Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

JEREMIAH 31:37KJV
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Jeremiah 31:37 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 31:37 mean?

Jeremiah 31:37 says that God will never completely reject the people of Israel, no matter what they have done, unless someone could do the impossible—measure the heavens or search out the foundations of the earth. This verse uses impossible tasks to show the certainty and permanence of God’s commitment to Israel.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel during a time of exile and uncertainty. The verse reassures them that, despite their failures and the consequences they face, God’s relationship with them is unbreakable. The language emphasizes how impossible it would be for God to abandon Israel, highlighting the depth of His promise.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 31:37

  • "heaven" (שָׁמַיִם, shamayim): This word refers to the sky or the heavens above. The idea of measuring the heavens points to something beyond human ability, stressing the impossibility.
  • "measured" (מָדַד, madad): This verb means to measure or determine the size. The verse uses it to show that just as no one can measure the heavens, no one can reach the limit of God’s faithfulness.
  • "foundations" (מוֹסָדָה, mosadah): This word means the foundations or base of something, here referring to the earth. Searching out the earth’s foundations is another image of an impossible task.
  • "cast off" (מָאַס, ma'as): This verb means to reject or abandon. God says He will not "cast off" Israel, stressing that His commitment stands firm even when Israel has done wrong.

Why Jeremiah 31:37 matters

  • Jeremiah 31:37 clears up the idea that God’s promises to Israel could be undone by their failures; the verse insists that God’s faithfulness is not limited by human actions.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage in Jeremiah 31, which is about restoration and hope for Israel after exile, reinforcing that God’s plans for them are secure.
  • The use of impossible imagery (measuring the heavens, searching the earth’s foundations) emphasizes just how unbreakable God’s promise is, helping readers grasp the strength of His commitment.

Where else these words appear

“foundations” Hebrew H4146 · used in 10 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
  • Psalms 18:15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
  • Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

“beneath” Hebrew H4295 · used in 18 verses

  • Exodus 26:24 And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.
  • Exodus 39:20 And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
  • Ezra 9:13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;

“out” Hebrew H2713 · used in 26 verses

  • Deuteronomy 13:14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
  • Job 13:9 Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
  • Proverbs 18:17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

“measured” Hebrew H4058 · used in 49 verses

  • Exodus 16:18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
  • Ezekiel 40:13 He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.
  • Ezekiel 41:13 So he measured the house, an hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, an hundred cubits long;