The Meaning of Jeremiah 1:1 Explained

Jeremiah 1:1

KJV: The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

YLT: Words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who are in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin,

Darby: The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkijah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

ASV: The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The words  of Jeremiah  the son  of Hilkiah,  of the priests  that [were] in Anathoth  in the land  of Benjamin: 

What does Jeremiah 1:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The "words" (Heb. debarim, writings, prophecies, deeds, and events of his life) that follow are those of Jeremiah (meaning Yahweh founds, establishes, exalts, throws down, hurls, or loosens [1]). This was a common name in Israel. The Old Testament refers to many different individuals who bore it. His father was Hilkiah (also a common name), who may or may not have been the high priest who found the book of the Law in the temple during Josiah"s reforms ( 2 Kings 22:3-13). Jeremiah"s father was a priest who lived in Anathoth, a village three miles northeast of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin where other priests also lived (cf. Joshua 21:15-19). Thus Jeremiah was a priest by ancestry. The book never refers to him as serving as a priest, and he was often a severe critic of the Levitical priests. According to one writer, the words "to whom the word of the Lord came," and similar phrases, occur157 times in Jeremiah out of a total of349 times in the entire Old Testament. [2]

Context Summary

Jeremiah 1:1-19 - Courage Promised To A Fearful Messenger
God has a distinct purpose for each life, and our one aim should be to discover and work out His plan. See Psalms 139:16; Galatians 1:15. The sanctification here referred to applies to office rather than to character, and means set apart. See John 17:19. Jeremiah was very young, and shrank from the responsibility of the great mission entrusted to him. Thus it has been with the noblest, Exodus 4:10. But that is godly fear indeed which casts us back on God. He never gives a commission without assuming the responsibility of its execution in, and with, or through, us. Powers of utterance are specially His gift, Isaiah 6:7; Acts 6:10; 1 Corinthians 1:5. The almond tree in Hebrew is the wakeful tree. It awakes from the winter sleep earlier than others, flowering in January and fruiting in March. It indicated the swiftness of God's movement. The boiling pot is the symbol of war. The promises of Jeremiah 1:18-19 are very precious to all who are called to stand in the breach and charge men with their sins. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 1

1  The time
4  And the calling of Jeremiah
11  His prophetical visions of an almond rod and a seething pot
15  His heavy message against Judah
17  God encourages him with his promise of assistance

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 1:1 mean?

The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah of the priests who [were] in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin
דִּבְרֵ֥י יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ בֶּן־ חִלְקִיָּ֑הוּ מִן־ הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּעֲנָת֔וֹת בְּאֶ֖רֶץ בִּנְיָמִֽן

דִּבְרֵ֥י  The  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ  of  Jeremiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִרְמְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Hilkiah of the priestly family in Anathoth; author of the prophetic book bearing his name.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
חִלְקִיָּ֑הוּ  of  Hilkiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִלְקִיָּה 
Sense: father of Eliakim, an officer of Hezekiah.
הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙  the  priests 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בַּעֲנָת֔וֹת  in  Anathoth 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֲנָתֹות 
Sense: son of Becher and grandson of Benjamin.
בְּאֶ֖רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בִּנְיָמִֽן  of  Benjamin 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּנְיָמִין 
Sense: Jacob’s and Rachel’s youngest son, Joseph’s full brother.