Jeremiah 31:31 announces that God is going to make a new covenant, a fresh and binding relationship, with the people of Israel and Judah. It is a promise of a future that would be different from the old arrangement at Sinai, one that would be written inward rather than only on stone. The words come from the LORD himself, spoken through the prophet Jeremiah to a nation that had repeatedly broken faith with God.
“Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah…
Jeremiah 31:31 (WEB)
What Jeremiah 31:31 Means
The phrase “the days come” signals that this promise points to a time still ahead. Jeremiah is not describing a condition the people already enjoy. He is announcing that God will act in history, and that the coming change will be initiated by God rather than earned by the people. The word “covenant” refers to a formal agreement with mutual commitments, like a marriage or a treaty, but here God is the one who promises to renew the relationship.
The verse names two groups, “the house of Israel” and “the house of Judah.” By the time Jeremiah speaks, the northern kingdom of Israel had fallen to Assyria and the southern kingdom of Judah was about to fall to Babylon. Naming both houses signals that God’s purpose reaches the whole divided people, not just one part of them.
What the verse does not promise is an immediate end to hardship or a guarantee of ease. It promises a relationship God will renew and a future God will bring about. The verses around it make clear that this renewal comes through God’s own faithfulness, not through a better performance by the people.
The Context of Jeremiah 31:31
The book of Jeremiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who ministered in Jerusalem roughly from the late seventh century to the early sixth century BC. He addressed a people facing exile, and much of his message combined warning with hope. Chapters 30 and 31 are often called the “Book of Consolation,” a section where the tone shifts toward restoration and comfort after a long series of judgments.
Verses 28 through 30 describe how God once watched over Israel to uproot and destroy and now will watch over them to build and plant. The proverb about sour grapes in verse 29 reflects a complaint that the present generation was suffering for the sins of their ancestors. Verse 30 answers that complaint by saying that each person will die for his own sin. The new covenant of verse 31 is set against that backdrop, which is why it reads as both personal and nationwide: God’s renewal does not depend on inherited guilt or inherited righteousness.
Key Phrases in Jeremiah 31:31
Hebrews 8:10
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,” says the Lord; “I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
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The writer of Hebrews quotes this passage from Jeremiah at length and applies it to the ministry of Christ. Reading it alongside Jeremiah 31:31 shows how the early church understood the new covenant as already inaugurated in Jesus.
Ezekiel 36:26
I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
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Ezekiel, a contemporary of Jeremiah, describes God giving a new heart and a new spirit. The parallel imagery of inward transformation deepens the picture of what God promises to do for his people.
A Short Prayer From Jeremiah 31:31
Lord, you promised through Jeremiah that you would make a new covenant and write your ways on the hearts of your people. I confess that I have tried to live by my own strength and have failed again and again. Thank you that your faithfulness does not depend on mine. Write your law on my heart, soften what is hard in me, and teach me to know you more deeply each day. Give me the courage to trust your renewal when I feel like giving up. Amen.
