Bible Strands
Jeremiah 1:7
But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses Jeremiah immediately after the prophet objects to his commission by claiming he lacks the age and experience to speak. This exchange occurs at the beginning of Jeremiah’s prophetic calling.
The words — The text emphasizes נַעַר (naʿar), translated as “youth” or “child,” and אַל־תּאמַר (al-tomar), meaning “do not say.” These terms directly rebut Jeremiah’s self-description in the preceding verse.
The thread — The command to go wherever God sends and deliver His words appears in Ezekiel 3:27, where God promises to open the prophet’s mouth, and in Mark 16:15, where the directive extends to all creation.
Why it lands — The verse demands immediate compliance with divine assignment regardless of personal limitation. It establishes that the authority to speak rests on God’s command, not on human qualification.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But 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.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 3:27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
- Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
- Numbers 22:20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”
- Ezekiel 3:17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
- Numbers 22:38 “See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:13 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever my God tells me.”
- Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Jeremiah 1:17 Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.
- Ezekiel 2:3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me.
- Exodus 7:1 The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.