New International Version
Jeremiah 3:16
16In 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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the Lord, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark.
Context of Jeremiah 3:16
14“Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 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. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
Read all of Jeremiah 3Jeremiah 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 will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.
- Jeremiah 31:8See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.
- Isaiah 60:22The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”
- Isaiah 61:4They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
- Ezekiel 36:8“ ‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for 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. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.
- Hosea 1:10“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’
- Amos 9:9“For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground.
- Zechariah 8:4This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age.
- Zechariah 10:7The Ephraimites will become like warriors, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
- Jeremiah 7:4Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!”
- Zephaniah 3:11On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.
- Matthew 3:9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
- Isaiah 65:17“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
- Isaiah 66:1This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
- Matthew 1:11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the 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
In the dictionaries
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
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