Worksheet on Jer 31:31-34

We have already looked at this passage in class in our discussion on Jeremiah, and we have also discussed Jeremiah's use of Mosaic Covenant. Now, this passage present us with a new covenant that might be read as presenting something "new" in Jeremiah or it might be read as presenting the people with a concrete element of hope. Our discussion on Friday will explore these differences and new elements. In addition, we will explore the importance of these verses to a New Testament (= "new covenant") understanding of Old Testament covenants and prophecies.

Historical background:

  • Look at the information in your textbooks on the context of the end of the seventh century and the fall of Jerusalem in 586. Pay special attention to the Battle of Carchemesh in 605, and the fall of Jerusalem in 586. How are these events important for understanding Jeremiah?
  • As noted in class, Jeremiah is a descendant of Abiathar and is from Anathoth. How is this information helpful for understanding the prophecies of Jeremiah? Why would we expect him to be a critic of the Davidic Monarchy, and why would we expect him to use the Mosaic Covenant more than the Davidic Covenant?

    • Limits and setting of the Passage:

  • Do you agree with the limits of the passage (vv. 31-34)? Why or why not?
  • What happens in chapter 31? How are these verses related to 31:31-34?
  • How does this passage function in the overall book of Jeremiah? How does the passage relate to chapters 31-33? Esp., how does the passage relate to the reference to the eternal nature of the Davidic Covenant in chapter 33?
  • How do you compare Jeremiah's prophecies with those of Isaiah of Jerusalem. What are the similarities and differences? What is Jeremiah doing that is new?
  • What are other places in Jeremiah where the phrase, "The days are coming," is used? How does these instances help us understand 31:31-34?

    • Applications for today:

  • What relevance does the passage have for understanding the New Testament?
  • How do you respond to the following two prominent interpreters say the following of the passage?
  • Newsome: "Jeremiah is responsible, in this text, for expressing one of the most profound insights of the Old Testament. The author of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews refers to this passage twice, 8:8-12 (where the passage is quoted in its entirety) and 10:16-17. The passage is also referred to in the words used at the Last Supper, "the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). (p. 122 of Newsome)
  • Carroll: "The exegesis of vv. 31-34 is straightforward and the interpretation of the piece would be simple were it not for the fact that many commentators insist on reading 31.31-34 as 'one of the most profoundest and most moving passages in the entire Bible.' This Christian appreciation of a minor and prosaic hope for the future, often identified with the new covenant of the New Testament, (cf. Heb. 8.8-13; 10.15-17), while irrelevant for the meaning of the text, complicates the treatment of the section because there is a large literature devoted to its interpretation from the viewpoint of Christian theology." (p. 613 of Carroll, Jeremiah: A Commentary).