Jeremiah 31:2-3
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This verse isn't just about remembering God's past kindness to Israel; it's about God Himself going to bring them to rest. The Hebrew word used for "cause him to rest" carries a sense of settling in and establishing, indicating God's active role in bringing His people to a secure and lasting home.
Thus says the LORD: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is speaking of a future restoration, reminding His people of how He once brought their ancestors through the wilderness after the escape from Egypt. He highlights that even in that harsh, seemingly forgotten place, those who survived found His favor, and He led them toward their promised rest. This past act of faithfulness is presented as a guarantee that He will similarly bring them back from their current exile.
The prophet speaks of survivors finding 'grace in the wilderness.' But what kind of wilderness are we talking about, and how can grace be found there?
Jeremiah isn't just talking about a physical desert. This 'wilderness' represents the painful, disorienting experience of exile. For the people of Israel, after the destruction wrought by the Assyrians (and later the Babylonians), their land was gone, their temple destroyed, and they were scattered among foreign nations.
Yet, even in this 'wilderness' of their suffering and exile, God promises that those who 'survived the sword' would 'find grace.' This signifies that God's favor and presence weren't lost. It means His mercy and love continued to reach them, even in their deepest distress. It's a powerful reminder that God's people can experience His goodness not despite their hardships, but within them.
The verse ends with Israel seeking 'rest.' What does this 'rest' truly mean, and how does God actively bring it about?
The journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was marked by hardship and wandering in the wilderness. But God's intention was always to bring them to a place of 'rest' – not just a lack of movement, but a settled, secure, and peaceful existence in the land He had given them.
Jeremiah is echoing this ancient promise. He's saying that God's past actions – leading Israel to rest – are a guarantee of His future faithfulness. The phrase 'when I went to cause him to rest' speaks of God's active, purposeful engagement in bringing His people to safety and peace. It’s a divine initiative, a promise that God Himself will lead them out of their exile and establish them once again.
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Understand the original words
chen · Hebrew Noun
The unmerited, favor-based kindness of God toward those who do not deserve it, often manifest in deliverance from judgment or in sustaining His people through times of hardship.
midbar · Hebrew Noun
An uncultivated, desolate place, often used in Scripture as a location of testing, isolation, and dependence on God, where His people experience His provision and covenantal presence.
manoach · Hebrew Noun
A Hebrew concept (menuchah) denoting not only cessation from activity but a state of settled security, divine approval, and the fulfillment of God’s covenantal promises in the land.
ahabah · Hebrew Noun
A profound, self-sacrificial, and steadfast affection of God for His people, rooted in His own character rather than the worthiness of the object. It encompasses both emotional attachment and active, faithful commitment.
chesed · Hebrew Noun
A biblical attribute of God signifying His reliability, consistency, and steadfast adherence to His covenantal promises, even when His people are unfaithful. It is often linked to His mercy and truth.
Jeremiah uses the ancient exodus from Egypt as a powerful analogy, reminding the exiles in Babylon that God's past faithfulness to a remnant 'left of the sword' is a guarantee of His future grace and restoration.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Deportation
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, destroying its capital, Samaria, and deporting a significant portion of its population. This event marks the effective end of the Northern Kingdom.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah, carrying away some of the royal family and nobility, including Daniel, to Babylon. This is the first of several exiles that will devastate Judah.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a Judean revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population and leadership, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, marking the catastrophic end of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the main Babylonian exile.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers the Babylonian Empire, paving the way for the return of Jewish exiles to their homeland.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus and Return of Exiles
Cyrus issues an edict allowing exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This begins the return and restoration period.
This passage describes Israel's journey out of Egypt, highlighting how God led them through the wilderness, even though it was not the direct path, to keep them safe from warfare.
Numbers 14:11-14This shows God's faithfulness to Israel in the wilderness despite their grumbling and rebellion, demonstrating His grace even when they were not yet in the promised rest.
Hosea 11:1This verse is a direct parallel, with God recalling His love for Israel when they were young and He called them out of Egypt and into the wilderness, finding grace there.
Isaiah 40:3This prophecy speaks of a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord, connecting the wilderness theme with God's redemptive actions and restoration.
Psalm 23:1-4This psalm beautifully illustrates the shepherd's care for his flock, even in the wilderness ('valley of the shadow of death'), mirroring God's guidance and provision for His people seeking rest.
clarkeJeremiah 31:2: "Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest."
The people which were left of the sword - Those of the ten tribes that had escaped death by the sword of the Assyrians. Found grace in the wilderness - The place of their exile; a wilderness, compared to their own land. - Dahler. See Isaiah 40:3
pooleJeremiah 31:2: "Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest."
God confirmeth the aforementioned promises, and his people’s hope and faith in them, by minding them of what he had anciently done for this very people. Though God did, in the journey which the Israelites had from Egypt to Canaan, cut off many of them by the sword for their iniquities, some by the Amalekites, Exodus 17:8 , some by the swords…
This verse isn't just about remembering God's past kindness to Israel; it's about God Himself going to bring them to rest. The Hebrew word used for "cause him to rest" carries a sense of settling in and establishing, indicating God's active role in bringing His people to a secure and lasting home.
God is speaking of a future restoration, reminding His people of how He once brought their ancestors through the wilderness after the escape from Egypt. He highlights that even in that harsh, seemingly forgotten place, those who survived found His favor, and He led them toward their promised rest. This past act of faithfulness is presented as a guarantee that He will similarly bring them back from their current exile.
God is speaking of a future restoration, reminding His people of how He once brought their ancestors through the wilderness after the escape from Egypt. He highlights that even in that harsh, seemingly forgotten place, those who survived found His favor, and He led them toward their promised rest. This past act of faithfulness is presented as a guarantee that He will similarly bring them back from their current exile.
"Thus says the LORD: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I h…" — This verse isn't just about remembering God's past kindness to Israel; it's about God Himself going to bring them to rest. The Hebrew word used for "cause him to rest" carries a sense of settling in…
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Last reviewed October 2026
