Jeremiah 31:4 - Exposition

I will build thee. A nation, like a family, is frequently compared to a building (so Jeremiah 12:16 ; Jeremiah 24:6 ; comp. Ephesians 2:22 ). O virgin of Israel . The people of Israel is personified as a virgin (comp. Jeremiah 14:7 ). Adorned with thy tabrets, The expression will not, of course, bear to be logically criticized, for it was not the whole people who went out with "tabrets" or "timbrels," but the "damsels," who, it is true, formed an important part of religious processions ( Psalms 68:25 ), and doubtless of secular ones also (comp. 11:34 ). Joyousness is an essential part of the Biblical ideal both of religion and of a normal state of society: "The joy of the Lord is your strength."