Jeremiah 31:34

“People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. ¹  For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” ²  says the Lord. “For ³  I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

1Sa 2:12; 1Ch 28:9; Isa 11:9; Isa 30:26; Isa 33:24; Isa 43:25; Isa 44:22; Isa 54:13; Isa 60:19-21; Jer 24:7; Jer 33:8; Jer 50:20; Mic 7:18; Hab 2:14; Mt 11:27; Joh 6:45; Joh 17:3; Joh 17:6; Ac 10:43; Ac 13:38,39; Ro 11:26,27; 2Co 2:10; 2Co 4:6; Eph 1:7; 1Th 4:9; Heb 5:12; Heb 8:12; Heb 10:17,18; 1Jo 2:20; 1Jo 2:27; 1Jo 5:20

¹ tn Heb “teach…, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’” The indirect quote has been chosen for stylistic reasons, i.e., to better parallel the following line.

sn As mentioned in the translator’s note on 9:3 (9:2 HT) “knowing” God in covenant contexts like this involves more than just an awareness of who he is (9:23 [9:22 HT]). It involves an acknowledgment of his sovereignty and whole hearted commitment to obedience to him. This is perhaps best seen in the parallelisms in Hos 4:1; 6:6 where “the knowledge of God” is parallel with faithfulness and steadfast love and in the context of Hos 4 refers to obedience to the Lord’s commands.

² sn This statement should be understood against the background of Jer 8:8-9 where class distinctions were drawn and certain people were considered to have more awareness and responsibility for knowing the law and also Jer 5:1-5 and 9:3-9 where the sinfulness of Israel was seen to be universal across these class distinctions and no trust was to be placed in friends, neighbors, or relatives because all without distinction had cast off God’s yoke (i.e., refused to submit themselves to his authority).

³ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) that introduces this clause refers to more than just the preceding clause (i.e., that all will know the Lord) but to all of vv. 31-34a (See BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.c).