Jeremiah 1:11

11 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree." [a]

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 put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
11 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree."
12 Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it."
13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north."

Footnotes 1

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.