Jeremiah 31:38

Jer 31:38 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.

Ver. 38. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, &c] The word come is not in the text; it is read, but not written. The vowel points are in the text, but not the letters; which those, who are against the antiquity of the points, would do well to consider; since the Jews never suffered any additions to the Bible. {Hebrew Text Note}

That the city shall be built to the Lord.] Jerusalem shall be re-edified, the Church eternally re-established by Christ.

From the tower of Hananeel.] Neh 3:1; Neh 12:39 Zec 14:10.

Unto the gate of the corner.] 2Ki 14:13 Zec 14:10.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jer 31:38-40. Behold, the days come, that the city shall be built to the Lord — Or, for the Lord, namely, for his use and service. Blaney renders it, Under the direction of the Lord, from the tower of Hananeel, &c. — “Here follows a description of the circumference of a new city to be built on the site of Jerusalem; but that it does not mean the city which was rebuilt after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity is evident from two principal circumstances; first, because the limits are here extended farther, so as to include a greater space than was contained within the walls at that time; and secondly, it is here said, that it should never be razed or destroyed any more. This new city, therefore, must be referred to those after-times when the general restoration of Israel is appointed to take place.” Thus Blaney, with whom many other commentators agree. That this prophecy “was not fulfilled,” says Dr. Dodd, “from the return out of Babylon to the days of Christ, we are assured from sacred history; where we read that mount Goath, or Golgotha, (which word in Hebrew signifies the heap of Gotha,) was situated without Jerusalem. The same may be said of the valley of dead bodies and of the ashes,” namely, the valley of Hinnom, so described, from its having been made a common burying place, and a receptacle for the rubbish and filth of the city. “As to Gareb we know nothing certain. We may also add, that the last clause of this chapter, it shall not be plucked up, &c., any more for ever, cannot refer to the Jerusalem which was rebuilt after the captivity, and which was plucked up and thrown down by the Romans. We must necessarily recur, therefore, either to some future building of that city, or to the church of Christ, against which we are assured the gates of hell shall never prevail,” and which is elsewhere called the city of God, and the new Jerusalem. Taking the passage in this mystical sense, as a description of the church, in its most enlarged and perfect state, in the latter days: we can be at no loss to explain the clause in the last verse which expresses that all parts of the city, even the valley of Hinnom, and all the fields, unto the brook Kidron, &c., shall be holy unto the Lord. For, undoubtedly, at this time the church shall be thoroughly purged from all corruption, both with regard to the doctrine taught in it, and the principles and practices of its members, who shall all be both well instructed in divine things, and truly holy in their hearts and lives.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

31:38 The Lord revealed his plan for Jerusalem to be rebuilt. The Tower of Hananel stood at the northeast corner of the old city, while the Corner Gate had been at the northwest corner (2 Kgs 14:13; 2 Chr 26:9).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

As it was performed, Neh. 3:1. By this description he showeth that the city should be as ample, and beautiful as ever it was: but he alludeth to the spiritual Jerusalem, whose beauty should be incomparable.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

tower of Hananeel--The city shall extend beyond its former bounds (Neh 3:1; Neh 12:39; Zac 14:10).

gate of . . . corner-- (Kg2 14:13; Ch2 26:9).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 38. The city shall be built to the Lord] This cannot mean the city built after the return from Babylon, for two reasons:

1. This is to be much greater in extent;

2. It is to be permanent, never to be thrown down, Jer 31:40. It must therefore mean, if taken literally at all, the city that is to be built by them when they are brought in with the fulness of the Gentiles.

The tower of Hananeel] This stood in the northeast part of the city; from thence the wall proceeded to the corner gate, (probably the same as the old gate,) thus named from its running out into an angle in that part.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Here the Prophet speaks of the rebuilding of the city. I doubt not but that his object was to shew them that the largeness and splendor of the city after the return of the people would not be less than it had been under David in its most flourishing condition. We must, however, first speak of the words before we proceed to the subject.

Behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, and built shall be the city It was not as yet destroyed; but the Prophet intimated that its utter ruin was nigh at hand; he therefore makes now their hope to depend on God’s mercy alone, as to the deliverance of the people from exile: Built then shall be the city to Jehovah from the tower of Hananeel, etc. This tower was, no doubt, placed in the wall of the city. Almost the same prediction is found in Zechariah 14:10, though there is some diversity in the words; but both the Prophets refer to the same thing. Zechariah’s object was to animate the people under this circumstance, because the beauty, greatness, and extent of the city did not at first correspond with what it had formerly been. He then promises that its glory would at length be the same as it had been; and he names there the tower of Hananeel Jeremiah adds, to the gate of the corner The corner, הפנה ephene, is in the singular number; but in Zechariah it is הפנים ephenim, in the plural; and it is thought that corners or corner is thus called metaphorically, because a corner shews two faces while it stands out, and thus two parts appear; but whether it be the gate of the corner or of the corners, it makes but little difference.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(38) From the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.—There seems to us something almost like an anti-climax in this sudden transition from the loftiest Gospel promises to the obscure localities of the ancient Jerusalem. With Jeremiah, however, as before with Isaiah (Isa_65:17-25), and on a much larger scale with Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40-48), this was the natural outgrowth of the vividness with which the restored city came before his mental vision. He saw a goodly city rise as from the ruins of the old, truly and not in name only consecrated to Jehovah, and describes, as best he can, how it differed from them. The tower of Hananeel appears from Neh_3:1; Neh_12:39, to have been identical, or connected, with the tower of Meah, and to have been between the fish-gate and the sheep-gate, at the north-east corner of the city walls. It is named again, as one of the conspicuous landmarks of the city, in Zec_14:10. The “corner-gate” at the north-west corner, and near the present Jaffa-gate, appears in 2Ki_14:13; 2Ch_26:9; Zec_14:10; Neh_3:24; Neh_3:32. The wall in this quarter had apparently been battered during the siege of Jerusalem, and the prophet naturally sees the rebuilding of the wall as among the first-fruits of the restoration.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

38. Behold, the days come] The word come is omitted in the earliest form of the Heb. text, but probably by an error in copying, as the phrase is a favourite one with Jeremiah. See note on Jer_23:5.

that the city shall be built] The words which follow no doubt express an enlargement of the bounds of the city, but from our ignorance of the exact position of the places named, we cannot speak more definitely. From the mention made of “the tower of Hananel” in Neh_3:1; Neh_12:39; and of “the corner-gate” in 2Ki_14:13; 2Ch_26:9 (cp. Zec_14:10 for both places) we find that the former was at or near the N.E. and the latter the N.W. corner of the city wall.

to the Lord] for His honour.

38–40. These vv. may safely be assumed to belong to post-exilic days, when topographical questions connected with the extent of the city assumed importance. Cp. Zechariah 14. For the position of places here mentioned, see Quart. Statement of Pal. Explor. Fund, Jan. 1912, p. 28.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,.... The word come is not in the text; it is read, but not written. The vowel points are in the text, but not the letters; which those, who are against the antiquity of the points, would do well to consider; since the Jews never suffered any additions to the Bible. Jarchi says this prophecy refers to future times in the latter redemption, and never was fulfilled in the second temple; and indeed, under the figure of rebuilding Jerusalem, seems to be intended the building of the Gospel church, which was to continue to the end of time; for both holiness and perpetuity are ascribed to it:

that the city shall be built to the Lord; the city of Jerusalem; which was to be rebuilt upon the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, as by the order, and under the direction and protection of the Lord, so for his service and worship; the temple in it should be built up again, and divine worship restored; and both that and the city, with the inhabitants of it, be devoted to his service; a type of the Gospel church, built up an habitation for God, where he is worshipped, feared, and glorified:

from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner; of the tower of Hananeel mention is made in Neh 3:1. The Targum calls it the tower of Pikkus. Lightfoot places it on the south side of the city, bending to the east; but most place it on the east side of it: here probably the building of the city began in Nehemiah's time, and proceeded to the gate of the corner, which lay northeast; of which see Kg2 14:13; Jerom interprets the tower of Hananeel the tower of obedience, or of the grace and gifts of God, which latter is not much amiss; since the word "Hansheel" may be interpreted "God gives grace"; and the spiritual building of the church proceeds from the grace of God, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ being the chief corner stone, Eph 2:20.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To the Lord - Or, for Yahweh: for His dwelling in the hearts of a people prepared to be His temple.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Come, is only in the margin of the Hebrew, but is found properly in some manuscripts. (Kennicott) --- Corner. On the south, opposite to the former, 2 Esdras iii. 1.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

That is, it shall be built round, as largely as ever. We read of this

tower of Hananeel, Neh 3:1; 12:39; Zec 14:10; it was in the south, or rather the eastern part of the city. We read of the

gate of the corner, 2Ki 14:13; Zec 14:10; most agree that it is in the north-cast part of the city.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

38. To the Lord — Not to his honour merely, but for his possession and dwellingplace. From the tower of Hananeel, etc. — The tower of Hananeel was situated at the northeast corner of the city wall, (see Neh_3:1; Zec_4:10,) while the gate of the corner probably answered to the present Jaffa gate, near the northwest corner of the city. The expression describes the whole northside, and is equal almost to its whole extent.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 38-40. The connection is not very clear. The main point of these verses is that Jerusalem, when rebuilt, shall be altogether "the Lord"s." Its circumference shall even be extended with the single object of including spots at present unclean, but then to become holy like the rest of the city. According to Hengstenberg and Keil, Jerusalem is here a figure of the kingdom of God in the latter days.

The tower of Hananeel. This lay at the northeast corner of the city. (Neh_3:1 Neh_12:39) The gate of the corner. At the north, west corner. (2Ki_14:13 2Ch_26:9) Both this and the tower of Hananeel are mentioned together again in the prophecy of the glorification of Jerusalem, in Zec_14:10.

Vers. 38-40. The new Jerusalem.

The law or condition of the spiritual life of the future having been referred to, the organized embodiment or community to which they will give rise is next described. This will be

I THE ANTITYPE OF THE OLD JERUSALEM.

1. An organized community. With permanent constitution and laws, and subject to a central authority. Comprehending and unifying the manifold relations of human life. A true "city of God" on earth.

2. With an earthly manifestation. It would not be a mere idea, but would realize itself, in part at least, in sensible forms and external manifestations. It would be the incarnation of spiritual principles and their practical realization.

3. And a sacred character. This would be its distinguishing characteristic, as it had been that of the former city. There would be a wall of consecration, and a special aim and direction given to the life, of which it would be the dwelling place and home. It would be built "to the Lord," and would in its entirety be "holy to the Lord.

II CONTRASTED WITH IT.

1. More complete in its surroundings and defences. Jehoash had destroyed the wall in the north and northeast, in the reign of Amaziah. On this side, therefore, the old city was most defenceless. A large portion of this was rebuilt by Nehemiah, (Neh_3:1) but probably not the whole. The new city will be entirely rebuilt and thoroughly defended, "a city compact and built together.

2. More comprehensive. Outlying places would be included, and the bounds of the city vastly extended. The whole earth will be included in the city of salvation.

3. More inclusively consecrated. The hill Gareb (perhaps that of the lepers), and the hill Goath (possibly Golgotha), and the valley of Hinnom, the foul Gehenna even these which had confronted the old city as a reproach, would be cleansed, transformed, and included. The sources of disease and the occasions of defilement would thus be entirely removed.

4. More permanent in its duration. It is to be preserved from all injury, and is to stand forever.

III WHOLLY DISTINCT FROM IT. At no time in the history of Israel were these predictions fulfilled with regard to the earthly Jerusalem. Portions of the description might appear to correspond with what took place in the time of Nehemiah and others, but in its entirety it is evident that the city here spoken of is utterly distinct from the geographical and historical Jerusalem. It is associated with it according to the law of Divine continuity, but in itself it is a new creation. The "wall great and high" is of no earthly material; the extension is not one of yards or miles, but of nations and ages; the consecration of the unclean places is but typical of the regenerative force of Christianity, which reclaims the moral wastes of the world, and purifies the carnal affections and sinful tendencies of human nature; and no material city could ever "stand for aye." Only the kingdom and Church of Christ could satisfy the conditions of such a prophecy. M.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The city - Shall be built round, as largely as ever.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Look, the days are coming

"Pay attention! What I am about to talk about will happen soon"

days are coming ... when the city will be rebuilt

Future time is spoken of as if the "days are coming." See how you translated this metaphor in Jeremiah 7:32. AT: "in the future ... the city will be rebuilt" or "there will be a time ... when the city will be rebuilt" (See: Metaphor)

this is Yahweh's declaration

Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated this in Jeremiah 1:8. AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)

the city will be rebuilt for me

This can be translated in active form. AT: "they will rebuild the city for me" or "I will have them rebuild the city" (See: Active or Passive)

Tower of Hananel ... Corner Gate ... hill of Gareb ... Goah ... Kidron Valley ... Horse Gate

These are the names of places. (See: How to Translate Names)

The whole valley ... will be set apart for Yahweh

This can be translated in active form. AT: "They will set apart the whole valley ... for me" or "I will have them make the whole valley ... holy for me" (See: Active or Passive)

set apart

"made holy"

The city will not be pulled up or overthrown again

The city is spoken of as if it were a plant that someone could pull out of the ground or a building that someone could break down. This can be translated in active form. AT: "I will not allow anyone to pull up or overthrow the city again" or "No one will tear the city down or destroy it again" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)

translationWords

watchtower

gate

bury

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.