Are you looking for the first chapter of one of the most important books of the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible, the Book of Jeremiah? Today, you will be able to learn all the details of Jeremiah 1, as well as spend some precious time in prayer.
Jeremiah 1 of King James Bible
Jeremiah 1 is a deeply significant for the life of any religious person, especially for us Christians.
This chapter narrates the prophet’s first contact with God and how he is given his mission to spread His Word throughout the world. All Christians have felt God’s call We are always on the lookout for new opportunities to act according to God’s will.
Today’s article from Your Bible Online will give you a complete and detailed overview of Jeremiah 1 of the Bible. We will analyze all its verses and explain their meaning in the clearest possible way, following the same structure as in the other articles you can find on our website.
Jeremiah 1 of the Bible in English and large print
Knowing the text after this hearing, we encourage you to read it slowly so that you can notice all the wonderful details hidden in its lines. The version you will find is Jeremiah 1 King James Version which translates very faithfully the original texts of the Bible.
You can start now to make your own reflections and then complement them with our biblical commentary, so you will have a better experience of the Bible.
Jeremiah’s call and mission
1 – The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.
2 – The word of the LORD which came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3 – It came to him also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 – Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
5 – Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I sanctified you; I gave you as a prophet to the nations.
6 – And I said, “Ah! Ah, Lord Jehovah! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.
7 – And the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for whatsoever I send thee, thou shalt go, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak.
8 – Fear not before them, for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
9 – And the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth, and the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 – Behold, I have this day set you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to destroy, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.
11 – The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, I see a stick of almond tree.
12 – And the LORD said unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I hasten[b] my word to do it.
13 – The word of the LORD came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see? And I said, I see a pot boiling; and the face thereof is toward the north.
14 – The LORD said to me, “Evil will be released from the north upon all the inhabitants of this land.
15 – For, behold, I will call together all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come and pitch every man his camp at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and by all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16 – And because of all their wickedness, I will pronounce my judgments against those who forsake me, and burn incense to strange gods, and worship the work of their hands.
17 – Therefore gird up your loins, arise, and speak to them all that I command you; do not be afraid before them, lest I cause you to be dismayed before them.
18 – For behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a brazen wall against all this land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19 – And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Reflection and meaning of Jeremiah 1
Below you will find the analysis of all the verses of Jeremiah 1 grouped in blocks according to their meaning. Take the opportunity to reflect deeply on the text and dedicate all your learning to the Lord and remember that if you have any doubts or need another point of view, you can comment on the reflections with your loved ones!
Jeremiah 1:1, Jeremiah 1:2 and Jeremiah 1:3
“The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.
The word of the LORD which came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
It came to him also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.“
The first verse of this sacred book, Jeremiah dedicates it to introducing himself, so that posterity will know that it was the great prophet who wrote it. Jeremiah was a common name in the land of Judah, so it is not unusual for the author to add other attributes to his name to differentiate himself from the rest.
In this case, we find information about the religious ancestry of the prophet, since, as we can see, it indicates that he is a descendant of priests.
Once specially placed, Jeremiah gives us indications about the time in which he wrote the book, specifying who was the king of Judah at that time. In addition, he uses these verses to emphasize that he transmits the Word of God and that, therefore, its text must be heard and taken into account by the entire population.
Jeremiah 1:4 and Jeremiah 1:5
“Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I sanctified you; I gave you as a prophet to the nations.“
In these two verses Jeremiah begins the narration of his encounter with God. As we see, the Lord tells him that he has already had been chosen before he was born because God is omnipotent and superior to the passage of time.
The Lord entrusts Jeremiah with the important mission of guiding his guide his people with his teachings, earning him the status of prophet.
Differently, each of us was chosen by the Lord before our birth to hear, understand and spread His Word as well as to live according to it. God loves us and, although we cannot fully correspond to him due to our limitations as humans, we must be happy knowing the mission we have.
Jeremiah 1:6 and Jeremiah 1:7
And I said, “Ah! ah, Lord Jehovah! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.
And the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for whatsoever I send thee, thou shalt go, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak.“
As surely all of us would have reacted, Jeremiah is afraid of not living up to God’s request and sets the example of being a child who is not yet ready for life. Humility should be one of the main values of any human being and Jeremiah is a very good example of this.
Then God gives him all the courage he needs and confirms his mission. The Lord is all-knowing and all his actions have an end. Although it sometimes seems to us that life is always trying to bring us down, we must keep in mind that nothing bad will happen to us if we praise the Lord and act according to his teachings.
Jeremiah 1:8, Jeremiah 1:9 and Jeremiah 1:10
“Fear not before them, for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
And the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth, and the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Behold, I have this day set you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
In these three verses that close the first part of the chapter, Jeremiah’s prophetic status is confirmed. The Lord tells him again that you need not fear anything, for He will protect you.
In addition, Jeremiah comments on a gesture that we also see in Isaiah’s revelation: somehow the Lord touches his mouth to designate him as a prophet.
Finally, God sums up the prophet’s mission in a beautiful metaphor. Jeremiah must stand above kingdoms and nations, because the Word of God transcends all borders of humane. In addition, Jeremiah must generate a change all around him by destroying old beliefs and customs far from God’s way and building a new faith.
The last word of the verse is especially beautiful: God calls the prophets to plant the seed of something very big that will come in the future. That is, Jeremiah’s mission was to make people believe in God and remind them that one day their Messiah would come and they should welcome him with open arms.
Jeremiah 1:11 and Jeremiah 1:12
“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, I see a stick of almond tree.
And the LORD said unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I hasten my word to do it.
After Jeremiah’s first revelation, God contacts him again. These following appearances are intended to give lessons to the prophet so that he can fulfill his mission properly.
In this case, the Lord asks Jeremiah what he sees, to which he replies that he was looking at an almond branch. This episode shows that, in order for Jeremiah to fulfill his mission, he must analyze the problems and see the world with sincere eyes.
His answer was the most correct one. He had to remove all the prejudices and complications from his mind and to see things in their purest in its purest simplicity.
Jeremiah 1:13-16
“The word of the LORD came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see? And I said, I see a pot boiling; and the face thereof is toward the north.
The LORD said to me, “Out of the north evil will be released upon all the inhabitants of this land.
For, behold, I will call together all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come and pitch every man his camp at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and by all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
And because of all their wickedness, I will pronounce my judgments against those who forsake me, and burn incense to strange gods, and worship the work of their hands.“
Some time after that first lesson, the Lord returned to give him a second lesson. Again the Lord asks him what he sees and in the simplicity of a pot, Jeremiah manages to see and prophesy the future invasions of the armies of the north.
Jerusalem and the people of Israel would be punished by the Lord for worshiping deities other than the true God. This vision can be extrapolated to our society, since materialism and idolatry fill people’s minds. There may come a day when this trend will be totally irrational and the freedom of the people people’s freedom.
Jeremiah 1:17, Jeremiah 1:18 and Jeremiah 1:19
“Thou therefore gird up thy loins, arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not afraid before them, lest I cause thee to be broken before them.
For behold, I have this day made thee a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a brazen wall against all this land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.“
Jeremiah 1 ends with a final message from God to the prophet encouraging him again not to be afraid. The Lord tells him that he must be the pillar of faith and as long as he remains steadfast all will be well.
He reminds him that it is a difficult mission because he will encounter many obstacles in society, but that he will accomplish it, since He will support him.
Our lives are sometimes very complicated, and remembering our faith in difficult times is an exercise of will and strength and strength that will help us to get through any situation.
Context of Jeremiah 1
The prophet Jeremiah lived during the Old Testament period, some 600 years before 600 years before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At that time, the kingdoms of Egypt and Babylon were fighting for dominion over the territory of Judah, where the followers of older prophets such as Moses and Isaiah lived. So much so that the belief in the existence of a single omnipotent God, was in the minority before all the polytheistic religions of the time.
During that time of violence, God revealed himself to Jeremiah to lead his people on the way of repentance. The inhabitants had strayed from the path of the Lord. Jeremiah speaks of a future new covenant with God, which would renew the covenant made earlier with Abraham and surely refers to the coming of Jesus.
Thus, Jeremiah’s mission was difficult and on many occasions everything went against him, making him feel frustrated. This is why Jeremiah the prophet is an example for us of how to live our faith.
Prayer with Jeremiah 1
To conclude this article on Jeremiah 1, we leave you with a video that will surely touch the depths of your heart.
Did you like it? We hope so because it has an unmatched intensity.
That’s all for today, we say goodbye, thanking you for reading us and hoping that you have learned and understood everything you need to know about Jeremiah 1.