Jeremiah 31 · Verse 18

Jeremiah 31:18

I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.
Jeremiah 31:18, King James Version

Jeremiah 31:18 in other translations

BSBI have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf. Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God.
WEB“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 the LORD my God.
ASVI have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.
YLTI 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 art Jehovah my God.
DARBYI have indeed heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock not trained: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.
BBECertainly Ephraim's words of grief have come to my ears, You have given me training and I have undergone it like a young cow unused to the yoke: let me be turned and come back, for you are the Lord my God.
WebsterI have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.

What does Jeremiah 31:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
18. Ephraim--representing the ten tribes. bemoaning himself--The spirit of penitent supplication shall at last be poured on Israel as the necessary forerunner of their restoration (Zec 12:10-14). Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised--In the first clause the chastisement itself is meant; in the second the beneficial effect of it in teaching the penitent true wisdom. bullock unaccustomed to ... yoke--A similar image occurs in De 32:15. Compare "stiff-necked," Ac 7:51; Ex 32:9, an image from refractory oxen. Before my chastisement I needed the severe correction I received, as much as an untamed bullock needs the goad. Compare Ac 9:5, where the same figure is used of Saul while unconverted. Israel has had a longer chastisement than Judah, not having been restored even at the Jews' return from Babylon. Hereafter, at its restoration, it shall confess the sore discipline was all needed to "accustom" it to God's "easy yoke" (Mt 11:29, 30). turn thou me--by Thy converting Spirit (La 5:21). But why does Ephraim pray for conversion, seeing that he is already converted? Because we are converted by progressive steps, and need the same power of God to carry forward, as to originate, our conversion (Joh 6:44, 65; compare with Is 27:3; 1Pe 1:5; Php 1:6).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself - The exiled Israelites are in a state of deep repentance. Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised - I was at first like an unbroken and untoward steer, the more I was chastised the more I rebelled; but now I have benefited by thy correction. Turn thou me - I am now willing to take thy yoke upon me, but I have no power. I can only will and pray. Take the matter into thy own hand, and fully convert my soul.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 31:18-20
Ephraim (the ten tribes) is weeping for sin. He is angry at himself for his sin, and folly, and frowardness. He finds he cannot, by his own power, keep himself close with God, much less bring himself back when he is revolted. Therefore he prays, Turn thou me, and I shall be turned. His will was bowed to the will of God. When the teaching of God's Spirit went with the corrections of his providence, then the work was done. This is our comfort in affliction, that the Lord thinks upon us. God has mercy in store, rich mercy, sure mercy, suitable mercy, for all who seek him in sincerity.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Jeremiah 31:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

שָׁמ֣וֹעַsha.Mo.a'certainly <to hear>H8085
שָׁמַ֗עְתִּיsha.Ma'.tiI have heardH8085
אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙'ef.Ra.yimEphraimH669
מִתְנוֹדֵ֔דmit.no.Dedbemoaning itselfH5110
יִסַּרְתַּ֙נִי֙yi.sar.Ta.niyou have disciplined meH3256
וָֽאִוָּסֵ֔רva.'i.va.Serand I was disciplinedH3256
כְּעֵ֖גֶלke.'E.gellike a calfH5695
לֹ֣אlo'[which] notH3808
לֻמָּ֑דlu.Madit had been trainedH3925
הֲשִׁיבֵ֣נִיha.shi.Ve.nirestore meH7725
וְאָשׁ֔וּבָהve.'a.Shu.vahso let me returnH7725
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
אַתָּ֖ה'a.TahyouH859
יְהוָ֥הYah.weh[are] YahwehH3068
אֱלֹהָֽי\׃'e.lo.HaiGod myH430

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 31:18

  • Jeremiah 31:9

    They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

  • Psalms 80:3

    Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

  • Job 5:17

    Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

  • Isaiah 9:13

    For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

  • Jeremiah 17:14

    Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

  • Jeremiah 3:21-22

    A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.

  • Lamentations 5:21

    Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

  • Hosea 5:15-6:2

    I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

  • Acts 3:26

    Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

  • Luke 15:20

    And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

  • Jeremiah 50:4-5

    In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

  • Revelation 3:19

    As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
surely.
Job 33:27,28; Ps 102:19,20; Isa 57:15-18; Ho 5:15; 6:1,2; Lu 15:20
Ephraim.
6,9; 3:21,22; 50:4,5; Ho 11:8,9; 14:4-8
Thou hast.
2:30; 5:3; Job 5:17; Ps 39:8,9; 94:12; 119:75; Pr 3:11; Isa 1:5
Isa 9:13; 57:17; Ho 5:12,13; Zep 3:2; Heb 12:5; Re 3:19
as a.
Ps 32:9; Pr 26:3; 29:1; Isa 51:20; 53:7; La 3:27-30; Ho 10:11
turn.
17:14; Ps 80:3,7,19; 85:4; La 5:21; Mal 4:6; Lu 1:17; Ac 3:26
Php 2:13; Jas 1:16-18
for.
3:22,25; Isa 63:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 31:17

    And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

  • Jeremiah 31:18

    I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.

  • Jeremiah 31:19

    Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

Read all of Jeremiah 31

Jeremiah 31:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Escuchando, he oído á Ephraim que se lamentaba: Azotásteme, y fuí castigado como novillo indómito: conviérteme y seré convertido; porque tú eres Jehová mi Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		J’ai très bien entendu Éphraïm se lamentant: Tu m’as corrigé, et j’ai été corrigé comme un veau indompté; convertis-moi, et je serai converti, car tu es l’ Éternel, mon Dieu.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wohl habe ich Ephraim klagen hören: Du hast mich gezüchtigt, und ich bin gezüchtigt worden wie ein nicht ans Joch gewöhntes Kalb; bekehre mich, daß ich mich bekehre, denn du bist Jehova, mein Gott.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Audiens audivi Ephraim transmigrantem: Castigasti me, et eruditus sum, quasi juvenculus indomitus: converte me, et convertar, quia tu Dominus Deus meus.