8:11

his fellow citizen: Paul refers to the restoration prophecy of Jer 31:34, which was originally addressed to the ancient nation of Israel. Here Paul quotes the verse from the Septuagint translation and applies it to “the Israel of God,” whose “citizenship exists in the heavens.” (Ga 6:16; Php 3:20 and study note) Some Bible translations use the rendering “neighbor,” based on the reading of this verse in some late Greek manuscripts. However, most Greek texts use the word for “fellow citizen.”

“Know Jehovah!”: One distinguishing feature of the “new covenant” foretold by Jeremiah was that “all . . . from the least to the greatest of them” would “know Jehovah.” (Jer 31:31, 34) Both the Hebrew and the Greek words for “to know” include the basic idea of knowing facts, but here much more is involved. One reference work says that in the context of a covenant, the expression “to know” God “involves an acknowledgment of his sovereignty and whole hearted commitment to obedience to him.” Both in Hebrew and in Greek, “to know” may also refer to knowing someone personally and having a close relationship with him.​—Compare study notes on Joh 17:3; Ga 4:9.

Jehovah: In this quote from Jer 31:34, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text. Therefore, the divine name is used here in the main text.​—See App. C1 and C2.

from the least to the greatest of them: Bible writers used this and similar expressions to state emphatically that everyone is included, without exception. (Ge 19:11; Jer 6:11-13; 8:10; 16:6; 42:1, 8; 44:12; Ac 8:10; Re 13:16; 19:5, 18) Here Paul quotes Jehovah’s words at Jer 31:34, emphasizing that all who are taken into the new covenant will know Jehovah, his qualities, and his ways.