Jeremiah

Jeremiah 20:14–18

14Cursed be the day I was born!

May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.

15Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,

saying, “A son is born to you,”

bringing him great joy.

16May that man be like the cities

that the LORD overthrew without compassion.

May he hear an outcry in the morning

and a battle cry at noon,

17because he did not kill me in the womb

so that my mother might have been my grave,

and her womb forever enlarged.

18Why did I come out of the womb

to see only trouble and sorrow,

and to end my days in shame?

Read all of Jeremiah 20

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Jeremiah 20:14

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Cursed beאָר֣וּר’ā·rūrVerb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singularH779 curse
the dayהַיּ֔וֹםhay·yō·wmArticle; Noun - masculine singularH3117 day
I was bornיֻלַּ֖דְתִּיyul·laḏ·tîVerb - QalPass - Perfect - first person common singularH3205 bear, bring forth, beget
May the dayי֛וֹםyō·wmNoun - masculine singularH3117 day
my motherאִמִּ֖י’im·mîNoun - feminine singular construct; first person common singularH517 mother
bore meיְלָדַ֥תְנִיyə·lā·ḏaṯ·nîVerb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular; first person common singularH3205 bear, bring forth, beget
neverאַל־’al-AdverbH408 prohibition, do not . . ., let not . . .
be blessedבָרֽוּךְ׃ḇā·rūḵVerb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singularH1288 kneel, bless

Jeremiah 20:15

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Cursed beאָר֣וּר’ā·rūrVerb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singularH779 curse
the manהָאִ֗ישׁhā·’îšArticle; Noun - masculine singularH376 man
whoאֲשֶׁ֨ר’ă·šerPronoun - relativeH834 particle of relation
broughtבִּשַּׂ֤רbiś·śarVerb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singularH1319 bear tidings
my fatherאָבִי֙’ā·ḇîNoun - masculine singular construct; first person common singularH1 father
sayingלֵאמֹ֔רlê·mōrPreposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive constructH559 utter, say
A sonזָכָ֑רzā·ḵārNoun - masculine singularH2145 male
is bornיֻֽלַּד־yul·laḏ-Verb - QalPass - Perfect - third person masculine singularH3205 bear, bring forth, beget
to youלְךָ֖lə·ḵāPreposition; second person masculine singular
bringing him great joyשַׂמֵּ֖חַśam·mê·aḥVerb - Piel - Infinitive absoluteH8055 rejoice, be glad

Jeremiah 20:16

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Mayהַה֔וּאha·hūArticle; Pronoun - third person masculine singularH1931 he, she
that manהָאִ֣ישׁhā·’îšArticle; Noun - masculine singularH376 man
beוְהָיָה֙wə·hā·yāhConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singularH1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
like the citiesכֶּֽעָרִ֛יםke·‘ā·rîmPreposition-k, Article; Noun - feminine pluralH5892 excitement
thatאֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-Pronoun - relativeH834 particle of relation
the LORDיְהוָ֖הYah·wehNoun - proper - masculine singularH3068 Yahweh
overthrewהָפַ֥ךְhā·p̄aḵVerb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularH2015 turn, overturn
withoutוְלֹ֣אwə·lōConjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particleH3808 not
compassionנִחָ֑םni·ḥāmVerb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singularH5162 be sorry, console
May he hearוְשָׁמַ֤עwə·šā·ma‘Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singularH8085 hear
an outcryזְעָקָה֙zə·‘ā·qāhNoun - feminine singularH2201 shriek, outcry
in the morningבַּבֹּ֔קֶרbab·bō·qerPreposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singularH1242 morning
and a battle cryוּתְרוּעָ֖הū·ṯə·rū·‘āhConjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singularH8643 shout or blast of war, alarm, or joy
at noonצָהֳרָֽיִם׃ṣā·ho·rā·yimNoun - masculine pluralH6672 midday, noon

Jeremiah 20:17

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
becauseאֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerPronoun - relativeH834 particle of relation
he did notלֹא־lō-Adverb - Negative particleH3808 not
kill meמוֹתְתַ֖נִיmō·wṯ·ṯa·nîVerb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular; first person common singularH4191 die
in the wombמֵרָ֑חֶםmê·rā·ḥemPreposition-m; Noun - masculine singularH7358 womb
so that my motherאִמִּי֙’im·mîNoun - feminine singular construct; first person common singularH517 mother
might have beenוַתְּהִי־wat·tə·hî-Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singularH1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
my graveקִבְרִ֔יqiḇ·rîNoun - masculine singular construct; first person common singularH6913 grave, sepulchre
and her wombוְרַחְמָ֖הֿwə·raḥ·māhConjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct; third person feminine singularH7358 womb
foreverעוֹלָֽם׃‘ō·w·lāmNoun - masculine singularH5769 long duration, antiquity, futurity
enlargedהֲרַ֥תhă·raṯAdjective - feminine singular constructH2030 pregnant

Jeremiah 20:18

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Whyלָ֤מָּהlām·māhInterrogativeH4100 what? how? aught
did I come outיָצָ֔אתִיyā·ṣā·ṯîVerb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singularH3318 go or come out
of the wombמֵרֶ֣חֶםmê·re·ḥemPreposition-m; Noun - masculine singularH7358 womb
to seeלִרְא֥וֹתlir·’ō·wṯPreposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive constructH7200 see
only troubleעָמָ֖ל‘ā·mālNoun - masculine singularH5999 trouble, labour, toil
and sorrowוְיָג֑וֹןwə·yā·ḡō·wnConjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singularH3015 grief, sorrow
and to endוַיִּכְל֥וּway·yiḵ·lūConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine pluralH3615 be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent
my daysיָמָֽי׃פyā·māyNoun - masculine plural construct; first person common singularH3117 day
in shameבְּבֹ֖שֶׁתbə·ḇō·šeṯPreposition-b; Noun - feminine singularH1322 shame

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Jeremiah 20:14 Jeremiah 15:10 · Job 3:3–16

Jeremiah 20:16 Jeremiah 18:22 · Deuteronomy 29:23 · Jeremiah 48:3–4

Jeremiah 20:17 Job 10:18–19 · Job 3:10–11 · Job 3:16 · Ecclesiastes 6:3

Jeremiah 20:18 Job 3:20 · Lamentations 3:1 · 1 Peter 4:14–16 · Job 14:1 · Psalm 69:19 · Psalm 90:9–10 · 1 Corinthians 4:9–13

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.