Jeremiah 31:36 (GNV)

Passage

If these ordinances depart out of my sight, saith the Lord, then shall the seede of Israel cease from being a nation before me, for euer.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me from the least of them vnto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I wil forgiue their iniquitie, and will remember their sinnes no more.

Jeremiah 31:35 Thus saith the Lord, which giueth the sunne for a light to the day, and the courses of the moone and of the starres for a light to the night, which breaketh the sea, when the waues thereof roare: his Name is the Lord of hostes.

Jeremiah 31:36 If these ordinances depart out of my sight, saith the Lord, then shall the seede of Israel cease from being a nation before me, for euer.

Jeremiah 31:37 Thus saith the Lord, If the heauens can be measured, or the fundations of the earth be searched out beneath, then wil I cast off all the seed of Israel, for all that they haue done, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:38 Behold, the dayes come, saith the Lord, that the citie shalbe built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel, vnto the gate of the corner.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ordinances", "depart", "sight", "saith", "lord", "shall", "seede", and "israel". 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 the Lord which giueth the..." into verse 37's "Thus saith the Lord If the heauens...", 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.