Jeremiah 31:20 (GNV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Jeremiah 31:21 Set thee vp signes: make thee heapes: set thine heart towarde the path and way, that thou hast walked: turne againe, O virgine of Israel: turne againe to these thy cities.

Jeremiah 31:22 How long wilt thou goe astray, O thou rebellious daughter? for the Lord hath created a newe thing in the earth: A WOMAN shall compasse a man.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ephraim", "deare", "sonne", "pleasant", "childe", "since", "spake", and "vnto". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ephraim" and "deare", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Surely after that I conuerted I repented..." into verse 21's "Set thee vp signes make thee heapes...", so "ephraim" and "deare" 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 "ephraim" and "deare" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.