Jeremiah 31:20 (WEB)

Passage

Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still earnestly remember him. therefore my heart yearns for him. I will surely have mercy on him,” says Yahweh.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:18 “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving thus, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as an untrained calf. Turn me, and I will be turned; for you are Yahweh my God.

Jeremiah 31:19 Surely after that I was turned. I repented. After that I was instructed. I struck my thigh. I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I bore the reproach of my youth.’

Jeremiah 31:20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still earnestly remember him. therefore my heart yearns for him. I will surely have mercy on him,” says Yahweh.

Jeremiah 31:21 “Set up road signs. Make guideposts. Set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went. Turn again, virgin of Israel. Turn again to these your cities.

Jeremiah 31:22 How long will you go here and there, you backsliding daughter? For Yahweh has created a new thing in the earth: a woman will encompass a man.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mercy", "ephraim", "dear", "darling", "child", "often", "speak", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mercy" and "ephraim", 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 was turned I..." into verse 21's "Set up road signs Make guideposts Set...", so "mercy" and "ephraim" 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 "mercy" and "ephraim" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.