Interpretation of Jeremiah 31:22

[james2ko]

How would my Jewish friends interpret this verse, in particular the last sentence "a woman shall encompass a man". The commentaries are divided to its interpretation. Some Jewish sages like Rabbi Joshua Ben Levi, Hona, Ame attribute the passage to the coming King Messiah. Not clear on how the woman fits into that scenario.

 

[rosends]

In my text it is verse 21. God is speaking to the children of Israel (represented by the woman -- the "virgin of Israel in the previous verse) telling her/it that they need to return to their place and not hide from God. God has created a new system in which the female is allowed to pursue the male (the nation can appeal to God instead of waiting for the male/God to approach them).

The classic commentator, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki wrote "will you hide: will you hide from Me, that you are ashamed to return to Me because of your way? Behold, something new has been created on earth, that a woman shall go after a man to seek him that he should marry her. This is an expression of “and I will go around (וַאֲסוֹבְבָה) in the city; I will seek, etc.” (Song 3:2). " He also speaks of another interpretation in which the feminine persona of Israel will become a mae persona -- instead of inheriting a percentage as a daughter, the nation will inherit everything as a son:

"And in the name of Rabbi Judah the Preacher I heard: A woman shall turn around to become a man. I gave you like a daughter, who receives a tenth of the property of her father, seven nations out of seventy. Ultimately, you shall take everything like a son, a male, who inherits everything."

 

[Tumah]

How would my Jewish friends interpret this verse, in particular the last sentence "a woman shall encompass a man". The commentaries are divided to its interpretation. Some Jewish sages like Rabbi Joshua Ben Levi, Hona, Ame attribute the passage to the coming King Messiah. Not clear on how the woman fits into that scenario.

Not sure where you got the idea about certain Rabbis attributing this passage to the messiah.

The verse is saying that in the past G-d chased after Israel to be His nation. But now, Israel wold chase after G-d.
Another interpretation is that the woman is a metaphor for the land. The first time the nation of Israel entered the land of Israel it had to fight for it, a metaphorical "man chasing after the woman". The second time, they did not have to fight for it, so it was as if metaphorically, the land was giving itself to the nation.