Jeremiah 1:6 (LSB)

Passage

Then I said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Behold, I do not know how to speak Because I am a youth.”

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 1:4 Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying,

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the innermost parts I knew you, And before you came out from the womb I set you apart; I have given you as a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:6 Then I said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Behold, I do not know how to speak Because I am a youth.”

Jeremiah 1:7 But Yahweh said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak.

Jeremiah 1:8 Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares Yahweh.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Before I formed you in the innermost..." into verse 7's "But Yahweh said to me Do not...", so "said" and "alas" 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 "alas" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.