Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 31

1. Here, the prophet consoles them with the promise of prosperity. On this topic, he makes two points.

First, he promises the prosperity of the nation.

Second, he promises the enlargement of the city, where the text says, Behold, the days are coming (Jeremiah 31:38).

The first point is divided into three parts.

In the first part, he consoles the ten tribes.

In the second, he consoles the two tribes, at the verse, Thus says the LORD (Jeremiah 31:23).

In the third, he consoles both groups, at the verse, Behold, the days are coming (Jeremiah 31:27).

The first of these parts (consoling the ten tribes) is itself divided into two points.

First, he speaks of the restoration of the destroyed people.

Second, he speaks of the order of their restoration, at the verse, For thus says the LORD: exalt in joy, O Jacob (Jeremiah 31:7).

Regarding the first of these points (the restoration of the people), there are three aspects.

First, he promises them a restoration to the practice of their religion. This is indicated by the phrase at that time, meaning after the return from Babylon, and by the word to all. This can be understood as referring to those of the ten tribes who joined with the two tribes, or it could refer to all, for all Israel shall be saved after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25–36). As it is written, They will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God (Revelation 21:3).

Second, he promises them restoration to their native land. This is seen in the kindness of God calling them back. The text refers to the people who remain from the sword (meaning the sword of Babylon) who have found favor in the wilderness (the land of their captivity, where they seemed to have been deserted by God). Through this wilderness they returned, cleansed, to their own land, just as they once returned through the desert to the land of promise. This favor is the mercy they found before God, because Israel shall go to his rest—that is, to his own land, where he will rest peacefully. Mystically, this can be interpreted in relation to the peace they had in the time of Simon Maccabeus . As Isaiah says, My people shall dwell in the beauty of peace, and in the tents of confidence, and in abundant rest (Isaiah 32:18).

The prophet then specifies the timing of their calling back. The phrase from afar means that before the event occurs, the LORD appeared, revealing the future liberation. This is similar to the earlier prophecy, I shall break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after two years of days from the neck of every nation (Jeremiah 28:11). As Habakkuk says, For as yet the vision is far off, and it shall appear at the end, and shall not lie (Habakkuk 2:3). He also shows the disposition of the one who calls them back: With an everlasting love have I loved you. It is as if God were saying, “I have granted you good things not just for a time, but forever.” He has drawn you to your place with mercy, filling you outwardly with compassion. As Hosea writes, I shall draw them with the cords of a man, and with the bonds of love (Hosea 11:4). And as Jeremiah said earlier, I have remembered you, and taken mercy on your youth, and the love of your betrothal (Jeremiah 2:2).

Third, he promises to call them back to their original state of prosperity.

This prosperity is shown first in the renewal of the nation, with the promise, I shall build again. This uses the metaphor of Israel as a house, echoing an earlier promise: I shall build them up, and not pull them down; I shall plant them, and not root them up (Jeremiah 24:6). Prosperity is also shown in cheerfulness of heart: O virgin of Israel, you shall be adorned with your timbrels. This means you will go out adorned, dancing to the beat of the drum. As Isaiah says, With gladness of heart, as one who plays upon the flute, when he enters the mountain of the LORD, the Mighty One of Israel (Isaiah 30:29).

Prosperity is further shown in the tranquility of peace: You shall yet plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria. This refers to the area near the three cities that were added to Judea . The text continues, saying that they shall plant... until the time comes. This means they will not harvest the grapes early out of fear of the enemy. As Isaiah says, And they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof (Isaiah 65:21).

Second, the prophet gives the reason for their prosperity: for there shall be a day. This signifies a return to the worship of God, in which they exhort one another to go to Zion, and not to Bethel to worship the golden calves of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12). They will say, as in the prophecy of Isaiah: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths (Isaiah 2:3).

Here, the prophet discusses the order of operation, and concerning this, there are three points.

1. He urges them to exultation with the words exult in joy. The psalmist expresses a similar sentiment: Exult in God our help, sing to the God of Jacob (Psalms 80:2).

   To express this exultation, he suggests taunting the enemy: and neigh, as an insult, against the head of the nations—that is, against the king of Babylonia or of the Assyrians, who held you captive. As Habakkuk says, Shall they not rise up suddenly that bite you, and those that tear you be stirred up, and you shall be prey for them? (Habakkuk 2:7). He also calls for divine praise: make a sound, with psalteries and instruments of this kind.

2. He gives the order of the redemption, beginning with the words, behold, I shall lead them. He describes the starting point of their return: from the land of the north. He also describes the company of those returning with the phrase among whom, as if to say, “Indeed, no one will be hindered from returning by any bodily infirmity.” As Isaiah says, Then shall the lame man leap as a deer (Isaiah 35:6).

   He then describes the manner of their return. It will be with weeping—some weeping for joy at their return, and others weeping when they saw the devastation of the land. As it is written in Ezra, So that one could not distinguish the voice of the shout of joy, from the noise of the weeping of the people (Ezra 3:13). God says, And I shall bring them back in mercy, delivering them from their shame of mind. Isaiah also says, I shall gather you with great mercies (Isaiah 54:7).

   They will return through the torrents of water, meaning they will travel easily by sailing down them, with good roads alongside them. This description removes the sense of hardship and weariness from the journey. As Proverbs says, You shall walk confidently in your way, and your foot shall not stumble (Proverbs 3:23).

3. He gives the reason for this redemption, which stems from God’s fatherly affection for His people: for I have become a father. Because He is a father, He cannot help but have mercy on them. Among all the peoples, Israel was the firstborn (Exodus 4:22).

   Now, the birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, as it says in 1 Chronicles 5. Within Joseph's family, Ephraim was set before Manasseh (Genesis 48:13–19). For this reason, the status of firstborn is here given to Ephraim.

Here, the announcement of liberation is given.

1. He rouses the nations to pay attention. Hear—so that all would trust in him who is able to free them in this way. Hear O islands, and give heed, you people afar off (Isaiah 49:1).

2. He foretells the liberation of the people, provided it is not hindered by divine anger, for he who scattered Israel shall gather him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs in his arms, and in his bosom shall he carry those who are with young (Isaiah 40:11).

   Nor will they be hindered by the power of their captors, for the Lord has redeemed—previously from the Egyptians, and now from the hand of the more powerful, namely, the Chaldeans. He freed the poor man from the powerful, and the poor man, who had no helper (Psalms 72:12).

3. He promises the prosperity of freedom:

   1. Regarding everyone, he first promises the proper observance of religion: on mount Zion, not in Bethel before the calves. Those who are redeemed by the Lord shall return, and they shall come to Zion with praise, and eternal gladness upon their heads (Isaiah 51:11).

      He also promises an abundance of temporal goods, speaking of the wealth of good things from the earth that are produced for our food and preservation, as well as from the animals. And they shall stream, and they shall praise God, for the grain and the wine. I have established him with grain, wine, and oil (Genesis 27:37).

      He promises the satiety of those who possess these things: their soul shall be as a watered garden, which does not need to wait for rain. This can be understood as referring to the spiritual goods gathered through Christ, which will be fulfilled partly now, but completely in the future. They shall not hunger or thirst anymore, neither shall the sun strike them, or any heat (Revelation 7:16).

      He promises gladness of heart, shown by signs of joy: the virgin shall rejoice. As it says above: praise shall go forth from them, and the voice of those who play. And I shall multiply them (Jeremiah 30:19). And concerning the end of sorrow: I shall turn their mourning into gladness. After the storm you make a calm, and after crying and weeping, you pour in joyfulness .

   2. Regarding the priests especially, he promises: I shall make them drunk—that is, I will abundantly satiate them—with fatness, with an abundance of offerings and sacrifices; and my people shall be filled, so that they will be able to make offerings to God. This is understood spiritually as referring to the richness of devotion. Let my soul be filled with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with the lips of exultation (Psalms 63:5).

1. Here the consolation of the nations is given.

1. He introduces the weeping of a mother: Rachel, who was the mother of Joseph, weeping for the destruction of her children. He is speaking figuratively—using what is called hyperbole—of dead parents whose sadness overflows because of their children's misfortune.

   This could also be because during the Roman captivity, Jewish captives were led past Rachel's tomb and sold. Alternatively, she is figuratively said to mourn the children who were slain near her, since she was buried near Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19).

   The text then defines several terms: lamentation, which is made with words expressing grief; wailing, which refers to the shedding of tears; and grief, which refers to a specific observance in expressing sorrow, such as changing one's garments and other similar customs. As it is written elsewhere: a voice was heard on the roads, the crying and the wailing of the children of Israel, for they have made their way wicked, and have forgotten the Lord their God (Jeremiah 3:21).

   He then points out the lack of consolation: and she refuses to be comforted for them, because they are not. This means they have not returned with the others, because they have been brought to nothing. Consolation is hidden from my eyes, because he shall make a separation between brothers (Hosea 13:14–15).

2. He applies the remedy of consolation: thus says the Lord: let your voice be still, referring to lamentation, and your eyes, referring to weeping. God shall wipe every tear from the eyes of his saints; and death shall be no more, neither mourning, nor crying, nor grief anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4).

3. He promises the benefit of liberation:

   1. Concerning the starting point of the liberation, for there is a reward. This shows that they were freed by the merits of their holy fathers. The enemy refers to the Chaldeans. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him (Isaiah 40:10).

   2. Concerning the goal to which the liberation is directed: and there is hope for your future. This signifies that in the last days they will be converted to the true faith and perhaps even return to their own land after the death of the Antichrist. The expectation of the just is gladness, but the hope of the wicked shall perish (Proverbs 10:28).

1. Here is given the acceptance of those who repent, to whom is promised an acknowledgment of their confession: I have surely heard, that is, I have heard them mercifully. I have surely seen the suffering of my people, who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry (Exodus 3:7). And the confession is given: you have chastised me, O Lord, and I was chastened, as a calf, who is corrected with difficulty and with many blows. Only vexation gives understanding to hearing (Isaiah 28:19).

2. Second, the petition is given: turn me and I shall be turned. Turn us, O Lord, to yourself, and we shall be turned; renew our days as from the beginning (Lamentations 5:21).

3. Third, the reason for the petition is given as arising from the repentance which he has begun.As noted above, in the Hebrew, the subject of this passage is more clearly Ephraim, who, by synecdoche, stands for the nation of Israel, whom Jeremiah will also call, virgin Israel (Jeremiah 31:21), below.

   1. First is the punishment: after you turned me, by infusing grace, I struck my thigh. This signifies interior grief by an exterior blow, in the manner of a grieving person. Or, I struck my thigh, by repressing carnal pleasures. With the hearing of the ear I have heard you, but now my eye sees you (Job 42:5).

   2. Second is repentance. Because from the punishment he has endured, recognizing his sin, he has suffered shame, which was a sign of repentance: I was put to shame, inwardly; I blushed, outwardly, for I have borne the reproach—that is, punishment and shame for the sins of my youth. He calls the time before his conversion “youth,” as if to say that he sinned out of ignorance. You write bitter things against me, and wish to destroy me with the sins of my youth (Job 13:26).