Jeremiah 31:34

My Notes

What Does Jeremiah 31:34 Mean?

God describes the defining characteristic of the new covenant: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

They shall teach no more every man his neighbour, saying, Know the LORD — the instruction 'know the LORD' will become unnecessary. Not because teaching stops but because the knowledge of God becomes universal and direct. Under the old covenant, knowledge of God was mediated — taught by priests, communicated through the law, passed from teacher to student. Under the new covenant, the knowledge is immediate — every person knows God directly, without requiring another person to introduce them.

For they shall all know me — all (kullam). The knowledge (yada — intimate, experiential, relational knowing) is universal within the covenant community. Not some knowing more than others. Not a spiritual hierarchy of those-who-know and those-who-do-not. All — every member of the covenant community knows God personally.

From the least of them unto the greatest — the knowledge crosses every social boundary. The least (qatan — the smallest, youngest, most insignificant) and the greatest (gadol — the largest, oldest, most prominent) share the same direct knowledge of God. No class distinction in knowing God. No VIP access. The child knows God as directly as the prophet. The uneducated knows God as personally as the scholar.

For I will forgive their iniquity — the foundation of the universal knowledge is forgiveness. The forgiveness (salach — to pardon, to send away guilt) is comprehensive: their iniquity (avon — the twisted perversion of what is right). The forgiveness enables the knowing: the barrier that separated humanity from God (sin) is removed, and the removal makes direct knowledge possible.

And I will remember their sin no more — the strongest possible promise of complete pardon. Remember (zakar) no more — God will not bring the sin back to mind, will not hold it against them, will not revisit the offense. The forgiveness is not merely declared. It is permanent — the sin is not just forgiven but forgotten by the one whose memory is infinite.

Hebrews 8:11-12 and 10:17 quote this verse as fulfilled in Christ. The new covenant that Jeremiah prophesied has been ratified by Christ's blood. The universal knowledge, the complete forgiveness, and the divine forgetting are the present reality of every believer in Christ.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does universal knowledge of God ('from the least to the greatest') eliminate — and how does it differ from the mediated knowledge of the old covenant?
• 2.How does forgiveness function as the foundation for direct knowledge of God — why does the removal of sin enable the knowing?
• 3.What does God 'remembering sin no more' mean practically — and how does divine forgetting differ from human forgetting?
• 4.How does the new covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:34 describe the reality you currently live in through Christ?

Devotional

They shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest. All. Every person in the covenant. Not through a mediator. Not through a priest's instruction. Not through someone else's secondhand report. Directly. Personally. Experientially. The child knows God. The illiterate knows God. The least significant person in the community knows God as intimately as the greatest. The knowledge is universal and direct.

They shall teach no more every man his neighbour, saying, Know the LORD. The instruction becomes unnecessary — not because teaching is abolished but because the knowledge is immediate. Under the old covenant, you needed someone to introduce you to God. Under the new covenant, the introduction is internal — the Spirit writes the law on the heart (v.33), and the knowing follows naturally. The mediation that was once essential becomes redundant.

For I will forgive their iniquity. This is why the knowing is possible. The barrier is removed. The sin that separated you from direct knowledge of God — the iniquity that made mediation necessary — is forgiven. Completely. The removal of sin opens the door to the knowing of God. You cannot know someone you are separated from. Forgiveness removes the separation. And the direct knowing begins.

And I will remember their sin no more. No more. God — whose memory is infinite, who forgets nothing — says: I will remember their sin no more. The sin is not merely pardoned. It is forgotten — deliberately, permanently, by divine choice. God chooses not to hold it. Not to revisit it. Not to bring it up. The ledger is not just balanced. It is erased.

This is the new covenant you live under. The forgiveness is complete. The remembering has stopped. The knowing is direct. The barrier is down. You do not need someone to introduce you to God — the God who forgave your iniquity and forgot your sin has made himself directly knowable to you. From the least to the greatest. Including you.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture