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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Jeremiah 1:6

I answered, "Oh, Lord God , I really do not know how to speak well enough for that, for I am too young."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Doubting;   Excuses;   Humility;   Jeremiah;   Prophets;   Scofield Reference Index - Inspiration;   Thompson Chain Reference - Excuses;   Humble;   Leaders;   Religious;   Self-Justification-Self-Condemnation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Humility;   Simplicity;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Prophecy, prophet;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - All-Sufficiency of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ah!;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jonah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jeremiah;   Mission(s);   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah;   Isaiah, Book of;   Solomon;   Vision;   Zephaniah (1);   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Prophet;   Transfiguration (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jeremiah;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Child;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ah;   Jeremiah (2);   Prophecy;   Self-Surrender;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Agriculture;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 4;   Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for March 13;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But I protested, “Oh no, Lord God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.”
Hebrew Names Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I don't know how to speak; for I am a child.
King James Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
English Standard Version
Then I said, "Ah, Lord God ! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth."
New American Standard Bible
Then I said, "Oh, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth."
New Century Version
Then I said, "But Lord God , I don't know how to speak. I am only a boy."
Amplified Bible
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, For I am [only] a young man."
World English Bible
Then said I, Ah, Lord Yahweh! behold, I don't know how to speak; for I am a child.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said I, Oh, Lord God, behold, I can not speake, for I am a childe.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then I said, "Alas, Lord Yahweh!Behold, I do not know how to speakBecause I am a youth."
Berean Standard Bible
"Ah, Lord GOD," I said, "I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!"
Contemporary English Version
I replied, "I'm not a good speaker, Lord , and I'm too young."
Complete Jewish Bible
I said, "Oh, Adonai Elohim , I don't even know how to speak! I'm just a child!"
Darby Translation
And I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then I said, "But, Lord God , I don't know how to speak. I am only a boy."
George Lamsa Translation
Then I said, I beseech thee, O LORD God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am but a child.
Good News Translation
I answered, "Sovereign Lord , I don't know how to speak; I am too young."
Lexham English Bible
Then I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh! Look, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth."
Literal Translation
Then I said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! Behold, I do not know how to speak for I am a boy.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sayde I: Oh LORDE God, I am vnmete, for I am yet but yonge.
American Standard Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! behold, I know not how to speak; for I am a child.
Bible in Basic English
Then said I, O Lord God! see, I have no power of words, for I am a child.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said I: 'Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.'
King James Version (1611)
Then said I, Ah Lord God, behold, I cannot speake, for I am a childe.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde I: O Lorde God, I can not speake, for I am yet but young.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I said, O Lord, thou that art supreme Lord, behold, I know not how to speak, for I am a child.
English Revised Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seide, A! A! A! Lord God, lo! Y kan not speke, for Y am a child.
Update Bible Version
Then I said, Ah, Lord Yahweh! look, I don't know how to speak; for I am a child.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I [am] a child.
New King James Version
Then said I: "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth."
New Living Translation
"O Sovereign Lord ," I said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!"
New Life Bible
Then I said, "O, Lord God! I do not know how to speak. I am only a boy."
New Revised Standard
Then I said, "Ah, Lord God ! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said I - Ah! My Lord Yahweh! Lo! I know not how to speak, - For a child, am I!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said: Ah, ah, ah, Lord God: behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.
Revised Standard Version
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth."
Young's Literal Translation
And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah! lo, I have not known -- to speak, for I [am] a youth.'
THE MESSAGE
But I said, "Hold it, Master God ! Look at me. I don't know anything. I'm only a boy!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth."

Contextual Overview

4 The Lord said to me, 5 "Before I formed you in your mother's womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations." 6 I answered, "Oh, Lord God , I really do not know how to speak well enough for that, for I am too young." 7 The Lord said to me, "Do not say, ‘I am too young.' But go to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, for I will be with you to protect you," says the Lord . 9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me. 10 Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Lord: Jeremiah 4:10, Jeremiah 14:13, Jeremiah 32:17

I cannot: Exodus 4:1, Exodus 4:10-16, Exodus 6:12, Exodus 6:30, Isaiah 6:5

for I am: 1 Kings 3:7-9

Reciprocal: Exodus 3:11 - General Exodus 4:11 - General Exodus 4:13 - send Numbers 11:26 - went not out Judges 6:15 - wherewith 1 Samuel 3:15 - feared 1 Samuel 18:18 - Who am I 1 Kings 3:9 - who is able 1 Chronicles 29:1 - young Proverbs 25:6 - in the presence Jeremiah 20:7 - deceived Ezekiel 4:14 - Ah Zechariah 2:4 - young Mark 13:11 - take 1 Corinthians 2:1 - with 2 Corinthians 3:5 - but 2 Corinthians 10:10 - and his 2 Corinthians 12:9 - My grace James 1:5 - any

Cross-References

Genesis 1:5
God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.
Genesis 1:6
God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water."
Genesis 1:7
So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so.
Genesis 1:8
God called the expanse "sky." There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
Genesis 1:11
God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds." It was so.
Genesis 1:12
The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:13
There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
Genesis 1:14
God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years,
Genesis 1:20
God said, "Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."
Genesis 1:22
God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said I, Ah, Lord God!.... The word אהה, "Ah", or "Ahah", is used in distress and grief, as Kimchi observes; and is expressive of mourning and complaint, as Jarchi notes; and shows that the prophet was troubled and uneasy at his call, and would gladly have been excused on the following account:

behold, I cannot speak; or, "I know not how to speak" r; properly and pertinently, politely and eloquently, especially before great personages, kings and princes, and the citizens of Jerusalem, being brought up in a rustic manner in the country. A like excuse Moses made, Exodus 4:10. The Targum is, "I know not to prophesy: for I am a child"; meaning either in knowledge and understanding, or in years; not a mere child, but a "junior", as the Septuagint version renders the word; or a "young man", as the Arabic version; so Samuel and Zechariah were young men, when they first ministered in their office, 1 Samuel 3:1. Abarbinel supposes that Jeremiah was now twelve or fifteen years of age; but it should seem rather that he was more, perhaps twenty years of age; since he seems to have prophesied to the men of Anathoth before he was sent to Jerusalem, Jeremiah 11:21.

r לא ידעתי דבר "uescio loqui", V. L. Munster, Vatablus, Junius Tremellius "non novi loqui", Pagninus, Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

There is no resistance on Jeremiah’s part, but he shrinks back alarmed.

I cannot speak - i. e., “I cannot prophesy,” I have not those powers of oratory necessary for success. The prophets of Israel were the national preachers in religious matters, and their orators in political.

I am a child - This implies nothing very definite about Jeremiah’s age. Still the long duration of his prophetic mission makes it probable that he was very young when called to the office, as also were Isaiah, Hosea, Zechariah, and others.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 1:6. I cannot speak — Being very young, and wholly inexperienced, I am utterly incapable of conceiving aright, or of clothing these Divine subjects in suitable language. Those who are really called of God to the sacred ministry are such as have been brought to a deep acquaintance with themselves, feel their own ignorance, and know their own weakness. They know also the awful responsibility that attaches to the work; and nothing but the authority of God can induce such to undertake it. They whom God never called run, because of worldly honour and emolument: the others hear the call with fear and trembling, and can go only in the strength of Jehovah.

"How ready is the man to go,

Whom God hath never sent!

How timorous, diffident, and slow,

God's chosen instrument!"


 
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