Connection
Rachel weeping for her children
Jeremiah pictured Rachel weeping as her children were carried into exile. Matthew heard her voice again in Bethlehem when Herod killed the boys, and Jeremiah's next words promise that the children will return.
Direct quotationHigh confidence
A New Testament passage quotes an earlier passage.
Direct quotation
New TestamentMatthew 2:18Open this recordRead the earlier witness
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.” Read the later witness
“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.” Why FaithGraph draws this line
Matthew 2:18 quotes Jeremiah 31:15.
Matthew quotes Jeremiah's picture of Rachel weeping for her children to describe the grief of Bethlehem after Herod's killing of the boys.
Evidence
Other responsible views
- Jeremiah's context is the exile. In Jeremiah the weeping is for the exiles led away from Ramah, and the chapter goes on to promise their return. Matthew's use evokes both the grief and the hope of that chapter.
The explanation above is FaithGraph editorial content, not Scripture.