Question 1

What is happening in this passage where God speaks of a new covenant?

Accepted Answer

In this passage, God is speaking to His people after a long season of judgment. They have been torn down because of their sin, but now God promises a different future. He says He will watch over them to build and to plant, not just to uproot and destroy. He will multiply people and animals again in the land. God also corrects a common saying that blamed ancestors for present trouble, and instead stresses personal responsibility for sin. At the center, He promises a new covenant, where His law will be written on hearts, their sins will be forgiven, and they will truly know Him.

Question 2

What does the proverb about sour grapes and children’s teeth mean here?

Accepted Answer

The saying about fathers eating sour grapes and children’s teeth being set on edge was a way people talked about suffering for the sins of earlier generations. They were basically saying, “Our fathers sinned, and we are the ones paying for it.” God answers this by saying that in the days to come, this proverb will no longer be used. Instead, everyone will answer for their own sin. “Every man that eats the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.” This shifts the focus from blaming the past to facing personal responsibility before God and seeking Him for mercy.

Question 3

What does God mean when He says He will make a new covenant?

Accepted Answer

God explains that this new covenant will not be like the one made when He brought Israel out of Egypt, which they broke even though He cared for them like a husband. The new covenant is different in kind. Instead of relying on external commands written on stone, God says He will put His law within them and write it on their hearts. He will be their God and they will be His people in a deeper way. This covenant is based on His grace and His work inside people, changing them so they truly know Him and live for Him.

Question 4

What does it mean that God writes His law in their hearts?

Accepted Answer

When God says He will put His law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts, He is talking about an inner work, not just outward rules. Before, the law was written on tablets and could be known only from the outside. In the new covenant, God Himself changes people within, so they have a real desire to follow Him. Obedience becomes something that comes from the heart. This includes faith, love for God, and a new will that agrees with His ways. It is the picture of God giving His Spirit so that His people not only know His commands but want to walk in them.

Question 5

Why does the passage say they will not teach each other to know the Lord?

Accepted Answer

God says that under this new covenant, they will not say to each other, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know Him, from the least to the greatest. This does not mean that no one will ever teach again, but that the knowledge of God will be real and personal for every member of His people. Instead of many being in the dark or only knowing God on the surface, all will be brought into a close relationship with Him. This comes together with His promise to forgive their sins and remember them no more, which opens the way for this deep, shared knowledge of God.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about God’s forgiveness of sin?

Accepted Answer

This passage gives a clear promise about forgiveness. God says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” That does not mean He forgets as we do, but that He will no longer treat them according to those sins. The guilt that separated them from Him will be taken away. This forgiveness is not shallow or temporary. It is tied to the new covenant, where God changes hearts and restores the relationship. The people had broken the earlier covenant, but here God shows that He is ready to wipe out their sins and welcome them again as His own.

Question 7

How does God show in this passage that He will never give up on His people?

Accepted Answer

God points to the sun, moon, stars, and the sea to make His point. He reminds them that He is the One who set the sun to shine by day and the moon and stars by night, and who rules the restless sea. Then He says that if those set orders could fail, then Israel could cease to be a nation before Him. He also says that only if heaven could be measured and the foundations of the earth fully searched out would He cast off all the seed of Israel. These pictures show how sure His promise is. His faithfulness to His people is tied to the stability of creation itself.

Question 8

What is the meaning of the promise to rebuild the city and make it holy?

Accepted Answer

Near the end of the passage, God speaks of days coming when the city will be built to Him, from the tower of Hananeel to the corner gate, with the measuring line going over hill Gareb and around to Goath. Even the valley of dead bodies and ashes, and the fields down to the brook Kidron and toward the horse gate, will be holy to the Lord. This shows that places that had seen judgment and uncleanness would be included in the restored, holy city. The city will not be plucked up or thrown down any more. It is a picture of full restoration, safety, and a community set apart for God.

Question 9

How can this promise of a new covenant encourage believers today?

Accepted Answer

This passage encourages believers by showing that God does not leave His people in their failure. The earlier covenant was broken, but God promises a new one where He Himself changes hearts, gives true knowledge of Him, and forgives sins completely. When someone feels weighed down by past disobedience or fearful that God is finished with them, these words remind them that God’s plan centers on mercy and renewal. The same God who watched over His people to tear down also watches to build and plant. His faithfulness, tied to the steady sun and stars, gives strong comfort to those who trust His promises.

Question 10

Why might some readers find the wording of this passage difficult to understand?

Accepted Answer

Some parts can feel hard because they use old sayings and strong images. The sour grapes proverb, the talk of a new covenant unlike the old, and the detailed place names can seem distant at first. Also, God speaks both of past judgment and future blessing in the same breath, which can be confusing. Faithful readers have seen this passage as pointing both to the return from exile and to later, fuller blessings, so there is depth packed into a few lines. Taking time to notice that the main thread is God’s steady, merciful plan to restore and renew His people helps bring the pieces together.

Jeremiah 31:26

Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

The New Covenant

metadata.crossReferences

Jeremiah 31:26

Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

share.title

share.allVerses

share.verseWithContext

share.currentVerse

The New Covenant

metadata.crossReferences