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Jeremiah 1

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The Prophet and His Ministry's Timeframe 1–3

1
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: ​
2
To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. ​
3
It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. ​

The Call of Jeremiah 4–10

4
Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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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. ​
6
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. ​
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But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. ​
9
Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. ​
10
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. ​

Two Visions of Impending Judgment 11–16

11
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
12
Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. ​
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And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
14
Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. ​
15
For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. ​
16
And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. ​

The Mandate and Promise of Protection 17–19

17
Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. ​
18
For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. ​
19
And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 1

Verse 1

the priests that were in Anathoth — Jeremiah (Yirmeyah, 'Jah will rise') was the son of Hilkiah (Chilqiyah, 'portion of Jah'). Anathoth, in Benjamin, is among the cities given to the priests' families (1 Chr 6:60); its men later 'seek thy life' (Jer 11:21), yet he bought a field there (Jer 32:9).

Verse 2

the thirteenth year of his reign — The 'word' (davar) of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the days of Josiah, son of Amon, whose conspirators the people slew (2 Kgs 21:24). Josiah had begun to purge Judah 'in the twelfth year' (2 Chr 34:3), so the prophet's call falls in the year after that work began.

Verse 3

the carrying away of Jerusalem captive — The verse names Jehoiakim and Zedekiah as the span's markers; Jehoahaz (taken to Egypt, 2 Kgs 23:34) reigned briefly before Jehoiakim, and Jehoiachin briefly between Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. The 'end of the eleventh year' of Zedekiah is the year the city 'was broken up' (Jer 39:2). 'Carrying away' is galah, to go into exile.

Verse 5

I knew thee — Yada, to know, joined with yatsar ('formed', the potter's word) and qadash ('sanctified', set apart). 'Ordained' is nathan, literally 'gave': the LORD gave him as a prophet to the nations. Paul speaks likewise of being 'separated me from my mother's womb' (Gal 1:15; cf. Isa 49:1).

Verse 6

Ah, Lord GOD — Ahah is a cry of distress. 'Child' is na'ar, a boy from infancy to adolescence, also a servant; the verb in 'I cannot speak' is yada, to know, so the sense is that he does not know how to speak. Moses had pleaded 'I am not eloquent' (Ex 4:10), and Solomon, 'I am but a little child' (1 Kgs 3:7).

Verse 8

Be not afraid of their faces — Panim, 'faces', stands for the presence and looks of the hearers; the charge returns in v.17. 'Deliver' is natsal, to snatch away, repeated in v.19 and again in Jer 15:20–21. The promise 'I will be with thee' was given to Joshua also (Josh 1:5).

Verse 9

touched my mouth — The LORD 'put forth' (shalach, sent out) his hand and 'touched' (naga') the mouth that had said 'I cannot speak' (v.6). It echoes the promise of a prophet with God's 'words in his mouth' (Deut 18:18) and answers Isa 51:16, 'I have put my words in thy mouth'.

Verse 10

root out, and to pull down — The verse has six verbs: nathash (pluck up), nathats (tear down), abad (destroy), haras (throw down), then banah (build) and nata (plant). 'Set' is paqad, to appoint over. The pairing returns in Jer 31:28, where the LORD watches to pluck up and 'to build, and to plant'.

Verse 12

Thou hast well seen — The Hebrew plays on sound: 'almond tree' is shaqed (the tree earliest in bloom) and 'hasten' is shaqad, to be alert, to watch. The LORD is wakeful over his word; 'none of my words be prolonged any more' (Ezek 12:28).

Verse 14

Out of the north — Tsaphon, the north, from a root meaning hidden or dark. 'Break forth' is pathach, to open. The same quarter recurs: 'I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction' (Jer 4:6); the LORD names Nebuchadrezzar as the one he will bring (Jer 25:9).

Verse 15

set every one his throne — Kisse, throne. The gate was the place of judgment, so the northern kings sit there as judges, with the LORD as the one who 'will call' them. It was done when the princes of Babylon 'sat in the middle gate' (Jer 39:3); Jer 25:9 calls Nebuchadrezzar 'my servant'.

Verse 16

utter my judgments — Mishpat is a sentence pronounced by a judge, and the charge is stated: they 'have forsaken' (azab) the LORD, 'burned incense' (qatar) to other gods, and worshipped 'the works of their own hands'. The same indictment stands in 2 Kgs 22:17 and Isa 2:8.

Verse 17

gird up thy loins — Azar, to belt; the long robe was tied up for work or running, as Elijah did (1 Kgs 18:46; cf. 1 Pet 1:13). 'Dismayed' and 'confound' are the same verb, chathath: if he breaks down before them, the LORD will break him down before them.

Verse 18

a defenced city, and an iron pillar — Mivtsar is a fortified city, barzel iron, nechosheth copper or bronze (KJV 'brasen'). The four ranks he stands against are kings, princes, priests and people. The figure returns in Jer 15:20, 'a fenced brasen wall', and Jer 6:27.

Verse 19

they shall not prevail — Yakol, to be able; 'fight' is lacham. The closing words repeat v.8, 'I am with thee… to deliver thee'. The fighting came when priests and prophets said, 'This man is worthy to die' (Jer 26:11); the promise is held in Jer 20:11, 'they shall not prevail'.