Jeremiah 1:16 (DRB)

Passage

And I will pronounce my judgments against them, touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have sacrificed to strange gods, and have adored the work of their own hands.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 1:14 And the Lord said to me: From the north shall an evil break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Jeremiah 1:15 For behold I will call together all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord: and they shall come, and shall set every one his throne in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and upon all the walls thereof round about, and upon all the cities of Juda.

Jeremiah 1:16 And I will pronounce my judgments against them, touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have sacrificed to strange gods, and have adored the work of their own hands.

Jeremiah 1:17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I command thee. Be not afraid at their presence: for I will make thee not to fear their countenance.

Jeremiah 1:18 For behold I have made thee this day a fortified city, and a pillar of iron, and a wall of brass, over all the land, to the kings of Juda, to the princes thereof, and to the priests, and to the people of the land.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pronounce", "judgments", "against", "touching", "wickedness", "forsaken", "sacrificed", and "strange". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pronounce" and "judgments", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "For behold I will call together all..." into verse 17's "Thou therefore gird up thy loins and...", so "pronounce" and "judgments" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pronounce" and "judgments" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.