What does "a woman will encompass a man" mean in Jeremiah 31:22? “A Woman Will Encompass a Man” (Jeremiah 31:22) Canonical Context Jeremiah 30–33 forms the prophet’s “Book of Consolation,” promising post-exilic restoration and the New Covenant (31:31-34). Verse 22 climaxes a call to wayward Israel: “How long will you wander, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land— a woman will encompass a man.” The phrase is framed as Yahweh’s “new thing” (bārāʾ chădāshāh), immediately evoking creation language (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 42:9; 65:17) and signaling a radical, redemptive act. Historical Setting Written ca. 597-586 BC amid Judah’s collapse, Jeremiah addresses a shattered nation. Marriage and military imagery abound: Israel the faithless bride (3:1-8) and Babylon the overpowering warrior (32:5). Into this turmoil God promises a “new creation” overturning natural expectations. Jewish Interpretive Tradition • Targum Jonathan paraphrases: “A woman shall be turned to pursue her husband,” reading national repentance. • Babylonian Talmud (Berakhot 60a) links the line to messianic birth pangs. • Medieval exegetes (Rashi, Kimchi) viewed the verse as Israel (feminine) encircling Yahweh (the geber) in covenant fidelity or, alternately, as the bride encircling the groom in wedding ritual (still practiced under the ḥuppah). Early Christian Interpretation Jerome (Commentary on Jeremiah 8.14) celebrated the phrase as prophecy of the Virgin Birth: “The Lord created a new thing in the earth, that a woman should bear in her womb Him whom the world could not contain.” Augustine (City of God 18.33) echoes this, tying the text to Luke 1:34-35. Primary Theological Views 1. Incarnational / Messianic Prophecy • The “new thing” parallels Isaiah 7:14 (“Behold, the virgin will conceive”) and Genesis 3:15 (“her seed”). • Mary (“woman”) miraculously encompasses—in conception, gestation, protection—the divine-human “mighty man” Jesus. • This reading fits Jeremiah’s immediate move toward New Covenant promises secured by the Messiah’s atoning work (31:31-34; Luke 22:20). 2. Covenant Reversal and National Restoration • “Woman” = Israel; “man/warrior” = enemies/Babylon. God will so transform circumstances that the once-vulnerable nation will surround and overpower the aggressor (cf. Zechariah 12:8). • The surrounding signals covenant security: the LORD “will be a wall of fire around her” (Zechariah 2:5). 3. Nuptial Imagery • Ancient Near-Eastern brides circled grooms symbolically claiming him. Israel will again encircle Yahweh in exclusive loyalty (Hosea 2:19-20). • This harmonizes with Jeremiah’s earlier divorce imagery (3:8) now reversed. 4. Creation Motif • baraʾ + chadash (“create…new”) mirrors Genesis 1, pointing to eschatological recreation fulfilled ultimately in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 21:5). Consistency with Broader Scripture • Virgin Conception: Jeremiah 31:22—“a new thing” → Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23. • Woman victorious: Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12. • God’s new creation in Christ: John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 2:14-15. Common Objections Addressed 1. “LXX omits the clause, so it’s secondary.” – Absence in Greek more plausibly reflects scribal omission to avoid a perplexing phrase; earliest Hebrew witnesses retain it. 2. “Geber never refers to God.” – While often human, geber means “strong one”; Jeremiah employs anthropomorphic language elsewhere (32:18). The incarnation warrants temporary lowering (Philippians 2:7). 3. “Virgin birth borrowed from pagan myths.” – Documented virgin-birth parallels post-date the Gospels; none involve historical grounding or prophetic antecedent spanning seven centuries. Practical and Devotional Implications Believers live on the far side of the “new thing.” As Mary encompassed Christ physically, the Church now surrounds Him spiritually, being His body (Ephesians 1:23). Repentant sinners, once wanderers, are invited into covenant embrace. Confidence in God’s reversal power steadies faith amid cultural upheaval and personal weakness. Summary Jeremiah 31:22 promises a radical, creative act of God in which the natural order is inverted: a woman encompasses a mighty man. The primary fulfillment unfolds in the Incarnation—Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus—while secondary layers portray Israel’s restoration, covenant fidelity, and eschatological new creation. The phrase thus bridges prophecy and fulfillment, law and gospel, exile and restoration, anchoring hope in the risen Christ who embodies the ultimate “new thing” Yahweh has fashioned for the salvation of His people. |
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