Jeremiah 20:15

KJV

Cursed [be] the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.

KJV (with Strong's)

Cursed {H779} be the man {H376} who brought tidings {H1319} to my father {H1}, saying {H559}, A man {H2145} child {H1121} is born {H3205} unto thee; making him very {H8055} glad {H8055}.

Complete Jewish Bible

A curse on the man who brought the news to my father, "A son has been born to you!" - thus making him very happy.

Berean Standard Bible

Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy.

American Standard Version

Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man-child is born unto thee; making him very glad.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Jeremiah 20:15 is a raw and deeply poignant expression of the prophet Jeremiah's profound despair, where he curses the messenger who brought news of his birth to his father, effectively wishing he had never been born. This intense lament captures the overwhelming anguish and suffering Jeremiah endured in his prophetic ministry, revealing a soul pushed to the brink by relentless opposition and the heavy burden of delivering God's unwelcome message to a rebellious people.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is a critical component of Jeremiah's "confessions" (Jeremiah 11-20), a series of deeply personal laments where the prophet pours out his heart to God regarding his suffering and the immense personal cost of his prophetic calling. Immediately preceding this lament, Jeremiah had been subjected to public humiliation and physical abuse by Pashhur, a priest and chief officer of the temple, who had him beaten and put in the stocks for prophesying doom upon Jerusalem and Judah ([Jeremiah 20:1-3](/jeremiah/20-1 "Jeremiah 20:1-3 - Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah")). This public disgrace and imprisonment served as the immediate catalyst for Jeremiah's desperate cry, leading him to curse the very day of his birth in the preceding verse ([Jeremiah 20:14](/jeremiah/20-14 "Jeremiah 20:14 - Jeremiah Curses His Birth Day")) and, in this verse, extending that curse to the messenger who brought the initial glad tidings of his arrival.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Jeremiah prophesied during a tumultuous period in Judah's history, spanning the reigns of several kings leading up to the Babylonian exile. His ministry was characterized by delivering unpopular messages of judgment, calling for repentance from idolatry and injustice, and warning of impending destruction. This put him at odds with the religious and political establishment, as well as the general populace, leading to constant opposition, rejection, and persecution. Culturally, the birth of a male child was a cause for immense celebration, seen as a continuation of the family line and a source of strength and honor. The messenger bringing such news would have been highly esteemed, making Jeremiah's curse against him a shocking inversion of societal norms and a testament to the depth of his despair.
* **Key Themes:** Jeremiah 20:15 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Jeremiah and the prophetic literature. It highlights the **Profound Despair and Anguish** experienced by God's faithful servant, demonstrating that even those closest to God can feel overwhelming sorrow and regret, validating the raw reality of human suffering. The verse also underscores the **Burden and Cost of Prophetic Ministry**, revealing the immense personal sacrifice involved in being God's messenger to a resistant people, a life often marked by isolation, rejection, and persecution, making the calling feel like a curse rather than a blessing ([compare Jeremiah 15:10](/jeremiah/15-10 "Jeremiah 15:10 - Jeremiah's Complaint of Strife")). Furthermore, it presents a stark **Irony of Birth**, where the typical joy associated with the arrival of a male child is inverted, transforming what was once a cause for celebration for his father into the very origin of Jeremiah's unbearable pain and suffering.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Cursed (Hebrew, _ʼârar'_):** This primitive root (H779) signifies to execrate or bitterly curse. When Jeremiah uses this term, he is not merely expressing frustration but invoking a profound state of condemnation or separation from blessing upon the messenger. It conveys a desire for the very opposite of what his birth brought him, reflecting an intense, almost desperate, wish for non-existence or undoing.
* **brought tidings (Hebrew, _bâsar'_):** From the primitive root (H1319), this word primarily means "to announce good news" or "to preach." Its typical usage is associated with joy and positive announcements. The ironic deployment of this word in Jeremiah 20:15 highlights the prophet's deep anguish: what was once "good news" (the birth of a son) is now, from his perspective, the source of his profound misery, making the messenger of that good news an object of his curse.
* **glad (Hebrew, _sâmach'_):** This primitive root (H8055) means to brighten up, to be blithe or gleesome, or to make joyful. The phrase "making him very glad" emphasizes the initial, expected joy that accompanied the announcement of Jeremiah's birth to his father. This strong expression of happiness stands in stark contrast to Jeremiah's present state of despair, intensifying the tragic irony and the depth of his lament.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Cursed [be] the man who brought tidings to my father, saying,"**: Jeremiah's imprecation is directed not at his father, nor directly at God, but at the anonymous messenger. This highlights the prophet's deep-seated regret over his very existence, externalizing his pain onto the initial moment of his life's announcement. The use of "cursed" is a powerful expression of his wish that this joyous event had never occurred.
* **"A man child is born unto thee;"**: This clause represents the content of the "glad tidings." The birth of a male child was a significant and celebrated event in ancient Israelite culture, ensuring the continuation of the family line and bringing honor to the father. This statement encapsulates the initial joy and hope associated with Jeremiah's arrival.
* **"making him very glad."**: This final clause emphasizes the father's joyful reaction to the news. The repetition of "glad" (from the root H8055, _sâmach_) underscores the profound happiness that accompanied the birth. This past joy is now bitterly contrasted with Jeremiah's present suffering, making the initial celebration a source of his current lament.

#### Literary Devices
Jeremiah 20:15 is rich in **Irony**, a central literary device here. The very act of "bringing tidings" (בָּשַׂר, _bâsar_), which typically signifies the announcement of good news, is cursed. What was a moment of profound joy for his father—the birth of a male heir—has become, for Jeremiah, the source of unbearable suffering, leading him to wish it had never happened. This inversion of expectation underscores the prophet's deep anguish. The verse also employs **Hyperbole** in the intensity of Jeremiah's curse, expressing an extreme and overwhelming despair that goes beyond conventional lament. While not literal, it vividly conveys the depth of his emotional pain. Furthermore, there is a subtle form of **Metonymy**, where the messenger stands in for the event of his birth itself, allowing Jeremiah to direct his profound sorrow and regret towards the moment his life began.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah's lament in this verse resonates deeply with the broader biblical understanding of human suffering and the cost of faithfulness. It reveals that profound despair is a reality even for God's chosen servants, challenging any simplistic view of faith as a shield against all sorrow. The prophet's anguish echoes the laments found throughout the Psalms and particularly the book of Job, validating the raw, honest expression of pain before God. Theologically, it prompts reflection on the mystery of suffering, especially when it seems to arise from one's divine calling, and how God is present even in the darkest valleys. It reminds us that God's plan often involves hardship, but His faithfulness endures through it.

* [Job 3:3](/job/3-3 "Job 3:3 - Job Curses His Birth Day")
* [Psalm 88:1](/psalms/88-1 "Psalm 88 - A Psalm of Lament and Darkness")
* [Lamentations 3:1](/lamentations/3-1 "Lamentations 3 - Jeremiah's Lament and Hope")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah's raw lament in this verse offers a profound validation of the human experience of despair, even for those deeply committed to God. It reminds us that faith does not exempt us from intense suffering, sorrow, or even regret. Rather, the Bible, through passages like this, gives us permission to bring our most agonizing emotions—our anger, our pain, our profound weariness—honestly before God. For those called to difficult ministries, challenging vocations, or simply enduring prolonged periods of hardship, Jeremiah's experience offers solidarity, affirming that the burden can feel overwhelming. It encourages us to acknowledge the immense personal cost that faithfulness to God's word can entail, and to find solace in the fact that our struggles are seen and understood by a God who allowed His own Son to experience the depths of human suffering. Ultimately, while this verse is a cry of anguish, the broader narrative of Jeremiah's life, and indeed the entire biblical narrative, points to God's enduring faithfulness and ultimate redemption, even in the midst of profound suffering, inviting us to persist in prayer and trust, even when joy seems impossible.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Jeremiah's raw expression of despair challenge or affirm your understanding of faith and suffering?**
* **In what ways might your own calling or commitments feel burdensome or costly at times, similar to Jeremiah's experience?**
* **How can we, like Jeremiah, bring our deepest pains and regrets honestly before God, even when those feelings are uncomfortable or seemingly unspiritual?**
* **What does this verse teach us about the reality of human emotion within the context of divine service?**

### FAQ
**Is it sinful for a prophet like Jeremiah to express such despair and curse his birth?**

Answer: Jeremiah's lament, while extreme, is presented in Scripture not as a sin to be condemned but as a raw, honest outpouring of a human heart under immense pressure. The Bible often portrays the full spectrum of human emotion, even despair and anger, in its most faithful characters (e.g., Job, David in the Psalms). These "confessions" validate the reality of human suffering and demonstrate that God allows His servants to express their deepest pains without condemnation. It's an example of radical honesty before God, rather than a sinful act, though it reflects a moment of profound spiritual and emotional crisis.

**How does Jeremiah's curse of his birth relate to Job's similar lament in the book of Job?**

Answer: Jeremiah's curse of the messenger who brought news of his birth in [Jeremiah 20:15](/jeremiah/20-15 "Jeremiah 20:15 - Jeremiah Curses the Messenger of His Birth") is strikingly similar to Job's lament in [Job 3:3](/job/3-3 "Job 3:3 - Job Curses the Day of His Birth"), where Job curses the day he was born. Both passages express profound despair and a desire for non-existence in the face of overwhelming suffering. They serve as powerful biblical examples that even righteous individuals can experience such depths of anguish. While Job's suffering is personal and seemingly inexplicable, Jeremiah's is directly tied to the burden and rejection of his prophetic ministry. Both figures, however, demonstrate that honest lament, even to the point of cursing one's own existence, is a valid, though painful, part of the human experience of suffering before God.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah's profound lament in [Jeremiah 20:15](/jeremiah/20-15 "Jeremiah 20:15 - Jeremiah Curses the Messenger of His Birth"), where he curses the "glad tidings" of his birth due to the suffering his life entailed, finds a powerful and paradoxical fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Jeremiah cursed the messenger of his birth because his life brought him immense sorrow and persecution, the "glad tidings" (Gospel) of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection ultimately bring true and eternal joy to all who believe. Jesus, the ultimate Prophet, also experienced profound suffering and rejection, far surpassing Jeremiah's. He was truly the "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief" ([Isaiah 53:3](/isaiah/53-3 "Isaiah 53:3 - The Suffering Servant")). His birth, heralded by angels as "good news of great joy for all the people" ([Luke 2:10](/luke/2-10 "Luke 2:10 - The Angel's Announcement of Joy")), paradoxically led Him to the cross, where He bore the ultimate curse of sin ([Galatians 3:13](/galatians/3-13 "Galatians 3:13 - Christ Redeemed Us from the Curse")). Yet, through His willing suffering and death, the curse of sin is broken, and the "glad tidings" of His birth are transformed into the everlasting joy of salvation. Thus, what Jeremiah experienced as an unbearable burden, Christ transformed into the means of ultimate redemption and eternal blessedness for humanity, turning the curse into blessing.

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

Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Genesis 21:5

And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

Genesis 21:6

And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear will laugh with me.

Luke 1:14

And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.