Jeremiah 1:4 (WEB)

Passage

Now Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 1:2 Yahweh’s word came to him in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Jeremiah 1:3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

Jeremiah 1:4 Now Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Behold, I don’t know how to speak; for I am a child.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "yahweh", "word", "came", and "saying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "yahweh" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "It came also in the days of..." into verse 5's "Before I formed you in the womb...", so "yahweh" and "word" 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 "yahweh" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.