New English Translation
Jeremiah 20:17
17For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother’s womb my grave forever.
Jeremiah 20:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever.
- English Standard Version (ESV)because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Because he did not kill me from the womb, That my mother might have been my grave, And her womb always enlarged with me.
Context of Jeremiah 20:17
15Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news that a baby boy had been born to him! 16May that man be like the cities that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy. May he hear a cry of distress in the morning and a battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother’s womb my grave forever. 18Why did I ever come forth from my mother’s womb? All I experience is trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame.
Read all of Jeremiah 20Jeremiah 20:17 word by word
אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־מוֹתְתַ֖נִי מֵרָ֑חֶם וַתְּהִי־לִ֤י אִמִּי֙ קִבְרִ֔י וְרַחְמָ֖הֿ הֲרַ֥ת עוֹלָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Jeremiah 20:17
- Job 3:10because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb on me, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes!
- Job 10:18“Why then did you bring me out from the womb? I should have died and no eye would have seen me!
- Ecclesiastes 6:3Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years – even if he lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity – even if he were to live forever – I would say, “A stillborn child is better off than he is!”
Commentaries on Jeremiah 20:17
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7-18Verses 7-18 In the rest of the chapter we have an outbreak of deep emotion, of which the first part ends in a cry of hope Jeremiah 20:13, followed nevertheless by curses upon the day of his birth. Was this the result of feelings wounded by the indignities of a public scourging and a night spent in the stocks? Or was it not the mental agony of knowing that his ministry had (as it seemed) failed? He stands indeed before the multitudes with unbending…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 When grace has the victory, it is good to be ashamed of our folly, to admire the goodness of God, and be warned to guard our spirits another time. See how strong the temptation was, over which the prophet got the victory by Divine assistance! He is angry that his first breath was not his last. While we remember that these wishes are not recorded for us to utter the like, we may learn good lessons from them. See how much those who think they…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18Jeremiah felt his life had no purpose.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1814-18. The contrast between the spirit of this passage and the preceding thanksgiving is to be explained thus: to show how great was the deliverance (Jr 20:13), he subjoins a picture of what his wounded spirit had been previous to his deliverance; I had said in the time of my imprisonment, "Cursed be the day"; my feeling was that of Job (Job 3:3, 10, 11, whose words Jeremiah therefore copies). Though Jeremiah's zeal had been stirred up, not so much for…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 20:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 20
- 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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