Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 31:38-40

"Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner. And the measuring line shall go out further straight onward unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn about unto Goah. And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever." — Jeremiah 31:38-40 (ASV)

Here, the restoration of the city is promised.

1. The rebuilding is promised: when the city shall be built. It is I who say to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ and to the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built’; and I shall raise up your waste places (Isaiah 44:26).

2. Its enlargement is described: from the tower of Hananel, which some say was in Anathoth, though Jerome excludes this in his commentary,Jerome, In Hieremiam, 6.410. to the gate of the corner, where two walls were joined together.

   The measuring line will go forth to the hill of Gareb (which is translated as “scab,” where perhaps the lepers stayed outside the city) and then to Goatha (which is translated as “sinful nation,” where those who were unclean because of some sin stayed).

   The line will continue to the valley of the dead bodies, where the people’s graves were; to the fields of ash, where ritually clean ashes from sacrifices were thrown, or which refers to unclean ashes, such as from the houses of lepers and others like them; and to the place of the dead, where criminals were executed. It will run as far as the corner of the eastern gate of horses, since horses could not climb up from every direction due to the mountain's steepness. Enlarge the place of your tent, and stretch out the coverings of your tabernacles (Isaiah 54:2).

3. Its duration is promised: the holy place of the Lord will not be torn down—that is, the sanctuary, the temple, or the entire city, which was sanctified to the Lord. As written above: they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered together in her in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 3:17). Also, A tabernacle which cannot be removed, neither shall its stakes ever be taken away, and none of its cords shall be broken (Isaiah 33:20).

   The Jews interpret this as referring to the “golden Jerusalem,” which Jerome refutes in his commentary,Jerome, In Hieremiam, 6.410–11. and he interprets it as referring to the Church, which gathers both the perfect and the imperfect into itself—a reality signified by the unclean places outside Jerusalem.

   Alternatively, it could be said that this was fulfilled under Ezra, as seen in Nehemiah 3: for they began to build Hananel.The citation is uncertain here, but it is likely a variation or paraphrase of Nehemiah 3:1: sanctificaverunt eam usque ad turrem Ananehel, “They sanctified it to the tower of Hananel.” And literally, perhaps they did add some space to the city.

   When it says the city will remain forever, the statement is understood to be conditional: it will remain if the people do not sin. As stated above: if it does evil in my eyes, and does not hear my voice, then I will repent of the good which I have said I would do for it (Jeremiah 18:10).