the children of Jehovah, but not as His spouse." But, in
such personifications, it is quite a common thing that the real
plurality should take the place of the ideal unity. In Exod. xxxiv.
15, for instance, it is said: "And they go a whoring after their
gods,"--instead of the congregation, to which the _whoring_ properly
belongs, (comp. Is. lvii. 7), the individual members are mentioned;
comp. Hos. ii. 1, 2 (i. 10, ii. 19).

Ver. 33. "_For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after these days, saith the Lord: I give my law in their inward
parts, and will write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and
they shall be my people._"

[Hebrew: ki] is, by some interpreters, here supposed to mean "but;" so
much, only, however, is correct that "but" might _also_ have been put;
_for_ is here quite in its place. The words: "Not as the covenant,"
&c., in the preceding verse, are here vindicated, and expanded by a
positive definition of the nature and substance of the New Covenant. It
is just because it is of such a nature, that it is not like the former
covenant. [Hebrew: hhM] does not, by any means, as is erroneously
supposed by _Venema_ and _Hitzig_, refer to the days mentioned in ver.
31, in which the New Covenant was to be made. "These days," on the
contrary, are a designation of the Present; "after these days,"
equivalent to [Hebrew: bahrit himiM] "at the end of days." The Prophet
so repeatedly and emphatically points to the Future, because unbelief
and weak faith imagined that, with the Present, the history of the
covenant-people was finished, and that no Future was in store for them.
_Calvin_ pertinently remarks: "It is just as if the Prophet had said,
that the grace of which he was prophesying could not be apprehended,
unless they, believers, kept their minds composed, and patiently waited
until the [Pg 437] time of the promised salvation had come." As regards
the following enumeration of the blessings, in and by the bestowal of
which the new covenant-relation is to be established, _Venema_ very
correctly remarks: "The blessings are distinguished into radical or
causal ones, and subsequent or derived ones." The second [Hebrew: ki],
in ver. 34: "_For_ I will forgive their sin," proves the correctness of
this division, which is also pointed out by the _Athnach_.--[Hebrew:
tvrh] is, by many interpreters, here understood to signify "doctrine."
Thus _Buddeus_: "By the word [Hebrew: tvrh], the wh