Jeremiah 1:5

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’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. 4The Lord gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” 6“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” 7The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.

Jeremiah 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 71:5O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.
• Isaiah 49:1Listen to me, all you in distant lands! Pay attention, you who are far away! The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.
• Luke 1:76“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
• Galatians 1:15But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him
• Exodus 33:12One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’
• Romans 8:29For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
• 2 Timothy 2:19But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”
• Luke 1:15for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
• Romans 1:1This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.
• Ephesians 1:22God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.
• Ephesians 4:11Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

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

• Children
• Excuses
• God
• Jeremiah
• Minister, Christian
• Predestination
• Prophets
• Sanctification

In the dictionaries

• Belly
• Disquiet
• Mad
• Predestination
• Thitherward
• Foreknow; Foreknowledge
• Inspiration
• Omniscience
• Ordain; Ordination
• Prophecy; Prophets

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