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What is the new covenant made with Jews/Israel in Jeremiah 31:31

This question has five sub-questions:

  • What is this new covenant that is forged with Jews/Israel but not with non-Jews/non-Israel?
  • Do you agree that this new covenant is forged with Jews/Israel only?
  • What is the meaning of "I will give/present My law within them and write it upon their hearts"?
  • In the last stanza which I present, is this a reaffirmation or a modification of Jews/Israel's role as people of G-d?
  • Do you agree that this passage affirms the Torah, rather than invalidate her? That this passage does not allow any concept of invalidating the Torah?

I don't think this is on-topic. Only the third sub-question is actually about the text (and maybe the fourth), the others are all about systematic understandings of the law and Israel.

If you think it is on-topic, could you explain why? Perhaps it could be edited somewhat?

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    This question is very much on-topic, as it starts from the text and arrives at a conclusion. It is also has the potential of being a contentious question as there are very sharp views on these issues. But they can certainly be answered within a hermeneutical framework, and if we can't ask this question here, then where can we?
    – Tau
    Nov 3, 2014 at 13:35

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My view is that the questions are on-topic because they arise from the text. Not all questions that arise from the text are about the text - a question does not have to be about words to be on-topic, for example: "Pre-Christian, Jewish interpretation of Psalm 22" is about an idea that arises from the text rather than the grammar of the text, and is one of our most upvoted questions (+26/-0).

I've already said I think it's too broad and the large number of essay-answers it's already gathered backs that up in my view, but that's not your question here.

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  • Systematics questions can always arise from a text so how could we call any of them off-topic? (And yes it is very broad too. It should probably be split up.)
    – curiousdannii Mod
    Nov 2, 2014 at 11:52
  • If an OP is essentially interested in an idea and has just looked around for a text to springboard a question from, then it's off-topic for my money, but any question about an idea where the question naturally arises from the text is on-topic I think. This is what I think this proposed change to the close reasons is all about and why I support it whole-heartedly.
    – Jack Douglas
    Nov 2, 2014 at 18:02

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