Jeremiah 31:19-20

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Jeremiah 31:20

Jeremiah 31:20. Is Ephraim my dear son? &c.— Some render this passage, Is not Ephraim my dear son? Is he not a delightful child? Verily, the oftener I speak of him, I shall still remember him more and more: therefore my bowels yearn upon or towards him, &c. Houbigant, however, defends the common reading; he thinks that God means to deny that Ephraim was his son, in order to shew him that his bowels were moved towards him solely through free mercy, and not on account of any merit or... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 31:19

19. after that I was turned, I repented—Repentance in the full sense follows, not precedes, our being turned to God by God ( :-). The Jews' "looking to Him whom they pierced" shall result in their "mourning for Him." Repentance is the tear that flows from the eye of faith turned to Jesus. He Himself gives it: we give it not of ourselves, but must come to Him for it (Acts 5:31). instructed—made to learn by chastisement. God's Spirit often works through the corrections of His providence. smote... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 31:20

20. Is Ephraim my dear son? c.—The question implies that a negative answer was to be expected. Who would have thought that one so undutiful to His heavenly Father as Ephraim had been should still be regarded by God as a "pleasant child?" Certainly he was not so in respect to his sin. But by virtue of God's "everlasting love" ( :-) on Ephraim's being "turned" to God, he was immediately welcomed as God's "dear son." This verse sets forth God's readiness to welcome the penitent (Jeremiah 31:18... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Jeremiah 31:15-22

The end of Rachel’s mourning 31:15-22"In this strophe the promise is further confirmed by carrying out the thought, that Israel’s release from his captivity shall certainly take place, however little prospect there is of it at present." [Note: Ibid., 2:23.] read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Jeremiah 31:19

Ephraim repented, and felt humiliated and ashamed of his previous youthful rebellion against the Lord. Slapping one’s thigh, an onomatopoeic expression in Hebrew, was a common expression of remorse, horror, and terror in ancient Near Eastern culture (cf. Ezekiel 21:12). [Note: See Pritchard, ed., p. 108; and Keil, 2:26.] read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Jeremiah 31:20

Yahweh still regarded the people of Ephraim as His dear son and delightful child. Even though He had rebuked him, He still remembered and yearned for him. He would surely have mercy on these people (cf. Hosea 11:1-4; Hosea 11:8-9). read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 31:1-40

1-22. Jeremiah speaks of the restoration first of Israel (Ephraim, Jeremiah 31:2-22), then of Judah (Jeremiah 31:23.). Those who survive the sufferings of the captivity are promised a safe journey home. The words, ’found grace in the wilderness’ (Jeremiah 31:2) are probably an allusion to the journey from Egypt under Moses, which was thus a prophecy to the captive Israelites of the return from Assyria.3. In this v. the people are the speakers.4. Tabrets] tambourines. 5. Shall eat them as common... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Jeremiah 31:19

(19) After that I was turned.—The words have been referred by some commentators (Hitzig) to the previous turning away from God—the apostasy of Ephraim; but the repetition of the word that had been used in the previous verse makes it far more natural to connect it with the first movement of repentance. The “smiting upon the thigh” is, like the Publican’s “smiting on his breast” (Luke 18:13), an Eastern expression of extremest grief. So in Ezekiel 21:17 we have the “smiting of the hands together”... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Jeremiah 31:20

(20) Is Ephraim my dear son?—Literally, a child of delight—i.e., fondled and caressed.Is he a pleasant child?—We have to ask whether an affirmative or negative answer is implied to these questions. On the former view, the words express the yearning of a father’s heart towards the son whom he still loves in spite of all his faults. Jehovah wonders, as it were, at his affection for one who has been so rebellious. On the latter, they give prominence to the faults as having deprived him of all... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Jeremiah 31:1-40

Religion in the Family Jeremiah 31:1 What constitutes a godly home? The acknowledgment of God in all things. Making His will the governing principle. There can be no godly household where that is not done. I. Where the will of God is placed first there will be order an inestimable blessing in a home. God is not the God of confusion in the home or the Church. A man or woman who truly walks with God will soon become ashamed of disorder and slovenliness. And where God is the God of the family,... read more

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