Jeremiah 31:15 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."

Bible > Jeremiah > Chapter 31 > Verse 15

◄ Jeremiah 31:15 ►

New International Version
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.”

New Living Translation
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.”

English Standard Version
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.”

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
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.”

New American Standard Bible
This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamenting and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.”

NASB 1995
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.”

NASB 1977
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.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus says Yahweh, “A voice is heard in Ramah, Wailing and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children Because they are no more.”

Amplified Bible
Thus says the LORD, “A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation (songs of mourning) and bitter weeping. Rachel (Israel) is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are gone.”

Christian Standard Bible
This is what the LORD says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping — Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is what the LORD says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping— Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more.

American Standard Version
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.

Contemporary English Version
In Ramah a voice is heard, crying and weeping loudly. Rachel mourns for her children and refuses to be comforted, because they are dead. *

English Revised Version
Thus saith the LORD: 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is what the LORD says: A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of crying in bitter grief. Rachel is crying for her children. She refuses to be comforted, because they are dead.

Good News Translation
The LORD says, "A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of bitter weeping. Rachel is crying for her children; they are gone, and she refuses to be comforted.

International Standard Version
This is what the LORD says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter crying. Rachel is crying, and she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no longer alive."

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

NET Bible
The LORD says, "A sound is heard in Ramah, a sound of crying in bitter grief. It is the sound of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are gone."

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

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

World English Bible
Yahweh says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
Thus said YHWH: “A voice is heard in Ramah, "" Wailing [and] the weeping of bitterness, "" Rachel is weeping for her sons, "" She has refused to be comforted for her sons, because they are not.”

Young's Literal Translation
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.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thus said Jehovah, A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping of bitterness; Rachel, weeping for her sons, refused to be comforted for her sons, for they are not.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord: A voice was heard on high of lamentation, of mourning, and weeping, of Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted for them, because they are not.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Thus says the Lord: “A voice has been heard on high: of lamentation, mourning, and weeping; of Rachel crying for her sons and refusing to be consoled over them, because they are not.”

New American Bible
Thus says the LORD: In Ramah is heard the sound of sobbing, bitter weeping! Rachel mourns for her children, she refuses to be consoled for her children—they are no more!

New Revised Standard Version
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.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Thus says the LORD: A voice was heard in Ramtha, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel is weeping for her children, and she refuses to be comforted because they are not.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Thus says LORD JEHOVAH: “A voice was heard in Ramtha, mourning, bitter weeping, Rachel weeping over her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they are not”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
Thus saith the LORD: 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.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
A voice was heard in Rama, of lamentation, and of weeping, and wailing; Rachel would not cease weeping for her children, because they are not.

Audio Bible

Context

Mourning Turned to Joy
…14I will fill the souls of the priests abundantly, and will fill My people with My goodness,” declares the LORD. 15This 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.” 16This is what the LORD says: “Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come, declares the LORD. Then your children will return from the land of the enemy.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Matthew 2:17-18
Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: / “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Genesis 37:35
All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

2 Kings 8:12
“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”

Hosea 9:12
Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them!

Lamentations 2:18
The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest.

Lamentations 5:7
Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their punishment.

Isaiah 40:1-2
“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. / “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.”

Isaiah 49:15
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!

Isaiah 51:17-18
Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes men stagger. / Among all the sons she bore, there is no one to guide her; among all the sons she brought up, there is no one to take her hand.

Isaiah 54:1
“Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.

Isaiah 60:20
Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not wane; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your sorrow will cease.

Ezekiel 24:16-23
“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow. / Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.” / So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded. ...

Amos 5:16-17
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail. / There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.

Zechariah 12:10-11
Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. / On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

Revelation 18:11-13
And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— / cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; / of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves.

Treasury of Scripture

Thus said 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.

Ezekiel 2:10
And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Matthew 2:16
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

Ramah.

Jeremiah 40:1
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.

Joshua 18:25
Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

1 Samuel 7:17
And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.

refused.

Genesis 37:35
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

Psalm 77:2
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

Isaiah 22:4
Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

because.

Genesis 42:13,36
And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not…

Job 7:21
And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Psalm 37:36
Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

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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.

Berean Study Bible

This is what the LORD says
This phrase introduces a divine oracle, emphasizing the authority and sovereignty of God. In Hebrew, "LORD" is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, underscoring His faithfulness and unchanging nature. This introduction assures the reader that the message is not from a human perspective but from the divine, eternal perspective of God Himself.

A voice is heard in Ramah
Ramah was a town in the territory of Benjamin, near Jerusalem. Historically, it was a place of gathering and lamentation, especially during the Babylonian exile when captives were assembled before being taken to Babylon. The "voice" symbolizes the collective cry of a people in distress, echoing through history as a reminder of the pain of separation and loss.

mourning and great weeping
The Hebrew words for "mourning" and "weeping" convey deep sorrow and lamentation. This is not a quiet grief but an overwhelming, public expression of anguish. It reflects the profound emotional and spiritual pain experienced by those who have lost their loved ones, particularly in the context of exile and displacement.

Rachel weeping for her children
Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, is a matriarch of Israel. Her weeping is symbolic, representing the collective sorrow of the nation. Rachel's tomb, traditionally located near Bethlehem, adds a geographical and emotional depth to this imagery. Her weeping signifies the loss of the tribes descended from her sons, Joseph and Benjamin, highlighting the personal and national tragedy of exile.

and refusing to be comforted
This phrase indicates the depth of Rachel's grief. The Hebrew root suggests an unwillingness or inability to accept consolation. It reflects a sorrow so profound that it resists all attempts at comfort, emphasizing the severity of the loss and the enduring nature of the pain.

because they are no more
This stark statement underscores the finality and completeness of the loss. The children, representing the people of Israel, are "no more," signifying death, exile, or disappearance. It highlights the devastating impact of the Babylonian conquest and exile, where families were torn apart, and a nation was seemingly lost.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(15) A voice was heard in Ramah.--The sharp contrast between this and the exulting joy of the previous verse shows that we are entering on a new section which repeats in altered form the substance of the foregoing, presenting in succession the same pictures of present woe and future gladness. The prophet sees first the desolation of the captivity. Rachel, as the mother of Joseph, and therefore of Ephraim, becomes the ideal representative of the northern kingdom. Her voice is heard in Ramah (possibly, as in 1Samuel 22:6, Ezekiel 16:24, and in the Vulgate here, not as the name of a locality, but in its general meaning, from a mountain height) weeping for the children who have been slain or carried into exile. When used elsewhere as a proper name, the noun always has the article. Here it stands without it. If Ramah be definitely one of the places of that name, known fully as Ramathaim-zophim (1Samuel 1:1; 1Samuel 1:19), it is probably that within the borders of Benjamin (Joshua 18:25), not far from Rachel's sepulchre (1Samuel 10:2). She, even in her grave, weeps for her children. The mention of Ramah in Isaiah 10:29 seems to indicate that it was the scene of some special massacre in the progress of the Assyrian invader, in the reign of Hezekiah; and Jeremiah may possibly refer to it, as well as to some later atrocity, in connection with that of the Chaldaeans (comp. Jeremiah 40:1), over which Rachel, in her sepulchre near Bethlehem, is supposed to weep. Possibly also the meaning of the name Rachel (= ewe) may have added something to the force of the prophet's description. He hears the cry of the ewe on the hill-top bleating for her lambs. The passage has gained a special significance as being cited by St. Matthew (Matthew 2:18), as fulfilled in Herod's massacre of the infants of Bethlehem. On the nature of this fulfilment see Note on Matthew 2:18. . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 15-22. - From this glorious prospect Jeremiah's eye turns to the melancholy present. The land of Ephraim is orphaned and desolate. The prophet seems to hear Rachel weeping for her banished children, and comforts her with the assurance that they shall yet be restored. For Ephraim has come to repentance, and longs for reconciliation with his God, and God, who has overheard his soliloquy, relents, and comes to meet him with gracious promises. Then another voice is heard summoning Ephraim to prepare for his journey home. This verse is quoted by St. Matthew (Matthew 2:17) with reference to the massacre of the innocents, with τότε ἐπληρώθη prefixed. The latter formula of itself suggests that there was a previous fulfilment of the prophecy, but that the analogy of the circumstances of the innocents justifies - nay, requires - the admission of a second fulfilment. In fact, the promise of the Messianic age seemed in as much danger of being rendered void when Herod wreaked his fury on the children of Bethlehem, as when the tribes of Israel were scattered in exile. Dean Stanley finds a geographical inconsistency in the two passages. "The context of Jeremiah 31:15 implies that the Ramah of the prophet was in the northern kingdom, probably Ramah of Benjamin. The context of Matthew 2:18, on the other hand, implies that the Ramah of the evangelist was within sight of Bethlehem" ('Sinai and Palestine,' p. 225). But this remark involves the assumption that the quotation was not intended merely as an application. Verse 15. - A voice was heard; rather, is heard. It is a participle, indicating the continuance of the action. In Ramah. In the neighbourhood of which town Rachel was buried, according to 1 Samuel 10:2 ("the city" where Samuel and Saul were - 1 Samuel 9:25 - appears to have been Ramah). Rachel weeping for her children. Rachel ("Rahel" is only a Germanizing way of writing the name), being the ancestress of the three tribes, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, is represented as feeling like a mother for all the tribes connected with those three. Her "weeping" is no mere figure of speech. Jeremiah believes that the patriarchs and holy men of old continue to feel an interest in the fortunes of their descendants (comp. Isaiah 63:16).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

This is what
כֹּ֣ה ׀ (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says:
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“A voice
ק֣וֹל (qō·wl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6963: A voice, sound

is heard
נִשְׁמָע֙ (niš·mā‘)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

in Ramah,
בְּרָמָ֤ה (bə·rā·māh)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7414: Ramah -- 'height', the name of several places in Israel

mourning
נְהִי֙ (nə·hî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5092: A wailing, lamentation, mourning song

and great
תַמְרוּרִ֔ים (ṯam·rū·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8563: Bitterness

weeping,
בְּכִ֣י (bə·ḵî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1065: A weeping, a dripping

Rachel
רָחֵ֖ל (rā·ḥêl)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7354: Rachel -- a wife of Jacob

weeping
מְבַכָּ֣ה (mə·ḇak·kāh)
Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan

for
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

her children,
בָּנֶ֑יהָ (bā·ne·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

[and] refusing
מֵאֲנָ֛ה (mê·’ă·nāh)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3985: To refuse

consolation,
לְהִנָּחֵ֥ם (lə·hin·nā·ḥêm)
Preposition-l | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5162: To sigh, breathe strongly, to be sorry, to pity, console, rue, to avenge

because
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they are no more.”
אֵינֶֽנּוּ׃ (’ê·nen·nū)
Adverb | third person masculine singular
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 31:15 Thus says Yahweh: A voice is heard (Jer.)