Jeremiah 31:18 (GNV)

Passage

I haue heard Ephraim lamenting thus, Thou hast corrected me, and I was chastised as an vntamed calfe: conuert thou me, and I shalbe conuerted: for thou art the Lord my God.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:16 Thus saith the Lord, Refraine thy voyce from weeping, and thine eyes from teares: for thy worke shalbe rewarded, saith the Lord, and they shall come againe from the land of the enemie:

Jeremiah 31:17 And there is hope in thine ende, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come againe to their owne borders.

Jeremiah 31:18 I haue heard Ephraim lamenting thus, Thou hast corrected me, and I was chastised as an vntamed calfe: conuert thou me, and I shalbe conuerted: for thou art the Lord my God.

Jeremiah 31:19 Surely after that I conuerted, I repented: and after that I was instructed, I smote vpon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, euen confounded, because I did beare the reproch of my youth.

Jeremiah 31:20 Is Ephraim my deare sonne or pleasant childe? yet since I spake vnto him, I still remembred him: therefore my bowels are troubled for him: I wil surely haue compassion vpon him, saith the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "haue", "heard", "ephraim", "lamenting", "thus", "thou", "hast", and "corrected". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "haue" 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 in thine ende..." into verse 19's "Surely after that I conuerted I repented...", so "haue" 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 "haue" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.