Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Jeremiah 31:21
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Set thee up way marks, make thee high heaps, etc.] Of stones, raised up as pillars, or like pyramids; or upright, as palm trees, which signification the wordf603 has; to be marks and signs, to know the way again upon a return. The Targum is, “O congregation of Israel, remember the right works of thy fathers; pour out supplications; in bitterness set thy heart.” And so the Vulgate Latin version interprets the last clause, “put on bitternesses”, without any sense; so Cocceius. The design of the words is to put the Jews upon thoughts of returning to their own land, and to prepare for it; set thine heart towards the highway, [even] the way [which] thou wentest; from Judea to Babylon, or into other countries; think of going the same way back again; for, as there was a highway from Judea, there is one to it; let thine heart be upon returning that way. Jarchi reads, “the way which I went”; that is, the way in which the Lord went with the people; the right way in which he guided and directed them; and in which following him, they could not err; (see <233508>Isaiah 35:8). The Targum is, “consider the works which thou hast done, whether they are fight, when thou goest in a way afar off;” turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities; an invitation and encouragement to the Jews to turn again to their own land; as from the Babylonish captivity, so from all lands in the latter day; which is yet to be fulfilled, and to which the prophecy more properly belongs.
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