Jeremiah 1:9 kjv
Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Jeremiah 1:9 nkjv
Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
Jeremiah 1:9 niv
Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "I have put my words in your mouth.
Jeremiah 1:9 esv
Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
Jeremiah 1:9 nlt
Then the LORD reached out and touched my mouth and said, "Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
Jeremiah 1 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 4:10-12 | Then Moses said... "I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." But the Lord said... "I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say." | God enables His chosen servants to speak. |
| Deut 18:18 | "I will raise up for them a prophet... And I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him." | Prophetic office involves divine utterance. |
| Num 23:5, 16 | And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth... The LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth... | God's word transcends human choice. |
| Isa 6:6-7 | Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal... He touched my mouth with it... "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away..." | Cleansing and commissioning for speech. |
| 2 Sam 23:2 | "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue." | God speaks directly through His prophets. |
| Ezek 2:8-3:3 | "...open your mouth and eat what I give you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. | Internalizing God's message for proclamation. |
| Hos 1:1 | The word of the LORD that came to Hosea... | Consistent formula for prophetic revelation. |
| Amos 3:8 | "A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?" | Compelling nature of divine word. |
| Isa 55:11 | "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please..." | Authority and effectiveness of God's word. |
| Jer 23:16 | Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you... They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the LORD." | Distinguishing true prophets from false. |
| Jer 23:28 | "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully..." | Call for faithful declaration of God's word. |
| Jer 23:31-32 | "Behold, I am against the prophets," says the LORD, "who use their tongues and say, ‘He says!’..." | Denouncement of fabricated prophecies. |
| Lam 2:14 | Your prophets have seen for you False and misleading visions; They have not exposed your iniquity... | False prophets fail to warn effectively. |
| Ezek 13:3 | "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!'" | False prophets lack true divine revelation. |
| John 17:8 | "For I have given them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them..." | Jesus transmits the Father's words. |
| Matt 10:19-20 | "...do not worry about how or what you should speak... For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." | Divine enablement for witness in the NT. |
| Luke 12:11-12 | "Now when they bring you to the synagogues... do not worry about how or what you will answer... For the Holy Spirit will teach you..." | The Spirit provides words in testimony. |
| Acts 2:4 | And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. | Holy Spirit enables speaking. |
| Acts 4:20 | "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." | Compelled by divine encounter to speak. |
| 1 Pet 4:11 | If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God... | Speaking must align with God's word. |
| Heb 4:12 | For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword... | Nature and power of God's word. |
| Titus 1:3 | "...His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior..." | Paul's commission to preach God's word. |
| 1 Thess 2:13 | "...when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God..." | Apostolic words were seen as God's words. |
Jeremiah 1 verses
Jeremiah 1 9 Meaning
Jeremiah 1:9 describes a pivotal moment in the prophet Jeremiah's call. It recounts the Lord's direct, tangible action of touching Jeremiah's mouth and declaring that He has put His very words there. This act signifies divine enablement and authorization, transforming Jeremiah into God's appointed messenger. The verse emphasizes that Jeremiah's pronouncements would not originate from himself, but would be the authentic and authoritative declarations of the Almighty God. It is a moment of commissioning and empowerment, affirming the divine source and truthfulness of his prophetic ministry.
Jeremiah 1 9 Context
Jeremiah 1:9 occurs within the narrative of Jeremiah's divine call (Jeremiah 1:4-10). It follows Jeremiah's initial resistance to God's command, where he expressed inadequacy due to his youth and perceived inability to speak (Jer 1:6). In response, the Lord had already promised His presence and protection, instructing Jeremiah not to be afraid or to listen to human opinions (Jer 1:7-8). Verse 9 serves as the climactic act of commissioning, directly addressing Jeremiah's hesitation about his capacity for speech. Historically, Jeremiah was called during the 13th year of King Josiah's reign (627/626 BC), a period of relative peace and religious reform but also underlying moral and spiritual decay in Judah, foreshadowing the impending Babylonian exile and destruction of Jerusalem. This commissioning established Jeremiah's authority against a backdrop of numerous false prophets who spoke "a vision of their own heart" (Jer 23:16). Jeremiah's legitimacy was rooted in the direct transference of God's actual words into his mouth.
Jeremiah 1 9 Word analysis
Then the Lord (וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוָה - vayyishlach Adonai):
- וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyishlach - "then He stretched out/sent"): Implies divine initiative and direct action. God acts decisively.
- יְהוָה (YHWH/Adonai - "the LORD"): The covenant God of Israel. Emphasizes the supreme, authoritative source of Jeremiah's message, grounding his prophecy in divine revelation rather than human insight.
put forth His hand (יָדוֹ - yado):
- יָדוֹ (yado - "His hand"): An anthropomorphism, representing God's active involvement, power, presence, and personal touch. It signifies God's direct and personal intervention in Jeremiah's life, a demonstration of divine might and commitment to the call. The "hand of the Lord" frequently denotes divine power in Scripture (e.g., deliverance, judgment, creation).
and touched (וַיִּגַּע - vayyigga):
- וַיִּגַּע (vayyigga - "and He touched"): A deliberate, specific, and intimate action. The touch here is not casual but purposeful, conveying an impartation of power and authority. Similar to Isa 6:7 where a coal touches Isaiah's lips for cleansing, this touch conveys purification and enablement for prophetic speech. It physically confirms God's presence and transformation.
my mouth (בְּפִי - b'phi):
- בְּפִי (b'phi - "in my mouth"): The instrument of speech and proclamation. The specific focus on the mouth highlights that the purpose of this divine encounter is to enable Jeremiah to articulate God's message publicly.
and the Lord said to me (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי - vayyomer Adonai elai):
- וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי (vayyomer Adonai elai - "and the Lord said to me"): Reinforces the direct, personal communication from God. It's a verbal confirmation accompanying the physical act, leaving no doubt about the divine origin of the message.
'Behold (הִנֵּה - hinneh):
- הִנֵּה (hinneh - "Behold!/Look!"): An interjection calling for immediate attention and emphasizing the profound significance and certainty of the following statement. It underscores the divine act about to be declared.
I have put My words (נָתַתִּי דְבָרַי - natatti d'varai):
- נָתַתִּי (natatti - "I have given/placed"): Indicates a complete, decisive, and irreversible act. God is not merely suggesting or implying, but has definitively placed His words. This verb "to give" or "to put" is central to the concept of prophetic inspiration, indicating the source of the message is solely God.
- דְבָרַי (d'varai - "My words"): Plural form, signifying the entirety and specificity of God's message. Crucially, they are "My" words – belonging exclusively to God. This affirms the divine authorship and inviolability of the prophetic message. Jeremiah is a conduit, not the originator.
in your mouth (בְּפִיךָ - b'phikha):
- בְּפִיךָ (b'phikha - "in your mouth"): Reiteration of the mouth as the channel. It directly contrasts with Jeremiah's previous claim of being unable to speak (Jer 1:6) and validates his newly endowed capacity. It defines the prophetic office: speaking God's message from God's instruction, through the prophet's lips.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth": This phrase details the tangible, active, and deeply personal intervention of God. The physical touch is a sign of cleansing, enablement, and the conferral of a unique spiritual authority directly related to Jeremiah's role as a divine speaker. It sets apart the authentic prophet whose empowerment comes from a direct encounter with God, not from human training or desire.
- "and the Lord said to me: 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.'": This phrase is the interpretative declaration of the physical action. The spoken word from God immediately clarifies the meaning and purpose of the divine touch. "My words" emphasizes the divine authorship of the message, distinguishing Jeremiah's forthcoming prophecies from personal opinions or fabricated visions. It is a powerful affirmation of the prophet's true function: to be God's mouth (Exod 4:12), conveying divine truth faithfully and authoritatively.
Jeremiah 1 9 Bonus section
The concept of God "putting His words in the mouth" of a prophet establishes a foundational principle for discerning true prophecy throughout Scripture. It is the gold standard for prophetic legitimacy, indicating that the spoken message is divinely inspired, inherently authoritative, and unequivocally the Lord's own communication. This verse thus lays down a significant polemic against syncretistic and false prophecy prevalent in Jeremiah's time, emphasizing that the validity of the messenger lies not in their charisma or popularity, but in their absolute faithfulness to deliver God's precise words, untouched by personal interpretation or ambition. It signifies Jeremiah's role as an infallible spokesperson, not an inventor of messages. This divine empowerment directly enables Jeremiah to fulfill his difficult commission described in Jeremiah 1:10, allowing him to "uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant" with divine authority.
Jeremiah 1 9 Commentary
Jeremiah 1:9 stands as the definitive act of commissioning in Jeremiah's call. Following Jeremiah's humble protest about his unworthiness and inexperience, the Lord provides immediate and potent affirmation. The "hand of the Lord" touching Jeremiah's mouth is not just a poetic image, but a transformative physical act demonstrating God's direct intervention, purification, and spiritual impartation. This intimate contact signals an extraordinary equipping. The subsequent declaration, "I have put My words in your mouth," solidifies Jeremiah's prophetic authority. This statement defines the very essence of true prophecy: the message originates solely with God. Jeremiah's personal thoughts, fears, or desires are superseded by the divine word. He is chosen not to speak his own will, but to be a living vessel through whom God's message of judgment, warning, and restoration will be declared. This sets Jeremiah apart from the many false prophets of his day who "prophesy lies" from "a vision of their own heart" (Jer 23:16). For Jeremiah, the message's source guarantees its truth and power, even if it brings personal suffering or societal rejection.