God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 1:6
6I, Jeremiah, said, “Almighty Lord, I do not know how to speak. I am only a boy!”
Jeremiah 1:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
- New International Version (NIV)“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
Context of Jeremiah 1:6
4The Lord spoke his word to me, 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.” I, 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. 8Don’t be afraid of people. I am with you, and I will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
Read all of Jeremiah 1Jeremiah 1:6 word by word
וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲהָהּ֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֔ה הִנֵּ֥ה לֹא־יָדַ֖עְתִּי דַּבֵּ֑ר כִּי־נַ֖עַר אָנֹֽכִי׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Jeremiah 1:6
- Jeremiah 4:10I said, “Almighty Lord, you certainly have deceived these people and Jerusalem. You said that everything would go well for them, but a sword is held at their throats.”
- Jeremiah 14:13Then I said, “Almighty Lord, prophets are saying to them, ‘You won’t see wars or famines, because I, the Lord, will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
- Jeremiah 32:17‘Almighty Lord, you made heaven and earth by your great strength and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
- Ezekiel 4:10The food that you eat should be weighed. Eat eight ounces of food every day at set times.
- Ezekiel 6:12Plagues will kill those who are far away. Those who are near will die in wars, and anyone who is left and has escaped will die in famines. This is how I will unleash my anger.
- Isaiah 6:5So I said, “Oh, no! I’m doomed. Every word that passes through my lips is sinful. I live among people with sinful lips. I have seen the king, the Lord of Armies!”
- 1 Kings 3:7“Lord my God, although I’m young and inexperienced, you’ve made me king in place of my father David.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 1:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6I cannot speak - Being very young, and wholly inexperienced, I am utterly incapable of conceiving aright, or of clothing these Divine subjects in suitable language. Those who are really called of God to the sacred ministry are such as have been brought to a deep acquaintance with themselves, feel their own ignorance, and know their own weakness. They know also the awful responsibility that attaches to the work; and nothing but the authority of God can…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6There is no resistance on Jeremiah‘s part, but he shrinks back alarmed. I cannot speak - i. e., “I cannot prophesy,” I have not those powers of oratory necessary for success. The prophets of Israel were the national preachers in religious matters, and their orators in political. I am a child - This implies nothing very definite about Jeremiah‘s age. Still the long duration of his prophetic mission makes it probable that he was very young when called to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6Jeremiah was young (probably a teenager).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 1:6
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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