Jeremiah 3:16

Jeremiah 3:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
• New International Version (NIV)In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, "The ark of the covenant of the Lord." It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.

Context of Jeremiah 3:16

14‘Return, O faithless children [of the twelve tribes],’ says the Lord, ‘For I am a master and husband to you, And I will take you [not as a nation, but individually]—one from a city and two from a [tribal] family— And I will bring you to Zion.’ 15“Then [in the final time] I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and [true] understanding. It will be in those days when you have [repented and] multiplied and increased in the land,” says the Lord, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will not come to mind, nor will they [seriously] remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again [for instead of the ark, which symbolized My presence, I will be present]. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name (renown) of the Lord; and they will not walk anymore after the stubbornness of their [own] evil heart. 18In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

Jeremiah 3:16 word by word

וְהָיָ֡ה כִּ֣י תִרְבּוּ֩ וּפְרִיתֶ֨ם בָּאָ֜רֶץ בַּיָּמִ֤ים הָהֵ֙מָּה֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה לֹא־יֹ֣אמְרוּ ע֗וֹד אֲרוֹן֙ בְּרִית־יְהוָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲלֶ֖ה עַל־לֵ֑ב וְלֹ֤א יִזְכְּרוּ־בוֹ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִפְקֹ֔דוּ וְלֹ֥א יֵעָשֶׂ֖ה עֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it shall come to pass, when ye be multipliedרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• and increasedפָּרָהpârâh · be fruitfulH6509
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• in those daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• they shall sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• no more, The arkאֲרוֹן'ârôn 'ârôn · arkH727
• of the covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• neither shall it comeעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• to mindלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• neither shall they rememberזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
• it; neither shall they visitפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: missingH6485
• be doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213

Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:16

• Jeremiah 30:19From them (city, palace) will come [songs of] thanksgiving And the voices of those who dance and celebrate. And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished [in number]; I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.
• Jeremiah 31:8Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them [will be] the blind and the lame, The woman with child and she who labors in childbirth, together; A great company, they will return here [to Jerusalem].
• Isaiah 60:22The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan), And the least one a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will quicken it in its [appointed] time.”
• Isaiah 61:4Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up and restore the former desolations; And they will renew the ruined cities, The desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations.
• Ezekiel 36:8But you, O mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and bear your fruit to My people Israel; for they will soon come [home].
• Ezekiel 37:26I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will put My sanctuary in their midst forever.
• Hosea 1:10Yet the number of the sons of Israel Shall be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” It will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.”
• Amos 9:9“For behold, I am commanding, And I shall shake and sift the house of Israel among all nations [and cause it to tremble] Like grain is shaken in a sieve [removing the chaff], But not a kernel [of the faithful remnant] shall fall to the ground and be lost [from My sight].
• Zechariah 8:4Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the streets (public places) of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of his advanced age.
• Zechariah 10:7Then Ephraim will be like a mighty warrior, And their heart will rejoice as if from wine; Yes, their children will see it and rejoice; Their heart will rejoice and shout triumphantly in the Lord.
• Jeremiah 7:4Do not trust in the deceptive and lying words [of the false prophets who claim that Jerusalem will be protected by God because of the temple], saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’
• Zephaniah 3:11On that day you [Israel] will feel no shame Because of all your acts By which you have rebelled and sinned against Me; Then I will remove from among you Your rejoicing ones who delight in their pride; And you will never again behave arrogantly On My holy mountain [Mount Zion].
• Matthew 3:9and do not presume to say to yourselves [as a defense], ‘We have Abraham for our father [so our inheritance assures us of salvation]’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children (descendants) for Abraham.
• Isaiah 65:17“Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things [of life] will not be remembered or come to mind.
• Isaiah 66:1This is what the Lord says, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where, then, is a house that you could build for Me? And where will My resting place be?
• Matthew 1:11Josiah became the father of Jeconiah [also called Coniah and Jehoiachin] and his brothers, at the time of the deportation (exile) to Babylon.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16The ark of the covenant of the Lord - This symbol of the Divine presence, given to the Jews as a token and pledge of God's dwelling among them, shall be no longer necessary, and shall no longer exist; for in the days of the Messiah, to which this promise seems to relate, God's worship shall not be confined either to one place or to one people. The temple of God shall be among men, and every where God be adored through Christ Jesus. Neither shall that be…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16In those days - This and the phrase “the latter days,” had become under the Messianic teaching of the prophets a regular formula for the time of Christ‘s coming, when all the nation‘s hopes would be fulfilled. The ark was the center of the Mosaic economy, containing within it the two tables‘ of the Law as the conditions of the covenant and having over it, upon the mercy-seat, the Shechinah as the visible sign of God‘s presence. But “in those days” the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-20Verses 12-20 See God's readiness to pardon sin, and the blessings reserved for gospel times. These words were proclaimed toward the north; to Israel, the ten tribes, captive in Assyria. They are directed how to return. If we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive them. These promises are fully to come to pass in the bringing back the Jews in after-ages. God will graciously receive those that return to him; and by his grace, he takes…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16When Judah was devastated and Jerusalem was destroyed, the land was almost empty of people. But in the future, the land would be full of people again. The inhabitants would not focus on the past or need the Ark to remind them of God's presence (Jeremiah 23:3; Isaiah 49:19; 65:17).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. they shall say no more--The Jews shall no longer glory in the possession of the ark; it shall not be missed, so great shall be the blessings of the new dispensation. The throne of the Lord, present Himself, shall eclipse and put out of mind the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat between the cherubim, God's former throne. The ark, containing the two tables of the law, disappeared at the Babylonian captivity, and was not restored to the second…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 3:16

• Ark
• Backsliders
• Church
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Jesus, the Christ
• Law

In the dictionaries

• Ark of the Covenant
• Adultery
• Confusion
• Marry
• Reserve
• Atonement, Day of
• Exodus, the Book of
• Ezekiel
• Go
• Habaziniah

Commentaries on Jeremiah 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings