God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 1:5
5“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Context of Jeremiah 1:5
3The Lord also spoke when Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was king of Judah and during the 11 years that Zedekiah, ⌞another⌟ son of Josiah, was king of Judah. The Lord continued to speak to Jeremiah until the people of Jerusalem were taken away into captivity in the fifth month of the year. 4The Lord spoke his word to me, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” 6I, Jeremiah, said, “Almighty Lord, I do not know how to speak. I am only a boy!” 7But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say that you are only a boy. You will go wherever I send you. You will say whatever I command you to say.
Read all of Jeremiah 1Jeremiah 1:5 word by word
בְּטֶ֨רֶם אֶצָּרְךָ֤ בַבֶּ֙טֶן֙ יְדַעְתִּ֔יךָ וּבְטֶ֛רֶם תֵּצֵ֥א מֵרֶ֖חֶם הִקְדַּשְׁתִּ֑יךָ נָבִ֥יא לַגּוֹיִ֖ם נְתַתִּֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Beforeטֶ֫רֶםţerem · beforeH2962
- I formedיָצַרyâtsar · to form: formedH3335
- thee in the bellyבֶּ֫טֶןbeţen · belly: wombH990
- I knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- thee; and before thou camest forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: produceH3318
- out of the wombרֶ֫חֶםrechem · wombH7358
- I sanctifiedקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: dedicateH6942
- I ordainedנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- thee a prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
- unto the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
Cross-references for Jeremiah 1:5
- Psalms 71:5You are my hope, O Almighty Lord. You have been my confidence ever since I was young.
- Isaiah 49:1Listen to me, you islands. Pay attention, you people far away. Before I was born, the Lord chose me. While I was in my mother’s womb, he recorded my name.
- Luke 1:76“You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way.
- Galatians 1:15But God, who appointed me before I was born and who called me by his kindness, was pleased
- Exodus 33:12Moses said to the Lord, “You’ve been telling me to lead these people, but you haven’t let me know whom you’re sending with me. You’ve also said, ‘I know you by name, and I’m pleased with you.’
- Romans 8:29This is true because he already knew his people and had already appointed them to have the same form as the image of his Son. Therefore, his Son is the firstborn among many children.
- 2 Timothy 2:19In spite of all that, God’s ⌞people⌟ have a solid foundation. These words are engraved on it: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,” and “Whoever worships the Lord must give up doing wrong.”
- Luke 1:15As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
- Romans 1:1From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and appointed to spread the Good News of God.
- Ephesians 1:22God has put everything under the control of Christ. He has made Christ the head of everything for the good of the church.
- Ephesians 4:11He also gave apostles, prophets, missionaries, as well as pastors and teachers as gifts ⌞to his church⌟.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 1:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Before I formed thee - I had destined thee to the prophetic office before thou wert born: I had formed my plan, and appointed thee to be my envoy to his people. St. Paul speaks of his own call to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles in similar terms, Galatians 1:15, Galatians 1:16.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Rather, “Before I formed thee in the belly.” I approved of thee (as one fit for the prophetic office),” and before thou camest forth from the womb” I made thee holy (dedicated thee to holy uses); I have appointed thee (now by this public call to be) “a prophet unto the nations.” Unto the nations - The privileges contained in this verse are so great as in their full sense to be true only of Christ Himself, while to Jeremiah they belong as being in so many…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5In his first message from the Lord, Jeremiah learned three key truths about God: God knows everything, including each person. He can choose people for specific tasks even before they exist. He gives his authority to those he calls. God chose Jeremiah for a special task and made him a prophet. Jeremiah's work reached many nations. Although he left the kingdom of Judah only three times, people worldwide have heard or read his writings (see Jeremiah 13:4–7…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-104-10. Jeremiah's call to the prophetical office. unto me--other manuscripts read "to him"; but English Version probably represents the true Hebrew text; this inscription was doubtless made by Jeremiah himself.Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 1:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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