Jeremiah 31 15

Jeremiah 31:15 kjv

Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

Jeremiah 31:15 nkjv

Thus says the LORD: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more."

Jeremiah 31:15 niv

This is what the LORD says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

Jeremiah 31:15 esv

Thus says the LORD: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more."

Jeremiah 31:15 nlt

This is what the LORD says: "A cry is heard in Ramah ?
deep anguish and bitter weeping.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted ?
for her children are gone."

Jeremiah 31 verses

Jeremiah 31 15 Meaning

This verse depicts Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more. It signifies a profound grief and loss associated with a period of judgment and exile.

Jeremiah 31 15 Context

Jeremiah 31 is a chapter of profound hope and restoration after a long series of pronouncements of judgment against Judah for its idolatry and unfaithfulness. This verse is placed within the broader context of God's promised future restoration of Israel. While preceding verses detail impending judgment and the desolation of the land due to sin, this verse captures a poignant moment of deep sorrow in anticipation of that judgment. However, it is immediately followed by God's promise to turn lament into joy and to bring His people back from exile. This specific mention of Ramah, a town near the border of Benjamin and Ephraim, links this lament to the historical context of the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles.

Jeremiah 31 15 Word Analysis

• A voice (קול, qol): A sound, cry, or utterance. It signifies a recognizable and often significant expression of emotion or communication.
• is heard (נִשְׁמַע, nishma'): Passive form of "to hear." It suggests a proclamation that reaches the ears, implying a public and noticeable event.
• in Ramah (בְּרָמָה, bə·rā·māh): "In Ramah," a town in Benjamin (Joshua 18:25) north of Jerusalem. Historically, it was a place associated with mourning and exile.
• lamentation (מִסְפֵּד, mispēḏ): Mourning, wailing, expressing deep grief and sorrow, typically with outward signs.
• and (וְ, wə): Conjunction connecting two elements.
• great (גָּדוֹל, gā·ḏôl): Large, significant, weighty.
• distress (תְּשׁוּקָה, tə·šû·qāh): Here, it conveys anguish or great sorrow, perhaps a yearning resulting from loss. Some translations use "weeping."
• Rachel (רָחֵל, Rā·ḥêl): The name means "ewe" or "female sheep." Rachel was one of Jacob's wives and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Her tomb is located near Bethlehem.
• weeping (בֹּכָה, bō·ḵâ): Weeping, crying, a strong expression of sorrow.
• for (עַל, ‘al): Against, concerning, for, upon.
• her children (יְלָדֶיהָ, yə·lā·ḏey·hā): Her offspring, sons and daughters.
• and (וְ, wə): Conjunction.
• refusing (מְאֶנֶת, mə·’ɛ·nɛṯ): Declining, not willing, obstinate in refusal.
• to be comforted (לְהִנָּחֵם, lə·hin·nā·ḥêm): To be consoled, to receive comfort or relief.
• because (כִּי, kî): Because, for, indeed.
• they (הֵמָּה, hēm·māh): They (masculine plural pronoun).
• are no more (אֵינֶנּוּ, ’ên·nū): They are not, they do not exist, they are absent or gone.

Phrase Group Analysis:

• "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and great distress": This establishes the setting and the prevailing atmosphere of sorrow. Ramah itself becomes a symbol of mourning.
• "Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more": This is a powerful anthropomorphic personification. Rachel, long dead, symbolizes the sorrow of mothers in Israel whose children were taken captive or killed during the impending judgment. Her refusal to be comforted emphasizes the depth and seeming finality of the loss.

Jeremiah 31 15 Bonus Section

The selection of Rachel as the weeping mother is significant. She died giving birth to Benjamin, the youngest of Jacob's sons, and thus symbolizes a unique fragility and foundational pain for the tribes of Benjamin and Ephraim (through Joseph, whose sons were Ephraim and Manasseh). Ramah, her burial place, becomes the symbolic stage for this immense grief, as if the very land mourns.

This prophecy resonates with a concept known as "communal lament," where the suffering of individuals or groups is so profound that it feels like the very foundations of existence are shaken. The inability to be comforted speaks to the overwhelming nature of this loss, making human consolation inadequate. However, God's intervention, promised immediately after, shows that even the deepest sorrow finds its ultimate resolution in His restorative power.

Jeremiah 31 15 Commentary

Jeremiah 31:15 vividly illustrates the anguish of a nation facing severe consequences for its sins. The imagery of Rachel, a beloved matriarch associated with foundational loss (her death giving birth to Benjamin), crying for her lost children is deeply poignant. This isn't just a general lament but is specifically set in Ramah, a site often connected with periods of distress and exile. This verse highlights the devastating human cost of sin and God's judgment, particularly on the innocent generations.

The New Testament, through Matthew 2:17-18, powerfully applies this prophecy to the massacre of infants in Bethlehem by King Herod. Jesus, the true Son of God, arrives during a time of unprecedented infanticide, mirroring the sorrow and loss described by Jeremiah. In this fulfillment, Rachel weeps not only for the victims of Babylonian exile but also for the innocent slaughtered in anticipation of the Messiah. This connection underscores a divine pattern: judgment and sorrow are often interwoven with the promise of salvation and ultimate redemption, even in the midst of unimaginable pain.

The broader context in Jeremiah assures that this profound sorrow is not the end. God promises to turn this weeping into joy, this lament into thanksgiving, and to bring the dispersed children home. Thus, the verse speaks of a sorrow that will be transcended by future joy and restoration through God's faithfulness.