Bible Strands
Jeremiah 20:15
Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah speaks from a place of profound despair, cursing the messenger who delivered news of his own birth to his father. This declaration follows his curse on the day of his birth in verse 14 and anticipates his wish for the messenger to suffer like destroyed cities in verse 16.
The words — אָרוּר ('a.Rur) = [be] cursed and בִּשֵּׂר (bi.Sar) = he bore news. These terms frame the messenger’s joyous announcement as a direct target of personal condemnation.
The thread — The curse stands in contrast to the joy surrounding Isaac’s birth (Genesis 21:5), Jeremiah’s own prenatally appointed prophetic calling (Jeremiah 1:5), and the rejoicing over John the Baptist’s birth (Luke 1:14).
Why it lands — The text records a literal curse on a life-giving announcement, rejecting sentimental interpretations of birth as inherently blessed. It forces the reader to acknowledge how vocational burden can invert biological joy into a source of anguish.
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
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.
Cross-references
- Genesis 21:5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
- Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
- Luke 1:14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,