Jeremiah 31:18 Meaning: 'Turn Me, and I Will Be Turned'
“I have surely heard Ephraim grieving thus, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as an untrained calf. Turn me, and I will be turned, for you are Yahweh my God.
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.
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 art Jehovah my God.
I have indeed heard Ephraim bemoaning himself [thus]: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock not trained: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah 31:18 shows Ephraim crying 'Turn me' after discipline, a prayer revealing both human repentance and divine sovereignty in conversion.
Context
Jeremiah 31 sits at the heart of the book's promise of restoration, often called the Book of Consolation. The northern kingdom, called Ephraim after its leading tribe, had been scattered by Assyria decades earlier. In this chapter the prophet hears God's promise that Rachel's weeping will turn to joy, and that children will return to their own land. Then the voice shifts. God says He has heard Ephraim grieving, not just mourning his punishment, but confessing that he was like an animal that fights the yoke. The one who needed discipline now prays for God to finish the work that discipline started.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words carry the weight of this verse. The first is yasar (chastised): to discipline, instruct, and correct. It is the word a parent might use when training a child, not just punishing an offender. Ephraim sees his suffering as teaching, not abandonment. The second key phrase is eget lo lummad (untrained calf). A young bull not yet broken to the yoke is stubborn and unproductive. Ephraim admits he needed the goad. The third word is shuv (turn): to return, to repent. In the prayer it appears twice, first as a command to God ('Turn me') and then as a hopeful cry ('and I will be turned'). The grammar suggests Ephraim knows his best efforts at repentance cannot complete the journey. He is already turning, but he asks the Lord to bring him all the way home.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have seen in this verse the delicate dance of God's work and human response. Reformed teachers like Calvin understood the prayer as evidence that even the desire to turn comes from God, who uses correction as medicine for our spiritual diseases. Wesley and Clarke (Methodist) stressed that Ephraim confesses his own powerlessness: 'I can only will and pray,' Clarke wrote, 'take the matter into your own hand.' Baptist expositor Gill applied the verse to every person coming to faith, while the Cambridge Bible notes that the final verb is not passive in Hebrew but neuter, 'I will turn', suggesting a cooperation between divine grace and human action. All point to the same wonder: real repentance is both our act and God's gift.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to think Ephraim is simply complaining about his punishment. In fact, the verse shows a man who has accepted the discipline as just and necessary. He calls God 'my God' even as he confesses his stubbornness. The prayer 'Turn me' is not a cry of despair but of post-rebellion dependence. He is not resisting the yoke; he is asking God to help him wear it well.
Living This Out
Maybe this week you feel the sting of a correction that landed. A hard conversation. A consequence you wish you could undo. Before you rush to defend yourself, try the prayer Ephraim prayed. Sit with the question: was I stubborn? Then say it out loud: 'Lord, You have disciplined me, and I needed it. Now turn me, so that I may turn.' Let the same mouth that admits the sin also ask for the grace to finish the change. He hears that prayer with pleasure, He has been waiting to hear it.
Main takeaway: Genuine repentance admits both the sin and the inability to fix it, then cries out to the only One who can turn us around.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Ephraim was like a little calf that wouldn't listen. He got in trouble because he was stubborn. But then he said he was sorry and asked God to help him change. God always listens when we ask for help.
For ages 9, 12
Ephraim realized he had been like a calf that refuses the yoke. He was stubborn, needed correction, and it hurt. But instead of just feeling sorry, he prayed a surprising prayer: 'Turn me, so I will be turned.' He knew that even wanting to change wasn't enough on his own. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit you need God to help you turn around.
Questions People Ask
Who is Ephraim in Jeremiah 31?
Ephraim was the leading tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel. In the prophets, Ephraim often stands for the whole ten tribes that were exiled by Assyria. Here, Ephraim represents the people who have experienced God’s discipline and are now coming to repentance.
What does the image of an 'untrained calf' mean?
An untrained calf is a young bullock that has not been broken to the yoke. It is stubborn, unproductive, and needs the goad to learn to work. Ephraim admits that before his chastisement, he was exactly like that, resisting God's direction and needing discipline to turn.
Why does Ephraim pray 'Turn me' if he is already repenting?
This is the heart of the verse. Ephraim shows real repentance by confessing his sin and asking for change. But he knows he cannot complete the turn on his own. The prayer acknowledges that God must work in him for the change to be lasting, it is both a cry of dependence and a confession that even the desire to repent comes from God.
How does this verse connect with Psalm 80:3?
Psalm 80:3 prays, 'Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.' That psalm, written by Asaph, uses the same Hebrew word for 'turn' (shuv) and expresses the same need: only God can restore His people. Both prayers ask God to complete a work that we cannot finish ourselves.
Does this verse mean God predestines every step of our repentance?
Christians have understood this differently across traditions. Some see it as evidence that God must initiate and carry through every step of salvation. Others see it as a picture of cooperative grace: God’s discipline awakens us, we respond with prayer, and He finishes what He began. Both groups agree that true repentance has its source in God’s work and its expression in our willing cry for help.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study