Rachel weeping for her children
The Old Testament
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.”
Jeremiah 31:15
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In the New Testament
Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled.
Matthew 2:17
BSB
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In Ramah a lament is heard: Rachel weeps for her children and refuses to be comforted, because they are no more.
Originally this is about the exile to Babylon; Ramah was the gathering point for the exiles (Jeremiah 40:1), and Rachel, the matriarch, is buried near Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19). Matthew sees the old grief flare up again around Bethlehem. Notice: in Jeremiah a promise of hope follows immediately (Jeremiah 31:16-17), and the 'new covenant' is in the same chapter.