Jeremiah 31:31–33

Context

Chapters 30–33 of Jeremiah, a book dominated by oracles of judgment, form a section promising restoration and are often called the "Book of Consolation." In verse 31 God declares that he will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, and he says that it will not be like the covenant made at the time of the Exodus (v. 32), because they broke that covenant. Under the new covenant, God will write his law on their hearts (v. 33); all will know God, and he will remember their sin no more (v. 34).

Interpretation

• Fulfillment in the New Testament: At the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup and said, "This cup is the new testament in my blood" (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25). Hebrews 8:8–12 quotes this passage at length and declares that Christ is the mediator of the new covenant. On this basis, Christianity holds that the new covenant was inaugurated in Christ. The very name "New Testament" derives from this.
• The nature of the newness: The newness of the new covenant is understood to lie not in a change to the law itself but in the law once engraved on tablets of stone now being written on the heart—that is, in inward transformation and the forgiveness of sins. The passage is read together with Ezekiel 36:26–27.

Debates and Issues

• Covenant theology (Reformed): Holds that the new covenant is a new administration of the one covenant of grace, and that the promises given to Israel are fulfilled in Christ and the church.
• Dispensationalism: Pointing to the passage's explicit mention of "the house of Israel" and "the house of Judah," holds that this promise will be literally fulfilled in the future for national Israel, while the church participates in its spiritual blessings.
• Differences over baptism: Baptists appeal to verse 34, which says that the people of the new covenant "shall all know me," to argue that the new covenant community consists of those who have professed faith and that believer's baptism is therefore the proper practice. Presbyterians and other denominations that practice infant baptism emphasize covenantal continuity, holding that the covenant is given to believers and their children (see the infant baptism controversy).

This passage also stands at the center of discussions about so-called "replacement theology," the view that the church has replaced Israel.

Related Passages

• Jeremiah 31:34
• Hebrews 8:6–13
• Luke 22:20
• Ezekiel 36:26–27
• 2 Corinthians 3:3–6