New Living Translation
Jeremiah 3:16
16“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.
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 home, you wayward children,” says the Lord, “for I am your master. I will bring you back to the land of Israel— one from this town and two from that family— from wherever you are scattered. 15And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding. “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. 17In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. 18In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance forever.
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 30:19There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them; I will honor them, not despise them.
- Jeremiah 31:8For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return!
- Isaiah 60:22The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”
- Isaiah 61:4They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.
- Ezekiel 36:8“But the mountains of Israel will produce heavy crops of fruit for my people—for they will be coming home again soon!
- Ezekiel 37:26And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever.
- Hosea 1:10“Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’
- Amos 9:9“For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost.
- Zechariah 8:4“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares.
- Zechariah 10:7The people of Israel will become like mighty warriors, and their hearts will be made happy as if by wine. Their children, too, will see it and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
- Jeremiah 7:4But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant, “The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!”
- Zephaniah 3:11On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
- Matthew 3:9Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.
- Isaiah 65:17“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
- Isaiah 66:1This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place?
- Matthew 1:11Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born 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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries