Jeremiah 31:20 (YLT)

Passage

A precious son is Ephraim to Me? A child of delights? For since My speaking against him, I do thoroughly remember him still, Therefore have My bowels been moved for him, I do greatly love him, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 31:18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, `Thou hast chastised me, And I am chastised, as a heifer not taught, Turn me back, and I turn back, For thou <FI>art<Fi> Jehovah my God.

Jeremiah 31:19 For after my turning back I repented, And after my being instructed I struck on the thigh, I have been ashamed, I have also blushed, For I have borne the reproach of my youth.

Jeremiah 31:20 A precious son is Ephraim to Me? A child of delights? For since My speaking against him, I do thoroughly remember him still, Therefore have My bowels been moved for him, I do greatly love him, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Jeremiah 31:21 Set up for thee signs, make for thee heaps, Set thy heart to the highway, the way thou wentest, Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back unto these thy cities.

Jeremiah 31:22 Till when dost thou withdraw thyself, O backsliding daughter? For Jehovah hath prepared a new thing in the land, Woman doth compass man.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "precious", "ephraim", "child", "delights", "since", "speaking", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "precious", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "For after my turning back I repented..." into verse 21's "Set up for thee signs make for...", so "light" and "precious" 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 "light" and "precious" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.