Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 31:1-6

"At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. Jehovah appeared of old unto me, [saying], Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: again shalt thou be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy [the fruit thereof]. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God." — Jeremiah 31:1-6 (ASV)

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).