Jeremiah 31:21

31:21-26 The way from the bondage of sin to the liberty of God's children, is a high-way. It is plain, it is safe; yet none are likely to walk in it, unless they set their hearts towards it. They are encouraged by the promise of a new, unheard-of, extraordinary thing; a creation, a work of Almighty power; the human nature of Christ, formed and prepared by the power of the Holy Ghost: and this is here mentioned as an encouragement to the Jews to return to their own land. And a comfortable prospect is given them of a happy settlement there. Godliness and honesty God has joined: let no man think to put them asunder, or to make the one atone for the want of the other. In the love and favour of God the weary soul shall find rest, and the sorrowful shall find joy. And what can we see with more satisfaction than the good of Jerusalem, and peace upon Israel?

Jeremiah 31:21. Set thee up way-marks — “These words are a call to Israel to prepare for their return. The word צינים , rendered way-marks, means stone pillars, and תמרודים , translated heaps, from המר , a palm-tree, probably signifies tall-poles, like palm-trees, or, perhaps, made of palm- trees; both set up in the roads, at certain distances, for the traveller’s direction, and extremely necessary for those who had to pass wild and spacious deserts,” — Blaney. Set thy heart toward the way which thou wentest — Mind well the way that the Assyrians and Babylonians carried thee captive, for thou shalt return the same way. Turn again — That is, Return to thine own country; O virgin of Israel — See note on Jeremiah 31:14 . Turn again to these thy cities — The expression is doubled for the greater certainty of the event.

Verse 21. - Set thee up waymarks. The "virgin of Israel" is addressed. She is directed to mark out the road for the returning exiles. The command is obviously the. torical in form; the general sense is that the Israelites are to call to mind the road so familiar to their forefathers, though only known to themselves by tradition. The word rendered "waymarks" occurs again in 2 Kings 33:17 and Ezekiel 39:15 . It apparently means a stone pillar, which might be used either as a waymark or a sepulchral monument. The high heaps seem to mean much the same thing; "signposts" would be a better rendering. Set thine heart toward the highway; rather, turn thy thoughts , etc., for the heart is here evidently the symbol of the intellectual rather than the moral life (comp. 1 Kings 10:2 , and many other passages). A passage in the Psalms ( Psalm 84:6 ) will occur to every one, in which a psalmist, longing at a distance for the services of the temple, pronounces blessed the man "in whose heart are the highways [to Zion];" here, it is true, "heart" has the double meaning of "mind" and "affections," but "highway" has almost exactly the same sense as in the passage before us. To these thy cities . The unseen speaker is supposed to be in Palestine. Jeremiah 31:21

21 . That the travellers should themselves be bidden to set up signposts has caused needless trouble to some commentators. Israel is bidden to mark out the way for his return, perhaps by pioneers sent in advance. guide-posts ] The Heb. word occurs here only. set thine heart ] The heart in Heb. denotes the seat of the intellect. Hence the sense is, turn thy attention to the way by which thou wentest into exile, that thou mayest retrace thy steps.

(21) Set thee up way marks . . . —It will be noted that the figure is changed, and that instead of “Ephraim, the dear son,” we have Israel, the “back-sliding daughter.” The idea of the return of the exiles is still prominent, and she, as represented by the first group of those who came back, is called on to set up “heaps of stones,” after the manner of Eastern travellers, as waymarks for those who followed. (Comp. Ezekiel 39:15 .) The way which she had trodden when she was led out into captivity was to be re-trodden in the fulness of joy on her return. She was to pass in her joy through the self-same cities that had then seen her in her shame. Benson CommentaryJeremiah 31:21. Set thee up way-marks — “These words are a call to Israel to prepare for their return. The word צינים, rendered way-marks, means stone pillars, and תמרודים, translated heaps, from המר, a palm-tree, probably signifies tall-poles, like palm-trees, or, perhaps, made of palm- trees; both set up in the roads, at certain distances, for the traveller’s direction, and extremely necessary for those who had to pass wild and spacious deserts,” — Blaney. Set thy heart toward the way which thou wentest — Mind well the way that the Assyrians and Babylonians carried thee captive, for thou shalt return the same way. Turn again — That is, Return to thine own country; O virgin of Israel — See note on Jeremiah 31:14.

Turn again to these thy cities — The expression is doubled for the greater certainty of the event.Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary31:21-26 The way from the bondage of sin to the liberty of God's children, is a high-way. It is plain, it is safe; yet none are likely to walk in it, unless they set their hearts towards it. They are encouraged by the promise of a new, unheard-of, extraordinary thing; a creation, a work of Almighty power; the human nature of Christ, formed and prepared by the power of the Holy Ghost: and this is here mentioned as an encouragement to the Jews to return to their own land. And a comfortable prospect is given them of a happy settlement there. Godliness and honesty God has joined: let no man think to put them asunder, or to make the one atone for the want of the other. In the love and favour of God the weary soul shall find rest, and the sorrowful shall find joy. And what can we see with more satisfaction than the good of Jerusalem, and peace upon Israel?Barnes' Notes on the BibleWaymarks - See 2 Kings 23:17 note.High heaps - Or, signposts, pillars to point out the way.Set thine heart - Not set thy affection, but turn thy thoughts and attention (in Hebrew the heart is the seat of the intellect) to the highway, even the way by which thou wentest.Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary21. waymarks—pillars to mark the road for the returning exiles.

The latter part of this verse expounds the former. Thou shalt (saith God) return again to these cities which thou now leavest, therefore take good notice of the way thou seest, set up some marks by which thou mayst know it again; make thee pillars of some high heaps of stone in the way, which thou mayst know again when thou comest at them; mind well the way that the Assyrians and the Babylonians carried thee, for thou shalt come back the same way. Further to assure them they should return, he calls to them to turn again, and doubleth his words, for the further confirmation of the thing.

21. waymarks—pillars to mark the road for the returning exiles. Caravans set up pillars, or pointed heaps of stones, to mark the way through the desert against their return. So Israel is told by God to mark the way by which they went in leaving their country for exile; for by the same way they shall return. highway—(Isa 35:8, 10).