What does "know the LORD" mean in the context of Jeremiah 31:34? Fresh Covenant Context Jeremiah 31:31-34 announces a “new covenant” that God Himself will cut with the house of Israel and Judah after the exile. Unlike the Sinai covenant, which Israel repeatedly broke, this covenant will: • place God’s law “within them” and write it “on their hearts” (v. 33) • establish an unbreakable bond: “I will be their God, and they will be My people” (v. 33) • culminate in universal forgiveness: “I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sins no more” (v. 34) Against that backdrop, verse 34 declares: “No longer will each teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” The Rich Hebrew Idea of “Know” • The verb “know” (Hebrew yādaʿ) goes far beyond mere information. • It speaks of intimate, personal, relational knowledge—used of marital union (Genesis 4:1), experiential awareness (Exodus 33:13), and covenant loyalty (Hosea 2:20). • Thus, “know the LORD” means to live in direct, covenant relationship with Him—heart, mind, and life intertwined with His character and purposes. What “Know the LORD” Means in Jeremiah 31:34 1. Personal Experience, Not Second-Hand Instruction – People will no longer rely on external tutors or ritual reminders to nudge them toward God; each one will possess firsthand awareness of Him. 2. Universal Reach – “From the least … to the greatest” stresses that this knowledge spans social classes, gender, age, and status. 3. Covenant Intimacy Rooted in Forgiveness – The clause “for I will forgive their iniquities” links relational knowledge to God’s decisive act of wiping away guilt. Once sin’s barrier is removed, unmediated fellowship becomes possible. 4. Internal Transformation – With God’s law inscribed on the heart (v. 33), obedience flows from within, making the entire life a lived knowledge of the LORD (cf. Ezekiel 36:26-27). 5. Spirit-Enabled Reality – The prophets connect this promise to the outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2:28-29; Isaiah 59:21), the divine agent who makes God personally known (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 2:12). Fulfillment through the New Covenant in Christ • Jesus identifies His blood as “the blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28), inaugurating Jeremiah’s promise. • At Pentecost the Spirit internalizes God’s law (Acts 2:17-18; Hebrews 10:15-17 quoting Jeremiah 31). • Hebrews 8-10 explains that believers now enjoy direct access to God, no longer dependent on earthly mediators. • 1 John 2:20, 27 affirms, “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth … you do not need anyone to teach you.” This echoes Jeremiah 31:34, showing its ongoing realization in the church. Implications for Believers Today • Every born-again person can—and must—cultivate a firsthand walk with God through His Word and Spirit. • Social rank or education does not determine access; forgiveness through Christ levels the ground. • Teaching offices remain (Ephesians 4:11-13), yet their aim is to deepen the personal knowledge already granted, not to replace it. • Assurance of sins forgiven provides the secure foundation for growing intimacy with the LORD (Hebrews 10:19-22). In Jeremiah 31:34, therefore, “know the LORD” describes the new-covenant privilege of every forgiven, Spirit-indwelt believer: an immediate, heart-engraved, ever-deepening relationship with the living God. |
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