplissim promissiones, inter quas non ultimum locum sibi vindicut qu hic habetur Jer 31:37. Frster.
31. On Jer 31:38-40. Jerusalem will one day be much greater than it has ever been. This is not to be understood literally but spiritually. Jerusalem will be wherever there are believing souls, its circle will be without end and comprise all that has been hitherto impure and lost. This it is of which the prophet is teaching, and which he presents in figures, which were intelligible to the people in his time. The hill Gareb, probably the residence of the lepers, the emblem of the sinner unmasked and smitten by God, and the cursed valley of Ben-Hinnom will be taken up into the holy city. Gods grace will one day effect all this, and Israel will thus be manifested as much more glorious than ever before. Diedrich.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer 30:5-9. Sermon on one of the last Sundays after Trinity or the second in Advent. The day of the judgment of the world a great day. For it is, (1) a day of anxiety and terror for all the world; (2) a day of deliverance from all distress for the church of the Lord; (3) a day of realization of all the happiness set in prospect before it.
2. On Jer 30:10-12. Consolation of the church in great trial. 1. It has well deserved the trial (Jer 30:12); 2. it is therefore chastised, but with moderation; 3. it will not perish but again enjoy peace.
3. On Jer 30:17. [The Restorer of mankind. 1. Faith in the Christian Sacrament and its attendant revelation of divine character alone answer the demand of the heart and reason of man for a higher state of moral perfection. 2. Christianity offers to maintain a communication between this world and that eternal world of holiness and truth. 3. It commends itself to our wants in the confirmation and direction of that principle of hope, which even in our daily and worldly life, we are perpetually forced to substitute for happiness, and 4. By the adorable object, which it presents to our affections. Archer ButlerS. R. A.]
4. On Jer 31:1-2. Gesetz and Zeugniss (Law and Testimony) 1864, Heft. 1. Funeral sermon of Ahlfeld.
5. On Jer 31:2-4. lb. 1865. Heft 1. Funeral sermon of Besser, S. 32 ff.
6. On Jer 31:3. C. Fr. Hartmann (Wedding, School, Catechism and Birth-day sermons, ed. C. Chr. Eberh. Ehemann. Tb. 1865). Wedding sermon. 1. A grateful revival in the love of God already received. 2. Earnest endeavor after a daily enjoyment of this love. 3. Daily nourishment of hope.
7. On Jer 31:3. Florey. Comfort and warning at graves. I. Bndchen, S. 253. On the attractions of Gods love towards His own children. They are, 1. innumerable and yet so frequently overlooked; 2. powerful and yet so frequently resisted; 3. rich in blessing and yet so frequently; unemployed. [For practical remarks on this text see also Tholuck, Stunden der Andacht, No. 11.S. R. A.]
8. On Jer 31:9. Confessional sermon by Dekan V. Biarowsky in Erlangen (in Palmers Evang. Casual-Reden, 2 te Folge, 1 Band. Stuttgart, 1850.) Every partaking of the Lords supper is a return to the Lord in the promised land, and every one who is a guest at the supper rises and comes. 1. How are we to come? (weeping and praying). 2. What shall we find? (Salvation and blessing, power and life, grace and help).
9. On Jer 31:18-20. Comparison of conversion with the course of the earth and the sun. 1. The man who has fallen away is like the planet in its distance from the sun; he flees from God as far as he Song of Solomon 2. Love however does not release him: a. he is chastened (winter, cold, long nights, short days); b. he accepts the chastening and returns to proximity to the sun (summer, warmth, light, life). Comp. Brandt, Altes und Neues in i extemporirbaren Entwrfen. Nremberg, 1829, II. 5. [The stubborn sinner submitting himself to God. I. A description of the feelings and conduct of an obstinate, impenitent sinner, while smarting under the rod of affliction: He is rebellioustill subdued. II. The new views and feelings produced by affliction through divine grace: (a) convinced of guilt and sinfulness; (b) praying; (c) reflecting on the effects of divine grace in his conversion. III. A correcting but compassionate God, watching the result, etc., (a) as a tender father mindful of his penitent child; (b) listening to his complaints, confessions and petitions; (c) declaring His determination to pardon. Payson.S. R. A.]
10. On Jer 31:31-34. Sermon on 1 Sunday in Advent by Pastor Diechert in Grningen, S. Stern aus Jakob. I. Stuttg. 1867.
11. On Jer 31:33-34. Do we belong to the people of God? 1. Have we holiness? 2. Have we knowledge? 3. Have we the peace promised to this people? (Caspari in Predigtbuch von Dittmar, Erlangen, 1845).
12. On Jer 31:33-34. By the new covenant in the bath of holy baptism all becomes new. 1. What was dead becomes alive 2. What was obscure becomes clear. 3. What was cold becomes warm. 4. What was bound becomes free (Florey, 1862).
Footnotes:
[4]Jer 31:7. . as in Psa 22:31; Psa 69:6; Psa 69:27. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., S. 227.The accus. as in Jer 31:3.
[5]Jer 31:7.. Comp. Isa 10:30; Isa 12:6; Jer 5:8; Jer 50:11. The construction with , as in Isa 24:14.
[6]Jer 31:7.On the construction , comp. rems. on Jer 4:5; Jer 13:18.
[7]Jer 31:9.Hitzig would connect with what follows because it does not agree with , which does not signify miseratio, clementia. But we need not use the word in this sense. [Comp. Exeg. rems. which, however, do not accord with the rendering given by Naegelsbach in the text. Henderson and Noyes adhere to the A. V.: and with supplicationswdenotos,ill I lead them.S. R. A.]
[8]Jer 31:10.. On the construction comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 112, 5, d.
[9]Jer 31:12.-. On and its interchange with comp. rems. on Jer 10:1, in distinction from , is never used of moral, but always of material good. Comp. Jer 2:7; Hos 3:5.
[10]Jer 31:12. . Comp. Jer 31:25, and Olshausen, S. 532.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
DISCOURSE: 1069
THE RESTORATION OF THE JEWS
Jer 31:7-9. Thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts 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 return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.
IT was expressly commanded by God, that all the males belonging to the twelve tribes of Israel should go up thrice every year to worship the Lord at Jerusalem. If we paint to ourselves the concourse which this would occasion at the appointed seasons, we may form some conception of what shall take place, in due season, from every quarter of the world. If it be said, that the land of Israel will be too small to hold the numbers that, in that case, would be assembled; I answer, that this very circumstance is adverted to in prophecy, where it is said, The land shall be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants; so that they shall say, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell [Note: Isa 49:19-20.]. That the Jews shall be restored to their own land, is, I think, as plainly declared in Scripture, as any truth in the Bible: though, if any be disposed to doubt it, I am not anxious to maintain a controversy respecting it; because, however important it may be to the Jews, it is to us a matter of small moment. To me it appears, that the preceding chapter, together with that before us, is fully upon this point. But, at all events, the future conversion of the Jews is absolutely certain, and indeed is universally admitted: and the multitudes of converts to the Christian Church in that day will be a visible accomplishment of the words preceding my text, which say, that the watchmen on the Mount Ephraim will cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion, unto the Lord our God!
In reference to the restoration of the Jews, we have in our text,
I.
A command to us
The Most High God is he that speaks to us in this place; and he enjoins us here,
1.
To take an interest in the welfare of his people
[It is a great reproach to the Christian world, that, from the close of the apostolic age, they have shewn very little attention to the Jews. Indeed, they have overlooked the prophecies relating to them; and thought little more, either of God s interest in them, or theirs in him, than if not a word had been spoken respecting them in Scripture. But God says to us, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations. Here it is evident that we ought so to keep in view Gods gracious designs respecting them, as to have our hearts filled with joy in the contemplation of the blessings that await them. This is enjoined in other passages of Holy Writ [Note: Isa 44:23; Isa 66:10-12.] and I again say, that we have exceeding great reason to be humbled, when we look back on our past indifference towards them ]
2.
To express that interest in every suitable way
[We should give to them the benefit, and to God the honour, of what the Scripture has revealed concerning them; publishing it wheresoever we go, whether to Jews or Gentiles; and praising God for it, as a stupendous display of his glorious perfections And whilst we endeavour to engage their attention to these things, we must, by fervent intercession, endeavour to engage God also in their behalf. We should, together with our public efforts, exert ourselves in secret also, saying, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. This is especially commanded: we are even enjoined so to abound in importunity, as not to give any rest to God till he arises to make Jerusalem a praise in the earth [Note: Isa 62:6-7.]. Alas! how shamefully negligent have we all been in this duty! We know how fervently Moses interceded for them on many occasions; and even prayed to have his own name blotted out of the book of Gods remembrance, rather than that they should be subjected to Gods heavy displeasure. Let us seek to attain somewhat of the same spirit; and labour fervently for them night and clay in prayer, that they may be restored to the favour and the image of their God ]
Verily our labour should not be in vain; since to this command, without the intervention of a single word, God adds,
II.
A promise to them
In the promise here given, you observe,
1.
Their restoration to God
[God himself will, in duo season, interpose for their recovery. However distant they are from him, he can, and will, bring them home to himself and, however discouraging their circumstances, will work effectually for them. View them when they came out of Egypt: nothing could exceed their weakness: yet he brought them out safely, with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm. So now, though they be blind, and lame, and in a state either of pregnancy or actual travail, he will crown their efforts with success; yea, and as in that day, so at the time appointed, a great company shall return thither. Whatever mountains be in the way, before Zerubbabel they shall become a plain [Note: See Isa 49:9-11.] ]
2.
The manner in which it shall be effected
[With weeping and supplication shall they come; as says the Prophet Zechariah also, God will pour out upon them a spirit of grace and of supplication: and they shall look on Him whom they have pierced, and mourn, and be in bitterness, as one is in bitterness for his first-born [Note: Zec 12:10.]. In the whole of their progress they shall be carried forward with an abundance of peace, and joy, and holiness: for God will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble. The wonders transacted in the wilderness shall, in a spiritual way at least, be realized again: for God will guide them by his counsel, and strengthen them by his grace, and comfort them with the consolations of his Spirit, till he bring them in safety to his glory ]
3.
The pledge that it shall surely be accomplished
[When Moses urged Pharaoh to liberate that people, he particularly enforced his request with this consideration, that they were Gods first-born [Note: Exo 4:12.]. And in that light he still regards them, though he has cast them off for a season. To them, therefore, will he again reveal himself as a father; and for them will he again interpose as his first-born, whom nothing shall induce him finally to disinherit. As he has sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so has he sworn that he will not be wrath with them, nor rebuke them; and that, though the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, his kindness shall not depart from them, nor the covenant of his peace be removed from them [Note: ver. 37. with Isa 54:9-10.].]
Application
1.
Look well to it that you are yourselves restored to God
[You have the same need of it as the Jews and must return in the same way Inquire, I pray you, whether you have come to the Lord Jesus with weeping and supplication and are walking steadily and uniformly in his holy way This is as necessary for your salvation, as for theirs ]
2.
Endeavour to help forward the restoration of your Jewish Brethren
[You have seen that God enjoins you to interest yourselves in their behalf, exerting yourselves with God for them, and with them for God. To intercede for them in secret, is your bounden duty, and to labour for them in public What you cannot do by your own personal efforts, you may accomplish through the Society which solicits your aid ]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 31:7 For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
Ver. 7. Shout among the chief of the nations. ] Heb., Neigh unto the heads of the nations, ut illa vobis adhinniant et pariter in Christi fide iubilent, that they may join joys with you, and help to make up the choir.
Publish ye, and praise ye, and say, O Lord, save.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 31:7-9
7For thus says the LORD,
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O LORD, save Your people,
The remnant of Israel.’
8Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,
And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great company, they will return here.
9With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will not stumble;
For I am a father to Israel,
And Ephraim is My firstborn.
Jer 31:7 Jer 31:7-9 are another poem/strophe. There is a series of IMPERATIVES expressing YHWH’s will for the reunified covenant people (Israel/Jacob).
1. sing aloud – BDB 943, KB 1247, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. shout – BDB 843, KB 1007, Qal IMPERATIVE
3. proclaim – BDB 1033, KB 1570, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
4. give praise – BDB 237, KB 248, Piel IMPERATIVE
5. say – BDB 55, KB 65, Qal IMPERATIVE
6. save – BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE (this is a prayer to YHWH expressed loudly. The LXX changes the IMPERATIVE to a DECLARATIVE, which makes it the OBJECT of the other IMPERATIVES)
NASB, NKJV,
NRSV, NJBchief of the nations
TEVthe greatest of the nations
JPSOAat the crossroads of the nations
REBlead the nations
LXXthe head of the nations
This imagery goes back to (1) Exo 4:22; Psa 2:7, where Israel is YHWH’s firstborn or (2) Psa 18:43, where David is called the head of the nations. Both of the above are combined in Psa 89:27. In Deu 28:13 Israel is called the head and not the tail, which is the same imagery (cf. Isa 61:9). This imagery shows the central place of Abraham’s descendants (cf. Deu 26:19) in YHWH’s plan for all the earth (see Special Topic: YHWH’s Eternal Redemptive Plan ).
the remnant of Israel In this context it is parallel to those who survived the sword of Jer 31:2 b. See Special Topic: The Remnant, Three Senses . Jeremiah uses this term (BDB 984) twenty-three times.
Jer 31:8 I am bringing them from the north country This reference is to the Assyrian exile of the northern kingdom in 722 B.C. The only land route into Palestine from Mesopotamia was from the north because the Arabian Desert was to the east. It became a symbol of invasion, but here is a symbol of hope and restoration.
Notice how the returnees are characterized.
1. from the remote parts of the earth (cf. Isa 43:6)
2. the blind (cf. Isa 42:16)
3. the lame (cf. Mic 4:6; Zep 3:19)
4. women with children
5. pregnant women
This is in contrast to how they were taken into captivity. Only the strong, middle-aged were taken. The young, the old, the sick, the weak, the leaders were all killed!
Jer 31:9 with weeping. . . by supplication Jer 31:9 refers to the repentant nature of the returners (cf. Jer 31:7 e,9b; Deu 30:6). This same form appears in Zec 12:10 for Israel’s repentance and faith in the Messiah.
walk by streams of water This imagery describes the new age (cf. Deu 28:1-14) of abundance. The desert is transformed into a watered garden (cf. Jer 31:12; Isa 58:11). This is imagery from Isaiah (cf. Isa 35:7-8; Isa 41:17-20; Isa 43:19-20; Isa 49:10-11.
The way home (i.e., highway) will be easy and without want! YHWH is bringing His people back to the Promised Land. A new exodus and wilderness wandering period has begun.
on a straight path in which they shall not stumble The way home will be smooth and easy. YHWH will prepare the road (physically and spiritually). This is the highway of holiness described by Isaiah (cf. Isa 35:8; Isa 40:3; Isa 49:11; Isa 57:14; Isa 62:10).
I am a Father to Israel God is spoken of as Father (see Special Topic: Fatherhood of God ) to the descendants of Abraham. God is spoken of as a husband to them in Jer 11:15 (cf. Hosea 1-3). The Bible uses the most intimate family terms to describe the relationship between God and His people (cf. Hosea 1-3, 11).
It is difficult in this chapter (which seems to combine poems from several periods of Jeremiah’s ministry) to know when the terminology refers to the Northern Ten Tribes or to all Israelites (see Contextual Insights, B).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jacob. Note the frequent use of “Jacob” in these chapters, referring to the natural seed.
save Thy People. Compare the Hebrew Hosannah. See Psa 118:25, and see note on Mat 21:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 31:7-9
Jer 31:7-9
For thus saith Jehovah, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. 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. 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 a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.
Save thy people…
(Jer 31:7). This indicates that eternal salvation is the culmination of God’s promises here. The remnant of Israel… (Jer 31:7). This expression forbids any notion that the whole nation of apostate racial Israel were meant to be included in these glorious promises.
In both this and the preceding paragraphs, God assured Israel of his “everlasting love.” With the utmost tenderness, God mentioned his fatherhood of Israel, and Ephraim’s being his firstborn. None of this great and everlasting love belonged to racial Israel in any exclusive sense. These wonderful expressions of God’s love are merely the Old Testament counterpart of the great New Testament principle, that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Joh 3:16).
A New Consolation Jer 31:7-20
Jer 31:7 sets the tone for the four paragraphs which follow. The prophet foresees the day when salvation will be accomplished and a new joy will fill the hearts of Gods people. Jeremiah calls for shouts of joy and praise. It is not clear to whom this exhortation is addressed. The imperatives throughout the verse are in the plural. Jeremiah is probably calling upon all those who love the Lord whether Jew or Gentile to burst forth into joyous strains. Israel is here called the chief of the nations because God had chosen them from among all the nations for special privileges and obligations. See Amo 3:2; Deu 7:6; Deu 4:7-8. In the verses of this section Jeremiah offers divine consolation to four different groups: the distressed (Jer 31:8-9), the disheartened (Jer 31:10-14), the disconsolate (Jer 31:15-17) and the despondent (Jer 31:18-20).
1. The distressed (Jer 31:8-9)
The journey home from exile would be particularly difficult for certain segments of the population. Nonetheless, those in distress-the blind, the lame, the woman travailing with child-will return with tears of joy and contrition upon their cheeks, and with supplications upon their lips. God will hear their prayers and will lead them in a straight way where there will be no danger of stumbling. He will lead them beside streams of water where they can find refreshment. How careful were the prophets to always include the distressed of humanity in Gods program of salvation and deliverance. The reason for Gods concern for the distressed is clearly stated: For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born. It is not entirely clear whether Israel in this verse is the entire nation, Judah or the Northern Kingdom. The concept of Israel as the son of God is as old as the accounts of the Exodus (Exo 4:22). The heavenly Father will not allow His son, the spiritual remnant of the nation, to remain in captivity.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
remnant
(See Scofield “Jer 15:21”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Sing: Deu 32:43, Psa 67:1, Psa 96:1-3, Psa 98:1-4, Psa 117:1, Psa 117:2, Psa 138:4, Psa 138:5, Isa 12:4-6, Isa 24:14-16, Isa 42:10-12, Isa 44:23, Zep 3:14-20
O: Psa 14:7, Psa 28:9, Psa 69:35, Psa 106:47, Hos 1:7
remnant: Jer 23:3, Isa 1:9, Isa 11:11, Isa 37:4, Isa 37:31, Eze 6:8, Joe 2:32, Amo 5:15, Mic 2:12, Mic 7:18, Zep 2:9, Zep 3:13, Rom 9:27, Rom 11:5
Reciprocal: Psa 27:6 – joy Psa 47:1 – shout Psa 81:1 – Sing Psa 92:4 – General Isa 9:3 – they joy Isa 52:8 – Thy Isa 65:14 – my servants Jer 50:4 – the children of Israel Amo 3:9 – Publish Mic 5:3 – then Zep 2:7 – the remnant
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 31:7. Say, O Lord, save thy people is the prophetic style of language. It is a prediction that the Lord would come to the rescue of his people while there was still a remnant of them surviving the captivity.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 31:7-14 (suggestive of Deutero-Isaiah). Let there be joy that Yahweh hath saved His people, for He will gather all to Palestine (hither, Jer 31:8), and they will come penitently to the Divine provision made for their need (Jer 31:9 mg.; cf. Isa 49:10), made as for Yahwehs firstborn (1Ch 5:1 f.). Let the nations make it known that Yahweh is the rescuing shepherd (Isa 40:11) of Israel, which is now gathered to the good things (goodness, Jer 31:12; cf. Gen 45:20) of Zion; these are sufficient for all, so that they shall no more faint through hunger (sorrow, Jer 31:12, should be pine; cf. Jer 31:25, sorrowful). The people will rejoice, and the priests will receive abundant offerings, because of the general prosperity.
Jer 31:7. save thy people: read with LXX, Targ.: (Yahweh) hath saved his people; also read mg.
Jer 31:10. isles: i.e. the Mediterranean with its coasts.
Jer 31:14. satiate the soul: satisfy the appetite, Isa 55:2.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
31:7 {l} For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: proclaim ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
(l) He shows what will be the concord and love of all under the gospel when none will be refused for their infirmities: and everyone will exhort one another to embrace it.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Israel’s homecoming 31:7-14
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
In the future, the Israelites would sing joyfully among the chief nations where they dwelt. They would call on Yahweh to save the remaining remnant of His people. Calling on Him to "Save Your people" would bring Him praise because He promised to save them (cf. Isa 11:11; Isa 28:5).