Verse
Jeremiah 1:5 — Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest…
“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.”
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Read it in context
The verses around Jeremiah 1:5.
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.
Verse explanation
Even before he was born, Jeremiah was already chosen to be a prophet - the point is not blind fate, but a mission that comes before any personal choice of his own. That explains why he tries to refuse right afterward, claiming to be a child: he feels the weight of a task he never asked for.
From the Jeremiah 1 study in Bible in Stories.
Jeremiah 1:5 in other versions
The same verse in the 4 Bible versions we have on the site.
- KJV · King James
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.
Read the chapter in this version → - ARC · Almeida 1911Português
Antes que te formasse no ventre, te conheci, e antes que saisses da madre, te sanctifiquei; ás nações te dei por propheta.
Read the chapter in this version → - BLIVRE · Bíblia LivrePortuguês
Antes que te formasse no ventre eu te conheci, e antes que saísses do útero eu te santifiquei, te dei por profeta às nações.
Read the chapter in this version → - VBL · Versión Biblia LibreEspañol
Yo sabía exactamente quién serías antes de crearte en el vientre de tu madre; te elegí antes de que nacieras para que fueras profeta de las naciones”.
Read the chapter in this version →
In other languages: Português (Jeremias 1:5) · Español (Jeremías 1:5)
More verses about purpose
- Jeremiah 29:11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give…
- Ephesians 2:10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we…
- Romans 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called…
- Psalms 138:8The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works…
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