Why does the Lord ask if Ephraim is his “dear son,” his “darling child”?

The Lord responds to Ephraim’s repentance by asking the question, Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling son? The implied answer is, yes. The Lord is expressing the deep love and affection that he has for the people of the northern tribes. Even though he has spoken words of judgment against them, fulfilled in the Assyrian invasion, he has not forgotten them or abandoned them. The Lord continues, Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him. This anthropomorphism describes how deeply the Lord is moved by his love for his people¹. The word yearns comes from the Hebrew noun rehem, which means womb.  Many commentators see here the Lord’s love for his people being compared to the mother’s love for her child². The prophet Hosea uses similar language (Hosea 11:8–9).  Both women and men can understand these metaphors because of their own experiences within families³.The affection that the Lord expresses here for his people is not just sentiment, but includes a willingness and commitment to act because of his love for them. These words would have been a great encouragement to the people of Judah to repent, especially those who found themselves in exile⁴.