Jeremiah 20:14 kjv
Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.
Jeremiah 20:14 nkjv
Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!
Jeremiah 20:14 niv
Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
Jeremiah 20:14 esv
Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed!
Jeremiah 20:14 nlt
Yet I curse the day I was born!
May no one celebrate the day of my birth.
Jeremiah 20 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 20:14 | "Cursed [is] the day wherein I was born;" | Jeremiah 1:11-12 (call) |
| Job 3:3 | "Let the day perish wherein I was born," | Job (laments birth) |
| Job 10:18-19 | "Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?" | Job (questioning birth) |
| Ecclesiastes 4:2-3 | "Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive." | Ecclesiastes (value of life/death) |
| Ecclesiastes 7:1 | "A good name [is] better than precious ointment;" | Ecclesiastes (suffering) |
| Psalm 6:3 | "My soul was also sore vexed;" | Psalm (anguish) |
| Psalm 42:11 | "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" | Psalm (inner turmoil) |
| Psalm 88:3 | "For my soul is filled with troubles:" | Psalm (deep sorrow) |
| Psalm 88:15 | "I am afflicted and ready to die from [my] youth up:" | Psalm (life-long pain) |
| Matthew 26:38 | "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death:" | Matthew (Jesus' anguish) |
| Luke 22:42 | "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:" | Luke (Jesus' plea) |
| Romans 9:2 | "That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart." | Romans (prophet's grief) |
| Romans 9:3 | "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren," | Romans (self-sacrifice) |
| Galatians 3:13 | "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law," | Galatians (freedom from curse) |
| 1 Corinthians 15:32 | "I die daily;" | 1 Corinthians (persecution) |
| Revelation 18:17-19 | Lament for the fall of Babylon | Revelation (lamentation) |
| Genesis 17:5-6 | God’s promise concerning descendants | Genesis (origins) |
| Isaiah 49:1 | "Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far;" | Isaiah (call to serve) |
| Jeremiah 1:5 | "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;" | Jeremiah (divine knowledge) |
| Jeremiah 15:10 | "Woe is me my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to all the earth!" | Jeremiah (self-pity) |
Jeremiah 20 verses
Jeremiah 20 14 Meaning
This verse expresses Jeremiah's profound anguish and his curse upon the day of his birth. It highlights the immense suffering and opposition he faced as a prophet, leading him to lament the very beginning of his existence, unable to find relief even in God.
Jeremiah 20 14 Context
Jeremiah 20 occurs during a time of intense conflict for the prophet. Pashur, the chief official of the temple, had Jeremiah beaten and imprisoned in the stocks (v. 1-2). Pashur’s actions were a direct response to Jeremiah's prophecies condemning Jerusalem's sin and predicting its destruction. In this chapter, Jeremiah is released and prophesies against Pashur, predicting his and his household's downfall. Verse 14, and the surrounding verses (14-18), represent Jeremiah’s personal lament and deep emotional struggle following this persecution, a raw outpouring of his suffering. The prophet is feeling overwhelmed by the opposition and the immense burden of his message.
Jeremiah 20 14 Word Analysis
Cursed (אָרוּר - arur):
- From the root (אָרַר - arar), meaning to curse, to imprecate.
- Implies invoking a curse, to declare something accursed.
- In Hebrew thought, curses have potent, binding power.
is (הָיָה - hayah):
- The verb "to be." Here it emphasizes the definitive statement of the curse.
the day (יוֹם - yom):
- Day, period of time. Specifically refers to the day of his birth.
wherein (אֲשֶׁר - asher):
- Relative pronoun, meaning "which," "that." Connects the curse to the specific day.
I (אָנִי - ani):
- First-person singular pronoun. Personal statement of suffering.
was born (יָלַד - yalad):
- To give birth, to be born. Marks the commencement of his life's ordeal.
Group analysis:
- "Cursed is the day wherein I was born": A complete declaration of the lamentation. The suffering associated with his birth is so profound that he retrospectively curses the very event of his existence. This expresses an existential despair, a wish he had never entered into the hardship he endures as God's messenger.
Jeremiah 20 14 Bonus Section
The Book of Jeremiah contains many passages where the prophet expresses profound sorrow and emotional turmoil regarding his ministry and the fate of Judah. This "confessions of Jeremiah" genre (Jeremiah 11:18-23, 15:10-21, 17:7-18, 18:18-23, 20:7-13) offers a remarkable glimpse into the psychological and spiritual pressures faced by a prophet of God. Jeremiah's curse on his birth day is a peak moment of despair, highlighting the immense personal cost of obedience to divine calling amidst intense cultural and political opposition. This visceral reaction underscores the gravity of bearing God's word in a hostile environment, and his eventual return to hope and reliance on God (vv. 11-13) after this lament demonstrates resilient faith.
Jeremiah 20 14 Commentary
Jeremiah's lament here is not a rejection of God, but a cry of intense personal pain in the face of overwhelming opposition. He feels the full weight of his prophetic calling, which involves delivering God’s judgment against his own people, leading to severe persecution. This expression of anguish is deeply human and mirrors the suffering of many who feel abandoned or crushed by their circumstances. While the prophet cries out in despair, the New Testament assures believers that Christ shares in their suffering and has redeemed them from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). Ultimately, this suffering for God's word is not in vain, as it finds its purpose in God's redemptive plan.