the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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THE MESSAGE
Jeremiah 20:17
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- BridgewayEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
because he didn’t kill me in the wombso that my mother might have been my grave,her womb eternally pregnant.
because he didn't kill me from the womb; and so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.
Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me.
because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great.
Because he did not kill me before birth, So that my mother would have been my grave, And her womb forever pregnant.
because he did not kill me before I was born. Then my mother would have been my grave; she would have stayed pregnant forever.
Because he did not kill me before my birth, So that my mother might have been my grave, And her womb always pregnant.
because he didn't kill me from the womb; and so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.
Because he hath not slaine me, euen from the wombe, or that my mother might haue bene my graue, or her wobe a perpetual conception.
Because he did not put me to death from the womb,So that my mother would have been my grave,And her womb ever pregnant.
because he did not kill me in the womb so that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb forever enlarged.
He deserves to die for not killing me before I was born. Then my mother's body would have been my grave.
because God did not put me to death in the womb and let my mother become my grave, her womb forever filled with me.
because he slew me not from the womb. Or would that my mother had been my grave, and her womb always great [with me]!
because he did not kill me while I was in my mother's womb. If he had killed me then, my mother would have been my grave, and I would not have been born.
Because he did not slay me in the womb, so that my mother might have been my grave, and my conception would have remained in the womb for ever.
for not killing me before I was born. Then my mother's womb would have been my grave.
Because he did not kill me in the womb, so that my mother would have been for me my grave, and her womb would be pregnant forever.
because he did not kill me from the womb; and that my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great with me .
because he slewe me not, as soone as I came out off my mothers wombe, and because my mother was not my graue hirselff, that the byrth might not haue come out, but remayned still in her.
because he slew me not from the womb; and so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.
Because he did not put me to death before my birth took place: so my mother's body would have been my last resting-place, and she would have been with child for ever.
Because He slew me not from the womb; and so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.
Because he slew me not from the wombe: or that my mother might haue beene my graue, and her wombe to be alwaies great with me.
Why sluest thou not me assoone as I came out of my mothers wombe? or that my mother had ben my graue her selfe, that the byrth might not haue come out, but remayned still in her?
because he slew me not in the womb, and my mother became not my tomb, and her womb always great with me.
because he slew me not from the womb; and so my mother should have been my grave, and her womb always great.
he that killide not me fro the wombe, here cry eerli, and yellynge in the tyme of myddai; that my modir were a sepulcre to me, and hir wombe were euerlastinge conseyuyng.
because he didn't slay me from the womb; and so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always pregnant.
Because he slew me not at my birth; or that my mother might have been my grave, and she had not been delivered.
For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother's womb my grave forever.
Because he did not kill me from the womb, That my mother might have been my grave, And her womb always enlarged with me.
because he did not kill me at birth. Oh, that I had died in my mother's womb, that her body had been my grave!
For he did not kill me before I was born, so that my mother's body would have been my grave.
because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great.
Because I was not slain from the womb, - Nor did my mother become my grave, Nor was her womb great for ever!
Who slew me not from the womb, that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb an everlasting conception.
because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb for ever great.
Because he hath not put me to death from the womb, And my mother is to me -- my grave, And her womb a pregnancy age-during.
Because he did not kill me before birth, So that my mother would have been my grave, And her womb ever pregnant.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
he slew: Job 3:10, Job 3:11, Job 3:16, Job 10:18, Job 10:19, Ecclesiastes 6:3
Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 4:3 - better
Cross-References
Abimelech went on to Abraham, "Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?"
Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'"
When God realized that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and had a son. She named him Reuben (Look-It's-a-Boy!). "This is a sign," she said, "that God has seen my misery; and a sign that now my husband will love me."
God can't stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers.
God keeps his distance from the wicked; he closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people.
Thus God , The Holy of Israel, Israel's Maker, says: "Do you question who or what I'm making? Are you telling me what I can or cannot do? I made earth, and I created man and woman to live on it. I handcrafted the skies and direct all the constellations in their turnings. And now I've got Cyrus on the move. I've rolled out the red carpet before him. He will build my city. He will bring home my exiles. I didn't hire him to do this. I told him. I, God -of-the-Angel-Armies."
"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
"All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God's covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: ‘By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.' But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways."
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Friends, keep up your prayers for us. Greet all the followers of Jesus there with a holy embrace. And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don't leave anyone out.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Because he slew me not from the womb,.... As soon as he came out of it; that is, as soon as he was born; either because God slew him not so soon, as Kimchi; or the angel of death, as Jarchi: or rather the man that carried the tidings of his birth to his father, who is all along spoken of in the two former verses; he curses him for not doing that, which, had he done, would have been exceeding criminal in him indeed; for not committing murder, even for not murdering an innocent babe;
or that my mother might have been my grave; he wishes he had died in her womb, and had never been brought forth; and so that had been his grave, where he should have been at ease and safety:
and her womb [to be] always great [with me]; or, "her womb an everlasting conception" m; his wish was, that she had been always conceiving, or ever big with child of him, but never bring forth; which was a more cruel and unnatural wish than the former concerning the man, the carrier of the tidings of his birth; since this was wishing a perpetual, painful, and intolerable evil to his own mother.
m ×ר××× ×רת ×¢××× "et ejus uterus, conceptus perpetuus", Munster; "et vulva ejus, conceptio perpetua", Pagninus, "et vulva ejus praegnans perpetuo", Vatablus.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
In the rest of the chapter we have an outbreak of deep emotion, of which the first part ends in a cry of hope Jeremiah 20:13, followed nevertheless by curses upon the day of his birth. Was this the result of feelings wounded by the indignities of a public scourging and a night spent in the stocks? Or was it not the mental agony of knowing that his ministry had (as it seemed) failed? He stands indeed before the multitudes with unbending strength, warning prince and people with unwavering constancy of the national ruin that would follow necessarily upon their sins. Before God he stood crushed by the thought that he had labored in vain, and spent his strength for nothing.
It is important to notice that with this outpouring of sorrow Jeremiahâs ministry virtually closed. Though he appeared again at Jerusalem toward the end of Jehoiakimâs reign, yet it was no longer to say that by repentance the national ruin might be averted. During the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the die was cast, and all the prophet henceforward could do, was to alleviate a punishment that was inevitable.
Jeremiah 20:7
Thou hast deceived me ... - What Jeremiah refers to is the joy with which he had accepted the prophetic office Jeremiah 15:16, occasioned perhaps by taking the promises in Jeremiah 1:18 too literally as a pledge that he would succeed.
Thou art stronger than I - Rather, âThou hast taken hold of me.â God had taken Jeremiah in so firm a grasp that he could not escape from the necessity of prophesying. He would have resisted, but the hand of God prevailed.
I am in derision daily - literally, âI am become a laughing-stock all the day, i. e., peripetually.
Jeremiah 20:8
Translate,â For as often as I speak, I must complain; I call out, Violence and spoil.â
From the time Jeremiah began to prophesy, he had had reason for nothing but lamentation. Daily with louder voice and more desperate energy he must call out âviolence and spoil;â as a perpetual protest against the manner in which the laws of justice were violated by powerful men among the people.
Jeremiah 20:9
Seeing that his mission was useless, Jeremiah determined to withdraw from it.
I could not stay - Rather, âI prevailed not,â did not succeed. See Jeremiah 20:7.
Jeremiah 20:10
The defaming - Rather, âthe talking.â The word refers to people whispering in twos and threes apart; in this case plotting against Jeremiah. Compare Mark 14:58.
Report ... - Rather, âDo you report, and we will report him: i. e., they encourage one another to give information against Jeremiah.
My familiars - literally, âthe men of my peaceâ Psalms 41:9. In the East the usual salutation is âPeace be to thee:â and the answer, âAnd to thee peace.â Thus, the phrase rather means acquaintances, than familiar friends.
Enticed - literally, âpersuaded, misled,â the same word as âdeceived Jeremiah 20:7.â Compare Mark 12:13-17.
Jeremiah 20:11
A mighty terrible one - Rather, âa terrible warrior.â The mighty One Isaiah 9:6 who is on his side is a terror to them. This change of feeling was the effect of faith, enabling him to be content with calmly doing his duty, and leaving the result to God.
For ... - Rather, âbecause they have not acted wisely (Jeremiah 10:21 note), with an everlasting disgrace that shall never be forgotten.â
Jeremiah 20:12
This verse is repeated almost verbatim from Jeremiah 11:20.
Jeremiah 20:13
Sing - Jeremiahâs outward circumstances remained the same, but he found peace in leaving his cause in faith to God.
Jeremiah 20:14
This sudden outbreak of impatience after the happy faith of Jeremiah 20:13 has led to much discussion. Possibly there was more of sorrow in the words than of impatience; sorrow that the earnest labor of a life had been in vain. Yet the form of the expression is fierce and indignant; and the impatience of Jeremiah is that part of his character which is most open to blame. He does not reach that elevation which is set before us by Him who is the perfect pattern of all righteousness. Our Lord was a prophet whose mission to the men of His generation equally failed, and His sorrow was even more deep; but it never broke forth in imprecations. See Luke 19:41-42.
Jeremiah 20:16
The cry - is the sound of the lamentation Jeremiah 20:8; âthe shoutingâ is the alarm of war.
