Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of animal.
- BSB “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and of beast.
- NKJV “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast.
- NASB “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of mankind and the seed of animals.
- NLT “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will greatly increase the human population and the number of animals here in Israel and Judah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God promises to repopulate Israel and Judah, sowing them again with people and livestock after the devastation of exile. It assures that judgment is not the final word.
Overview
Using agricultural imagery, the Lord pledges to 'sow' the land with abundant human and animal life, reversing the desolation brought by Babylon. This is a covenant promise of restoration after exile, grounded in God's faithfulness rather than Israel's merit. Such fruitfulness anticipates the greater ingathering of God's people through the gospel, in which the once-barren are made fruitful in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Hos 2:23And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.
- Zech 10:9And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
- Ezek 36:11And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
- Ezek 36:9For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:
- Jer 30:19And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 31:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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