John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 31

At the same time, says the Lord. The time of the Messiah, the Gospel dispensation, the latter days; when the Jews shall consider the prophecies of the Old Testament, and observe how they have been fulfilled in Jesus; and shall reflect upon their disbelief and rejection of him; and shall turn unto him, and serve the Lord their God, and David their king; see (Jeremiah 30:9Jeremiah 30:21Jeremiah 30:22Jeremiah 30:24).

will I be the God of all the families of Israel; not of some few persons only, or of one of a city, and two of a family, but of every family; and this will be when "all Israel" shall be converted and saved, and a nation shall be born at once; then will God show himself to them as their covenant God, manifest his love to them, and bestow the blessings of his grace upon them:

and they shall be my people; behave as such to him; own him to be their God, and serve and worship him.

Thus saith the Lord, the people [which were] left of the
sword
Which were not consumed by the sword of Pharaoh, who perished not through his cruel edicts, and by his sword, when drawn at the Red sea; nor by the sword of the Amalekites and Amorites; or of their own brethren, who sometimes, for their sins, were ordered to slay many, as on account of the molten calf, and joining to Baalpeor: but there was a remnant that escaped, who found grace in the wilderness; in the sight of God, who went before them, protected and defended them from their enemies; gave them his holy law, his statutes, and his judgments; fed them with manna and quails; clave the rocks, and gave them water to drink; and supplied them with everything necessary for them, (Psalms 78:5Psalms 78:15–28); [even] Israel, when I went to cause him to rest; went before him in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night; and in the ark, the symbol of his presence; and not only to search out a resting place for them for a few days, but to bring them to Canaan, the land of rest, which he had promised them, (Exodus 13:21) (Numbers 10:33) (Deuteronomy 12:9Deuteronomy 12:10); now this past instance of divine goodness is mentioned, to encourage faith in the fulfilment of the above promise.

The whole is paraphrased by the Targum thus, "these things saith the Lord, who gave mercies to the people that came out of Egypt; he supplied their necessities in the wilderness, when they fled from before those who slay with the sword; he led them by his word, to cause Israel to dwell in a place of rest."

Some render the words in the future, "shall find grace" "shall go to his rest" and so apply it to the Jews that escaped the sword of the Chaldeans, and found favour in the wilderness of the people into which they were brought, and as they returned into their own land from the captivity. And it may be also applied to the Jews that were left of the sword of the Romans in their last destruction, who have found much favour among the nations; as they do in ours, and others, now; and who in time will return to their own land, and be in rest, (Jeremiah 30:10) .

Yea, it is applicable enough to the church and people of God in their present state; who are left of the sword of the Papists, and are now in the wilderness, where they are nourished for a time, and times, and half a time; and before long will be brought into a state of settled rest and tranquillity.

The Lord has appeared of old unto me, [saying]
Either to the prophet, bidding him say to the church what follows, so Jarchi: or to Christ, who was from eternity with the Father; lay in his bosom; between whom the council of peace was; with whom the covenant was made; and whom God loved before the foundation of the world; and which is observed by him, for the comfort of his people, (John 17:24) (15:9) ; so Cocceius. But rather they are the words of Israel, or the church, owning the above instances of God's grace and goodness, and that he had greatly appeared to them, and for them, in former times. But then this was a great while ago; and besides, now he hid his face from them, and they were under the tokens of his displeasure, and not of his love. To which the Lord replies, for the word "saying" is not in the text, which makes the following a continuation of the church's speech, though wrongly, since they are the words of the Lord, taking up the church for speaking too slightly and improperly of his love, and in a complaining way.

Yea I have loved you with an everlasting love ;
not only of old, or a good while ago, but from all eternity, and with a love which will always last, and does, notwithstanding dark and afflictive providences; for this love is like himself, sovereign, unchangeable, and everlasting: "I have loved you": I, who am the great God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; a God of infinite purity and holiness; do whatever I please in heaven and in earth; and am the Lord that changes not: "have loved"; not love only now, and shall hereafter; but have loved, not for some time past only, but from all eternity, with the same love I now do: "you" personally, "Jacob, have I loved", (Romans 9:13) ; you nakedly, and not yours, or for anything done by you; you separately and distinctly, and not others; you a creature, vile and sinful, a transgressor from the womb, and known to be so beforehand; "you" now openly, and in an applicatory way, through the evidence of the spirit: "with an everlasting love": a love from everlasting, which does not commence in time with faith, repentance, and new obedience; these being the fruits and effects of it; but was from all eternity, as appears from the eternal choice of the persons loved in Christ; from the everlasting covenant made with them in him; from the constitution and setting up of Christ as their Mediator from everlasting; and from the security of their persons and grace in him, before the world began: and this love will endure to everlasting, without any variation or change; nothing can separate from it.

The evidence of it follows: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you ;
out of a state of nature; out of Satan's hands; out of the pit wherein is no water, the horrible pit, the mire and clay; unto Christ, his person, blood, righteousness, and fulness, by faith to lay hold upon them; unto his church, and to a participation of the ordinances and privileges of it; to nearer communion with God, and at last will draw to eternal glory. This is the Father's act, and to him it is usually ascribed: it chiefly regards the work of conversion, and the influence of divine grace on that; though it also includes after acts of drawing: it supposes weakness in men; is the effect of powerful and efficacious grace; and is done without offering any violence or force to the will of man, who is drawn with, and not against, his will. This is an instance of the love of God; a fruit and effect of it: it is love that draws a soul to Christ, and is the cause of its coming to him; it is love that reveals him to it, and causes it to come to him; love is then manifested and shed abroad in the heart; a cord of it is let down into it, and with it the Lord draws; it is not by the threats of the law, but by the declarations of grace in the Gospel; the cause of drawing is love, and the manner of it is with it.

The Targum of the whole verse is,

``Jerusalem said, of old the Lord appeared to our fathers; prophet, say unto them, lo, I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore have led you with goodness.''

It may be rendered, "I have drawn out", or "extended, lovingkindness to you" ^F9 ; see (Psalms 36:10) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F9: (dox Kytkvm Nk le) "protraxi tibi misericordiam", Vatablus; "protraxi, [vel] extendi ad te clementiam", Calvin; "extendo erga te benignitatem", Junius & Tremellius; "meam", Piscator.

Again, I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of
Israel
The same with "all the families of Israel", (Jeremiah 31:1) ; who, when converted, will be espoused to Christ as a chaste virgin; have a sincere affection for him; unfeigned faith in him, and purely worship him; receiving the pure doctrines of the Gospel, and submitting to the ordinances of it; and then will the church, comparable to a building, consisting of lively stones, laid upon the foundation Christ, which is fallen down, and lies in ruins, be rebuilt, and none shall hinder it; and a glorious building it will be, and will continue so, when its stones are laid with fair colours; its foundations with sapphires; its windows made of agates; its gates of carbuncles; and all its borders of pleasant stones, (Isaiah 54:11Isaiah 54:12) (Acts 15:16) ;

you shall again be adorned with your tabrets ;
or timbrels, instruments of music, such as women used at times of public joy and mirth, (Exodus 15:20) (Judges 11:34) (1 Samuel 18:6) ; which became them, and were very ornamental to them; and their playing on these was usually attended with dancing; hence it follows: and shall go forth in the dances of them that make merry ;
phrases expressive of spiritual joy, which will be in the hearts of the saints, and expressed by the behaviour of them at the time of the conversion of the, Jews, which will be the marriage of the Lamb; and when the bride will be ready, being adorned with the robe of Christ's righteousness, and with the graces of his Spirit, and be brought into his presence, accompanied with a chorus of virgins her companions, undefiled ones, having harps in their hands, singing the Lamb's new song; see (Revelation 14:2–4) (19:7-9) (Psalms 45:13–15) .

You shall yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria Mountains are proper places for vines, and which generally produce the best wine; but vines are not to be understood merely literally, or as only expressive of the outward peace, plenty, and prosperity of Samaria, with other places given to the Jews, as Josephus ^F11 observes they were by the Demetrii; which they might improve by planting vines.

but figuratively of the planting of Gospel churches there, comparable to vines, (Song of Solomon 2:13) (7:12) ; which was done in the first times of the Gospel; see (John 4:29John 4:30John 4:42) (Acts 8:5Acts 8:6Acts 8:12) (9:31) ; and which was a pledge of what will be done in those parts hereafter in the latter day:

the planters shall plant, and shall eat [them] as common things ; the fruit of the vines planted by them.

The allusion is to the law of eating the fruit of trees planted on the fifth year of their plantation, when, and not till then, it was lawful to eat of it; but here the planters might eat of it as soon as it was produced, even as the fruit of the fifth year, which was common and lawful, (Leviticus 19:23Leviticus 19:25) .

The "planters" are the ministers of the Gospel; such an one the Apostle Paul was; who are instruments in founding and raising churches, and of planting members in them, as well as of watering, and making them fruitful; and who receive themselves benefit from hence; not only in things temporal, but spiritual; it giving them a real pleasure and satisfaction to see the plants grow and thrive, which they have planted, (1 Corinthians 3:6–8) (9:7) (Psalms 92:14) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F11: Antiqu. Jud. l. 13. c. 2. sect. 3.