The Meaning of Jeremiah 31:15 Explained

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.

YLT: Thus said Jehovah, A voice in Ramah is heard, wailing, weeping most bitter, Rachel is weeping for her sons, She hath refused to be comforted for her sons, because they are not.

Darby: Thus saith Jehovah: A voice hath been heard in Ramah, the wail of very bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are not.

ASV: Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Jeremiah 31:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord described the Israelite mothers-using the figure of Rachel-weeping for their children who had died because of the Assyrian invasion. [1] Rachel-being the mother of Joseph (the father of Ephraim and Manasseh), and Benjamin-represented all the Israelites, from the north and the south. Ramah was a town about five miles north of Jerusalem that stood in Benjamin"s tribal territory near the border between Israel and Judah. The exiles stopped at Ramah, and undoubtedly wept there, on their way to exile in Babylon ( Jeremiah 40:1). Rachel"s tomb was near Bethlehem ( Genesis 35:16; Genesis 35:19), south of Jerusalem.
"Rachel"s life story sets her apart from the other Israelite ancestors. She alone had only a grave and never a home in the promised land ( Jeremiah 30:3). She died "on the way" ( Genesis 35:19), and her last words express her sorrow ( Genesis 35:18). Not every mother will give up her own life for her child"s (e.g, Jeremiah 19:9; Lamentations 2:20; Lamentations 4:10; 2 Kings 6:28-29). Rachel"s death in childbirth makes her deeply credible as an example of the profound extent of a mother"s love. Rachel is a mother who does not forget her children (cf. Isaiah 49:15)." [2]
"The destruction of the people of Israel by the Assyrians and Chaldeans is a type of the massacre of the infants at Bethlehem, in so far as the sin which brought the children of Israel into exile laid a foundation for the fact that Herod the Idumean became king over the Jews, and wished to destroy the true King and Saviour of Israel that he might strengthen his own dominion." [3]

Context Summary

Jeremiah 31:1-40 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 31

1  The restoration of Israel
10  The publication thereof
15  Rahel mourning is comforted
18  Ephraim repenting is brought home again
22  Christ is promised
27  His care over the church
31  His new covenant
35  The stability,
38  and amplitude of the church

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 31:15 mean?

Thus says Yahweh a voice in Ramah was heard Lamentation weeping [and] bitter Rachel weeping for her children Refusing to be comforted her children because [they are] no [more] -
כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה ק֣וֹל בְּרָמָ֤ה נִשְׁמָע֙ נְהִי֙ בְּכִ֣י תַמְרוּרִ֔ים רָחֵ֖ל מְבַכָּ֣ה עַל־ בָּנֶ֑יהָ מֵאֲנָ֛ה לְהִנָּחֵ֥ם בָּנֶ֖יהָ כִּ֥י אֵינֶֽנּוּ ס

כֹּ֣ה ׀  Thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ק֣וֹל  a  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
בְּרָמָ֤ה  in  Ramah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רָמָה 
Sense: a town in Benjamin on the border of Ephraim about 5 miles (8 km) from Jerusalem and near to Gibeah.
נִשְׁמָע֙  was  heard 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
נְהִי֙  Lamentation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְהִי  
Sense: wailing, lamentation, mourning song.
בְּכִ֣י  weeping 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בְּכִי  
Sense: a weeping, weeping.
תַמְרוּרִ֔ים  [and]  bitter 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: תַּמְרוּרִים  
Sense: bitterness.
רָחֵ֖ל  Rachel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רָחֵל  
Sense: daughter of Laban, wife of Jacob, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
מְבַכָּ֣ה  weeping 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, feminine singular
Root: בָּכָה  
Sense: to weep, bewail, cry, shed tears.
בָּנֶ֑יהָ  her  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מֵאֲנָ֛ה  Refusing 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָאַן  
Sense: (Piel) to refuse.
לְהִנָּחֵ֥ם  to  be  comforted 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָחַם  
Sense: to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted.
בָּנֶ֖יהָ  her  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֵינֶֽנּוּ  [they  are]  no  [more] 
Parse: Adverb, third person masculine singular
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation