Jeremiah 23:7-8 · Bible study
Jeremiah 23:7-8 Commentary: The Greater Exodus to Come
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Jeremiah predicts a future restoration so great it replaces the exodus as Israel's defining oath, redefining hope.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God will perform a restoration from exile so great it replaces the exodus as the defining event by which Israel swears and remembers.
- Key words: He‘elah (brought up, H5927), the same verb used for the exodus; zera‘ (seed/offspring, H2233), emphasizes the full family of Israel; nadach (banished, H5080), God’s agency in both scattering and gathering.
- Main debate: Whether this prophecy was fulfilled in the return from Babylon, or awaits a future Messianic gathering of all Israel (including the ten tribes), or both.
- Theological theme: New exodus as a pattern of redemption; God’s sovereignty over judgment and restoration; the surpassing greatness of God’s future work.
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on hope in exile, the bigness of God’s plans, and the way Scripture repurposes old stories to announce new mercies.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
7So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’
8Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ Then they will dwell once more in their own land.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
7“Therefore, behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that they will no more say, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;’
8but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will dwell in their own land.”
KJV King James Version 1769
7Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
7Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that they shall no more say, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8but, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
7Therefore, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they do not say any more, Jehovah liveth who brought up The sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,
8But--Jehovah liveth, who brought up, And who brought in, the seed of the house of Israel, From the land of the north, And from all the lands whither I drove them, And they have dwelt on their own ground!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
7Therefore behold, days are coming, saith Jehovah, that they shall no more say, [As] Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8but, [As] Jehovah liveth, who brought up and who led back the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
7Therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord, and they shall say no more: The Lord liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt:
8But, The Lord liveth, who hath brought out, and brought hither the seed of the house of Israel from the land of the north, and out of all the lands, to which I had cast them forth: and they shall dwell in their own land.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 23:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Across the supplied commentaries, interpreters agree that these verses announce a future act of God that will surpass the exodus from Egypt. Calvin calls it a “second redemption” so remarkable that the former deliverance “would be nothing to the greatness and excellency of this.” Gill and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown see the promise reaching beyond the return from Babylon to a still-future gathering of all Israel, including the ten tribes. The Cambridge Bible connects it to the Messianic “Branch” in the preceding verses, making the restoration an aspect of the Messiah’s reign. All hold that the old oath formula, “As Yahweh lives, who brought up Israel out of Egypt”, will be eclipsed by a new one centered on God bringing his people back from the north and from every land where he had driven them. The change of oath signals a shift in what Israel will remember and celebrate as God’s definitive saving work.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Historical return from Babylon: The immediate context of Judah's exile and the promise of return; Jeremiah 16:14-15 similarly worded and likely fulfilled by the Persian decree.
- Messianic redemption (Christian): The connection to the righteous Branch in vv.5-6; the surpassing greatness of Christ's work compared to the exodus (Heb 3:1-6; 2 Cor 3:7-11).
- Future national restoration of Israel: Gill's note that the ten tribes have never returned; Paul's language of 'all Israel will be saved' (Rom 11:26) and the gathering from 'all lands'.
What is clear: The passage announces that God will perform a saving act so great it will replace the exodus as the defining reference point for Israel's faith and worship.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment timing | The return from Babylon was a partial fulfillment and a pledge of something greater. | Some (Gill, JFB) insist on a future national restoration of Israel still to come; others see the full realization in Christ's redemption and the gathering of the church. |
| Identity of the restored people | The 'seed of the house of Israel' includes both Judah and the northern tribes. | Whether this refers to ethnic Israel alone or typologically to the new covenant people of God (Jew and Gentile) is a point of divergence. |
| Connection to the Messianic Branch (vv.5-6) | The passage is immediately preceded by the prophecy of the righteous Branch, so the restoration is tied to the Messiah's reign. | Some read the Branch as the sole agent of the new exodus; others see the Branch as the context but the restoration as a separate promise to the nation. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah wrote during the final decades of the kingdom of Judah, when Babylon was rising as the dominant power and exile was imminent. The exodus from Egypt had been Israel’s foundational story for centuries. To swear “As Yahweh lives, who brought up Israel out of Egypt” was to appeal to the covenant God who had acted decisively to create a people. The phrase appears elsewhere in Jeremiah (16:14-15) and in Israel’s worship. By Jeremiah’s day, however, the covenant had been broken. The northern kingdom had already been scattered by Assyria (the “north country”). Judah would soon follow. The land would be emptied, the temple destroyed, and the people banished “to all the countries where I had driven them.” In this context, the prophet announces a new act that will redefine God’s identity. The language echoes the exodus: “brought up” (he‘elah, H5927) is the same verb used in the old formula. But now the movement is not from Egypt but from the north, the direction of Assyria and Babylon, and from every place of exile. The “seed of the house of Israel” (zera‘ beit Yisra’el) includes the northern tribes long lost. The oath formula itself is repurposed: the same living God, but a different deliverance. The promise “they will dwell in their own land” (v.8) reverses the curse of being driven out. This is not just a return; it is a new creation, a second exodus that surpasses the first in scope and glory.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note that some scholars (e.g., Duhm, cited in the Cambridge Bible) have rejected these verses as secondary, viewing them as a later addition. The Cambridge Bible notes “suspicion” but does not adopt the rejection, pointing out that the language of “the Branch” in Zechariah shows the Messianic expression was established early. Most commentators accept the verses as authentic to Jeremiah, noting that the same formula appears in Jeremiah 16:14-15. No significant textual variants affect the meaning in the Hebrew manuscripts consulted.
Reception History
Early Jewish tradition, as reflected in the Talmud (Berakot 12b, cited by Gill), applied this passage to the days of the Messiah. Christian interpreters from the Reformation onward have read it as a prophecy of the new covenant in Christ. Calvin saw the “second redemption” as the deliverance wrought by the Messiah, greater than the exodus. Later dispensationalist readings see a yet-future national restoration of Israel. The image of a new exodus has been sung in hymns and preached in seasons of exile and hope across traditions, grounding the conviction that God’s greatest saving act still echoes through history.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The old exodus will not be forgotten, but it will be surpassed. God’s deliverance from Egypt was the greatest act of redemption Israel knew. Yet Jeremiah says a day is coming when that will no longer be the defining reference. The new act will overshadow it.
- God himself drives his people out, and God himself brings them back. The exile is not random or merely political. God says “whither I had driven them.” The same hand that scatters gathers. This is the pattern of judgment and restoration, death and resurrection.
- Dwelling in the land is the sign of restoration. The new exodus does not end in wandering. It concludes with settled, secure life on the land God gave to their fathers. Homecoming is a central promise of hope.
Five-point outline
- A new oath for a new day (vv.7-8a). The old formula gives way to one that celebrates the return from exile.
- From one land to all lands (v.8). The deliverance is not limited to Babylon; it encompasses every place of banishment.
- The north country as symbol (v.8). Assyria and Babylon, the source of judgment, become the point of departure for redemption.
- The living God as the subject of both judgments and mercies (v.8). The same “I” who drove them away now brings them back.
- Secure dwelling (v.8). The goal is not just rescue but settled peace in the land.
Illustration hooks
- A family that survived a house fire once told their story by the old address. After they rebuilt, visitors would say, “This is your new home now.” The new address replaced the old one as the defining memory.
- When a parent walks a child through a painful surgery and then through recovery, the child later remembers not the illness but the healing and the parent’s presence through both.
- An immigrant who fled persecution and later returned to rebuild in peace has two stories, escape and homecoming. The second often feels more like grace.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this promise apply to the Jews today, or was it fulfilled long ago?
- If God’s greatest act is still future, what does that mean for how we remember Jesus’ resurrection?
- How do I trust God when the old story of his goodness no longer feels big enough to cover my present pain?
Leading a Discussion
This passage invites us to consider how God’s past acts shape our hope for the future. The exodus was Israel’s anchor, yet Jeremiah says a day is coming when a new deliverance will take its place. That claim stretches faith: can God do something greater than what we have already seen? As you discuss, pay attention to the language of “the days come”, a phrase that opens a door to expect God’s future work.
Discussion questions
- What made the exodus such a powerful story for Israel? Why would replacing that oath be significant?
- Jeremiah says God “drove them” into exile. How does that affect the way you understand suffering or judgment?
- The new oath focuses on the return from “the north country” and “all the countries.” What does that breadth tell you about God’s plan for redemption?
- In what ways might this prophecy be about more than a physical return to the land? What deeper spiritual reality could it point to?
- How does this passage connect to the promise of a “righteous Branch” in the verses before it (Jeremiah 23:5-6)?
- Can you think of a time when God did something new in your life that made an older blessing seem smaller in comparison?
- What does it mean to “dwell in their own land” as a picture of peace? What would that look like for you personally?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 43:18 | “Don’t remember the former things, and don’t consider the things of old. |
| Isaiah 43:19 | Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. |
| Jeremiah 16:14 | “Therefore behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that it will no more be said, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;’ |
| Jeremiah 16:15 | but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries where he had driven them.’ I will bring them again into their land that I gave to their fathers. |
| Jeremiah 23:3 | “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they will be fruitful and multiply. |
| Jeremiah 31:31 | “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, |
| Jeremiah 31:34 | They will no longer each teach his neighbor, and every man teach his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh;’ for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest,” says Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” |
| Isaiah 14:1 | For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
The Lord liveth which brought up - See on Jer 16:14 (note), Jer 16:15 (note).
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin’s distinctive point is that the coming deliverance from Babylon will so surpass the exodus that the earlier redemption will no longer be mentioned. He argues that God’s secret providence working through ordinary events is actually more astonishing than visible miracles, because it shows God’s power over the hearts of men and his authority both to punish and to restore.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator sees a deliberate wordplay in the phrase "our righteousness," which sounds like the name Zedekiah. Jeremiah hints that what the weak king's name only promised as an ideal, the coming Messianic King will make real. A future deliverance will surpass even the exodus from Egypt.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill contrasts the old exodus from Egypt with the greater redemption by Christ, arguing that the new deliverance will so surpass the old that people will no longer swear by the God who brought Israel out of Egypt. Instead, they will swear by the living God who gathers His people from all nations through the Messiah.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that the return from Babylon was actually inferior to the exodus from Egypt in miracles and numbers delivered. Since the promise exceeds both, the final deliverance under the Messiah must be intended, with Babylon serving only as the down payment.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argue that the name "Jahveh our Righteousness" does not directly call the Messiah God. Instead it means "he by whom Jahveh deals righteousness," emphasizing the Messiah as the agent through whom God gives actual righteousness and deliverance to Israel. This righteousness includes personal holiness and national blessing, not merely
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the name "Jehovah our Righteousness" is given not to the coming king but to the nation itself. He points to the parallel passage where Jerusalem receives the same name, and sees it as a symbolic title expressing that Israel will have no righteousness except the Lord's.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley suggests this prophecy about dwelling in the land may still await full completion. He observes that the Jewish people have not yet returned to live permanently in their own homeland, so part of the promise remains possibly unfulfilled.