Saturday, January 11, 2025

Charles L. Feinberg on Jeremiah 31:22

  

22 The second half of this verse is one of the most disputed in the entire book. Interpretations vary greatly and are often mutually exclusive. Many scholars admit that a satisfactory solution is not attainable; no interpretation has been accepted by a majority of scholars. The verse is difficult because the background is lacking. One view sees here a prophecy of the Virgin Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is an ancient interpretation, coming from the church fathers; but it is rejected by the majority of interpreters. It is based on the concept of the Lord’s creation of “a new thing,” obviously something miraculous, and the idea of a woman in some way controlling a man (so Broadbent, Streane et al.). This view is invalid for the following reasons.

 

1. The word “woman” (neqēḇāh, lit., “a female”) does not even have the definite article (cf. Isa 7:14).

2. The word “woman” cannot be made to mean a virgin. In fact, it is a most general word for woman in contradistinction to man.

3. The verb sāḇaḇ (“surround”) is poles apart from the idea of conceiving.

4. The interpretation is ill suited to the context. How does it flow from its context? Granted that the word “virgin” occurs in v.21 and earlier in v.4; but it is plain that these references are to Israel, not an individual. The interpretation is reverent, but not possible.

 

Other solutions do not fare much better. Some propose that the “new thing” is a woman who protects a man. Thus it describes a physically weaker partner surrounding and sustaining a stronger one (so Harrison). A second proposal is that “Virgin Israel” returns to the Lord (so Hyatt). A third one is that the words refer to the security Israel will enjoy so that the women will be able to protect the nation in case of attack, allowing the men to be occupied with their work (so Cundall). A fourth view is that, though the Lord has embraced the woman Israel in love, the latter days will witness a situation in which the woman Israel will seek after and embrace her lover, the Lord (so Jensen). A fifth view suggests that the woman will propose marriage to the man; that is, Israel will seek union with the Lord. This requires the translation “a female will turn into a man”—viz., she becomes of manly character, no longer hesitant in returning to God but resolute in doing so (so Freedman). A sixth view is that Israel will overcome the power of the Gentiles (so H.A. Ironside, Notes on the Prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah [New York: Loizeaux Brothers, 1946], ad loc.). Finally, some interpret the verse to mean that Israel, weak as a woman, becomes superior to the strong Babylonians (so Calvin, though he agrees with the Fathers that it refers to the Virgin Birth). With such an abundance of interpretations, it is foolhardy to be dogmatic about the meaning of these puzzling words. On the whole, it seems best to take them as a proverbial saying about something amazing and hard to believe. The meaning is beyond present solution (so Bright et al.). (Charles L. Feinberg, “Jeremiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1986], 6:571)

 

 

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