Jeremiah 16:2

Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.

Thou shalt not take {H3947} thee a wife {H802}, neither shalt thou have sons {H1121} or daughters {H1323} in this place {H4725}.

"You are not to marry or have sons and daughters in this place.

“You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place.”

Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters, in this place.

Commentary

Jeremiah 16:2 (KJV) delivers a profoundly somber and unusual command from God to the prophet Jeremiah: "Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place." This verse introduces a powerful symbolic act that underscores the severity of God's impending judgment upon Judah.

Context of Jeremiah 16:2

This divine instruction is given during a critical period in Judah's history, just before the Babylonian exile. The nation had persistently rebelled against God, engaging in idolatry and moral corruption, despite repeated warnings from prophets like Jeremiah. Marriage and procreation were highly esteemed in ancient Israel, considered divine blessings and essential for continuing a family lineage and the community. Therefore, God's command for Jeremiah to remain unmarried and childless was a stark and visible sign, designed to shock and awaken the people to the gravity of their situation. The phrase "in this place" (Hebrew: ba-makom ha-zeh) emphatically points to Judah and Jerusalem, highlighting the localized nature of the coming devastation and the specific focus of God's judgment.

Key Themes and Messages

  • A Prophetic Sign of Desolation: Jeremiah's celibacy was not a personal preference but a direct command from God, making his life a living parable. His inability to raise a family symbolized the coming destruction where families would be torn apart and children would face immense suffering and death, as described in the subsequent verses of Jeremiah 16.
  • Severity of God's Judgment: The command underscores the extreme nature of the divine judgment awaiting Judah. It conveyed that life as they knew it, including the fundamental joys of family, would be shattered. This was not a temporary setback but a cataclysmic event due to their persistent sin.
  • God's Sovereignty in Calling: This verse highlights God's unique and sometimes demanding calls on His servants. Just as Jeremiah was called and set apart from birth, his personal life became an integral part of his prophetic ministry. Other prophets, like Hosea with his symbolic marriage or Ezekiel with the sudden death of his wife, also had their lives serve as messages.
  • Loss of Future and Hope: The inability to have children in "this place" conveyed a message of lost hope for the current generation in Judah, signaling that their future within that land was bleak due to their persistent disobedience.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 16:2 serves as a powerful reminder of several timeless truths. Firstly, it illustrates that God's judgments are real and can have profound, far-reaching consequences, even impacting the most cherished aspects of human life like family. Secondly, it shows that God may call individuals to unconventional paths or sacrifices for His greater purposes, using their very lives as a testimony to His message. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of heeding divine warnings and understanding the gravity of national and individual sin. For believers today, it encourages introspection on how our lives might serve as a witness to God's truth, even in difficult circumstances, and to understand the seriousness of the wages of sin.

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Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 1 Corinthians 7:26

    I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, [I say], that [it is] good for a man so to be.

  • 1 Corinthians 7:27

    Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

  • Luke 21:23

    But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

  • Genesis 19:14

    And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

  • Luke 23:29

    For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed [are] the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

  • Matthew 24:19

    And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
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