Jeremiah 31:20

Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.

Cross-reference

Jeremiah 31:9 Related theme

Jeremiah 31:9 calls Ephraim God's firstborn, reinforcing the fatherly love for Ephraim as a dear son in Jeremiah 31:20.

Jeremiah 3:19 depicts God as a Father wanting to set Israel among His sons, directly echoing the father-child relationship in Jeremiah 31:20.

In Jeremiah 33:26, God reaffirms His promise to restore and have mercy on Jacob's offspring, directly echoing this verse.

In Jeremiah 9:7, God speaks of refining judgment, contrasting with the merciful restoration promised here.

In Jeremiah 3:12, God calls faithless Israel to return, promising mercy—the same compassionate heart for Ephraim.

Hosea 11:8 Parallel

In Hosea 11:8, God's heart turns within Him over Ephraim — the same internal turmoil and reluctance to destroy as in Jeremiah 31:20.

Hosea 11:9 Parallel

In Hosea 11:9, God decides not to destroy Ephraim because He is God — reinforcing the mercy declared in Jeremiah 31:20.

In Lamentations 3:32, God has compassion after causing grief — mirroring the 'I will surely have mercy' in Jeremiah 31:20.

In Lamentations 3:31, the Lord will not cast off forever — directly echoing the enduring mercy promised to Ephraim in Jeremiah 31:20.

Isaiah 63:15 asks God to show His bowels of mercy — directly mirroring God's declaration of troubled bowels and mercy here.

In Isaiah 57:16-18, God declares He will heal and restore after anger — paralleling the promised mercy for Ephraim in Jeremiah 31:20.

Luke 15:32 Parallel

In Luke 15:32, the father's joy over the prodigal's return mirrors God's merciful compassion for Ephraim — both show a parent's heart restored.

Psalm 103:13 explicitly says God has fatherly compassion, matching the heart yearning and mercy for Ephraim in Jeremiah 31:20.

In Judges 10:16, God's soul is grieved for Israel's misery — the same emotional response as 'bowels are troubled' in Jeremiah 31:20.

In Deuteronomy 32:36, God repents and has compassion when Israel's strength is gone — echoing the same divine mercy as in Jeremiah 31:20.

Luke 15:20 Typology

Luke 15:20 the father sees his son and has compassion, running to embrace him — directly mirrors God's 'bowels troubled' here, a strong typological parallel.

Malachi 3:17 compares God sparing his people to a man sparing his own son — echoing the father-son compassion for Ephraim in this verse.

Colossians 3:12 uses 'bowels of mercies' — the same Hebrew idiom for deep compassion found in Jeremiah 31:20 'my bowels are troubled'.

Zechariah 10:6 promises mercy and restoration to the house of Joseph (Ephraim's father) — directly continuing the theme of God's compassion for the northern tribes.

Philemon 1:12 calls Onesimus 'my own bowels' — mirroring God's 'bowels are troubled' for Ephraim in Jeremiah 31:20.

Hosea 3:1 Parallel

Hosea 3:1 commands loving an adulteress as God loves Israel despite unfaithfulness — directly parallel to God's troubled mercy for Ephraim here.

Ezekiel 18:23 declares God takes no pleasure in death but in repentance, mirroring this verse's compassion for wayward Ephraim — both show God's merciful will.

In Lamentations 1:20, the same phrase 'my bowels are troubled' voices human anguish, while here God's bowels yearn for Ephraim; a verbal echo across contexts.

In Isaiah 49:15, God compares His faithfulness to a nursing mother's compassion, reinforcing divine remembrance and mercy.

Proverbs 3:12 speaks of God reproving those He loves as a father—a different fatherly aspect than the mercy in Jeremiah 31:20, but still parallel.

Philippians 1:8 describes Christ's deep longing using 'bowels' — echoing God's yearning for Ephraim here.

In 1 Kings 3:26, the mother's bowels yearn for her son — a human parallel to God's 'bowels are troubled' for Ephraim in Jeremiah 31:20.

In Genesis 43:30, Joseph's bowels yearn for his brother — using the same phrase to depict deep compassion, paralleling God's troubled bowels for Ephraim.