Commentary on Jeremiah 31:7-14

The origins of the phrase “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted” are disputed, but it captures well the conflicting messages of the book of Jeremiah. Today’s lectionary passage falls squarely into the “comfort” category. It’s part of a section in Jeremiah 30–33 known as the “Book of Consolation.” Despite the recent destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet declares that hope isn’t lost, and offers tender words of divine compassion.

Poetry and hope

Jeremiah 31:7–14 doesn’t ignore its audience’s suffering. Only a “remnant of Israel” (verse 7) has survived and is now “scattered” in exile (verse 10). Understandably, the people “languish” (verse 12) and “mourn” (verse 13). Having experienced such trauma, they would not easily accept a message of consolation, especially from the God whom they blame for their suffering.

As poetry, Jeremiah 31 appeals to the audience’s imagination with soaring language and compelling images. Pictures of abundance and flourishing appear throughout the passage. God leads the returning exiles “by brooks of water” (verse 9) and makes “their life … like a watered garden” (verse 11). Abstract ideas like “the goodness of the LORD” are made concrete by enticing references to “grain, wine, and oil” (verse 12) and “fatness and bounty” (verse 14). Metaphors like “father” (verse 9) and “shepherd” (verse 10) reinforce God’s care and provision.

Given the harshness of their present circumstances, Jeremiah’s audience would find it difficult to imagine themselves in a happier state. So the poet does it for them. The text depicts them as “glad” (verse 7), “radiant” (verse 12), and “merry” (verse 13). It envisions a future for them filled with song and dance (verses 12–13).

At a time when many people are experiencing hopelessness and anxiety, the work of artists is more important than ever. Comforting the afflicted requires creative preaching and worship leadership that compellingly invite the audience to imagine themselves in different circumstances. It should incorporate music, visual art, and poetry that counter the dominant discourse of despair. Jeremiah 31 offers a master class in the kind of hopeful proclamation we desperately need in this cultural moment.

Welcome and accessibility

Along with its powerful imagery, Jeremiah 31:7–14 is strikingly universal in scope. It spans “the farthest parts of the earth” (verse 8) and “the coastlands far away” (verse 10). It also deconstructs ableism, sexism, and ageism by including “the blind and the lame” (verse 8), pregnant and young women (verse 13), and “old men” (verse 13) in its purview.

Inclusivity informs the depiction of a highway for returning exiles in verses 8–9. The text names two groups of people for whom the journey back to Jerusalem would be especially difficult: persons with disabilities (“the blind and the lame”) and pregnant women. (Blindness is sometimes portrayed as a mobility impairment in the Hebrew Bible; compare Deuteronomy 28:29; Isaiah 59:10; Zephaniah 1:17.^[1]) The highway is designed to accommodate their needs: “a straight path where they will not stumble” (Jeremiah 31:9).

This detail reveals God’s desire that no exile be left in Babylon simply because they cannot make the journey. Instead of expecting them to overcome environmental challenges, the environment is modified for maximum accessibility. Rebecca Raphael calls this verse “a proof-text for universal design.”^[2] It illustrates a key principle of universal design: Accommodations for persons with disabilities also benefit able-bodied persons, in this case pregnant women.

The remarkable accessibility of Jeremiah’s highway contrasts with an otherwise similar image in Isaiah. Isaiah 35:8 likewise envisions a highway for returning exiles, but it excludes a specific class of people, the “unclean.” Although it also refers to persons with disabilities, it requires that they be miraculously healed in order to make the journey (Isaiah 35:5–6).^[3]

Not only is Jeremiah’s inclusive vision striking for its time, but it also proves challenging in our day. Churches were among the most vocal opponents of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, citing the expense of modifying their buildings to meet accessibility requirements. Jeremiah 31:9 shows how far that attitude falls short of God’s intention for human flourishing. Many congregations today proudly declare how welcoming they are, but often that simply means their members are friendly. True welcome requires pervasive rethinking of everything we do, including building accessibility.

Exile as metaphor and reality

Exile is a central theme in the Hebrew Bible. The destruction of Jerusalem and forced removal of its citizens to Babylon dramatically changed how the biblical writers viewed themselves and God. Jeremiah 31 is one of many texts that try to explain why the exile happened or offer hope for a future beyond it.

In recent decades, some Christian thinkers have used exile as a metaphor for the church’s loss of social prominence in a post-Christian world. The concept resonates with many Christians’ sense of alienation in a society that doesn’t seem to share our values. This way of thinking appears already in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:11–12). We shouldn’t forget, however, that exile is a real, lived experience in biblical texts, not just a metaphor.

More than ever, people across the globe are being displaced by war, political and economic collapse, and climate disasters. The refugee crisis has become a hot-button issue in the United States and many European countries. Admittedly, it’s a complex problem without simple solutions. But we cannot in good conscience claim the hope of Jeremiah 31:7–14 for ourselves, while also marginalizing and mistreating contemporary exiles. Insofar as it’s in our power, we are called to make Jeremiah’s hopeful vision a reality for people today who share the circumstances of the text’s original audience.

Notes

1. Rebecca Raphael, Biblical Corpora: Representations of Disability in Hebrew Bible Literature, LHBOTS 445 (New York: T&T Clark, 2008), 14.
2. Raphael, Biblical Corpora, 129.
3. J. Blake Couey, “Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve,” in The Bible and Disability: A Commentary, eds. Sarah J. Melcher, Mikeal C. Parsons, and Amos Yong (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017), 245.