Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.

JEREMIAH 31:27KJV
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Jeremiah 31:27 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 31:27 mean?

Jeremiah 31:27 says that God promises a future time when He will "sow" or repopulate the people of Israel and Judah with both humans and animals. This verse points to a restoration after a period of loss, where God will bring growth and new life to the land and its people.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking God's words to the people of Israel and Judah during a time of exile and hardship. The image of sowing with the "seed of man, and with the seed of beast" uses farming language to show that God will actively cause both people and animals to multiply again in the land, reversing the devastation they had experienced.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 31:27

  • "Sow" (זָרַע, zara‘): This word means to scatter seed for planting. Here, it is used to show God as a farmer, intentionally planting people and animals in the land, which emphasizes restoration and purposeful renewal rather than random chance.
  • "Seed" (זֶרַע, zera‘): This word can mean both literal seed and descendants or offspring. In this context, it refers to the increase of both human and animal life, highlighting a broad and complete restoration.
  • "House" (בַּיִת, bayit): Refers to the whole community or family group, not just a building. "House of Israel" and "house of Judah" mean the entire people of those nations, showing that the promise is for all, not just a select few.

Why Jeremiah 31:27 matters

  • Jeremiah 31:27 clarifies that God's restoration is not only spiritual or symbolic but also very practical, involving the real return and growth of families and livestock.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage about the new covenant and hope for the future, showing that God’s plans include physical renewal as well as spiritual promises.
  • The farming imagery helps readers understand that God’s actions are deliberate and nurturing, not just acts of judgment or punishment.

Where else these words appear

“sow” Hebrew H2232 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Deuteronomy 11:10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
  • Isaiah 30:23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.