Jeremiah 31:39 (LSB)

Passage

The measuring line will go out farther, straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:37 Thus says Yahweh, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also reject all the seed of Israel For all that they have done,” declares Yahweh.

Jeremiah 31:38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when the city will be rebuilt for Yahweh from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

Jeremiah 31:39 The measuring line will go out farther, straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah.

Jeremiah 31:40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to Yahweh; it will not be uprooted or pulled down anymore forever.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "measuring", "line", "farther", "straight", "ahead", "hill", "gareb", and "turn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "measuring" and "line", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "Behold days are coming declares Yahweh when..." into verse 40's "And the whole valley of the dead...", so "measuring" and "line" 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 "measuring" and "line" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.