King James Version
Jeremiah 1
19 verses with commentary
The Call of Jeremiah
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
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KJV Study Commentary
This opening verse introduces Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, identifying him as part of the priestly line from Anathoth in Benjamin's territory. The phrase 'the words of Jeremiah' (divre Yirmeyahu, דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ) frames the entire book as prophetic utterance—not merely human opinion but divinely inspired revelation. Jeremiah's name means 'Yahweh exalts' or 'Yahweh throws/establishes,' foreshadowi...
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I.
(1-3) The first three verses contain the title prefixed to the collection of prophecies by some later editor. This title would seem, from its unusual fulness, to have received one or more additions—Jeremiah 1:1 giving the general title, Jeremiah 1:2 the commencement of Jeremiah’s prophetic work, Jeremiah 1:3 the period of his chief activity and its conclusion. Strictly speaking, indeed, we see ...
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21. Rather, "Who make a man guilty in his cause" [Gesenius], that is, unjustly condemn him. "A man" is in the Hebrew a poor man, upon whom such unjust condemnations might be practiced with more impunity than on the rich; compare Is 29:19, "the meek ... the poor."
**him that reproveth--**rather, "pleadeth"; one who has a suit at issue.
**gate--**the place of concourse in a city, where courts of...
Read full commentary →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.
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This verse establishes the chronological framework for Jeremiah's call, dating it to King Josiah's thirteenth year (approximately 627 BC). The phrase 'the word of the LORD came unto him' (hayah debar-YHWH elav, הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלָיו) is the classic formula for prophetic revelation throughout Scripture, emphasizing divine initiative—God spoke to Jeremiah, not vice versa. The verb 'came' (hayah,...
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(2) **In the thirteenth year of his reign.**—If we take the *data *of 2 Kings 22, Josiah was at that time in his twentieth or twenty-first year, having grown up under the training of Hilkiah. His active work of reformation began five years later. The images of Baal and Asherah (the groves) were thrown down, and the high places desecrated. The near coincidence of the commencement of Jeremiah’s work...
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22. Join "saith ... concerning the house of Jacob."
**redeemed--**out of Ur, a land of idolaters (Jos 24:3).
**not now--**After the moral revolution described (Is 29:17), the children of Jacob shall no longer give cause to their forefathers to blush for them.
**wax pale--**with shame and disappointment at the wicked degeneracy of his posterity, and fear as to their punishment.
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.
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This verse extends Jeremiah's ministry timeline through multiple kings: Josiah, Jehoiakim, and ending in Zedekiah's eleventh year when Jerusalem fell to Babylon (586 BC). The phrase 'unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah' marks the terminus of Jeremiah's prophetic career in Judah—forty-one years of largely rejected ministry witnessing national collapse. The expression 'unto the carrying aw...
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(3) **It came also . . .**—The short reigns of Jehoahaz (three months) and Jehoiachin or Jeconiah (three months also) are passed over, and mention made of the more conspicuous reigns of Jehoiakim (eleven years) and Zedekiah (also eleven). Assuming Jeremiah to have been about twenty when the prophetic call came to him, he was sixty or sixty-one at the time of the captivity.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. But--**rather, "For."
**he--**Jacob.
**work of mine hands--**spiritually, as well as physically (Is 19:25; 60:21; Ep 2:10). By Jehovah's agency Israel shall be cleansed of its corruptions, and shall consist wholly of pious men (Is 54:13, 14; 2:1; 60:21).
**midst of him--**that is, his land. Or else "His children" are the Gentiles adopted among the Israelites, his lineal descendants (Ro...
Read full commentary →Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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This verse begins the account of Jeremiah's prophetic call with the familiar formula 'Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying.' The divine communication is specific, personal, and initiating—God addresses Jeremiah directly before any human commissioning or priestly ordination. This pattern appears throughout Scripture: God calls individuals sovereignly (Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul), often ...
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(4) **The word of the Lord came unto me.**—The words imply obviously a revelation, the introduction of a new element into the human consciousness. In many cases such a revelation implied also the spiritual tension of an ecstatic or trance-like state, a dream, or an open vision. It almost presupposed a previous training, outward or inward, a mind vexed by hot thoughts and mourning over the sins of ...
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**24. They ... that erred--**(Is 28:7).
**learn doctrine--**rather, "shall receive discipline" or "instruction." "Murmuring" was the characteristic of Israel's rebellion against God (Ex 16:8; Psa 106:25). This shall be so no more. Chastisements, and, in Horsley's view, the piety of the Gentiles provoking the Jews to holy jealousy (Ro 11:11, 14), shall then produce the desired effect.
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. ordained: Heb. gave
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse contains one of Scripture's most profound statements about divine sovereignty and human identity: 'Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.' The Hebrew verb 'knew' (yada, יָדַע) carries covenantal intimacy—not mere intellectual awareness but personal, relational knowledge implying choice and commitment. God's knowledg...
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(5) **I knew thee.**—With the force which the word often has in Hebrew, as implying. not foreknowledge only, but choice and approval (Psalm 1:6; Psalm 37:18, Amos 3:2).
**I sanctified thee.**—*i.e., consecrated thee, set thee apart as hallowed for this special use.*
**Ordained.**—Better, *I have appointed, *without the conjunction, this verb referring **to **the manifestation in time of the eterna...
Read full commentary →Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
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Jeremiah's response—'Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child'—reveals genuine humility and human inadequacy in face of divine calling. The exclamation 'Ah, Lord GOD!' (ahah, Adonai YHWH, אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִֹה) expresses dismay, overwhelm, or protest—not defiance but honest recognition of the calling's magnitude. His objection 'I cannot speak' uses the verb yada (יָדַע, 'know') in i...
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(6) **Ah, Lord God!**—Better, *Alas, O Lord Jehovah! *as answering to the Hebrew Adonai Jehovah.
**I cannot speak.**—In the same sense as the “I am not eloquent” of Moses (Exodus 4:10), literally, “a man of words,” *i.e., *have no gifts of utterance.
**I am a child.**—Later Jewish writers fix the age of fourteen as that up to which the term rendered “child” might be used. With Jeremiah it was prob...
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CHAPTER 30 Is 30:1-32. The Thirtieth Through Thirty-second Chapters Refer Probably to the Summer of 714 B.C., AS THE Twenty-ninth Chapter to the Passover of That Year.
Jewish ambassadors were now on their way to Egypt to seek aid against Assyria (Is 30:2-6, 15; 31:1). Isaiah denounces this reliance on Egypt rather than on Jehovah. God had prohibited such alliances with heathen nations, and it wa...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's response to Jeremiah's objection is direct and authoritative: 'Say not, I am a child.' The Hebrew construction is emphatic—an absolute prohibition against the self-disqualifying excuse. God doesn't validate Jeremiah's felt inadequacy or suggest he gain more experience first; He simply forbids the objection. The command that follows establishes the principle of prophetic ministry: 'for thou s...
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(7) **The Lord said unto me.**—The misgiving, which was not reluctance, is met by words of encouragement. God gave the work; He would also give the power.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. walk--**are now setting out, namely, their ambassadors (Is 30:4).
**Egypt--**See on Is 19:1; Is 20:1.
**Pharaoh--**the generic name of the kings of Egypt, as Cæsar was at Rome. The word in Egyptian means "king" [Josephus, Antiquities, 8.6,2]. Phra, "the sun," was the hieroglyphic symbol and title of the king.
**shadow--**image from shelter against heat: protection (Psa 121:5, 6).
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's reassurance 'Be not afraid of their faces' addresses the prophet's real concern—not lack of eloquence but fear of human opposition. The Hebrew phrase 'be not afraid' (al-tira, אַל־תִּירָא) is emphatic prohibition—a command, not suggestion. 'Their faces' (mippeneihem, מִפְּנֵיהֶם) refers to hostile expressions, threatening presence, or intimidating authority—the human opposition Jeremiah woul...
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(8) **Be not afraid.**—The words imply, as in those spoken to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:6), to St. Peter (Luke 5:10), and St. Paul (Acts 18:9), the fear that sprang from the sense of personal weakness and unfitness to cope with the dangers to which his work exposed him. The “faces” of his adversaries would be a source of terror to him. The consciousness that Jehovah was with him was to raise him from tha...
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**3. shame--**disappointment. Egypt, weakened by its internal dissensions, can give no solid help.
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse describes a dramatic symbolic act: '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.' The physical touch—God extending His hand and touching Jeremiah's mouth—signifies divine empowerment for prophetic speech. This gesture recalls Isaiah's cleansing (Isaiah 6:6-7, where a seraph touched his lips with a coal) and ...
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(9) **The Lord put forth his hand . . .**—The symbolic act seems to imply something like a waking vision, like that of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:6), and the act itself reminds us of the “live coal” laid upon the prophet’s mouth, as there recorded. The “hand of the Lord,” as in Ezekiel 3:14; Ezekiel 8:1., and elsewhere, was the received symbol of the special influence of the Spirit of the Lord; and here, as...
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**4. his--**Judah's (compare Is 9:21).
**at Zoan--**are already arrived there on their errand to Pharaoh (see Is 19:11).
**came to Hanes--**are come there. West of the Nile, in central Egypt: Egyptian Hnes; the Greek Heracleopolis: perhaps the Anysis of Herodotus (2.137); according to Grotius, Tahpanhes contracted (Jr 43:7-9); the seat of a reigning prince at the time, as was Zoan, hence the J...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse defines Jeremiah's prophetic commission with comprehensive scope: 'See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms.' The verb 'set' (paqad, פָּקַד) means appointed, installed, or given authority over—Jeremiah receives divine authorization to speak to nations and kingdoms, not merely religious matters. God's authority over all nations (not just Israel) is exercised t...
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(10) **I have this day set thee . . .**—With the gift, and therefore the consciousness, of a new power, there comes what would at first have been too much for the mortal vessel of the truth to bear—a prospective view of the greatness of the work before him. He is at once set (literally, made the “deputy,” or representative, of God, as in Judges 9:28 and 2Chronicles 24:11, the “officer,” or in Jere...
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5. (Jr 2:36.)
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
God initiates Jeremiah's prophetic training with a question: 'Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou?' This pedagogical method—asking what the prophet sees—engages Jeremiah's observation and interpretation, training him to perceive spiritual significance in ordinary objects. His response 'I see a rod of an almond tree' (maqqel shaqed, מַקֵּל שָׁקֵד) describes...
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(11) **The word of the Lord . . .**—As before, we have the element of ecstasy and vision, symbols not selected by the prophet, and yet, we may believe, adapted to his previous training, and to the bent and, as it were, genius of his character.
The poetry of the symbols is of exquisite beauty. In contrast to the words of terror, in harmony with the words of hope, he sees the almond-bough, with its ...
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**6. burden--**the prophecy as to, &c. [Maurer]; so the Septuagint, the fresh inscription here marks emphatically the prediction that follows. Or, rather, Isaiah sees in vision, the ambassador's beasts burdened with rich presents travelling southwards (namely, to Egypt, Da 11:5, 6), and exclaims, Oh, the burden of treasure on the beasts! &c. (Ho 8:9; 12:1).
**land of trouble--**the deser...
Read full commentary →Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's response provides the interpretation: 'Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.' The commendation 'Thou hast well seen' (hetavta lir'ot, הֵיטַבְתָּ לִרְאוֹת) acknowledges Jeremiah's correct observation. But God reveals the deeper significance through wordplay: 'I will hasten' (shoqed, שֹׁקֵד, participle of shaqad, שָׁקַד) echoes 'almond' (shaq...
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(12) **I will hasten.**—The Hebrew, by using a participle formed from the same root (*shôkêd*)*, ***presents a play upon** the name of the “almond,” as the *watcher, *which it is impossible to reproduce; literally, *I, too, am watching over my word to perform it.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. "Egypt is vanity, and to no purpose will they help" [G. V. Smith].
**strength--**Hebrew, Rabah, a designation for Egypt (Is 51:9; Psa 87:4), implying her haughty fierceness; translate, "Therefore I call her Arrogance that sitteth still." She who boasted of the help she would give, when it came to the test, sat still (Is 36:6). English Version agrees with Is 30:15; Is 7:4.
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. toward: Heb. from the face of the north
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KJV Study Commentary
God presents a second vision to Jeremiah: 'And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou?' The repetition of this pedagogical question reinforces the teaching method—training prophetic perception through observation and interpretation. Jeremiah responds: 'And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.' The Hebrew 'seething pot' (sir nap...
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(13) **A seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.**—More correctly, *from the north. *The next symbol was one that set forth the darker side of the prophet’s work: a large cauldron (probably of metal) placed (as in Ezekiel’s vision, Ezekiel 24:3-11) on a great pile of burning wood, boiling and steaming, with its face turned *from the north, *and so on the point of emptying out its s...
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**8. table--**a tablet (Ha 2:2), which should be set in public, containing the prophecy in a briefer form, to be read by all.
**a book--**namely, a parchment roll, containing the prophecy in full, for the use of distant posterity. Its truth will be seen hereafter when the event has come to pass. See on Is 8:1; Is 8:16.
**for ever and ever--**rather read, "For a testimony for ever" [Chaldee, Je...
Read full commentary →Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. shall: Heb. shall be opened
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God interprets the vision: 'Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.' The phrase 'out of the north' (mitsaphon, מִצָּפוֹן) confirms the directional significance—judgment comes from the northern route. The word 'evil' (ra'ah, רָעָה) means calamity, disaster, or adversity—not moral evil but catastrophic judgment. The verb 'break for...
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(14) **Out of the north an evil.**—Literally, *the evil, *long foretold, as in Micah 3:12, and elsewhere, and long expected.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. lying--**unfaithful to Jehovah, whose covenant they had taken on them as His adopted children (Is 59:13; Pr 30:9).
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
God specifies His action in releasing judgment: 'For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come.' The phrase 'I will call' (qore ani, קֹרֵא אֲנִי) reveals divine sovereignty—God summons these nations as His instruments. The 'families of the kingdoms of the north' refers to Babylonian empire and its vassal states—a multi-national coalition un...
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(15) **I will call.**—Literally, *I am calling. *The evil is not merely future, but is actually begun.
**All the families of the kingdoms of the north.—**In the Hebrew the words are in apposition, *all the families, even the kingdoms of the north. *The words point chiefly to the Chaldæans and other inhabitants of Babylonia, but may probably include also the Scythians, who about this time spread li...
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10. (Mi 2:6, 11; 3:5).
**See not--**as you now do, foretelling misfortune.
**Prophesy not ... right things--**Not that they avowedly requested this, but their conduct virtually expressed it. No man, professedly, wished to be deceived; but many seek a kind of teaching which is deceit; and which, if they would examine, they might know to be such (1Ki 22:13). The Jews desired success to be foreto...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse explains the reason for judgment: '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 phrase 'I will utter my judgments' (debavarti mishpatai, דִּבַּרְתִּי מִשְׁפָּטַי) means 'I will speak my verdicts/sentences'—formal judicial pronouncement. The charge...
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(16) **I will utter my judgments against them.**—Here, again, we get a literal correspondence in the words of Jeremiah 39:5, “he gave [or uttered] judgment upon him,” of Nebuchadnezzar’s sentence on Zedekiah. And yet the invaders in their sentence are to be but the ministers of a higher judgment than their own. In the words *“my *judgments” He recognises their work.
**Who have forsaken.**—The rema...
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11. Depart from the true "way" (so in Ac 19:9, 23) of religion.
**cause ... to cease--**Let us hear no more of His name. God's holiness is what troubles sinners most.
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. confound: or, break to pieces
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KJV Study Commentary
God returns to addressing Jeremiah personally, providing encouragement before opposition: 'Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee.' The command 'gird up thy loins' (ata motnekha, אַתָּה מָתְנֶיךָ) is a Hebrew idiom meaning to tuck long robes into a belt for action—preparing for activity, battle, or journey. It signifies readiness, determination, an...
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(17) **Gird up thy loins.**—Be as the messenger who prepares to be swift on his errand, and to go whithersoever he is sent (1Kings 18:46; 2Kings 4:29; 2Kings 9:1). The vivid image of intense activity re-appears in the New Testament (Luke 12:35; 1Peter 1:13), and has become proverbial in the speech of Christendom.
**Be not dismayed.**—The repeated calls to courage appear to indicate—like St. Paul’s...
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**12. Holy One--**Isaiah so little yields to their wicked prejudices that he repeats the very name and truth which they disliked.
**this word--**Isaiah's exhortation to reliance on Jehovah.
**oppression--**whereby they levied the treasures to be sent to conciliate Egypt (Is 30:6).
**perverseness--**in relying on Egypt, rather than on Jehovah.
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
God promises to fortify Jeremiah against opposition: 'For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land.' This threefold metaphor emphasizes comprehensive protection and strength. 'A defenced city' (le'ir mivtsar, לְעִיר מִבְצָר) refers to a fortified city with strong walls—able to withstand siege. 'An iron pillar' (amud barzel, עַמ...
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(18) **I have made thee . . . a defenced city . . .—**Images of strength are heaped one upon another. The prophet is represented as attacked by kings, princes, priests, and people, as the cities of Judah are by the invading armies. But the issue is different. They fall: he will hold out. The iron pillar is that which, rising in the centre of an Eastern house or temple (as, *e.g., *in Judges 16:25;...
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13. Image from a curve swelling out in a wall (Psa 62:3); when the former gives way, it causes the downfall of the whole wall; so their policy as to Egypt.
And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
The chapter concludes with God's summary promise: 'And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.' This verse contains both warning and assurance. The warning: 'they shall fight against thee' (nilchamu elekha, נִלְחֲמוּ אֵלֶיךָ)—using military language for spiritual/verbal battle—acknowledges that conflict is inevita...
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(19) **I am with thee.**—That thought was in itself enough. The presence, and therefore the protection, of the All-wise and the Almighty was the one condition of safety. Even in its lower sense, “Immanuel,” God with us (Isaiah 7:14), was the watchword of every true combatant in God’s great army.
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**14. he--**the enemy; or rather, God (Psa 2:9; Jr 19:11).
**It--**the Jewish state.
**potter's vessel--**earthen and fragile.
**sherd--**a fragment of the vessel large enough to take up a live coal, &c.
**pit--**cistern or pool. The swell of the wall is at first imperceptible and gradual, but at last it comes to the crisis; so the decay of the Jewish state.