Jeremiah 31:16 (LSB)

Passage

Thus says Yahweh, “Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears, For your work will be rewarded,” declares Yahweh, “And they will return from the land of the enemy.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:14 I will fill the soul of the priests with richness, And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares Yahweh.

Jeremiah 31:15 Thus says Yahweh, “A voice is heard in Ramah, Wailing and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children Because they are no more.”

Jeremiah 31:16 Thus says Yahweh, “Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears, For your work will be rewarded,” declares Yahweh, “And they will return from the land of the enemy.

Jeremiah 31:17 And there is hope for your future,” declares Yahweh, “And your children will return to their own territory.

Jeremiah 31:18 I have surely heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained calf; Cause me to return that I may return, For You are Yahweh my God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "says", "yahweh", "restrain", "voice", "weeping", "eyes", and "tears". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "says", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Thus says Yahweh A voice is heard..." into verse 17's "And there is hope for your future...", so "thus" and "says" 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 "thus" and "says" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.