Jeremiah 31:29 · Bible study
Jeremiah 31:29 Commentary: The End of the Sour Grapes Proverb
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God promise to end the proverb about fathers eating sour grapes? This verse introduces a shift to individual responsibility under the new covenant.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God declares the end of a proverb that blamed children's suffering on fathers' sins, pointing to personal accountability.
- Key words: 'sour grapes' (boser, unripe fruit) and 'teeth set on edge' (qahah, be blunt).
- Main debate: Is this a new principle or a reaffirmation of existing law (Deuteronomy 24:16)?
- Theological theme: Individual responsibility within covenant community, preparing for the new covenant.
- Best use: Preaching on repentance, divine justice, and the internal transformation of the new covenant.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
“In those days, it will no longer be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.’
WEB World English Bible 2000
“In those days they will say no more, “‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
KJV King James Version 1769
In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
In those days they do not say any more: Fathers have eaten unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
In those days they shall say no more: The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
En aquellos días no dirán más: Los padres comieron las uvas agraces, y los dientes de los hijos tienen la dentera.
Naqueles dias nunca mais dirão: Os pais comeram uvas verdes, mas foram os dentes dos filhos que se estragaram.
En ces jours-là, on ne dira plus:
Zu derselben Zeit wird man nicht mehr sagen: “Die Väter haben Herlinge gegessen, und der Kinder Zähne sind stumpf geworden”:
In die dagen zullen zij niet meer zeggen: De vaders hebben onrijpe druiven gegeten, en der kinderen tanden zijn stomp geworden.
In quei giorni non si dirà più: “I padri han mangiato l’agresto, e i denti de’ figliuoli si sono allegati”,
Za onych dni nie będą więcej mówić: Ojcowie jedli grona cierpkie, a synów zęby ścierpnęły;
В те дни уже не будут говорить: "отцы ели кислый виноград, а у детей на зубах оскомина",
當那些 日子，人不 再 說：父親 吃了 酸葡萄，兒子 的牙 酸倒了。
In those days they will no longer say, The fathers have been tasting bitter grapes and the children's teeth are put on edge.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 31:29
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the proverb in Jeremiah 31:29, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge", was a complaint common among exiles. They felt they suffered for ancestors' sins, especially King Manasseh's. Adam Clarke calls it a proverbial expression for children suffering for parents' offenses. Barnes notes that the Jews used it to reproach divine justice, ignoring their own guilt. Calvin describes it as an impious proverb that they used to argue with God. Gill adds that the users claimed innocence, which was false. The consensus is that God's promise to remove this proverb signals a coming era where individual responsibility will be acknowledged. Keil and Delitzsch state the proverb means "children atone for the misdeeds of their fathers." The next verse (v.30) clarifies: "everyone will die for his own iniquity." This shift prepares for the new covenant, where God writes the law on hearts and forgives sins.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Historical fulfillment view: The proverb ends when the exile ends and the people acknowledge their own sin (Calvin, Barnes).
- New covenant view: It refers to the new covenant era where personal responsibility is fully realized through internal transformation (Keil & Delitzsch, Matthew Henry).
- Hyperbolic view: It is a hyperbolic way of saying that sin will be exceptional in the restored community (Lange).
What is clear: The proverb will no longer be used because each person will die for their own iniquity (v.30), and this change is tied to the coming new covenant.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the proverb | The proverb expresses that children suffer for the sins of their fathers, as seen in the exile. | Some see it as a truthful observation about corporate consequences; others view it as a dishonest excuse used by a guilty generation to avoid responsibility. |
| Divine justice and individual responsibility | God is just, and the new covenant era will uphold individual accountability. | Does this passage introduce a new principle of individual retribution that overrides earlier collective punishment (e.g., Achan in Joshua 7), or does it reaffirm an existing standard (Deuteronomy 24:16) that had been neglected? |
| Timing of fulfillment | "In those days" refers to a future restoration after the exile. | Does this refer to the immediate post-exilic community, the new covenant inaugurated by Christ, or an eschatological future? Commentators differ based on how they connect this to verses 31-34. |
| Relationship to Ezekiel 18 | Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel address the same proverb, emphasizing personal accountability. | Ezekiel seems to argue against the proverb in the present tense, while Jeremiah promises its end in the future. Some see a tension; others view them as complementary aspects of the same truth (present correction vs. future transformation). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The proverb appears in both Jeremiah 31:29 and Ezekiel 18:2, showing it was a widespread saying during the Babylonian exile. The people believed they were being punished for sins they did not commit, echoing Lamentations 5:7: "Our fathers sinned, and are no more; we have borne their iniquities." The exile was often interpreted as divine judgment for Manasseh's idolatry (2 Kings 23:26), but the generation in exile had also sinned. The prophets called them to acknowledge their own guilt. Deuteronomy 24:16 had already established that children should not be put to death for their fathers' sins, but corporate consequences were still felt. Jeremiah 31:29-30 looks to a future restoration when God will "sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of animal" (v.27), reversing the destruction. In that renewed community, each person would bear their own responsibility. This paves the way for the new covenant (vv.31-34), where internal transformation makes personal accountability possible. The phrase "in those days" ties this to the messianic age. Barnes argues that the people ignored their own complicity. Calvin says they were arrogant to strive with God. The promise to end the proverb is also a promise of repentance and enlightenment.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 31:29. The Hebrew text is consistent across major manuscripts, and the English translations differ only in wording such as "sour grape" vs. "sour grapes" and "teeth are set on edge" vs. "teeth are blunted." The verse is stable across traditions.
Reception History
Augustine cited this verse to argue that each person is judged for their own sin, not for Adam's sin in a way that contradicts justice. The Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin, used it to oppose indulgences and the transfer of merit. In Jewish tradition, it is linked to the principle of individual retribution (b. Sanhedrin 27b). Modern commentators often connect it to discussions of generational sin and the need for personal repentance. The verse also appears in theodicy discussions, defending God's justice when children suffer alongside guilty parents.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The old complaint: blaming God for inherited consequences. The proverb expresses a sense of unfairness, why should children suffer for what fathers did?
- The divine correction: God will no longer allow this excuse. Each person must face their own guilt. The exile exposed Israel's own sin, not just their ancestors'.
- The new covenant solution: God promises a change from the inside out. When the law is written on hearts, people stop shifting blame and start living responsibly.
Five-point outline
- The proverb reveals a deep human tendency to shift blame onto others, even God.
- God does not deny that children suffer from parents' sins, but He calls for honesty about our own part.
- The end of the proverb comes through honest acknowledgment: "I am the one who ate the sour grapes."
- This confession opens the door to new covenant grace, God forgives and transforms.
- The promise that each of us can be accountable and forgiven breaks cycles of guilt and resentment.
Illustration hooks
- A teenager blaming family dysfunction for their own bad choices, only to later take responsibility after meeting someone who broke the cycle.
- A community that complained about past leaders' mistakes while repeating the same patterns, until they stopped and examined their own hearts.
- A church that spends more energy criticizing the previous generation than looking at its own failures in the present.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If I am suffering consequences from my parents' sins, does that mean God is being unfair to me?
- How can I know which of my struggles are due to my own sin versus corporate consequences?
- What does it look like to take responsibility without sinking into guilt or despair?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts a temptation we all share: to blame others for our spiritual condition. The people of Judah looked at their exile and said, "Our fathers sinned, and we are paying for it." They felt like innocent victims. Jeremiah announces a day when that excuse will vanish. God calls each person to own their own sin and receive their own forgiveness. In small groups, this passage invites honest reflection on how we avoid responsibility and how the gospel frees us from blame-shifting.
Discussion questions
- What does the proverb imply about the people's view of God's justice? Why would they feel it was unjust?
- How does Jeremiah 31:30 explain the end of the proverb? What does it say about individual responsibility?
- In what ways have you seen people (or yourself) use similar excuses today, blaming circumstances, upbringing, or other people for spiritual struggles?
- Why does the new covenant (described in vv.31-34) require this shift to individual responsibility? What does the new covenant provide that makes personal accountability possible?
- How does knowing that each person is accountable to God affect the way you pray for others or share your faith?
- What hope does this passage give to someone trapped in a cycle of generational sin or family dysfunction?
- How can we as a group help one another take responsibility without falling into shame or condemnation?
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)
| Jeremiah 31:30 | But everyone will die for his own iniquity. Every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. |
| Lamentations 5:7 | Our fathers sinned, and are no more. We have borne their iniquities. |
| Ezekiel 18:2 | “What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? |
| Ezekiel 18:3 | “As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “you shall not use this proverb any more in Israel. |
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
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke clarifies that the proverb about sour grapes does not mean God punishes children for their parents’ sins. Divine punishment falls only on those who personally commit the same offenses. A child suffers for a parent’s sin only by choosing to walk in that same sinful path.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that the old covenant was temporary because its sanctions were material and externally understood. The new covenant replaces it with spiritual sanctions written on the heart, founded on the free forgiveness of sins, making it permanent. He sees this prophecy fulfilled when Jews who accepted Jesus expanded the Jewish into the Christian Church.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the Jews' proverb about fathers eating sour grapes expressed their arrogant complaint that God punished them unjustly for their ancestors' sins. He argues that only after being humbled by punishment and then shown mercy would the people stop using this impious saying and acknowledge God's justice.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary points out that when the people complained about suffering for their ancestors' sins, they overlooked their own guilt. Jeremiah's generation was just as involved in sin as the generations before them. The protest against God's justice was itself blind to their personal responsibility.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
In those dayes shall they say no more, The fathers haue eaten a sowre grape, and the childrens teeth are set on edge.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains the proverb about sour grapes was not merely about children suffering for their fathers' sins, but a false claim by the people that they themselves were innocent. They used it to charge God with injustice, yet they would be convinced of their own guilt and stop using it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that this proverb was spoken by the children born during the Babylonian exile. It expressed their feeling that they were suffering the consequences of their fathers' sins, not their own wrongdoing. The saying was current among them as a complaint about divine justice.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argue that the proverb about sour grapes is not merely obsolete but gives way to a deeper insight. Through unmerited grace, God’s people come to recognize His righteousness in punishing each person for their own sin, no longer accusing Him of injustice.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the sour-grapes proverb as reflecting real corporate
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the deep shift in the new covenant: God writes his law inwardly on the heart, not on stone, so that knowledge of him becomes universal and personal. The old proverb about sour grapes gives way because each person now bears responsibility for their own sin.