Jeremiah 31:4

31:4 I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel,

so that you will once again be built up.

Once again you will take up the tambourine

and join in the happy throng of dancers.

Jeremiah 31:8

31:8 Then I will reply, ‘I will bring them back from the land of the north.

I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth.

Blind and lame people will come with them,

so will pregnant women and women about to give birth.

A vast throng of people will come back here.


tn Heb “Virgin Israel.”

sn For the significance of this metaphor see the note on Jer 14:17. Here the emphasis appears on his special love and care for his people and the hint (further developed in vv. 21-22) that, though guilty of sin, he considers them like an innocent young virgin.

sn Contrast Jer 7:34 and 25:10.

tn The words “And I will reply” are not in the text but the words vv. 8-9 appear to be the answer to the petition at the end of v. 7. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.