Jeremiah 1:9

9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, "See, I am putting my words in your mouth.

Jeremiah 1:9 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 1:9

Then the Lord put forth his hand
Who, according to Kimchi, was the Angel that appeared to the prophet, and spoke in the name of the Lord to him, and is called by his name; but rather it was the Son of God, the true Jehovah, who appeared in a human form he assumed for the present, and put forth his hand: and touched my mouth;
just as one of the seraphim touched the mouth and lips of the Prophet Isaiah with a live coal from the altar, ( Isaiah 6:6 Isaiah 6:7 ) , by this symbol the prophet was inducted into his office; and it was suggested to him that his mouth was now sanctified to the Lord's use and service; and that what he should speak should not be his own words, but the words of the Lord; and so the Targum paraphrases it,

``and the Lord sent the words of his prophecy, and ordered them in my mouth;''
to which agrees what follows: and the Lord said unto me, behold, I have put my words in thy mouth;
which was signified by the preceding symbol; wherefore he might with great freedom and boldness deliver them out to others.

Jeremiah 1:9 In-Context

7 But the Lord said to me, "Don't say, 'I am only a boy.' You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I tell you to say.
8 Don't be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to protect you," says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, "See, I am putting my words in your mouth.
10 Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow, build up and plant."
11 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I answered, "I see a stick of almond wood."
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.