TheWay BibleHome›Bible›Jeremiah›Jeremiah 1›Jeremiah 1:5
Jeremiah 1:5 KJV
Jeremiah · chapter 1 · verse 5
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.Jeremiah 1:5 · King James Version
What Jeremiah 1:5 means
God tells Jeremiah he knew him before he formed him in the belly and ordained him before he came out of the womb. This is said to a man who has just objected that he's too young for the work. The point isn't Jeremiah's qualifications — the call was there before he existed to have any.
Study note provided by TheWay Bible App, separate from the KJV text. Read the full chapter in context and compare interpretations. Report a correction.
Jeremiah 1:5 in context
3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5Before 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.
6Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Commentary
Cross references
- Psalms 139:16
- Isaiah 49:1
- Galatians 1:15-16
- Psalms 71:5-6
- Romans 8:29
- Isaiah 49:5
- Isaiah 44:2
- 2 Timothy 2:19-21
Key words (Strong's)
- sanctifiedqâdashto be cleanH6942 →
- ordainednâthanto give, used with greatest latitude of applicationH5414 →
- prophetnâbîyʼa prophet or inspired manH5030 →
- Beforeṭeremproperly, non-occurrenceH2962 →
- formedyâtsarto mould into a formH3335 →
- bellybeṭenthe belly, especially the wombH990 →
Topics
Keep reading in TheWay Bible App
Read, study, memorize, journal, and pray — tap any word for its Greek or Hebrew definition, save verses to memorize, and keep a journal. Free on the web and iOS.
Here is, I. Jeremiah's early designation to the work and office of a prophet, which God gives him notice of as a reason for his early application to that business (Jer 1:4, Jer 1:5): The word of the Lord came to him, with a satisfying assurance to himself that it was the word of the Lord and not a delusion;
— Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on verses 4-10