The Meaning of Jeremiah 31:28 Explained

Jeremiah 31:28

KJV: And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.

YLT: And it hath been, as I watched over them to pluck up, And to break down, and to throw down, And to destroy, and to afflict; So do I watch over them to build, and to plant, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Darby: And it shall come to pass, as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to overthrow, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them to build, and to plant, saith Jehovah.

ASV: And it shall come to pass that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass, [that] like as I have watched over  them, to pluck up,  and to break down,  and to throw down,  and to destroy,  and to afflict;  so will I watch over  them, to build,  and to plant,  saith  the LORD. 

What does Jeremiah 31:28 Mean?

Verse Meaning

As Yahweh directed the breaking down of His nation, so He would oversee its building up.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 31:1-40 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 31

1  The restoration of Israel
10  The publication thereof
15  Rahel mourning is comforted
18  Ephraim repenting is brought home again
22  Christ is promised
27  His care over the church
31  His new covenant
35  The stability,
38  and amplitude of the church

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 31:28 mean?

And it shall come to pass [that] as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to throw down and to destroy and to afflict so I will watch over them to build and to plant says Yahweh
וְהָיָ֞ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר שָׁקַ֣דְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם לִנְת֧וֹשׁ וְלִנְת֛וֹץ וְלַהֲרֹ֖ס וּלְהַאֲבִ֣יד וּלְהָרֵ֑עַ כֵּ֣ן אֶשְׁקֹ֧ד עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם לִבְנ֥וֹת וְלִנְט֖וֹעַ נְאֻם־ יְהוָֽה

וְהָיָ֞ה  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר  [that]  as 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שָׁקַ֣דְתִּי  I  have  watched 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁקַד 
Sense: to wake, watch, awake, be alert.
עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם  over  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
לִנְת֧וֹשׁ  to  pluck  up 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָתַשׁ  
Sense: to pull up, expel, root out, pluck up.
וְלִנְת֛וֹץ  and  to  break  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָתַץ  
Sense: to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth).
וְלַהֲרֹ֖ס  and  to  throw  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: הָרַס  
Sense: to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly.
וּלְהַאֲבִ֣יד  and  to  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
וּלְהָרֵ֑עַ  and  to  afflict 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
כֵּ֣ן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
אֶשְׁקֹ֧ד  I  will  watch 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁקַד 
Sense: to wake, watch, awake, be alert.
עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם  over  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
לִבְנ֥וֹת  to  build 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.
וְלִנְט֖וֹעַ  and  to  plant 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָטַע  
Sense: to plant, fasten, fix, establish.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.