Jeremiah 30:19 Meaning and Explanation
“And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A restored city needs more than walls, houses, and political security. Jeremiah 30:19 names the sounds and conditions that make restoration recognizable: grateful worship, joyful voices, growing families and communities, and God-given honor. The verse invites us to see the LORD's salvation as public and communal, touching the life that rises from homes, gatherings, and a people newly established before Him.
The LORD promises a restored Jacob whose rebuilt homes will resound with thanksgiving and joy. He will increase and honor the people, reversing the losses and humiliation of captivity.
The Context of Jeremiah 30:19
After describing Israel's grave wound and the sins connected with its affliction, the chapter turns to the LORD's promise of healing. He will restore health, bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, have mercy on their dwellingplaces, and rebuild the city upon its own heap. Verse 19 continues this picture from buildings to the people who inhabit them. The next verse speaks of children, an established congregation, and judgment upon oppressors. The surrounding movement is concrete: homes are restored, a city is rebuilt, worshipful voices are heard, children flourish, and the LORD renews His covenant bond with His people.
What Does Jeremiah 30:19 Mean?
"Out of them" points back to Jacob's restored tents, dwellingplaces, city, and palace in verse 18. These places will again be inhabited by a people whose speech includes "thanksgiving." Gratitude here is fitting response to the LORD who has healed, gathered, and rebuilt them. Alongside thanksgiving comes "the voice of them that make merry," a phrase that portrays audible gladness in communal life. The LORD then speaks in the first person: "I will multiply them." Their increase comes from His blessing. They will no longer be few, and He will "glorify them," so they will no longer be small. The verse portrays restored dignity as a gift from God, expressed in a living and thankful community.
Jeremiah 30 began with trembling, fear, bondage, and scattered captivity. This verse belongs to the chapter's reversal of that devastation. Earlier, the LORD promised to bring Israel and Judah back to the land, break the yoke of strangers, give Jacob rest, and heal wounds called incurable. Now the result is heard in thanksgiving and joy. The promise of multiplication fits the chapter's concern for the continuation of the people, including their children in verse 20. "Glorify" carries the sense of giving weight, honor, or significance in the sight of others. The LORD restores a people who had been called an outcast and treated as forgotten. Their renewed life will display His mercy before the nations.
The verse has a strong canonical echo in scenes where God's people answer His saving work with praise and shared joy. It also belongs beside the promised Davidic ruler in Jeremiah 30:9 and the governor who approaches the LORD in verse 21. The chapter's restored people need both a faithful ruler and access to God. Jesus, the Son of David, gathers a people who give thanks to God and learn the joy of His kingdom. This connection does not reduce Jeremiah's promise to a private spiritual experience. The chapter looks for a healed and ordered people, with homes, children, worship, justice, and covenant belonging held together under the LORD's care.
Bible Verses Related to Jeremiah 30:19
“Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.”
- Jeremiah 31:4
“The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.”
- Jeremiah 33:11
“And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.”
- Zechariah 8:5
“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
- Revelation 19:6
Where Jeremiah 30:19 Echoes in Scripture
Revelation 19:6 provides a particularly strong later echo through its great multitude whose voice is marked by joyful praise to the LORD God. Jeremiah 30:19 anticipates restored communal sound: thanksgiving and voices of rejoicing rising from a people renewed by divine mercy. Revelation broadens that theme into the worship of God's victorious people. Both passages treat praise as a fitting public response to God's saving reign.
How to Apply Jeremiah 30:19 Today
Gratitude can become part of the rebuilding of ordinary life. When the LORD gives help after loss, communities may mark that mercy through prayer, songs, shared meals, testimony, generosity, and care for children and neighbors. This verse also encourages us to value forms of flourishing that are easily overlooked: faithful households, growing congregations, restored dignity, and room for gladness after grief. We need not treat joy as shallow when it springs from remembered mercy. At the same time, thanksgiving keeps increase and honor from becoming self-congratulation. What the LORD gives can return to Him as praise and service.
Reflection & Prayer
What evidence of the LORD's restoring mercy deserves thanksgiving in our homes or communities? We may also ask where grief has made joyful praise feel difficult to imagine. Suggested prayer: "LORD, restore what has been wounded among us. Teach us gratitude, give strength to our households and gatherings, and let our joy honor Your mercy."