Jeremiah 31:18 (DRB)

Passage

Hearing I heard Ephraim when he went into captivity: thou hast chastised me, and I was instructed, as a young bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Convert me, and I shall be converted, for thou art the Lord my God.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:16 Thus saith the Lord: Let thy voice cease from weeping, and thy eyes tears: for there is a reward for thy work, saith the Lord: and they shall return out of the land of the enemy.

Jeremiah 31:17 And there is hope for thy last end, saith the Lord: and the children shall return to their own borders.

Jeremiah 31:18 Hearing I heard Ephraim when he went into captivity: thou hast chastised me, and I was instructed, as a young bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Convert me, and I shall be converted, for thou art the Lord my God.

Jeremiah 31:19 For after thou didst convert me, I did penance: and after thou didst shew unto me, I struck my thigh: I am confounded and ashamed, because I have borne the reproach of my youth.

Jeremiah 31:20 Surely Ephraim is an honourable son to me, surely he is a tender child: for since I spoke of him, I will still remember him. Therefore are my bowels troubled for him: pitying I will pity him, saith the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hearing", "heard", "ephraim", "went", "captivity", "thou", "hast", and "chastised". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hearing" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And there is hope for thy last..." into verse 19's "For after thou didst convert me I...", so "hearing" and "heard" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hearing" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.