Jeremiah 3:16

“And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, etc.] That is, when the number of the disciples and followers of Christ, and true believers in him, shall be multiplied and increased in the land of Judea, and in the Gentile world also, under the ministry of the above said pastors, apostles, and ministers of the Gospel, who should be succeeded everywhere, as they were; (see <440601>Acts 6:1,2,7): in those days, saith the Lord of hosts, they shall say no more, the ark of the covenant of the Lord; because the antitype of it would be come, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word that is made flesh and dwelt among men; and in whom the Shechinah, or divine Majesty, dwells in a…”

“they shall say no more--The Jews shall no longer glory in the possession of the ark; it shall not be missed, so great shall be the blessings of the new dispensation. The throne of the Lord, present Himself, shall eclipse and put out of mind the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat between the cherubim, God's former throne. The ark, containing the two tables of the law, disappeared at the Babylonian captivity, and was not restored to the second temple, implying that the symbolical "glory" was to be superseded by a "greater glory" (Hag 2:9). neither . . . visit it--rather, "neither shall it be missed" (so in Jer 23:4). done--rather, "neither shall it (the ark) be made (that is, be restored)…”

“In those days - This and the phrase “the latter days,” had become under the Messianic teaching of the prophets a regular formula for the time of Christ’s coming, when all the nation’s hopes would be fulfilled. The ark was the center of the Mosaic economy, containing within it the two tables’ of the Law as the conditions of the covenant and having over it, upon the mercy-seat, the Shechinah as the visible sign of God’s presence. But “in those days” the symbol must pass away, because God will then dwell in His people by the gift of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 3:16, and the terms of the covenant will be written on their hearts Jeremiah 31:33. Neither shall they visit it - Rather, neither…”

“Multiplied - After the growth of the church under the Messiah. The ark - That whole worship with all the rites and ceremonies belonging to it shall cease, Christ being come, who was the substance of what the ark, and all other rites shadowed. Covenant - Called also the ark of the testimony, because the two tables of the law, which were the testimony, or witness of the covenant were in it. Any more - It shall be no more in use; neither shall men trouble their thoughts about it, or mention it. Jeremiah 3:17”

“3:16 When Judah was decimated and Jerusalem was destroyed, the land was nearly empty of people. But in the future, the devastated land would once more be filled with people. Its inhabitants would not dwell on the past or need the Ark to remind them of God’s presence (23:3; Isa 49:19; 65:17).”

“when: Jer 30:19, Jer 31:8, Jer 31:27; Isa 60:22, Isa 61:4; Eze 36:8-12, Eze 37:26; Hos 1:10, Hos 1:11; Amo 9:9, Amo 9:14, Amo 9:15; Zac 8:4, Zac 8:5, Zac 10:7-9 say: Jer 7:4; Zep 3:11; Mat 3:9 The ark: Isa 65:17, Isa 66:1, Isa 66:2; Mat 1:11; Joh 4:20-24; Heb 9:9-12, Heb 10:8, Heb 10:9, Heb 10:19-21 to mind: Heb. upon the heart that be done: or, it be magnified Jeremiah 3:17”

“In Jer 3:16 and Jer 3:17 also the thought is clothed in a form characteristic of the Old Testament. When the returned Israelites shall increase and be fruitful in the land, then shall they no more remember the ark of the covenant of the Lord or feel the want of it, because Jerusalem will then be the throne of the Lord. The fruitfulness and increase of the saved remnant is a constant feature in the picture of Israel's Messianic future; cf. Jer 23:3; Eze 36:11; Hos 2:1. This promise rests on the blessing given at the creation, Gen 1:28. God as creator and preserver of the world increases mankind together with the creatures; even so, as covenant God, He increases His people Israel. Thus He…”