Jeremiah 1 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry in 1:4–10.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Jeremiah appointed as prophet

God chose Jeremiah to be his prophet and although many powerful people would be against him, God promised to protect him. This chapter emphasizes that Jeremiah was chosen by God to be his prophet. (See: appoint, prophet and elect and promise)

Northern kingdom

This was not a reference to the northern kingdom of Israel; it had already been conquered. It was a reference to a kingdom located north of Judah, that is, to Babylon. The Babylonian armies would attack Judah and conquer it.

Opposition

The people were supposed to listen to God’s prophet. When he prophesied, they should have repented. Instead, they persecuted Jeremiah. (See: repent)