Jeremiah 3:16
"In those days, when you multiply and increase in the land," declares the LORD, "they will no longer discuss the ark of the covenant of the LORD. It will never come to mind, and no one will remember it or miss it, nor will another one be made.
In those days
This phrase refers to a future time of restoration and blessing for Israel. In the prophetic context, "those days" often point to the Messianic age or a time when God will fulfill His promises to His people. The Hebrew word for "days" (יָמִים, yamim) can signify a period marked by divine intervention and transformation, suggesting a significant shift in the spiritual and physical state of the nation.

when you multiply and increase in the land
This phrase indicates a time of prosperity and growth for Israel. The Hebrew words for "multiply" (רָבָה, rabah) and "increase" (פָּרָה, parah) are often used in the context of God's blessings, reminiscent of the promises made to the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This growth is not merely numerical but also spiritual, reflecting a return to faithfulness and covenant relationship with God.

declares the LORD
This phrase emphasizes the authority and certainty of the message. The Hebrew word for "declares" (נְאֻם, ne'um) is often used in prophetic literature to introduce a divine pronouncement. It underscores that the message is not from the prophet's own imagination but is a direct revelation from Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God.

they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’
The ark, once the central symbol of God's presence and covenant with Israel, will no longer be the focal point. This signifies a profound shift in how God's presence is understood and experienced. The Hebrew term for "ark" (אֲרוֹן, aron) and "covenant" (בְּרִית, berit) remind us of the sacred history of Israel, yet the prophecy points to a new era where God's presence is not confined to a physical object.

It will never come to mind, and no one will remember it or miss it
This suggests a complete transformation in the spiritual consciousness of the people. The Hebrew words for "mind" (לֵב, lev) and "remember" (זָכַר, zakar) indicate a deep-seated change in values and priorities. The absence of longing for the ark implies that God's presence will be so manifest and accessible that the former symbols will pale in comparison.

nor will another one be made
This phrase underscores the finality of the transition. The Hebrew word for "made" (עָשָׂה, asah) implies that there will be no need to recreate or replace the ark. This points to the sufficiency and permanence of the new covenant relationship with God, which is ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who embodies the presence of God among His people.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his messages of repentance and warnings of judgment to the people of Judah.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who speaks through Jeremiah to convey His promises and expectations for His people.

3. The Ark of the Covenant
A sacred chest that held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, representing God's presence and covenant with Israel.

4. The Land
Refers to the Promised Land, which God gave to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

5. The People of Israel
The chosen people of God, who are being addressed in this prophecy about a future time of restoration and change.
Teaching Points
The Shift from Symbol to Reality
The Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of God's presence, but Jeremiah 3:16 points to a time when God's presence will be experienced more directly and personally.

The Promise of Multiplication and Increase
God's promise of growth and prosperity is contingent upon the people's faithfulness and repentance, highlighting the importance of spiritual renewal.

The New Covenant
This verse foreshadows the new covenant through Christ, where the law is written on hearts rather than tablets, emphasizing a personal relationship with God.

The Transience of Earthly Symbols
Earthly symbols and rituals, while important, are temporary and point to a greater spiritual reality that is fulfilled in Christ.

Hope for Restoration
Despite past unfaithfulness, God promises a future of restoration and blessing, encouraging believers to trust in His redemptive plan.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the promise of no longer needing the Ark of the Covenant in Jeremiah 3:16 relate to the concept of the new covenant in the New Testament?

2. In what ways can we experience God's presence more directly in our lives today, as suggested by the prophecy in Jeremiah 3:16?

3. How does the idea of "multiplying and increasing in the land" apply to spiritual growth and expansion in the church today?

4. What are some modern "symbols" or "rituals" that might distract us from a direct relationship with God, and how can we refocus on the reality of His presence?

5. How can the promise of restoration and blessing in Jeremiah 3:16 encourage us in times of personal or communal spiritual decline?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Hebrews 8
Discusses the new covenant, which makes the old covenant obsolete, similar to how the Ark will no longer be central in Jeremiah 3:16.

Revelation 21
Describes the new heaven and new earth where God's presence is fully realized, paralleling the idea of God's presence being more direct and personal.

2 Corinthians 3
Talks about the ministry of the Spirit being more glorious than the ministry of the law, reflecting the shift from the Ark to a new form of God's presence.
Christ, the True Ark of the CovenantR. Gordon, D. D.Jeremiah 3:16
Supercession of External Religious Ordinances and InstitutionsA.F. Muir Jeremiah 3:16
The Ark of the CovenantJeremiah 3:16
The Superseding of the ArkD. Young Jeremiah 3:16
Confession of Sin the Indispensable Prerequisite for its PardonS. Conway Jeremiah 3:12-19
People
Jeremiah, Josiah
Places
Assyria, Jerusalem, Zion
Topics
Affirmation, Agreement, Ark, Conscious, Covenant, Declares, Enter, Fruitful, Greatly, Heart, Increased, Inspect, Longer, Loss, Memory, Mention, Mind, Minds, Miss, Missed, Multiplied, Numbers, Pass, Remember, Remembered, Says, Visit
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 3:16

     7306   ark of the covenant

Jeremiah 3:1-25

     8705   apostasy, in OT

Jeremiah 3:13-22

     5881   immaturity

Jeremiah 3:16-17

     8470   respect, for God

Library
Gregory the Patriarch and the Society at Kunwald, 1457-1473.
A brilliant idea is an excellent thing. A man to work it out is still better. At the very time when Peter's followers were marshalling their forces, John Rockycana,5 Archbishop-elect of Prague (since 1448), was making a mighty stir in that drunken city. What Peter had done with his pen, Rockycana was doing with his tongue. He preached Peter's doctrines in the great Thein Church; he corresponded with him on the burning topics of the day; he went to see him at his estate; he recommended his works
J. E. Hutton—History of the Moravian Church

Stanzas by the Warden
The following stanzas, written by the Warden on the occasion of the baptism, will be read with pleasure, especially by those who are aware how faithfully the amiable writer of them fulfilled his part in preparing Kallihirua, not only for the right performance of such duties as seemed to await him in life, but (what was far more important) for an early death. THE BAPTISM OF KALLIHIRUA "I WILL TAKE YOU ONE OF A CITY, AND TWO OF A FAMILY, AND I WILL BRING YOU TO ZION."--Jer. iii. 14. Far through the
Thomas Boyles Murray—Kalli, the Esquimaux Christian,

Concerning the Ministry.
Concerning the Ministry. As by the light or gift of God all true knowledge in things spiritual is received and revealed, so by the same, as it is manifested and received in the heart, by the strength and power thereof, every true minister of the gospel is ordained, prepared, and supplied in the work of the ministry; and by the leading, moving, and drawing hereof ought every evangelist and Christian pastor to be led and ordered in his labour and work of the gospel, both as to the place where, as to
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

"The Heritage of the Heathen"
AND the Master said further, "We read in the lesson to-day a verse which tells us that the Lord has a pleasant land to give us, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the heathen' (Jer. iii. 19). And He has also said that He hath shewed His people the power of His works, that He may give them the heritage of the heathen.' "What, dear children, is this pleasant land? and what is the heritage of the heathen the Lord has promised you? The pleasant land is none other than the heritage of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Frances Bevan—Three Friends of God

How the Impudent and Bashful are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 8). Differently to be admonished are the impudent and the bashful. For those nothing but hard rebuke restrains from the vice of impudence; while these for the most part a modest exhortation disposes to amendment. Those do not know that they are in fault, unless they be rebuked even by many; to these it usually suffices for their conversion that the teacher at least gently reminds them of their evil deeds. For those one best corrects who reprehends them by direct invective; but to
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

How those are to be Admonished who have had Experience of the Sins of the Flesh, and those who have Not.
(Admonition 29.) Differently to be admonished are those who are conscious of sins of the flesh, and those who know them not. For those who have had experience of the sins of the flesh are to be admonished that, at any rate after shipwreck, they should fear the sea, and feel horror at their risk of perdition at least when it has become known to them; lest, having been mercifully preserved after evil deeds committed, by wickedly repeating the same they die. Whence to the soul that sins and never
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Conversion of all that Come.
"Turn Thou me and I shall be turned." --Jer. xxxi. 18. The elect, born again and effectually called, converts himself. To remain unconverted is impossible; but he inclines his ear, he turns his face to the blessed God, he is converted in the fullest sense of the word. In conversion the fact of cooperation on the part of the saved sinner assumes a clearly defined and perceptible character. In regeneration there was none; in the calling there was a beginning of it; in conversion proper it became a
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
OR, THE THRONE OF GRACE ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The churches of Christ are very much indebted to the Rev. Charles Doe, for the preservation and publishing of this treatise. It formed one of the ten excellent manuscripts left by Bunyan at his decease, prepared for the press. Having treated on the nature of prayer in his searching work on 'praying with the spirit and with the understanding also,' in which he proves from the sacred scriptures that prayer cannot be merely read or said, but must
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Call of Matthew - the Saviour's Welcome to Sinners - Rabbinic Theology as Regards the Doctrine of Forgiveness in Contrast to the Gospel of Christ
In two things chiefly does the fundamental difference appear between Christianity and all other religious systems, notably Rabbinism. And in these two things, therefore, lies the main characteristic of Christ's work; or, taking a wider view, the fundamental idea of all religions. Subjectively, they concern sin and the sinner; or, to put it objectively, the forgiveness of sin and the welcome to the sinner. But Rabbinism, and every other system down to modern humanitarianism - if it rises so high in
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Backsliding.
"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away."--Hosea xiv. 4. There are two kinds of backsliders. Some have never been converted: they have gone through the form of joining a Christian community and claim to be backsliders; but they never have, if I may use the expression, "slid forward." They may talk of backsliding; but they have never really been born again. They need to be treated differently from real back-sliders--those who have been born of the incorruptible
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It

The Covenant of Grace
Q-20: DID GOD LEAVE ALL MANKIND TO PERISH 1N THE ESTATE OF SIN AND MISERY? A: No! He entered into a covenant of grace to deliver the elect out of that state, and to bring them into a state of grace by a Redeemer. 'I will make an everlasting covenant with you.' Isa 55:5. Man being by his fall plunged into a labyrinth of misery, and having no way left to recover himself, God was pleased to enter into a new covenant with him, and to restore him to life by a Redeemer. The great proposition I shall go
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Bunyan's Last Sermon --Preached July 1688.
"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" John i. 13. The words have a dependence on what goes before, and therefore I must direct you to them for the right understanding of it. You have it thus,--"He came to his own, but his own received him not; but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God." In
by John Bunyan—Miscellaneous Pieces

Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
Preached August 19TH, 1688 [ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR] This sermon, although very short, is peculiarly interesting: how it was preserved we are not told; but it bears strong marks of having been published from notes taken by one of the hearers. There is no proof that any memorandum or notes of this sermon was found in the autograph of the preacher. In the list of Bunyan's works published by Chas. Doe, at the end of the 'Heavenly Footman,' March 1690, it stands No. 44. He professes to give the title-page,
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Concerning Justification.
Concerning Justification. As many as resist not this light, but receive the same, it becomes in them an holy, pure, and spiritual birth, bringing forth holiness, righteousness, purity, and all those other blessed fruits which are acceptable to God: by which holy birth, to wit, Jesus Christ formed within us, and working his works in us, as we are sanctified, so are we justified in the sight of God, according to the apostle's words; But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

Messiah's Easy Yoke
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. T hough the influence of education and example, may dispose us to acknowledge the Gospel to be a revelation from God; it can only be rightly understood, or duly prized, by those persons who feel themselves in the circumstances of distress, which it is designed to relieve. No Israelite would think of fleeing to a city of refuge (Joshua 20:2.
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Divine Jesus.
Jehovah-Jesus: John 1:1-18. the intimacy of John, John 13:23. 19:26. 20:2. 21:7, 20. "with Jesus," John 18:15.--John writes of Jesus--- when he wrote--getting the range--his literary style--the beginning--the Word--this was Jesus--the tragic tone. God's Spokesman: the Creator was Jehovah--- Jehovah is Jesus--the Spokesman--Old Testament revelations, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the elders of Israel, Isaiah, Ezekiel,--Whom these saw--various ways of speaking--John's Gospel
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Jeremiah 3:16 NIV
Jeremiah 3:16 NLT
Jeremiah 3:16 ESV
Jeremiah 3:16 NASB
Jeremiah 3:16 KJV

Jeremiah 3:16 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Jeremiah 3:15
Top of Page
Top of Page