Jeremiah 31:36 (ASV)

Passage

If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

Jeremiah 31:35 Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name:

Jeremiah 31:36 If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

Jeremiah 31:37 Thus saith Jehovah: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith Jehovah.

Jeremiah 31:38 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ordinances", "depart", "before", "saith", "jehovah", "seed", "israel", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ordinances" and "depart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 35's "Thus saith Jehovah who giveth the sun..." into verse 37's "Thus saith Jehovah If heaven above can...", so "ordinances" and "depart" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "ordinances" and "depart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.