Jeremiah 31:15-22

Jeremiah 31:15-Song of Solomon : . Jeremiah hears Rachel (the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, Genesis 30:24; Genesis 35:16 ff.) weeping at (her grave near) Ramah, for her children, the northern exiles. He bids her refrain, in the certainty of their restoration. Their penitence is described ( Jeremiah 31:18 f.). Yahweh expresses wonder ( Jeremiah 31:20) at His own enduring love for this very precious son, this child of delight; He is moved to deep emotion, and, in spite of all, cannot abandon him. Let Israel indicate and note the way of return ( Jeremiah 31:21), and persist in it ( Jeremiah 31:22), for Yahweh will now bring the virgin Israel to cling around Him, offer herself to Him in true marital affection ( Hosea 2:16, Isaiah 54:5 f.), as never before.

Jeremiah 31:15 . Ramah: 5 m. N. of Jerusalem; cf. 1 Samuel 10:2. Matthew 21:7 f. follows the different tradition as to the site of the grave (vicinity of Bethlehem) given in Genesis 35:19 *, Genesis 48:7.

Jeremiah 31:16 . Shall be: emphatic.

Jeremiah 31:17 . is: emphatic.

Jeremiah 31:18 . turn thou me: better, “ bring me back” .

Jeremiah 31:19 . turned: i.e. from thee; for the gesture of grief, see Ezekiel 21:12; the reproach is that springing from earlier sins.

Jeremiah 31:20 . dear . . . pleasant: not strong enough for the Heb. The bowels, in Heb. psychology, are the seat of deep emotion ( Jeremiah 4:19).

Jeremiah 31:21 . set thine heart: denoting attention, not desire or affection.

Jeremiah 31:22 is difficult and dubious; some commentators emend, after Ewald and Duhm, into “ A woman shall be turned into a man,” i.e. “ the weak shall be made strong” ; the interpretation already given follows Driver.