THE NEW COVENANT: AN EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF JEREMIAH 31:31-34

31
Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will cut a new covenant with the house
of Israel and the house of Judah.
32
Not like the covenant I cut with their fathers, in the day (when) I took them by hand to bring
them out of the land of Egypt. But they broke my covenant though I was their husband, says
the Lord.
33
For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, I
will put my law within them and in their hearts I will write it and I will be their God and they
will be my people.
34
and no man shall teach again his friend and his brother saying, “know the Lord.”For they all
shall know me from the least to the great, says the Lord, for I forgive their guilt and will
remember their sins no more.
1. Introduction
Jeremiah lived in a country whose doom was sealed. He was asked by the Lord to warn the
people of it. But they did not listen to him.[i] People had failed to keep the covenant of the
Lord which he had made with their ancestors, but has He entirely rejected them? This is a
question relevant even to today’s world. This is where Jeremiah’s words of comfort become a
consolation not only for the Israel, but for all of us. In Jeremiah 31:31-34, the Lord promises
a new covenant. This is a covenant which promises a renewed, stronger, and ever-lasting
relationship with the Lord. This promises an internal union with the Lord which cannot be
broken.[ii]
Although vv. 31-34 are mostly free of grammatical, textual and lexicographical
complications, there is considerable debate on the identity, meaning and provenance of the
‘new covenant.’[iii] My study will make an attempt on the exegetical issues of these verses in
the context of the Book of consolation and the book of Jeremiah as a whole. Although as a
Christian I cannot do away with the Christian understanding of this passage as the promise of
the new covenant established by Christ, (Matt 26:28; Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25; 2
Cor 3:1–14; Heb 8:8–12; 10:16–17),[iv] this study will not focus on the New Testament
understanding of the new covenant. As Timothy M. Willis says, one should not jump too
quickly to the conclusion that the Lord here is announcing the founding of Christianity only,
six centuries before that event.[v] Therefore, when I speak in this about the ‘old covenant’ it
merely is a mention to the Sinaitic Covenant which was older than the ‘new covenant’
promised by Jeremiah.
2. De-Limitation
The passage Jeremiah 31:31-34 is identified as one single unit, mainly because of its unique
theme. It is the only instance in which the ‘new covenant’ (‫ )ְּב ִר ית ֲח ָד ָׁש ה‬is used in the Old
Testament, although there are instances where reminiscence of such a theme can be found.
The promise of the new covenant is squeezed between the passage on promise for the
individual restoration (vv27-30) and the national restoration (vv.35-37). Thus, one can easily
find out the change in the theme. Another indicator for the de-limitation is the opening
formula. The opening formula in v.31, ‘‫( ִה ֵּנ ה ָי ִמ ים ָּב ִא ים‬Behold the days are coming),’ marks
the beginning of a new section (cf. Jer 7:32; 9:24; 23:5; 30:3; 31:27, 38; 33:14; etc.). [vi] It is
the Lord who speaks in the first person just as he did in the earlier section (vv 27-30) but in
v.35 the speaker of the verse is not the Lord, although, it begins with the formula ‫ֹּכה ָאַמ ר‬
‫ְי הָו ה‬. Thus a change in the speaker can be identified from the following section.
3. Translation
The translation done above (look at the beginning of the article) is with the help of many
aides[vii] and uses the BHS[viii] text as its original text.
4. Historical Context
According to most of the scholars, the ‘promise of the new covenant’ is made after the
destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. People were already in exile. They had lost their
land and the temple- the two pillars of Judaism. In fact these two created the national identity
of the Israelites. But now they had lost their identity. The Lord, who promised to David of a
continuous kingship in his lineage, had now deserted them. With this, all hope for Israel
seemed dead. Jeremiah, who was the prophet of the doom until then, changes now. He instills
in them a new hope. He promises the restoration of the ‘people of YWHH.’ The whole
subject of the thirtieth and thirty-first chapters is this restoration of the Hebrews (Je 30:4, 7,
10, 18).[ix]
What could be the immediate background of this covenant? The argument of the Holladay is
appealing. According to him, in 587 BCE it was time to recite Deuteronomy once more.
Although there was no temple by the time, the priests tried to embark the ritual at the
appointed time. Holladay argues from Jeremiah 41:1-5, where an account of the pilgrims
from the north, from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria is mentioned. According to him the
occasion for Jeremiah’s proclamation of the new covenant is this. If this is its setting, then its
vision of the shape of a new initiative by Yahweh is astonishing.[x]
5. Literary Context
The passage is part of the ‘Book of Comfort’[xi] in the book of Jeremiah. “The poetic
material in these two chapters marks them off as separate from surrounding material. At the
same time, the nature of several prose passages within the chapters suggests what one might
expect, namely, that hopeful poetry has had its share of prose expansions from later
periods.”[xii] Here, the usual doom-prophecy of Jeremiah changes to a hope-giving. This
section marks the fulfilment of the latter part of the call of Jeremiah namely to build and to
plant (cf.1:10 and 31:28). The Book of Consolation concludes with a series of five short
salvation oracles. They are more consistently future oriented than the rest of the Book of
Consolation. They also forge a link with chaps. 32–33, which provide a context in Jeremiah’s
ministry for the announcement of the restoration promises. The five oracles form a chiasm
centered on 31:31–34, the promise of the new covenant.[xiii] It is structured as follows.
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A 31:23-26 – Jerusalem
B 31:27-30 – Restoration of Individuals
C 31:31-34 – New Covenant
B’ 31:35-37 – Restoration of nations
A’ 31:38-40 – Jerusalem
6. Literary Features
Form-critically the passage is a proclamation of salvation (Heilsankündigung). It matches the
form of the framework for the recension for the south.[xiv] The passage is a combination of
carefully organized prose and poetry.[xv] The promise of the new covenant and the rejection of
the old covenant (vv.31-33a) is in prose format whereas the description of the New Covenant
(vv. 33–34) is a typical Hebrew poetry.[xvi]
7. Structure
As said earlier, the passage can be divided into two subsections. The prose section is arranged
chiastically.
A 31a Behold the days are coming, says the Lord (‫)ִה ֵּנ ה ָי ִמ ים ָּב ִא ים ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
B 31b when I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.( ‫ְו ָכ ַר ִּת י‬
‫)ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ִיְׂש ָר ֵא ל ְו ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ְי הּוָד ה ְּב ִר ית ֲח ָד ָׁש ה‬
C 32a Not like the covenant I cut with their fathers (‫)ֹלא ‍ַכְּב ִר ית ֲא ֶׁש ר ָּכ ַר ִּת י ֶא ת־ֲא בֹוָת ם‬
D 33b in the day (when) I took them by hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt ( ‫ְּב יֹום‬
‫)ֶה ֱח ִז יִק י ְב ָי ָד ם ְל הֹוִצ יָאם ‍ֵמֶא ֶר ץ ִמ ְצ ָר ִים‬
C’ 32c But they broke my covenant though I was their husband, says the Lord. ( ‫ֲא ֶׁש ר־ֵה ָּמ ה‬
‫)ֵה ֵפ רּו ֶא ת־ְּב ִר יִת י ְו ָאֹנִכ י ָּב ַע ְל ִּת י ָב ם ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
B’ 33a For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel( ‫ִּכ י ֹזאת ַה ְּב ִר ית ֲא ֶׁש ר ֶא ְכ ֹרת‬
‫)ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ִיְׂש ָר ֵא ל‬
A’ 33b after those days, says the Lord (‫)ַאֲח ֵר י ַה ָּי ִמ ים ָה ֵה ם ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
Thus the centerpiece of the prose section is the word of salvation history, “in the day (when) I
took them by hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt”; so that if the prose section is
framed by “the days” to come, then the center is “the day” of the original exodus.[xvii]
The poetry section consists of consists of four parts, each delineated in a pair of synonymous
lines.[xviii]
33b I will put my law within them (‫)ָנ ַת ִּת י ֶא ת־ּתֹוָר ִת י ְּב ִק ְר ָּב ם‬
and in their hearts I will write it (‫)ְו ַע ל־ִל ָּב ם ֶא ְכ ֲּת ֶב ָּנ ה‬
33b I will be their God, (‫)ֶא ְכ ֲּת ֶב ָּנ ה ְו ָה ִייִת י ָל ֶה ם ֵל אֹלִה ים‬
and they will be my people.( ‫)ְו ֵה ָּמ ה ִיְה יּו־ִל י ְל ָע ם‬
34a and no man shall teach again his friend and his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,”
(‫)ְו ֹלא ְי ַל ְּמ דּו עֹוד ִא יׁש ֶא ת־ֵר ֵע הּו ְו ִא יׁש ֶא ת־ָאִח יו ֵל אֹמר ְּד עּו ֶא ת־ְי הָו ה‬
for they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord( ‫ִּכ י־כּוָּל ם‬
‫)ֵי ְד עּו אֹוִת י ְל ‍ִמְק ַט ָּנ ם ְו ַע ד־ְּג דֹוָל ם ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
34b For I will forgive their inequity(‫)ִּכ י ֶא ְס ַל ח ַל ֲע ֹוָנ ם‬
and will remember their sins no more.( ‫)ּוְל ַח ָּט אָת ם ֹלא ֶא ְז ָּכ ר־עֹוד‬
It begins and ends with two bicola, each of which contains a pair of first-person singular
verbs; each of these bicola offers a chiasmus with respect to verbs and prepositional
complements. Then the opening bicolon is extended by the second bicolon, the covenantal
formula (the last cola of v 33b), which of course contains one first-person singular verb and
one third-person plural verb. The middle section of the poem thus consists of five cola (v
34a), the operative verbs of which are “they teach” and “they know”; the middle colon is the
command “Know Yahweh.”[xix] So while the centre theme of the prose section is the salvific
event of the exodus, the centre theme of the poetry section is the knowledge of YWHW,
something which Israel failed to attain under the Sinaitic covenant, which will be replaced
with the present covenant.
8. Exegetical Analysis
In the exegetical analysis, I will follow the structure which is outlined above for better
clarification. Therefore the analysis will be done in two parts- prose and poem separately.
8.1. The Prose Section
(A) 31a: Behold the days are coming, says the Lord (‫)ִה ֵּנ ה ָי ִמ ים ָּב ִא ים ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
‫ ִה ֵּנ ה‬: Translated as ‘behold’ the word is an attention-getter.[xx] This has a two-fold function
here, (1) to give attention to what is being said, because of its importance and (2) to make
clear that something new is being said.
‫ ָי ִמ ים ָּב ִא ים‬: Jeremiah uses this phrase 14 times altogether. This phrase is always put in the
mouth of the Lord. He uses this phrase thrice to warn the Israelites of the impending
punishment they will face if they do not turn back from their evil ways (7:32; 9:24; 19:16),
four times to warn the other nations, who oppresses Israel, of the impending punishment the
Lord will bring upon them (48:12; 49:2; 51:47; 51:52) and six times to promise the return
from exile (16:14; 23:5; 23:7; 30:3; 31:27; 33:14) and once to promise the new covenant he
will establish with them after those days(31:31). From this we can see a historically
developed pattern of the phrase, whereas in the early stages of the ministry, he used this
phrase to warn the Israelites, after the destruction, he uses this term to express the
compassion of the Lord. Therefore given the background, we can assume that the new
covenant would take place after the exile. This gives hope to the Israelites who were in utter
despair for the lost and broken covenantal relationship with the Lord.
‫ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬: ‘Says the Lord’ is an inadequate translation. ‘Pronouncement of the Lord’ will be
more adequate. Jeremiah uses this construction very often. This is very similar to the
expression ‘Thus says the Lord.’ However, ‫ ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬is more affirmative than the ‫יאַמ ר ְי הָו ה‬.
It should be understood as authoritative, something to which people should pay attention. It is
at times difficult to decide on the speaker of the phrase ‘says the Lord’. It could be either the
prophet or the Lord or the editor.[xxi]
(B) 31b: when I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.(
‫)ְו ָכ ַר ִּת י ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ִיְׂש ָר ֵא ל ְו ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ְי הּוָד ה ְּב ִר ית ֲח ָד ָׁש ה‬
‫ָכ ַר ה‬: A covenant is a formal agreement, often established as firm by some kind of oath or
promise (3:16). There is often some sign given to mark it as well.[xxii] ‘Cut a covenant’ means
to make a covenant. It reflects the normal terminology of Old Testament. The word reflects
the practise of cutting an animal and pouring its blood between the parties who make the
treaty. To cut a covenant is a definitive action in the history. As such, it is a divine action that
will be fulfilled in the history, like the repopulation and rebuilding of the land promised in vv
27-28. However, this passage gives no indication on how people are to ready themselves for
the covenant. [xxiii]
‫ְּב ִר ית ֲח ָד ָׁש ה‬: Although not a fixed theologumenon in the Old Testament, the term ‘New
Covenant’ is unique to this passage. Jeremiah here speaks of a new covenant in place of the
old broken covenant. He also speaks of an everlasting covenant which will never be forgotten
( ‫ )ְּב ִר ית עֹוָל ם ֹלא ִת ָּׁש ֵכ ַח‬in 50:5. But since there is no hint of a fresh covenant there, it might not
have any relation to the material proclaimed here.[xxiv]
In the usual covenant renewal ceremony, people requested to renew the covenant. But here,
the Lord makes the covenant on his own by promising it far ahead of time. “The goal of
covenant renewal had been to avoid total destruction under the effects of the curse, but in
Jeremiah 31:28 the end of the destruction has already been announced. Just as the Lord had
voiced the people’s lament for them and then answered it in 30:12–17, here the Lord initiates
the covenant renewal and then promises a new covenant in its stead.”[xxv] Therefore, the word
“new” should be understood as indicative of renewal, reestablishment and revivification of
the old.[xxvi]
‫ ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ִיְׂש ָר ֵא ל ְו ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ְי הּוָד ה‬: ‘The house of Israel and the house of Judah’ has forced many
to believe that ‘and the house of Judah’ is a later addition and that ‘the house of Israel’
originally stood for both Israel and Judah. However, there is no textual basis for this
assumption, and it seems quite unnecessary to suggest removing these words.[xxvii] These two
houses, taken together as in the text, connote the totality of the twelve tribes, separated
following the death of Solomon.[xxviii]
“The parties to the covenant are not addressed in the second person but are identified in the
third person as “the house of Israel” and “the house of Judah.” These groups also appear in v
27 as the ones whom the LORD will save. The two names serve as a reminder of how God’s
people were affected by their history in the land. In the book of Jeremiah, the houses of Israel
and Judah stand together under judgment (5:11; 11:10, 17) and promise (33:14). Indeed, the
reunification of the two houses is part of the promised restoration (3:18). Jer 50:4–5 portrays
the nations Israel and Judah returning together to Zion in tears in order to “join themselves to
the Lord; the eternal covenant will not be forgotten.””[xxix]
(C) 32a: Not like the covenant I cut with their fathers (‫)ֹלא ‍ַכְּב ִר ית ֲא ֶׁש ר ָּכ ַר ִּת י ֶא ת־ֲא בֹוָת ם‬
‫ ֹלא ‍ַכְּב ִר ית‬: The Old Covenant mentioned here refers to the Mosaic/Sinaitic Covenant which
was mediated by Moses between the Lord and his people at Mount Sinai. [xxx] The height of
this covenant was the stone tablets on which was written the commandments of the Lord as
Decalogue. People were to learn and to teach it to their generations. They were to follow
these commandments in their lives. This covenant was to be the governing principle of their
lives since. The new covenant is described as ‘not like the covenant’ which YHWH made
with those whom he brought out of Egypt. It should be noted that the phrase is ‘not like the
covenant’ and not ‘not the covenant.’ Therefore, it is not a cancellation of the old covenant,
rather a fundamental change in the Sinai Covenant. [xxxi] Its newness is described in the
following verses.
‫ ֶא ת־ֲא בֹוָת ם‬: This could be better rendered as ‘ancestors’ instead of ‘Fathers’[xxxii] because the
Sinai covenant was made to the whole nation. In Jeremiah 11:1-13, the Lord speaks of the
covenant he made with “your forefathers when I brought them out of Egypt” (11:3–4, 7). “He
accuses them repeatedly of not “obeying” (“hearing”) “the terms of this covenant” (11:3, 4, 6,
8, 10), because of “the stubbornness of their evil hearts” (11:8). He says that “both the house
of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant” (11:10). It is this “broken
covenant” which will be replaced by the “new covenant” in 31:31–34.” [xxxiii] Jeremiah makes
the same argument in 7:21–34. God speaks of the covenant which he made with their
ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. If they would obey him, he would
be their God and they would be his people. Yet, they did not obey him.
(D) 33b: in the day (when) I took them by hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt ( ‫ְּב יֹום‬
‫)ֶה ֱח ִז יִק י ְב ָי ָד ם ְל הֹוִצ יָאם ‍ֵמֶא ֶר ץ ִמ ְצ ָר ִים‬
The old covenant was given in the context of the Exodus from Egypt, the saving act of God
in the history of Israel. The covenant and the laws which followed was supposed to be the
response of the people to the tender love and care of the Lord who carried them by hand out
of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery (cf. Deut 1:31; Hos 11:3). This is the central
theme of the chiasm formed in the prose section. By arranging the matter in such a chiasm,
the prophet wants to remind the audience of the salvific event by which they were brought
out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. By these words, the listeners of Jeremiah
are encouraged to think that the Lord, who brought them out of the land of Egypt and gave
them the identity of a nation, will surely bring them out of the exile and give them back their
identity as his people. Just like the Sinaitic covenant was the life-principle of their lives, the
new covenant will be the life-principle of their lives post exilic.
(C’) 32c: But they broke my covenant though I was their husband, says the Lord. ( ‫ֲא ֶׁש ר־ֵה ָּמ ה‬
‫)ֵה ֵפ רּו ֶא ת־ְּב ִר יִת י ְו ָאֹנִכ י ָּב ַע ְל ִּת י ָב ם ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
Since there are difficulties in translating v.33[xxxiv] it may be better to start a new sentence
here.[xxxv]
‫ֲא ֶׁש ר־ֵה ָּמ ה ֵה ֵפ רּו ֶא ת־ְּב ִר יִת י‬: The covenant which God made with the people of Israel at Mount
Sinai was broken, provoking the anger of the Lord. This covenant was the bond between the
people of Israel and the Lord. But by breaking the covenant they have rejected to be his
people. The Lord accuses them that it was they who broke the covenant and not the Lord.
Therefore, although, the people have rejected the sovereignty of YHWH over their lives,
YHWH has not rejected them.
‫ ְו ָאֹנִכ י ָּב ַע ְל ִּת י‬: ‘ I was their husband’ can also be translated as ‘I was their Lord’ or ‘I was their
master’ for the Hebrew word ‫ בעל‬can also mean “Lord” or “master.” The Septuagint and the
Syriac Versions have a different reading. It reads ‘καὶ ἐγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν’ (compare Heb.
8:9) which literally means ‘and I neglected them’ Gesenius agrees with the Septuagint
version of the text because he argues that the meaning of the phrase ‫ ָּב ַע ל ְּב‬is to reject.
[xxxvi]
The Vulgate uses dominatus sum meaning ‘I was their Lord.’ However, I am of the
opinion that since the phrase occurs in a covenantal background, the meaning ‘husband’ or
‘lord’ will be more accurate. It can thus mean the husband as he is the owner and ruler of the
wife. [xxxvii] The verb ‫ בעלתי‬means to “marry,” with an emphasis on the rights and authority the
husband exercised over his wife (e.g., Gen 20:3; Deut 21:13; 22:22; 24:1) as the master of the
household.[xxxviii] The covenantal relationship between the Lord and the Israel was often
illustrated in the marital covenant. It is this covenant which Hosea speaks when he speaks of
the Lord as a faithful husband and the Israel as an adulterous wife. Jeremiah adopts the
metaphor of a broken marriage to warn his listeners in the days of Josiah of the possibility of
an exile of their own (Jer 3:6–20). He also speaks of Israel and Judah as sisters, both guilty of
adultery, both sent out of the house by their husband, and both offered the possibility of
reconciliation (cf. Ezek 16:1–63; 23:1–49).[xxxix]
There is also a pun with the name Baal (‫)בעל‬, the strange god to whom the people were
making offerings (11:13, 17). By serving ‫בעל‬, “Baal,” they abandoned the LORD who had
mastered them as a ‫בעל‬, “husband.” Thus the covenant breaking became complete that it was
irreversible. Both the analogy to a broken marriage and the promise of a “new” covenant
make this point clear.[xl]
(B’) 33a: For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel ( ‫ִּכ י ֹזאת ַה ְּב ִר ית ֲא ֶׁש ר‬
‫)ֶא ְכ ֹרת ֶא ת־ֵּב ית ִיְׂש ָר ֵא ל‬
The promise here to Israel is the covenant which the Lord is going to make with Israel. The
old covenant was completely broken. It could not be renewed again. Therefore the Lord is
going to make a new covenant with the house of Israel. “The promise unites the two houses
of v 31 into the one “house of Israel.” The reading of some manuscripts, ‫בני‬, “children of,”
Israel, makes this interpretation explicit.[xli]
(A’) 33b: after those days, says the Lord (‫)ַאֲח ֵר י ַה ָּי ִמ ים ָה ֵה ם ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
‫ ַאֲח ֵר י ַה ָּי ִמ ים ָה ֵה ם‬: The expression ‘after those days’ has brought many speculations in the
exegesis of the passage. Considering that ‫( ָה ֵה ם‬those) is not the same as ‫( ָה ֵא ֶּל ה‬these),
scholars have speculated that the idea referring here is the ‘coming days’ or ‘in the end of
days’ as an eschatological promise. [xlii] But these speculations do not stand convincing. “No
passage can be shown in which the Old Testament prophets make predictions concerning the
heavenly state. The prophet therefore sets before his hearers a period of terrestrial
development.”[xliii] ‘After those days’ indicates sequence, a later time, but does not specify the
antecedent. It cannot be a time after the covenant making in v 31, unless there are two such
occasions envisioned.[xliv] The meaning of the expression may be ‘after the days of the exile’
or ‘after the days of the punishment’ of which Jeremiah had warned his listeners. The Lord
here already sees the end of the exile. This gives real hope to the people. “In the present
context of the Book of Consolation, “those days” could mean the days described in 30:27–30
when the judgment will be complete and God will begin planting, building, and repopulating
the land.”[xlv]
8.2. Poetry Section
Once the promise of a new covenant and the description of the old broken covenant is done,
the oracle proceeds to describe the characteristics of the new covenant through this poetry. It
is interesting to note that the main theme of the poetry section is the knowledge of YHWH
which will eventually lead to a renewed and everlasting relationship with the Lord.
33b: I will put my law within them (‫)ָנ ַת ִּת י ֶא ת־ּתֹוָר ִת י ְּב ִק ְר ָּב ם‬
and in their hearts I will write it (‫)ְו ַע ל־ִל ָּב ם ֶא ְכ ֲּת ֶב ָּנ ה‬
“After the heading “this is the covenant,” one expects a statement of its substance, as in the
covenant formula just discussed, but the promise at the center is more like the “provision for
deposit and reading” in the treaty form.”[xlvi] While the Sinaitic Covenantal laws were written
on the stone tablets and put on the ‘Holy of Holies’ in the temple, which was then destroyed,
the new covenant will be written on the hearts and put within them, thus, making it
impossible to be destroyed. In the Hebrew Psychology, ‫ ֶ֫ק ֶר ב‬stands as the seat of the emotions
and ‫ ֵל ב‬stands as the seat of thinking. So the new law will govern the thinking and emotions
of the people.[xlvii]
‫ ָנ ַת ִּת י ֶא ת־ּתֹוָר ִת י ְּב ִק ְר ָּב ם‬: While the Sinaitic law was set before them (‫( )ָנ ַת ן ִל ְפ ֵנ יֶה ם‬cf. Jer. 9:12,
Deut. 4:8; 11:32, 1 Kings 9:6) the new covenantal law will be put within them (‫)ְּב ִק ְר ָּב ם‬.
[xlviii]
‫ ֶ֫ק ֶר ב‬is the inward part of human person and the seat of emotion.[xlix] The new law will
govern the emotions of the people. “My law here represents the total content of God’s
revealed will and purpose for his people” (cf. Jer. 2:8).[l] While the Sinaitic law was written
by the Lord and vouchsafed for their happiness, which was put in the arc of the covenant, the
new law will be put within them. While the Sinaitic law had to be made one’s own the new
law will be part of oneself by its very nature.
‫ ְו ַע ל־ִל ָּב ם ֶא ְכ ֲּת ֶב ָּנ ה‬: While the first covenant document was written by God on two stone
tablets and mediated by Moses(Exod 31:18; Deut 4:13; 5:22; 10:1–4), the new covenat will
be written in their heart without any mediators. When God writes the law on the people’s
heart, mediators are bypassed and the limitations of written documents are superseded. Stone
tablets can be broken (Exod 32:19; Deut 9:17) and that scrolls can be lost or ignored (2 Kgs
22:8), and burned (Jer 36:23) or drowned (Jer 51:63). Their availability is also restricted. The
metaphor of writing on the heart shows how these limitations and vulnerability will be
eliminated.[li] For Hebrew mind, ‫ ֵל ב‬is the seat of the thinking, reflection and memory. [lii] Thus
it is the mind. But even in the old covenant, Israel is urged to receive the law of the Lord into
her heart (Deut 6:6; 11:8. Although the Lord had asked the people to write His laws in their
heats, they inscribed their sins in their hearts (Jer17:1).[liii] Only God’s hand can overcome
their stubbornness and prepare them for loyal obedience.[liv]
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Since, the covenant is put in the heart of the believer; they don’t need to renew the covenant
as they did earlier. Even the loss of temple would not affect them, for the heart of each one
would become the Holy of Holies as they contained the writing of the covenantal laws.
33c: I will be their God, (‫)ֶא ְכ ֲּת ֶב ָּנ ה ְו ָה ִייִת י ָל ֶה ם ֵל אֹלִה ים‬
and they will be my people.( ‫)ְו ֵה ָּמ ה ִיְה יּו־ִל י ְל ָע ם‬
The law of the Lord thus forms, in the old as well as in the new covenant, the essence of the
relations between the Lord and His people. The essential element of the covenant remains the
same in both the old and the new covenant (Lev. 26:12 with Ex. 29:45), “I will be their God,
and they will be my people.” “The formula has already appeared twice in the Book of the
Covenant as a promise (30:22; 31:1; cf. Zech 8:8), and it occurs four other times in the book
of Jeremiah, twice with reference to the Sinai/Horeb covenant (7:23; 11:4) and two more
times as a promise for the future (24:7; 32:38).”[lv] W.D. Barack quotes Sarason about the
difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, “[n]Old Testament a new
Torah…just differently transmitted and more perfectly observed”[lvi]
By keeping the Sinaitic Covenant, the Lord had promised to be their God and they were to be
his people. In Deuteronomy 26:16-19, God promises to keep them as His people and
treasured possession. But by not obeying the Lord, the people had ceased to be his people.
Prophets repeatedly warned people of their downfall. Hosea, dramatically names his son Lo-
Ammi (Hos 1:9), which means not my people. By this act, he signified that God had deserted
them ass His people. Yet the Lord gives promise to the people that they will be again His
people and He will be their God (Hos 2:25). Jeremiah had used this phrase often in
connection with the old covenant which was broken (7:23; 11:4; 24:7; 30:22). In 24:7, the
Lord promises He will give the people a heart to know Him, and they shall return to Him
with their whole heart and He will be their God and they will be His people. But the new
covenant will ensure that the Lord will be their God and they will be His people forever
because it was a covenant which could not be broken. “Thus the hope proclaimed is a perfect
integration of God and people, a flawless reciprocity, an undisturbed interaction: ‘And I shall
be their God and they will be my people.’ This deep coincidence of divine and human issues
is a harmony of divine and human wills and disposes of the tensions between obedience and
disobedience to God’s demands.”[lvii]
34a: and no man shall teach again his friend and his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” ( ‫ְו ֹלא‬
‫)ְי ַל ְּמ דּו עֹוד ִא יׁש ֶא ת־ֵר ֵע הּו ְו ִא יׁש ֶא ת־ָאִח יו ֵל אֹמר ְּד עּו ֶא ת־ְי הָו ה‬
for they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord ( ‫ִּכ י־כּוָּל ם ֵי ְד עּו‬
‫)אֹוִת י ְל ‍ִמְק ַט ָּנ ם ְו ַע ד־ְּג דֹוָל ם ְנ ֻא ם־ְי הָו ה‬
‫ ְו ֹלא ְי ַל ְּמ דּו עֹוד‬: The earlier covenant needed somebody to teach the fellow Israelite to obey the
commandments of YHWH. The Israelites were asked to teach their younger generation about
the law of the Lord. But the new covenant will be inscribed in the hearts and put inside each
one that they will no longer need anyone else to instruct them or lead them to renew the
covenant.
‫ִא יׁש ֶא ת־ֵר ֵע הּו ְו ִא יׁש ֶא ת־ָאִח יו‬: Hebrew normally uses masculine nouns and pronouns for
references to people in general.[lviii] Therefore, the expression, here, includes all the people
without exclusion. People need not remind the other of their duty to know the Lord.
‫ְּד עּו ֶא ת־ְי הָו ה‬: As a result of the God’s putting His law in the heart of the people, all, small and
great, will ‘know the Lord.’ The knowledge of YHWH, of which the prophet speaks, is not
the theoretical knowledge which is imparted and acquired by means of religious instruction.
[lix]
Therefore, the interpretation that the office of teaching will cease to exist when the new
covenant will come into exist cannot be accepted without reservations. Here, with the people
as subject, Know the Lord means to be in a close relationship to the Lord.[lx] The knowledge
of YHWH is based upon the inward experience of the heart which is a life-transforming one.
In Psalms, the knowledge of YHWH is to accept him as God. It is to accept that He made us,
and we are His, His people — and the flock of His pasture. (Ps 100:3). According to
Jeremiah, to know the Lord is to obey His commandments, to walk His ways and to do what
is right and just (Jer. 2:28; 4:22; 8:7; 16:21; 22:15–17; 24:7). It includes the ability to recount
how the Lord saved Israel (2:6–8). The knowledge of YHWH consists in knowing that, He
acts with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things he delights
(Jer 9:24). Therefore, to know YHWH is to walk in the path of justice, love, and
righteousness in the earth.
While the center piece of the chiastic structure of the prose section of the ‘new covenant’
passage is the ‘salvific event’ of the exodus, the center piece of the poetic section is the
knowledge of YHWH. The clear implication is that, in the new covenant, each person will do
what is right and just so perfectly that no one will ever have to encourage another to do so.
These lines match the promise of the Lord in 24:7, where he says, “I will give them a heart to
know me.”[lxi]This characteristic of the new covenant reminds us that only a proper
relationship with God can be translated into proper relationships with one’s fellow human
beings. (see Deut 4:5–8; 6:1–3, 24–25; 7:12–14; 16:18–20). The Lord has always called on
those who “know” him to do “justice and righteousness.” The difference in the New
Covenant is the expectation that these ideals will be realized consistently by every person. 23
‫ ְל ‍ִמְק ַט ָּנ ם ְו ַע ד־ְּג דֹוָל ם‬: This is a Hebrew way of including people of all social levels (8:10; 16:6;
31:34; 42:1; 16:21; 24:7). [lxii] This sums up a list of people from children to the very aged in
6:11–13 and the poor and the rich in 5:1–5. The same phrase, but without pronominal
suffixes, describes the lay participants in the covenant renewal led by Josiah in 2 Kgs 23:2.
[lxiii]
Unlike the old covenant, the knowledge of which had to be accessed, the new covenant
would be easily accessible to all. So under the new covenant, all the social disparities will
come to an end, for all will have the knowledge of the Lord, equally.
34b: For I will forgive their inequity (‫)ִּכ י ֶא ְס ַל ח ַל ֲע ֹוָנ ם‬
and will remember their sins no more.( ‫)ּוְל ַח ָּט אָת ם ֹלא ֶא ְז ָּכ ר־עֹוד‬
The people will know YHWH for (because) He would forgive their inequity and would
remember their sins no more. This ‫ כי‬clause is offered as a reason for all that has gone before.
[lxiv]
Therefore, the knowledge of the Lord can only be there if the Lord forgives the sins and
this the Lord bestows freely. In the old covenant, people had to do sacrifices to receive the
atonement. Although the Jeremiah’s contemporaries had refused to turn away from sin and be
pardoned, (5:1; 36:3), the people of the new covenant will not bear the guilt of their
ancestors’ sin or their own because of God’s gracious gift of pardon. Here, the new covenant
differs substantially from the old covenant.
Hosea says in 8:13b, “Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins; they shall
return to Egypt. But Jeremiah’s words here reverse these. He says, “…forgive their inequity
and will remember their sins no more.” Remembering inequities and punishing sins are
inseparable. The Lord only remembers the inequity when he punishes the sin. Conversely,
when He declares that He has forgotten the inequities, it means He will never punish them for
their sins. In sum, “forgive” and “forget” does not mean that the Lord has some kind of the
loss of mental recollections, but rather they are synonymous terms for a single act; they do
not denote sequential and complementary acts.[lxv]
Although there are arguments that the inequities and the sins referred in here are the events
that lead to the exile, this is too narrow an understanding. Since, no such explicit mention of
the sins and inequities mentioned we would very well assume that the mention here would be
to all the sins which would be committed until the new covenant. For once the new covenant
is established, it is impossible to sin.[lxvi] When the heart and mind inscribed with the
revelation of God one cannot turn to sin again. Therefore, faithfulness to the new covenant
will be a gift of divine mercy, not a human achievement.[lxvii]
9. Theology and Message
In the Old Testament, there were mainly four covenants spoken of. They are (1) The
Abrahamic Covenant, (2) The Mosaic Covenant, (3) The Davidic Covenant, and (4) The
New Covenant. While the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants were promises with a future
tone, the Mosaic covenant was temporal and conditional. The New covenant of which
Jeremiah speaks is also a promise and unconditional. But unlike the Davidic and Abrahamic
Covenants, which were mainly made with an individual, the New Covenant will be made
with all the Israelites. The New Covenant therefore is both common and individual.
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The new covenant offered a new hope for the people of Israel who had lost their identity.
While in the exile, they had no land and no temple, which were considered to be the pillars of
the Israel society. Even though, God had repeatedly warned them of the punishment, if they
did not obey him, they would not listen. Now that the punishment and the wrath had befallen
them, God had compassion on them. He offers a new identity for the people of Israel. For
centuries, their lives revolved around the covenant which God established with them at
Mount Sinai when he took them by hand out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
His commandments were written on a stone tablet and kept in the temple. But now they were
destroyed. Their identity was in crisis. So God offers them a new hope with the new
covenant. The Lord will write His laws in their hearts and deposit it within them. It made the
loss of the land and loss of the temple immaterial. They could now hope for a union with God
which could not be taken away by the external factors.
It made also made them equal in the society. No one had better access to the law, but each
one had the law within oneself. There will be no mediator or no teacher. This law cannot be
broken, as it would become the life-principle which governs their thoughts, feelings and
actions. It also offered forgiveness of sin. God would not remember their sins anymore! As a
result of this unconditional forgiveness, everyone would know the Lord. By knowing the
Lord, they would accept Him as their savior remembering all that He had done for them and
would walk in the way of the Lord, in love, justice and righteousness.
The difference between the Sinaitic Covenant and the New Covenant are shown in the table
below.

Sinaitic Covenant New Covenant

People broke it. It was breakable. People will not break it. It is unbreakable.

Only the Lord was living up to the expectations of the Both the Lord and the people will live all the
covenant expectations of the covenant.

The laws were written on the stone tablet The laws will be written in the heart

The laws were kept in the temple They will be kept within each one

People were needed to be taught to know the Lord No one will need to be taught as all will know YHW

Only conditional forgiveness was offered Unconditional forgiveness offered

Renewal Ceremonies were needed No need of such ceremonies

Mediators were needed There will be no mediators.

People were asked to keep the law in their hearts The Lord will write the law in the hearts of the peop

It tried to control the conduct of the people It changed the character of the people so that they w
love and obey God.[lxviii]

Breaking of the covenant brought curses. No such curses.

External laws were to be kept Internalization of law is the main feature of the
covenant.

10. Conclusion.
As a Christian I cannot ignore the effect of the ‘New Covenant’ proclaimed by Jeremiah on
the New Testament (1Cor 11:25; Mk 14:24–25; Mt 26:27–29; Lk 22:17–20)[lxix], an
adaption that it shares with the Qumran community.It is the book of Hebrews which is
influenced more by this passage (Heb 8:8–12; Heb 10:16–17). Most of these New Testament
applications apply the passage to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.[lxx] But it is worth looking at the
covenant as it is proclaimed by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah’s proclamation of the New Covenant is a consolation and hope to a group of people
who lost their identity. It envisages a society where the power of the Lord will bring equal
justice to all. Everyone will know the Lord. This will be a free gift. In a world which is
broken by the broken and hurting relationship, the covenant promises us a right relationship
with the Lord which will be spilled over to the relationship with our brothers and sisters. If
we imbibe the spirit of this covenant, we will be able to heal many broken hearts. And indeed
we have been far from being such a New Covenant Community.[lxxi] A long way to go!

[i]L. Richards and L.O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton: Victor Books,
1987), 414.
[ii]J.P. Lange, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Jeremiah, Lamentations (ed. P. Schaff;
New York: C. Scribner & Company, 1871), 274.
[iii]W. McKane, A critical and exegetical commentary on Jeremiah (v. 2; v. 19; 2 vols.; vol.
2: T. & T. Clark, 1986), 817.
[iv]G.L. Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52 (Word Biblical Commentary; eds. B. M. Metzger, et
al.; 52C vols.; vol. 27; Dallas: Word Books, 1995), 130.
[v]T.M. Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations (The College Press NIV Commentary: College
Press Pub Company, 2002), 255.
[vi]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 127.
[vii]The translation uses the following aides.
J.J. Owens, Analytical Key to the Old Testament: Isaiah-Malachi (Analytical Key to the Old
Testament; 4 vols.; vol. 4; Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989), 340-341.
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F.F. Brown, et al., The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon: With an
Appendix Containing the Biblical Aramaic (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906),
[viii]Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bielgesellschaft, 2006), Je 31:31-34.
[ix]A.R. Faussett, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (A Commentary, Critical and
Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments; eds. R. Jamieson, et al.; 2 vols.; vol. 1;
Hartford, Conn: S.S.Scranton & Compnany, 1871), 539.
[x]W.L. Holladay, Jeremiah 2: A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, chapters
26-52 (Hermeneia–A Critical and Gistorical commentary on the Bible; 2 vols.; vol. 2;
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989), 35.
[xi]According to Holladay, Jeremiah 30:1-31:40 forms the book of Comfort. For a detailed
discussion see, Holladay, Jeremiah 2, 148-171.
[xii]Holladay, Jeremiah 2, 155.
[xiii]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 126-127.
[xiv]William Lee Holladay, 170.
[xv]William Lee Holladay, 164.
[xvi]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 257.
[xvii]Holladay, Jeremiah 2, 164.
[xviii]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 257.
[xix]Holladay, Jeremiah 2, 164.
[xx] B.M. Newman and P.C. Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah (UBS Handbook Series; New
York: United Bible Societies, 2003), 30.
[xxi]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 31.
[xxii]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 651.
[xxiii]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 131.
[xxiv]Holladay, Jeremiah 2, 165.
[xxv]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 131.
[xxvi] Walter Brueggemann, “Texts That Linger, Words That Explode,” Theology Today 54,
no. 2 (1997), 190.
[xxvii]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 651.
[xxviii]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 255.
[xxix]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 131.
[xxx]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 256.
[xxxi]McKane, Jeremiah, 818.
[xxxii]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 651.
[xxxiii]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 256.
[xxxiv] For a detailed exposition see, …McKane, Jeremiah, 819.
[xxxv]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 651.
[xxxvi]W. Gesenius and S.P. Tregelles, Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old
Testament Scriptures (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, 1957), 130.
[xxxvii]Brown, et al., BDB, 127.
[xxxviii]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 131.
[xxxix]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 256.
[xl]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 131.
[xli]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 132.
[xlii]C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, The Prophecies of Jeremiah (Commentary on the Old
Testament; trans. J. Kennedy; 10 vols.; vol. 8; Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing,
LLC, 1996), 8:282.
[xliii]Lange, Jeremiah, Lamentations, 275.
[xliv]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 132.
[xlv]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 132.
[xlvi]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 132.
[xlvii]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 652.
[xlviii]Keil and Delitzsch, Jeremiah, 8:282.
[xlix]Brown, et al., BDB, 899.
[l]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 652.
[li]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 132.
[lii]J. Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing Every Word of the Text of
the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word
in Regular Order, Together with Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of the
Original, with References to the English Words (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1986),
H3820.
[liii]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 258.
[liv]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 132.
[lv]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 132.
[lvi] William D. Barrick, “New covenant theology and the Old Testament covenants,”
Master’s Seminary Journal 18, no. 2 (2007)
[lvii]McKane, Jeremiah, 820.
[lviii]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 652.
[lix]Keil and Delitzsch, Jeremiah, 8:283.
[lx]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 653.
[lxi]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 134.
23 There is probably a connection here with Jer 5:4–5. The inclusiveness of “from the least of
them to the greatest” is reminiscent of the references there to “the poor” and “the leaders.”
Holladay, Jeremiah 2, 198.
[lxii]Newman and Stine, A Handbook on Jeremiah, 191.
[lxiii]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 134.
[lxiv]McKane, Jeremiah, 822.
[lxv]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 260.
[lxvi]Willis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, 260.
[lxvii]Keown, et al., Jeremiah 26-52, 134.
[lxviii]W.W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive (The Be Series Commentary; Wheaton: Victor Books,
1996, c1995), Je 31:31.
[lxix] However, neither Mark nor Matthew, in the earliest and best MSS., uses “new” with
“covenant” though later MSS. do offer “new” at that point. Luke offers two text traditions, a
shorter one which does not mention “covenant” at all, and a longer one which mentions “the
new covenant”.
[lxx]Holladay, Jeremiah 2, 94.
[lxxi] John Bright, “Exercise in hermeneutics : Jeremiah 31:31-34,” Interpretation 20, no. 2
(1966), 208.

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Willis, T.M. Jeremiah and Lamentations. The College Press NIV Commentary. College Press
Pub Company, 2002.
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7 Comments

Edwin Rodrigues, sj
JULY 6, 2013 AT 5:49 PM
Good work dear Bibin! Keep it up!!!
REPLY

sr santhosh
JULY 7, 2013 AT 10:09 PM
congatulations! i read through it was like attending Jeremiah’s class again. thank you.
REPLY

raju f crasta
JULY 11, 2013 AT 9:47 AM
wonderful. keep up the spirit of writing and uploading such articles.
REPLY

Ana
JANUARY 30, 2014 AT 9:40 AM
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.
REPLY

Joseph Odhiambo
JULY 26, 2017 AT 2:46 PM
Very nice information
REPLY
 Sunday Sinyinza
OCTOBER 21, 2018 AT 9:45 PM
Insightful,well-defined,theologically sound and and really a good article.Thanks for sharing.
REPLY
Exegesis – Jeremiah 31:27-40 – Becs Challis
JANUARY 7, 2019 AT 6:34 AM
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