Jeremiah 16:2

KJV

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

KJV (with Strong's)

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

Complete Jewish Bible

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

Berean Standard Bible

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

American Standard Version

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

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Jeremiah 16:2 presents a stark and unusual divine command to the prophet Jeremiah: "Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place." This instruction transforms Jeremiah's personal life into a powerful, living parable, serving as a visible and visceral sign of the impending and severe judgment God was about to unleash upon Judah. His forced celibacy and childlessness were not merely personal restrictions but a prophetic act designed to underscore the complete desolation, disruption of family life, and loss of future that awaited the disobedient nation.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse initiates a significant prophetic sign-act within a broader section (Jeremiah 16:1-9) where God details the severity of the coming judgment. Jeremiah's command to remain unmarried and childless (v. 2) is immediately followed by prohibitions against participating in mourning rituals (vv. 5-7) and celebratory feasts (vv. 8-9). These successive commands collectively paint a grim picture of a society where the fundamental rhythms of life—birth, marriage, death, and community celebration—would be utterly disrupted by divine wrath. The personal desolation of the prophet foreshadows the national desolation, setting the stage for the detailed pronouncements of judgment and exile that dominate much of the book of [Jeremiah](/jeremiah/1 "The Book of Jeremiah").
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Jeremiah prophesied during the tumultuous final decades of the Kingdom of Judah (late 7th to early 6th century BCE), leading up to the Babylonian exile. This was a period marked by pervasive idolatry, social injustice, and a widespread rejection of God's covenant. In ancient Israelite society, marriage and procreation were highly esteemed, viewed as divine blessings and essential for family continuity, tribal inheritance, and the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham regarding numerous descendants (e.g., [Genesis 12:2](/genesis/12-2 "Genesis 12:2 - God's Promise to Abraham")). To be childless was often a source of great sorrow or even perceived as a curse. Therefore, God's command to Jeremiah to forgo marriage and family was profoundly counter-cultural and shocking, designed to grab the attention of a people who had grown deaf to conventional prophetic warnings. The phrase "in this place" emphatically refers to Judah and Jerusalem, highlighting the localized and inescapable nature of the impending catastrophe.
* **Key Themes:** Jeremiah 16:2 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book. Firstly, it embodies **Prophetic Symbolism**, where the prophet's very life becomes a living sermon, a visible sign of God's message. Jeremiah's personal sacrifice mirrored the national tragedy to come. Secondly, it underscores the **Severity of God's Judgment**, demonstrating that God's response to persistent sin would be absolute and would impact the most cherished aspects of human existence—family, community, and future hope. This was not a minor correction but a cataclysmic upheaval. Thirdly, the verse highlights **Divine Sovereignty in Calling**, illustrating that God has the right to make unique and demanding calls on His servants, sometimes requiring profound personal sacrifice for His greater purposes. This echoes other instances where prophets' personal lives were integrated into their prophetic messages, such as [Hosea's symbolic marriage](/hosea/1-2 "Hosea 1:2 - Hosea's Symbolic Marriage") or [Ezekiel's symbolic loss of his wife](/ezekiel/24-16 "Ezekiel 24:16 - Ezekiel's Symbolic Loss").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **take (Hebrew, _lâqach'_):** From H3947, a primitive root meaning "to take (in the widest variety of applications); accept, bring, buy, carry away..." In this context, it signifies the act of taking a wife, implying the initiation of a marital covenant and the subsequent establishment of a family. The prohibition on "taking" a wife is a direct command against forming the foundational unit of society, thereby preventing the natural progression of family life.
* **wife (Hebrew, _ʼishshâh'_):** From H802, the feminine of `ʼîsh` or `ʼenôsh`, meaning "a woman; wife." This term specifically refers to a female spouse, emphasizing the marital relationship that would lead to procreation. The command directly targets the institution of marriage, which was the primary means of having legitimate children and continuing one's lineage in ancient Israel.
* **place (Hebrew, _mâqôwm'_):** From H4725, meaning "properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)." The phrase "in this place" (Hebrew: _ba-maqom ha-zeh_) is crucial. It geographically specifies Judah and Jerusalem as the locus of the impending judgment. Jeremiah's celibacy is not a universal spiritual principle but a specific sign for a specific people in a specific location facing a specific, imminent catastrophe. It underscores that the judgment is localized and inescapable for those within the land.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Thou shalt not take thee a wife":** This is a direct, imperative prohibition from God to Jeremiah. It forbids the prophet from entering into marriage, a foundational institution in Israelite society and a primary means of establishing a family and lineage. This command immediately sets Jeremiah apart, making his personal life a counter-cultural statement and a visible sign.
* **"neither shalt thou have sons or daughters":** This clause extends the prohibition beyond marriage itself to include the outcome of marriage—procreation. It explicitly states that Jeremiah is not to have children. This reinforces the symbolic message: the absence of a future generation for Jeremiah personally mirrors the impending desolation and loss of future for the nation of Judah, where children would suffer and die, and family lines would be severed.
* **"in this place":** This crucial phrase geographically limits the scope of the command and its symbolic meaning. "This place" refers specifically to the land of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, which were the focal points of God's impending judgment through the Babylonian invasion. It emphasizes that the desolation and disruption of normal life, symbolized by Jeremiah's childlessness, were specifically for this land and its inhabitants due to their persistent sin.

#### Literary Devices
Jeremiah 16:2 is rich in **Symbolism**, transforming Jeremiah's personal life into a profound prophetic sign-act. His forced celibacy and childlessness are not merely personal restrictions but a visible, tangible representation of the national desolation and the severing of future generations that will befall Judah. This makes Jeremiah's very existence a **Living Parable**, a non-verbal sermon that would have been deeply unsettling in a culture that highly valued family and progeny. The verse also employs **Foreshadowing**, as Jeremiah's individual experience of a truncated future directly anticipates the collective fate of the nation. The directness of the **Divine Command** ("Thou shalt not...") underscores God's absolute authority and the non-negotiable nature of His judgment, leaving no room for misinterpretation of the severity of the coming wrath.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This divine command to Jeremiah highlights the profound truth that God's message is not merely intellectual but often incarnated in the lives of His messengers. Jeremiah's personal sacrifice of family life served as a stark, unavoidable visual aid to the severity of God's judgment against Judah's persistent idolatry and rebellion. It underscores that sin has real, tangible consequences, not just for individuals but for entire communities, disrupting even the most fundamental and cherished aspects of human existence like family and future generations. The command also reveals God's willingness to use unconventional and personally costly means to communicate His truth, demanding radical obedience from His chosen servants to awaken a complacent people to the gravity of their spiritual condition and the impending divine wrath.

* [Hosea 1:2](/hosea/1-2 "Hosea 1:2 - Hosea's Symbolic Marriage")
* [Ezekiel 24:16](/ezekiel/24-16 "Ezekiel 24:16 - Ezekiel's Symbolic Loss")
* [Isaiah 8:18](/isaiah/8-18 "Isaiah 8:18 - Isaiah and His Children as Signs")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 16:2 stands as a powerful testament to the gravity of God's judgment against sin and the extraordinary demands He sometimes places on His servants for the sake of His kingdom. For contemporary believers, this passage challenges us to consider the depth of our commitment to God's will, even when it calls for personal sacrifice or counter-cultural living. Are we willing to embody God's truth in our lives, allowing our choices and circumstances to serve as a witness to a world desperately in need of divine perspective? It also prompts us to soberly reflect on the consequences of individual and corporate sin, recognizing that God's warnings are not to be taken lightly. Ultimately, it encourages us to live lives of faithful obedience, understanding that our witness, however unconventional, can powerfully communicate God's truth to those around us, urging them towards repentance and reconciliation.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what ways might God be calling me to live a counter-cultural life as a witness to His truth today?**
* **What personal sacrifices might God ask of me for the sake of His kingdom, and how willing am I to obey?**
* **How seriously do I take God's warnings about sin, both in my own life and in the broader society?**

### FAQ
**Why did God command Jeremiah not to marry or have children?**

Answer: God commanded Jeremiah to remain unmarried and childless not as a punishment for Jeremiah personally, but as a prophetic sign-act for the nation of Judah. In a culture where marriage and family were highly valued as blessings and essential for continuity, Jeremiah's celibacy dramatically symbolized the impending desolation and disruption of family life that God would bring upon Judah due to their persistent sin. It was a visible, living parable designed to shock the people into recognizing the severity of the coming judgment, where normal life—including the joy of raising families—would cease "in this place" ([Jeremiah 16:2](/jeremiah/16-2 "Jeremiah 16:2 - Jeremiah's Prophetic Celibacy")).

**Was Jeremiah's celibacy a punishment for him?**

Answer: No, Jeremiah's celibacy was not a punishment for him but a unique and demanding aspect of his prophetic calling. While it undoubtedly involved personal sacrifice and loneliness, it was a divinely appointed role that made his life a powerful, embodied message. God often used the personal lives of His prophets (e.g., [Hosea's marriage](/hosea/1-2 "Hosea 1:2 - Hosea's Symbolic Marriage"), [Ezekiel's loss](/ezekiel/24-16 "Ezekiel 24:16 - Ezekiel's Symbolic Loss")) to communicate His will and the consequences of sin to a rebellious people. Jeremiah's obedience, though costly, was an act of faithfulness to his divine mission.

**What is the significance of "in this place" in Jeremiah 16:2?**

Answer: The phrase "in this place" (Hebrew: _ba-maqom ha-zeh_) is crucial. It specifically refers to the land of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem. This geographical specificity emphasizes that the impending judgment and desolation, symbolized by Jeremiah's childlessness, were not a universal principle but a particular, localized consequence for the people dwelling in that land due to their specific sins. It underscored the inescapable nature of the judgment for those who remained in Judah, highlighting that life as they knew it, including the ability to raise families, would be utterly shattered within their own homeland ([Jeremiah 16:3-4](/jeremiah/16-3 "Jeremiah 16:3-4 - The Fate of Children in Judah")).

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Jeremiah's celibacy was a specific sign of impending judgment for a particular people and place, it finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in several ways. Jesus, though not explicitly commanded to be celibate as a prophetic sign-act in the same manner as Jeremiah, lived a life of singular devotion to His Father's will, which included forgoing marriage and family. His entire life was the ultimate "living parable," embodying God's truth, love, and impending judgment. Jeremiah's personal desolation foreshadowed the ultimate desolation and suffering that Jesus would endure on the cross, where He became the [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), bearing the full weight of God's judgment against humanity's rebellion. Furthermore, the New Covenant, inaugurated by Christ, redefines family not by biological lineage but by spiritual kinship through faith in Him ([Mark 3:35](/mark/3-35 "Mark 3:35 - Jesus' True Family")). The call to costly discipleship in the New Testament often echoes the radical obedience seen in Jeremiah, with Jesus Himself stating that true followers must be willing to [forsake family for His sake and the gospel's](/luke/14-26 "Luke 14:26 - The Cost of Discipleship"). Thus, Jeremiah's life as a sign points forward to Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the Father's will, endured the ultimate judgment, and through His resurrection, offers a new, eternal hope that transcends any earthly desolation, establishing a spiritual family that will never be cut off ([Ephesians 2:19](/ephesians/2-19 "Ephesians 2:19 - Fellow Citizens with the Saints")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI 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!