Matthew Poole and continuators on Jeremiah 31:16

16 Thus saith the LORD, Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD , and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

The Prophet in this▪ and the following verses is brought in as one appointed of God to quiet and comfort the Rachel before-mentioned, calling to her to quiet her self, and not to mourn so excessively, for God would recompense her for her afflictions which are here understood by the te[illegible: 1 letter]m [illegible: 2 letters]rk, (as some think) but the Heb. word [non-Latin text not transcribed] is hardly f[illegible: 1 letter]und in Scripture taken for affliction, others therefore apply it to Rachel, for whose piety sake God would shew mercy to her Children, as a re[illegible: 1 letter]ward of Grace, though not of Debt, the best interpreters think that the terms of work and reward are here used onely to express the succession of a comfortable state, to their miserable state in Captivity, (as the wages useth to follow the work) which should make them amends for their long time of affliction; and so it is expounded by the last words of the verse.