Jeremiah – Chapter 31

Old Testament40 Verses

Chapter Summary

"At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." — so begins Jeremiah 31. The chapter centers on Jacob and Rachel. Across its 40 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and God's covenant promises. Taken as a whole, the chapter forms one movement in the account, preparing what follows and completing what came before.

1At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

2Thus saith the Lord: The people that were left and escaped from the sword, found grace in the desert: Israel shall go to his rest.

3The Lord hath appeared from afar to me. Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee.

4And I will build thee again, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy timbrels, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

5Thou shalt yet plant vineyards in the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and they shall not gather the vintage before the time.

6For there shall be a day, in which the watchmen on mount Ephraim, shall cry: Arise, and let us go up to Sion to the Lord our God.

7For thus saith the Lord: Rejoice ye in the joy of Jacob, and neigh before the head of the Gentiles: shout ye, and sing, and say: Save, O Lord, thy people, the remnant of Israel.

8Behold I will bring them from the north country, and will gather them from the ends of the earth and among them shall be the blind, and the lame, the woman with child, and she that is bringing forth, together, a great company of them returning hither.

9They shall come with weeping: and I will bring them back in mercy: and I will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

10Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the islands that are afar off, and say: He that scattered Israel will gather him: and he will keep him as the shepherd doth his flock.

11For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and delivered him out of the hand of one that was mightier than he.

12And they shall come, and shall give praise in mount Sion: and they shall flow together to the good things of the Lord, for the corn, and wine, and oil, and the increase of cattle and herds, and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall be hungry no more.

13Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, the young men and old men together: and I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them joyful after their sorrow.

14And I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness: and my people shall be filled with my good things, saith the Lord.

15Thus saith the Lord: A voice was heard on high of lamentation, of mourning, and weeping, of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted for them, because they are not.

16Thus saith the Lord: Let thy voice cease from weeping, and thy eyes tears: for there is a reward for thy work, saith the Lord: and they shall return out of the land of the enemy.

17And there is hope for thy last end, saith the Lord: and the children shall return to their own borders.

18Hearing I heard Ephraim when he went into captivity: thou hast chastised me, and I was instructed, as a young bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Convert me, and I shall be converted, for thou art the Lord my God.

19For after thou didst convert me, I did penance: and after thou didst shew unto me, I struck my thigh: I am confounded and ashamed, because I have borne the reproach of my youth.

20Surely Ephraim is an honourable son to me, surely he is a tender child: for since I spoke of him, I will still remember him. Therefore are my bowels troubled for him: pitying I will pity him, saith the Lord.

21Set thee up a watchtower, make to thee bitterness: direct thy heart into the right way, wherein thou hast walked: return, O virgin of Israel, return to these thy cities.

22How long wilt thou be dissolute in deliciousness, O wandering daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth: A WOMAN SHALL COMPASS A MAN.

23Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: As yet shall they say this word in the land of Juda, and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring back their captivity: The Lord bless thee, the beauty of justice, the holy mountain.

24And Juda and all his cities shall dwell therein together: the husbandman and they that drive the flocks.

25For I have inebriated the weary soul: and I have filled every hungry soul.

26Upon this I was as it were awaked out of a sleep, and I saw, and my sleep was sweet to me.

27Behold the days come, saith the Lord: and I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Juda with the seed of men, and with the seed of beasts.

28And as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to throw down, and to scatter, and destroy, and afflict: so will I watch over them, to build up, and to plant them, saith the Lord.

29In those days they shall say no more: The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.

30But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that shall eat the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

31Behold the days shall come, saith the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda:

32Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, the covenant which they made void, and I had dominion over them, saith the Lord.

33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying: Know the Lord: for all shall know me from the least of them even to the greatest, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

35Thus saith the Lord, who giveth the sun for the light of the day, the order of the moon and of the stars, for the light of the night: who stirreth up the sea, and the waves thereof roar, the Lord of hosts is his name.

36If these ordinances shall fail before me, saith the Lord: then also the seed of Israel shall fail, so as not to be a nation before me for ever.

37Thus saith the Lord: If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I also will cast away all the seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith the Lord.

38Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hanameel even to the gate of the corner.

39And the measuring line shall go out farther in his sight upon the hill Gareb: and it shall compass Goatha,

40And the whole valley of dead bodies, and of ashes, and all the country of death, even to the torrent Cedron, and to the corner of the horse gate towards the east, the Holy of the Lord: it shall not be plucked up, and it shall not be destroyed any more for ever.

Important Verses in Jeremiah 31

At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

Jeremiah 31:1

Thus saith the Lord: A voice was heard on high of lamentation, of mourning, and weeping, of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted for them, because they are not.

Jeremiah 31:15

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: As yet shall they say this word in the land of Juda, and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring back their captivity: The Lord bless thee, the beauty of justice, the holy mountain.

Jeremiah 31:23

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Jeremiah 31:33

Historical Context

As a Old Testament book, Jeremiah was written with judah on the brink of destruction, called to repentance in view. Chapter 31 of 52 stands in the central portion of the book, where decisive events or teachings take shape. It is a prophetic oracle addressed to Israel in a moment of covenant crisis or renewal with 40 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Jacob and Rachel appear at the center of the events recorded here. The passage starts with these words: "At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." The final verse reads: "And the whole valley of dead bodies, and of ashes, and all the country of death, even to the torrent Cedron, and to the…" The wider setting of Jeremiah is this: Jeremiah prophesied through Judah's final decades, warning of Babylon's coming judgment while priests and false prophets promised peace. The book's material reflects the era summarized as follows: Jeremiah's ministry about 627-580 BC.

Who Wrote It

The prophet Jeremiah, with his scribe Baruch

When It Was Written

Jeremiah's ministry about 627-580 BC

Catholic Commentary

The prophet addresses Israel with a message rooted in covenant fidelity and the hope of restoration. A pivotal line is verse 1: "At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

Catholic exegesis reads Jeremiah 31 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. Jeremiah's new covenant prophecy is fulfilled in Christ (CIC 1965). St. Augustine and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 302).

The moral and spiritual import remains timely: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. St. Jerome insisted that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ; this chapter offers material for meditation, examination of conscience, and deeper love of God.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • God binds Himself to His people by covenant, and He never breaks His word.
  • True conversion means turning away from sin and returning to God with our whole heart.

People in This Chapter

Jacob2 mentionsRachel1 mention

Reflection for Today

Jeremiah Chapter 31, containing 40 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation, offers a distinct passage for prayer and meditation.

The Magisterium teaches that every biblical passage must be read in light of Christ, the center of Scripture (CIC 26). Here the emphasis falls on the Eucharist as source and summit, which shapes how the Church understands judgment, the new covenant, and hope.

If this passage raises questions, seek the Church's teaching through the Catechism, a faithful priest, or sound Catholic commentaries. Private interpretation must remain in harmony with the Magisterium (CIC 265).

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Jeremiah Chapter 31 about?

Jeremiah 31 contains 40 verses. It opens with "At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." and closes with "And the whole valley of dead bodies, and of ashes, and all the country of death, even to the torrent Cedron, and to the…". The book as a whole is prophetic oracles, biography, and laments.

What is a key verse in Jeremiah 31?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Jeremiah Chapter 31?

This chapter mentions Jacob, Rachel.

Who wrote Jeremiah and when?

The prophet Jeremiah, with his scribe Baruch. Jeremiah's ministry about 627-580 BC.

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