Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying,.... Either to the prophet, bidding him say to the church what follows, so Jarchi: or to Christ, who was from eternity with the Father; lay in his bosom;…

Of old - From afar (margin). See Jer 30:10. To the Jew God was enthroned in Zion, and thus when His mercy was shown unto the exiles in Assyria it came from a distant region 2Ch 6:20, 2Ch 6:38. With…

God here assures his people,

I. That he will again take them into a covenant relation to himself, from which they seemed to be cut off. At the same time, when God's anger breaks out against the wicked…

The Lord appeared of old unto me It is best to take this as put in the mouth of the people themselves.

of old rather, as mg. from afar, as the same Hebrew word is rendered ch. Jer 30:10. The people…