What Does Jeremiah 32:40 Mean?
And I will cut a covenant of the ages with them, that I will not turn back from them, to do them good. But I will set my awe in their hearts, that they will not turn aside from me.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.THE KEY
God promises both not to turn away and to plant awe within the heart, so the bond’s staying power comes from within.
THE MEANING
This covenant spans the ages: God remains turned toward the people and does them good. Awe of God is placed within the heart, shaping the impulse to remain near rather than turn aside.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that staying near God depends on your grip alone: the verse locates the bond’s steadiness in what God places within the heart.
THE ROOT
וְכָרַתִּי בְּרִית
ve-kharatti berit
GROWS FROM
כרת
k-r-t
כָּרַת (karat): to cut, cut off.
The Hebrew phrase literally says, “I will cut a covenant.” The English “make” leaves out the cutting language: the covenant is pictured as a bond enacted, not merely a thought or intention.
ALSO GROWS
karat: to cut
כָּרַת
This is the verb used in the verse’s covenant-making phrase.
hikhrit: to cut off, cause to be cut off
הִכְרִית
This causative form shows the same root’s force of cutting away or ending.
יִרְאָתִי
yir'ati
GROWS FROM
ירא
y-r-ʾ
יָרֵא (yare): to fear, revere, stand in awe.
This fear is placed within the heart, not merely imposed from outside. The root can carry awe and reverence, so the verse describes an inward regard for God as part of what holds the relationship close.
ALSO GROWS
yare: to fear, revere
יָרֵא
The verb names the response that becomes an inward orientation in this verse.
mora: fear, dread, awe
מוֹרָא
This related noun shows the root can name an inward weight of regard, not only a moment of alarm.
סוּר
sur
GROWS FROM
סור
s-w-r
סוּר (sur): to turn aside, depart, or remove.
The Hebrew says they will not “turn aside” from God. The promise is about the heart’s direction, not just physical distance: the awe placed within them keeps them from veering away.
ALSO GROWS
sar: turned aside, departed
סָר
This form names the state the promise says will not define their relation to God.
hesir: to remove, turn aside
הֵסִיר
This causative form shows the same root can describe something being moved away or taken aside.
THE PATTERN
God’s sustaining work takes root within the heart, where it shapes the path a person keeps walking.
The instruction of his God is in his heart, and none of his steps will totter.And I will set my breath within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will guard my judgments and do them.For this is the covenant that I will set in place with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will give my instructions into their minds, and scratch them upon their hearts. And I will be to them a God, and they will be to me a people.THE THREAD
But this is the covenant I will cut with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will set my instruction within them, and write it upon their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.This verse uses the same cut-covenant wording as Jeremiah 32:40, then shows the bond written within the heart. Jeremiah 32:40 carries that inwardness further: the heart receives awe, and the person does not turn aside.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us