Jeremiah 20:17

Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb [to be] always great [with me].

Because he slew {H4191} me not from the womb {H7358}; or that my mother {H517} might have been my grave {H6913}, and her womb {H7358} to be always {H5769} great {H2030} with me.

because God did not put me to death in the womb and let my mother become my grave, her womb forever filled with me.

because he did not kill me in the womb so that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb forever enlarged.

because he slew me not from the womb; and so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.

Commentary

Context of Jeremiah 20:17

Jeremiah 20:17 is part of a deeply personal and anguished lament known as one of "Jeremiah's confessions" (Jeremiah 20:7-18). Following his prophetic denunciation of the priest Pashhur and the subsequent beating and imprisonment in stocks (Jeremiah 20:2), the prophet expresses profound despair. He feels betrayed by God, ridiculed by people, and utterly overwhelmed by the burden of his divine commission. This verse specifically highlights the extreme wish for non-existence, a stark cry of sorrow from a prophet who faced relentless opposition for delivering God's unpopular message during a tumultuous period leading up to the Babylonian exile.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Profound Despair and Anguish: The verse expresses an intense, almost unimaginable wish that Jeremiah had never been born or had died at birth. This illustrates the depth of his suffering and the emotional toll of his prophetic calling.
  • The Burden of Prophecy: Jeremiah's life as God's messenger brought him not honor or ease, but constant persecution, ridicule, and profound personal pain. His prophetic ministry was a heavy cross to bear, leading him to question the very purpose of his existence.
  • Human Vulnerability: Even a great prophet, chosen by God before his birth (Jeremiah 1:5), can experience such raw, existential distress. This demonstrates the Bible's honest portrayal of human emotion, even in the face of divine purpose.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew phrasing in this verse conveys an exceptionally strong and vivid wish for death from the womb. The imagery of the "mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me" is a powerful and disturbing metaphor. It signifies a desire for his birth to have been a perpetual burial, preventing his entry into a life filled with such overwhelming sorrow and conflict. There are no complex technical terms here, but the choice of words emphasizes the utter desperation of Jeremiah's soul.

Reflection and Practical Application

Jeremiah's lament in verse 17 provides several profound insights for believers today:

  • Permission to Lament: The Bible does not shy away from raw, honest expressions of pain, even despair. Jeremiah's cry assures us that it is permissible to bring our deepest frustrations and anguish directly to God, even when we question our circumstances or our very existence.
  • Understanding Suffering: This verse reminds us that serving God does not always mean an easy life. Those called to speak truth, especially in difficult times, may face immense opposition and personal cost. It helps us understand the reality of suffering, even for the faithful.
  • God's Steadfastness Amidst Despair: While Jeremiah expresses profound despair, the very act of recording this lament within Scripture testifies to God's enduring presence and willingness to hear our cries. Even when we feel abandoned or wish we had never been born, God remains faithful, and His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). This passage can be a source of comfort for those experiencing similar feelings of being overwhelmed, showing that even biblical heroes wrestled with such thoughts, much like Job in his own profound lament (Job 3:16).
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Cross-References

  • Job 3:10 (5 votes)

    Because it shut not up the doors of my [mother's] womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

  • Job 3:11 (5 votes)

    ¶ Why died I not from the womb? [why] did I [not] give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

  • Job 10:18 (5 votes)

    Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!

  • Job 10:19 (5 votes)

    I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

  • Job 3:16 (3 votes)

    Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants [which] never saw light.

  • Ecclesiastes 6:3 (3 votes)

    If a man beget an hundred [children], and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also [that] he have no burial; I say, [that] an untimely birth [is] better than he.