Jeremiah 16:15 kjv
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Jeremiah 16:15 nkjv
but, 'The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.' For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.
Jeremiah 16:15 niv
but it will be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.
Jeremiah 16:15 esv
but 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.
Jeremiah 16:15 nlt
Instead, they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.' For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors.
Jeremiah 16 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 23:7-8 | "Therefore, behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when they shall no longer say, 'As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel from the land of Egypt,' but 'As the Lord lives who brought up...the people of Israel from the land of the north..." | Near-identical prophecy of the New Exodus surpassing the old. |
| Isa 11:11-12 | In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people...and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. | God's second major act of gathering from exile. |
| Isa 43:5-6 | Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold... | Prophecy of God gathering Israel from all global directions. |
| Jer 3:18 | "In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave as a heritage to your fathers." | Both Israel and Judah will return together from the north. |
| Ezek 36:24 | I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. | Divine promise of restoration and return to the homeland. |
| Amos 9:14-15 | I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities...and they shall never again be uprooted from the land that I have given them. | A promise of permanent, lasting restoration post-exile. |
| Neh 1:9 | ...if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen... | Recalling God's promise to gather His scattered people. |
| Deut 30:3-5 | ...then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. | God's promise of re-gathering after scattering and repentance. |
| Zech 10:8-10 | I will whistle for them and gather them, for I have redeemed them... I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria... | Prophecy of gathering from both specific and general regions. |
| Exod 20:2 | "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." | The original, foundational Exodus event by God. |
| Ps 105:43-45 | He brought out his people with joy, his chosen ones with singing. And he gave them the lands of the nations... that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. | Recounts God's powerful work in the first Exodus. |
| Ps 107:2-3 | Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. | God's universal gathering of His redeemed people. |
| Matt 24:31 | And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. | Eschatological gathering of God's elect people. |
| Acts 15:16-17 | 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord...' | New Testament reference to the restoration of God's people. |
| Rom 11:25-27 | ...a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved... | Future, full salvation and restoration of Israel. |
| 1 Pet 1:1 | Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia... | Addresses dispersed believers as a spiritual "Israel". |
| Gen 12:1-3 | "I will make of you a great nation...and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." | Foundational Abrahamic covenant of blessing and nationhood. |
| Num 23:23 | ...no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, 'What has God wrought!' | Highlights the unique, powerful acts God performs for Israel. |
| Isa 49:12 | Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene. | Further prophecy of Israel's global return. |
| Zech 8:7-8 | "Behold, I will save my people from the land of the east and from the land of the west, and I will bring them home, and they shall dwell in Jerusalem..." | God promises to bring His people home to Jerusalem. |
| Jer 31:10 | "Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.'" | God's sovereignty over both scattering and gathering. |
Jeremiah 16 verses
Jeremiah 16 15 Meaning
Jeremiah 16:15 declares a profound future act of God: He will gather the scattered people of Israel from all the nations where they had been driven, especially from "the land of the north." This event will be so grand and pivotal that it will overshadow the original Exodus from Egypt in the collective memory and significance for the nation. It serves as an unshakeable promise of divine faithfulness, signaling an ultimate restoration after a period of intense judgment, demonstrating God's sovereign power to both disperse and then redemptively re-gather His covenant people.
Jeremiah 16 15 Context
Jeremiah chapter 16 delivers a severe prophecy of impending judgment upon Judah due to their pervasive idolatry and unfaithfulness. God explicitly forbids Jeremiah from marrying, mourning, or participating in feasts, making his life a prophetic sign of the desolation to come – a future devoid of family, communal sorrow, or celebration for the unrepentant nation (vv. 1-9). The people's inquiry regarding the cause of God's judgment leads to a clear pronouncement of their forefathers' and their own persistent wickedness (vv. 10-13), underscoring that their exile is a just consequence. However, in an abrupt shift, verses 14-15 introduce a message of ultimate hope. Amidst the pronouncements of divine wrath and scattering, this verse serves as a beacon of promise, assuring a future reversal where God will re-gather His people, demonstrating that His covenantal faithfulness transcends even their gravest sins and His righteous judgment.
Jeremiah 16 15 Word analysis
- but, ('As the Lord lives'):
אכן(aken), "indeed," "truly," "surely," functions as a strong contrast, introducing a crucial new reality following the judgment.חי־יהוה(chai-Yahweh), "As the Lord lives," is an absolute oath, confirming the unwavering certainty and divine guarantee of the following promise, resting on God's own living existence and character.
- who brought up:
המעלה(hama'aleh), "the one causing to ascend" or "bringing out." This active participle denotes an ongoing divine power and action. The verbal rootעלָה(ʿālāh) deliberately parallels the language used for the Exodus from Egypt, signifying a divinely orchestrated act of deliverance and elevation.
- the people of Israel:
בני ישראל(bnei Yisrael), "sons of Israel." This specific designation affirms God's covenant loyalty to His chosen nation, highlighting that the future redemptive act is for His distinct people, scattered yet remembered.
- from the land of the north:
ארץ צפון(eretz tsaphon), "land of the north." While literally indicating Babylon and Assyria, the primary captors, prophetically it represents the epicenter of Israel's suffering and exile, and generally any territory from which their enemies emerge or where God’s judgment sent them.
- and from all the countries:
וּמִכֹּל הָאֲרָצוֹת(ūmikol hā’aratsot), "and from all the lands/countries." This expands the scope of restoration, emphasizing the comprehensiveness of God's gathering. It acknowledges Israel's wider dispersion beyond the main place of captivity.
- where he had driven them:
אֲשֶׁר הִדִּיחָם(’asher hidhicham), "where he had cast them out" or "driven them away." The verbהִדִּיח(hiddiyaḥ) implies forceful, deliberate scattering, stressing that their exile was not an accident of fate but a direct, punitive act of God, whose sovereignty extends even over their judgment and subsequent re-gathering.
Words-group analysis:
- "As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel": This phrase asserts God's living presence and power, guaranteeing a grand, new act of lifting Israel from oppression, evoking the past Exodus but promising an even greater future deliverance.
- "from the land of the north and from all the countries where he had driven them": This highlights the completeness of the future restoration. God will not only rescue His people from their main captivity (Babylon, the "land of the north"), but from every region of the world where, by His sovereign hand of judgment, they had been scattered. This underlines His comprehensive power to reverse their dispersion.
Jeremiah 16 15 Bonus section
The "New Exodus" motif prevalent in prophetic literature, notably here in Jeremiah and similar passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel, signifies more than just a return from geographical exile. It encapsulates a profound spiritual transformation, leading to a new heart, new covenant (as explicitly promised later in Jer 31), and a deeper knowledge of God. This ultimate ingathering envisions the reunification of both the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah), living together under a righteous king. Ultimately, New Testament theology extends this concept to the eschatological gathering of God's people (both Jew and Gentile) into the spiritual kingdom of Christ, finding its truest fulfillment in the redemption brought by Jesus and the formation of His church as a unified people of God.
Jeremiah 16 15 Commentary
Jeremiah 16:15 offers a beacon of profound hope, a sudden break in the pronouncements of severe judgment, portraying God's ultimate plan of restoration for Israel. The phrase "As the Lord lives" emphatically secures the promise with God's very being, signifying absolute certainty. The verse declares a "New Exodus," a future gathering of Israel from the Babylonian exile (the "land of the north") and all other lands of dispersion, an event so spectacular it will eclipse the memory of the original Exodus from Egypt. This highlights not just a physical return but a deep spiritual renewal and re-covenanting, proving God's enduring faithfulness even amidst His righteous wrath. This prophetic vision demonstrates that God's judgments are not His final word; rather, they serve to refine His people, preparing them for a more glorious and comprehensive salvation that fulfills His eternal covenant.