Jeremiah 31:21
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This passage calls Israel to not just passively wait for return, but actively mark the path, implying that the way back from exile will be a familiar, retraceable journey. It highlights that "setting their heart" means to focus their mind and attention on this specific route, a deliberate act of preparation for their homecoming.
“Set up road markers for yourself; make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God calls on Israel, described here as a "virgin" in contrast to her previous unfaithfulness, to prepare for a homecoming. This instruction to set up road markers and consider the path taken is a vivid picture of looking back at the road to exile so they can retrace their steps in joy, heading back to their restored cities. The verse anticipates their eventual return from captivity, urging them to mark the way they were led away so they can find their way back home.
Imagine being forced from your home, leaving everything behind. What would it take for you to believe you could actually go back?
God, through Jeremiah, speaks to Israel in a time of exile and despair. The command to 'set up road markers' and 'make yourself guideposts' isn't just a practical instruction for travelers. It's a divine promise woven into an imperative.
Preparing for the Promise
What does it mean for God to use the very path of suffering as the way back to restoration?
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The imagery of 'road markers' and 'guideposts' is deeply significant because it points to God's faithfulness in bringing His people back, not by a new, unknown route, but by the very path of their sorrow.
Retracing Steps in Hope
Understand the original words
tsiyyun · Hebrew Noun
A metaphorical or literal monument, pillar, or signpost set along a path to provide direction and prevent travelers from becoming lost. In a theological sense, it refers to the spiritual landmarks or markers of God's past faithfulness that believers are called to remember.
betulah · Hebrew Noun
A designation for the covenant people of God, emphasizing their original purity and commitment to Him at the time of their "marriage" or covenant formation at Sinai. Despite their subsequent unfaithfulness, God continues to call them to return to their intended state of devotion.
This verse calls the exiled people to remember the path of their sorrow and dispersion, using the vivid imagery of travelers setting up markers. It assures them that they will, by God's grace, retrace that same path in joy, returning to their devastated cities from the Babylonian exile.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to the deportation and dispersion of many Israelites.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar's forces capture Jerusalem, and many prominent citizens, including Daniel, are taken to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile for Judah.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Jerusalem is besieged again, and King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans are exiled to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel is among this group.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's army finally destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, the heart of Judah's religious and national life, leading to a final, larger deportation of the remaining population.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
The Persian king Cyrus the Great issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple.
c. 516 BC
Rebuilding of the Second Temple
The Temple in Jerusalem is completed and rededicated, signifying a crucial step in the return and restoration of the Jewish people.
This passage uses a similar imagery of setting up markers, specifically mentioning 'signposts,' to identify burial sites after a great battle, echoing Jeremiah's call to mark the path for a return, though for a different purpose. Both passages highlight the practical and symbolic importance of leaving a trail or mark of passage.
Hosea 2:14-15This passage speaks of God leading his people back to the 'Valley of Achor' as a 'door of hope,' mirroring Jeremiah's message of return and restoration. Both texts use geographical and directional language to signify God's faithfulness in bringing his people back from exile or distress.
Isaiah 35:8Isaiah describes a 'highway' that will be called the 'Way of Holiness,' a path for the redeemed to walk, directly aligning with Jeremiah's instruction to 'consider well the highway.' Both passages envision a clear, divinely prepared path for God's people, emphasizing a future return and restoration.
Psalm 23:2-3While not about physical travel, Psalm 23 speaks of God leading the psalmist beside 'still waters' and along 'paths of righteousness,' reflecting Jeremiah's focus on the 'highway' and the 'way which you went.' Both passages convey a sense of divine guidance and provision for the journey.
cambridgeJeremiah 31:21: "Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities."
21 . That the travellers should themselves be bidden to set up signposts has caused needless trouble to some commentators. Israel is bidden to mark out the way for his return, perhaps by pioneers sent in advance. guide-posts ] The Heb. word occurs here only. set thine heart ] The heart in Heb. denotes t…
clarkeJeremiah 31:21: "Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities."
Set thee up waymarks - Alluding to stones, or heaps of stones, which travelers in the desert set up to ascertain the way, that they may know how to return. Mark the way to Babylon: thither ye shall certainly go; but from it ye shall as certainly return.
This passage calls Israel to not just passively wait for return, but actively mark the path, implying that the way back from exile will be a familiar, retraceable journey. It highlights that "setting their heart" means to focus their mind and attention on this specific route, a deliberate act of preparation for their homecoming.
God calls on Israel, described here as a "virgin" in contrast to her previous unfaithfulness, to prepare for a homecoming. This instruction to set up road markers and consider the path taken is a vivid picture of looking back at the road to exile so they can retrace their steps in joy, heading back to their restored cities. The verse anticipates their eventual return from captivity, urging them to mark the way they were led away so they can find their way back home.
God calls on Israel, described here as a "virgin" in contrast to her previous unfaithfulness, to prepare for a homecoming. This instruction to set up road markers and consider the path taken is a vivid picture of looking back at the road to exile so they can retrace their steps in joy, heading back to their restored cities. The verse anticipates their eventual return from captivity, urging them to mark the way they were led away so they can find their way back home.
"“Set up road markers for yourself; make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities." — This passage calls Israel to not just passively wait for return, but actively mark the path, implying that the way back from exile will be a familiar, retraceable journey. It highlights that "setting…
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Last reviewed October 2026
