Jeremiah 20:17 - because he didn’t kill me from the womb. So my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.
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What does "Jeremiah 20:17" mean?
This verse, Jeremiah 20:17, is an expression of profound despair and regret. Let's break it down:
"because he didn't kill me from the womb." This is the core of the verse. Jeremiah is lamenting that he wasn't stillborn. He wishes he had died before being born.
"So my mother would have been my grave..." If he had died in the womb, his mother's womb would have been his place of burial. He wouldn't have experienced life's hardships.
"...and her womb always great." This is the most challenging part to interpret. "Great" can have a couple of meanings:
Complete/Permanent: Her womb would have permanently remained his grave, a constant reminder of his short existence.
Swollen/Distended: Some scholars suggest "great" refers to the pregnant womb itself, emphasizing the contrast between the hopeful expectation of birth and the tragic reality of stillbirth.
Overall Meaning:
Jeremiah, overwhelmed by suffering and persecution due to his prophetic message, is wishing he had never been born. He views existence as so unbearable that death in the womb would have been preferable. The verse conveys a sense of profound hopelessness and a desire to escape the pain of life.
Context in Jeremiah 20:
This verse is part of Jeremiah's lament after being beaten and put in stocks by Pashhur, a priest. He feels betrayed and cursed. His prophetic calling has brought him nothing but misery. This leads him to curse the day he was born and express this extreme wish for non-existence.
Jeremiah 20:17 - because he didn’t kill me from the womb. So my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.
What does "Jeremiah 20:17" mean?
This verse, Jeremiah 20:17, is an expression of profound despair and regret. Let's break it down:
"because he didn't kill me from the womb." This is the core of the verse. Jeremiah is lamenting that he wasn't stillborn. He wishes he had died before being born.
"So my mother would have been my grave..." If he had died in the womb, his mother's womb would have been his place of burial. He wouldn't have experienced life's hardships.
"...and her womb always great." This is the most challenging part to interpret. "Great" can have a couple of meanings:
Complete/Permanent: Her womb would have permanently remained his grave, a constant reminder of his short existence.
Swollen/Distended: Some scholars suggest "great" refers to the pregnant womb itself, emphasizing the contrast between the hopeful expectation of birth and the tragic reality of stillbirth.
Overall Meaning:
Jeremiah, overwhelmed by suffering and persecution due to his prophetic message, is wishing he had never been born. He views existence as so unbearable that death in the womb would have been preferable. The verse conveys a sense of profound hopelessness and a desire to escape the pain of life.
Context in Jeremiah 20:
This verse is part of Jeremiah's lament after being beaten and put in stocks by Pashhur, a priest. He feels betrayed and cursed. His prophetic calling has brought him nothing but misery. This leads him to curse the day he was born and express this extreme wish for non-existence.