Jeremiah 31:19 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Jeremiah 31:21 Set thee up a watchtower, make to thee bitterness: direct thy heart into the right way, wherein thou hast walked: return, O virgin of Israel, return to these thy cities.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "after", "thou", "didst", "convert", and "penance". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "after" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Hearing I heard Ephraim when he went..." into verse 20's "Surely Ephraim is an honourable son to...", so "after" and "thou" 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 "after" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.