Jeremiah 1:6 (DRB)

Passage

And I said: Ah, ah, ah, Lord God: behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 1:4 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jeremiah 1:6 And I said: Ah, ah, ah, Lord God: behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.

Jeremiah 1:7 And the Lord said to me: Say not: I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee: and whatsoever I shall command thee, thou shalt speak.

Jeremiah 1:8 Be not afraid at their presence: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "lord", "behold", "speak", and "child". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Before I formed thee in the bowels..." into verse 7's "And the Lord said to me Say...", so "said" and "lord" 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 "said" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.