Jeremiah 31:28 (DRB)

Passage

And as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to throw down, and to scatter, and destroy, and afflict: so will I watch over them, to build up, and to plant them, saith the Lord.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:26 Upon this I was as it were awaked out of a sleep, and I saw, and my sleep was sweet to me.

Jeremiah 31:27 Behold the days come, saith the Lord: and I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Juda with the seed of men, and with the seed of beasts.

Jeremiah 31:28 And as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to throw down, and to scatter, and destroy, and afflict: so will I watch over them, to build up, and to plant them, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:29 In those days they shall say no more: The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.

Jeremiah 31:30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that shall eat the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "watched", "over", "pluck", "throw", "down", "scatter", "destroy", and "afflict". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "watched" and "over", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "Behold the days come saith the Lord..." into verse 29's "In those days they shall say no...", so "watched" and "over" 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 "watched" and "over" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.