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Jeremiah 1

God appoints Jeremiah to speak his words of judgment and rebuilding, promising his presence amid fierce opposition.

Jeremiah, a priest from Anathoth, receives YHWH’s word during the reign of Josiah; the opening dates his ministry through Jerusalem’s exile. God appoints him as a prophet to the nations, and Jeremiah objects that he is too young to speak. YHWH commands him to go and promises rescue. Two visions follow: an almond branch and a boiling cauldron. God announces judgment against Judah for worshiping other gods and prepares Jeremiah to face opposition throughout the land.

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1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.
2The LORD’s word came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4Now the LORD’s word came to me, saying,
5“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.”
7But the LORD said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am a child;’ for you must go to whomever I send you, and you must say whatever I command you.
8Don’t be afraid because of them, for I am with you to rescue you,” says the LORD.
9Then the LORD stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. Then the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10Behold, I have today set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
11Moreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
12Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well; for I watch over my word to perform it.”
14Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north, evil will break out on all the inhabitants of the land.
15For behold, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the LORD. “They will come, and they will each set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls all around, and against all the cities of Judah.
16I will utter my judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.
17“You therefore put your belt on your waist, arise, and say to them all that I command you. Don’t be dismayed at them, lest I dismay you before them.
18For behold, I have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.
19They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with you”, says the LORD, “to rescue you.”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Jeremiah 1:5God’s knowledge and appointment precede Jeremiah’s birth, establishing the source and international scope of his prophetic work.
Jeremiah 1:19The closing promise anticipates real conflict while grounding Jeremiah’s survival in YHWH’s presence and rescue.
Jeremiah 1:7God answers Jeremiah’s concern about his youth with a command to go where sent and speak what he commands.
Where this chapter reaches

Exodus shares the pattern of a reluctant speaker whom God sends with a promise of his presence, while Isaiah and Ezekiel also describe God commissioning prophets to speak his words. Galatians shares the theme of being set apart before birth for God’s appointed work.

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After reading the whole chapter

How does God’s response to Jeremiah’s youth shape your understanding of the task he receives?

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What stands out to you about God promising rescue while warning Jeremiah that people will fight him?

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Questions people ask about Jeremiah 1

How old was Jeremiah when God called him?

Jeremiah’s exact age is not given. He describes himself as a child and says he does not know how to speak. The term can refer to a youth or young man. The chapter dates his call to Josiah’s thirteenth year without supplying Jeremiah’s birth date.

What does Jeremiah 1:5 mean?

God tells Jeremiah that he knew him before forming him in the womb and set him apart before birth. The verse explains the origin of Jeremiah’s appointment as a prophet to the nations. Its direct subject is Jeremiah’s particular commission; it does not assign that prophetic office to every reader.

What do the almond branch and boiling cauldron mean in Jeremiah 1?

The almond branch accompanies God’s declaration that he watches over his word to fulfill it; the Hebrew words for almond and watching sound alike. The boiling cauldron signals disaster coming from the north against Judah. God connects that judgment to the people’s abandonment of him and worship of other gods.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).