The Meaning of Jeremiah 1:17 Explained

Jeremiah 1:17

KJV: Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

YLT: 'And thou, thou dost gird up thy loins, and hast arisen, and spoken unto them all that I command thee: be not affrighted because of them, lest I affright thee before them.

Darby: Thou, therefore, gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I shall command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I cause thee to be dismayed before them.

ASV: Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I dismay thee before them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou therefore gird up  thy loins,  and arise,  and speak  unto them all that I command  thee: be not dismayed  at their faces,  lest I confound  thee before  them. 

What does Jeremiah 1:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jeremiah was to get to work and announce all of the Lord"s messages to His people (cf. Exodus 12:11; 2 Kings 4:29; 2 Kings 9:1; Luke 12:35; Ephesians 6:14; 1 Peter 1:13). He was not to let fear discourage him from being obedient (cf. Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Joshua 1:6-9; Ephesians 6:10-14), because if he did, the Lord would really give him something to fear. The disobedient believer not only fears people, but he or she also has God to fear because God becomes his or her adversary (cf. Jeremiah 12:5-6; Jeremiah 20:9).

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 1:17 mean?

Therefore you prepare yourself and arise and speak to them - all that I command you not do be dismayed before their faces lest I dismay you before them
וְאַתָּה֙ תֶּאְזֹ֣ר מָתְנֶ֔יךָ וְקַמְתָּ֙ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם אֵ֛ת כָּל־ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י אֲצַוֶּ֑ךָּ אַל־ תֵּחַת֙ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם פֶּֽן־ אֲחִתְּךָ֖ לִפְנֵיהֶֽם

וְאַתָּה֙  Therefore  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
תֶּאְזֹ֣ר  prepare 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָזַר  
Sense: gird, encompass, equip, clothe.
מָתְנֶ֔יךָ  yourself 
Parse: Noun, mdc, second person masculine singular
Root: מָתְנַיִם  
Sense: loins, hips.
וְקַמְתָּ֙  and  arise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
וְדִבַּרְתָּ֣  and  speak 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֵ֛ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אֲצַוֶּ֑ךָּ  command  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
תֵּחַת֙  do  be  dismayed 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.
מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם  before  their  faces 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
פֶּֽן־  lest 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
אֲחִתְּךָ֖  I  dismay  you 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.
לִפְנֵיהֶֽם  before  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.