I have been asked to give commentary on these few verses:
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. (Jeremiah 31:27-30)
…I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast… After plenty of destruction and captivity and likely the loss of many lives, the Lord promises here to replenish them as a people and even their animals.
…And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them… God has watched their every move and seen their every action (both good and evil).
…to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict… Their nation, their land, their cities, and even their temple were destroyed because God, having watched them, judged them and allowed their enemies to overtake them.
…so will I watch over them… God will watch them as He has before, but now tend to their restoration rather than destruction for their sin.
…to build, and to plant, saith the LORD… God is going to bless them to rebuild themselves.
…In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge… No more will people need to talk about how their fathers sinned and the children are punished for those sins. The judgment against them is over.
…But every one shall die for his own iniquity… No more after the captivity in Babylon would God’s people be judged together. Rather, each man will be judged according to his own personal actions.
…every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge… Each man who personally commits sin will be punished accordingly. The metaphor here refers to the fact that sin is often attractive and seemingly sweet, but once you’ve really had a taste, it is sour and unpleasant.
