Jeremiah 31:15

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 31:10-17

This paragraph is much to the same purport with the last, publishing to the world, as well as to the church, the purposes of God's love concerning his people. This is a word of the Lord which the nations must hear, for it is a prophecy of a work of the Lord which the nations cannot but take notice of. Let them hear the prophecy, that they may the better understand and improve the performance; and let those that hear it themselves declare it to others, declare it in the isles afar off. It will... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15

Thus saith the Lord, a voice was heard in Ramah ,.... Which signifies a high place; hence the Targum paraphrases it, "in the high place of the world;' and so the Vulgate Latin version, "in a high place;' but it is here the proper name of a place, of a city in the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 18:25 ; and this voice heard was not a voice of joy and gladness as before, but of lamentation and bitter weeping ; signifying great sorrow and distress upon some very extraordinary... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 31:15

A voice was heard in Ramah - The Ramah mentioned here, (for there were several towns of this name), was situated in the tribe of Benjamin, about six or seven miles from Jerusalem. Near this place Rachel was buried; who is here, in a beautiful figure of poetry, represented as coming out of her grave, and lamenting bitterly for the loss of her children, none of whom presented themselves to her view, all being slain or gone into exile. St. Matthew, who is ever fond of accommodation, applies... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 31:15

Verse 15 Here, in the first place, the Prophet describes the desolation of the land, when deprived of all its inhabitants; and, in the second place, he adds a comfort, — that God would restore the captives from exile, that the land might again be inhabited. But there is here what they call a personification, that is, an imaginary person introduced: for the Prophet raises up Rachel from the grave, and represents her as lamenting. She had been long dead, and her body had been reduced to ashes;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15

A voice was heard; rather, is heard. It is a participle, indicating the continuance of the action. In Ramah. In the neighbourhood of which town Rachel was buried, according to 1 Samuel 10:2 ("the city" where Samuel and Saul were— 1 Samuel 9:25 —appears to have been Ramah). Rachel weeping for her children. Rachel ("Rahel" is only a Germanizing way of writing the name), being the ancestress of the three tribes, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, is represented as feeling like a mother... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15-17

Rachel weeping for her children. I. RACHEL HAS NATURAL CAUSE NOR HER GRIEF . Sword, pestilence, and famine ravage the land. The invasion by Nebuchadnezzar desolates the old home of the family of Rachel, bringing death to those who cling to it and scattering the survivors in exile. Such a calamity was in itself most mournful; but the disappointment it brought to the cherished hopes of Israel in a golden future deepened the distress to despair. It looked as though it were the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15-17

Rahel weeping for her children The great mother of Israel and Judah is represented by a figure as mourning over the desolation of the land. God comforts the sorrow thus occasioned by a promise greater than could be fulfilled in the return of the Babylonian captivity. Rahel was an ancestress of the Old Testament Church whose spirit she might be said to personify The Church of Christ may still be said to weep for her children, and to be comforted by the promises of God. Matthew's reference... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15-17

Strong consolation. In this touching passage let us note— I. THE SCENE . The exiles, with bowed heads and many tears, are being hurried away from their beloved land. Fierce soldiery urge them on. The smoking ruins of their towns, cities, homes, and, above all, of the greatly beloved city of God, Jerusalem, are behind them. A wail of distress goes up from these broken-hearted captives as they stand on the frontier Mils of their land, and have to say farewell to it forever. The whole... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15-17

Sorrowing mothers and their consolation. I. THE GRIEFS OF BEREAVED MOTHERS . There is an innumerable company of women who have seen the children die in whom they themselves had given birth, and Rachel is their great representative. She stands before us here as the mother of a nation; for surely it only spoils a grand poetical idea to attach her to some tribes rather than others. She sees the nation which sprang from her husband Jacob going from the land of promise into captivity,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15-22

From this glorious prospect Jeremiah's eye turns to the melancholy present. The land of Ephraim is orphaned and desolate. The prophet seems to hear Rachel weeping for her banished children, and comforts her with the assurance that they shall yet be restored. For Ephraim has come to repentance, and longs for reconciliation with his God, and God, who has overheard his soliloquy, relents, and comes to meet him with gracious promises. Then another voice is heard summoning Ephraim to prepare for... read more

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