Pearls of the Word

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A woman shall encompass a man

by Jean-Louis Coraboeuf

"How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall encompass [sabab, to court, to surround] a man [gever]" (Jeremiah 31:22).

The Hebrew word gever means 'the one who is strong', the one who rules', 'the sovereign'. In his last words, David spoke of "the man [gever] raised up on high", and "the anointed of the God of Jacob" (2 Samuel 23:1), Daniel had a vision of "one having the appearance of a man [gever]" (Daniel 8:15), and Jesus spoke of Himself in the parable of the ten minas, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return" (Luke 19:12).

God has created something new: a woman, the Virgin of Israel, the one who was wandering and who had strayed, will seek for the Anointed of the Lord, the Messiah of Israel, when He will make a New Covenant with His people (Jeremiah 31:21,31). Likewise, God gathers His people of Israel in His land so that the Virgin of Israel looks for the Messiah of Israel. For us Christians, the Bride of Christ also turns to her Bridegroom who comes soon to pick Her. This is a new thing... because, usually it is the man who seeks for a wife.