Jeremiah 1:6–8
Jeremiah says he is only a boy; God tells him not to be afraid
Study it word by word6And I said, “Ah, Adonai YHWH! Look, I do not know how to speak, for I am a boy.”
7And YHWH said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a boy,’ for to all to whom I send you you will go, and all that I command you you will speak.
8Do not be afraid of them, for with you am I to rescue you, declares YHWH.”
In its context
4And the word of YHWH came to me, saying,
5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came out of the womb I consecrated you; a prophet to the nations I appointed you.”
…
9And YHWH stretched out his hand and touched my mouth, and YHWH said to me, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth.
10See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant.”
Its words in the original
- אֹמַרomar· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- אֲהָהּahah· alas
Alas!: a cry of pain or distress.
- אֲדֹנָadona· Adonai, Lord
"Adonai": "my Lord", said only to God. It is a title of respect that acknowledges his authority. It is not another god besides YHWH: often it goes with his name, "Adonai YHWH", Lord YHWH.
- יְהֹוִהyehovi· YHWH (with Adonai)
The four letters of God's name, YHWH (see "YHWH"). They almost always go with "Adonai"; then Jews, when reading, said "Elohim" so as not to repeat "Adonai".
- יָדַעְתִּיyadati· know
Know. Not only having a fact: it is knowing by experience and closely; also recognize, care for, make known. So Hebrew also uses it for the intimate union of a man and his wife ("he knew his wife").
- דַּבֵּרdaber· speak
Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.
- נַעַרnaar· young man, servant
Boy, young man; also a servant or attendant.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- אֶשְׁלָחֲeshlaach· send, stretch out
Send; stretch out (the hand); let go, send away, set free.
- תֵּלֵךְtelech· go, walk
Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.
- אֲצַוְּatsav· command
Command, give an order; give charge to someone.
- תִּירָאtira· fear
Fear. It can be fright before a danger or deep reverence before God ("fear YHWH"). In some forms, be fearsome, awesome.
- פְּנֵיpene· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- הַצִּלֶhatsile· rescue, deliver
Snatch away, take away; very often, deliver or rescue from danger. In another form, strip oneself of something.
- נְאֻםneum· declaration
Solemn declaration. "Declares YHWH" is the formula that marks words as spoken by God himself.