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.
Study Note
Study Note
Ephraim's lament — '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' — articulates a theology of repentance as itself a gift: 'turn me' precedes 'I shall be turned.' The acknowledgment that even the turning requires divine initiation sits at the heart of Reformed understandings of grace, and Lamentations 5:21 ('Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord') echoes the same prayer-structure. Jeremiah's 'I was ashamed, yea, even confounded' (verse 19) shows that genuine repentance involves both a turning and a recognition of how far one has strayed.
Other Translations
I 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.
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.
Certainly 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.
Cross References
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited …
He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in …
Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.
I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.
Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.