Jeremiah 1:11

Two Visions

11 Then the word of the Lord came to me, asking, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"^[a] I replied, "I see a branch of an almond tree."

Jeremiah 1:11 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 1:11

Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me
At the same time as before: saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou?
The Septuagint version leaves out the word "Jeremiah": and I said, I see a rod of an almond tree;
a dry stick, without leaves or fruit upon it, and yet he knew it to be an almond tree stick; though some think it had leaves and fruit on it, by which it was known. The Targum is,

``and I said, a king hastening to do evil I see;''

meaning Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, hastening to bring destruction upon the Jews.

Jeremiah 1:11 In-Context

9 Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and told me: Look, I have filled your mouth with My words.

10 See, today I have set you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and plant.

11 Then the word of the Lord came to me, asking, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I replied, "I see a branch of an almond tree."

12 The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I watch over My word to accomplish it."

13 Again the word of the Lord came to me inquiring, "What do you see?" And I replied, "I see a boiling pot, its mouth tilted from the north [to the south]."

Footnotes

• [a] Am 7:8; 8:2; Zch 4:2; 5:2