Jeremiah 31:23 - 32:44 Chiasm -- New Covenant Written in Hearts

A Thus saith the Lord (31:23)
.B captivity (23)
. C mountain of holiness (23)
. .D dwell in Judah and in all the cities thereof (24)
. . E husbandmen [literally, "farmers"] (24)
. . .F seed of man and the seed of beast (27)
. . . G I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down (28)
. . . .H to build and to plant (28)
. . . . I I will make a new covenant (31)
. . . . .J their fathers (32)
. . . . . K I will write my law in their hearts (33)
. . . . . .L and will be their God (33)
. . . . . . M and they shall be my people (33)
. . . . . . .N shall no more teach (34)
. . . . . . . O they shall all know me (34)
. . . . . . . .P from the least of them unto the greatest of them (34)
. . . . . . . . Q I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more (34)
. . . . . . . . .R Seed of Israel shall [not] cease from being a nation before me forever (36)
. . . . . . . . . S I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done (37)
. . . . . . . . . .T the city shall be built to the Lord (38)
. . . . . . . . . . U 1 hand of the Chaldeans (32:4)
. . . . . . . . . . . . 2 hand of the king of Babylon (4)
. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 fight with the Chaldeans (5)
. . . . . . . . . . .V The word of the Lord (6)
. . . . . . . . . . . W I bought the field...and took witnesses (9-10)
. . . . . . . . . . . .X Houses, fields, vineyards shall be possessed again in this land (15)
. . . . . . . . . . . . Y thy great power and stretched-out arm (17)
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Z recompensest the iniquity (18)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . AA bosom of their children (18)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .BB The Great, The Mighty God (18)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . CC The Lord of Hosts (18)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .BB' Great in counsel and mighty in work (19)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . AA' sons of men (19)
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Z' give everyone according to his ways (19)
. . . . . . . . . . . . Y' with a strong hand and with a stretched-out arm (21)
. . . . . . . . . . . .X' this land which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them (22)
. . . . . . . . . . . W' Buy thee the field and take witnesses (25)
. . . . . . . . . . .V' the word of the Lord (26)
. . . . . . . . . . U 1' hand of the Chaldeans (28)
. . . . . . . . . . . . 2' hand of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon (28)
. . . . . . . . . . . . 3' Chaldeans that fight against this city (29)
. . . . . . . . . .T' shall come and set fire on this city (29)
. . . . . . . . . S' children of Israel have only provoked me to anger (30)
. . . . . . . . .R' I should remove it [the nation] from before my face (31)
. . . . . . . . Q' because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah (32)
. . . . . . . .P' their kings, princes, priests, prophets, men of Judah, inhabitants (32)
. . . . . . . . . . (above, P says "least to greatest"; this verse is greatest to least)
. . . . . . . O' They have turned unto me the back and not the face (33)
. . . . . . . [i.e. we must know him face to face, Exod 33:11-12]
. . . . . . .N' I taught them, rising up early and teaching them (33)
. . . . . . M' they shall be my people (38)
. . . . . .L' I will be their God (38)
. . . . . K' I will give them one heart (39)
. . . . . . . (God will give us one heart by writing His law in our hearts)
. . . . .J' for the good of them and of their children (39)
. . . . I' I will make an everlasting covenant with them (40)
. . . .H' I will plant them in this land (41)
. . . G' Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people (42)
. . .F' desolate without man or beast (43)
. . E' Men shall buy fields (44)
. .D' cities of Judah (44)
. C' cities of the mountains (44)
.B' I will cause their captivity to return (44)
A' saith the Lord (44)

by Jon Tandy; Independence Missouri, November, 1995

Comment: This chiasm is especially significant, because it begins and ends with "Thus saith the Lord", the center point is "The Lord of Hosts", and it encompasses the New Covenant. Note the covenant definition of "know the Lord" in O'.

Jon Tandy
<jptandy@usa.net>