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.
What does Jeremiah 1:5 mean?
Jeremiah's early call to the work and office of a prophet is stated. He was to be a prophet, not to the Jews only, but to the neighbouring nations.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Jeremiah 1:4-6 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Jeremiah 1:5
Rather, "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 particulars a type of Christ.
Key words
- Before
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Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee,.
- formed
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Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee,.
- belly
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Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee,.
Context in Jeremiah 1
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Jeremiah 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as early prophetic call and warnings. Jeremiah combines fierce warning, autobiographical anguish, symbolic action, the promise of a new covenant, and the trauma of Jerusalem’s fall. Read this chapter with the wider themes of judgment, tears, and new covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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