Jeremiah’s Sixth Confession (Jeremiah 20:7-18)
Jeremiah Praying for Judah
Introduction
Jeremiah 20:7–18 marks the culmination of the so-called “confessions of Jeremiah.” In his sixth confession, Jeremiah bares his soul in the face of opposition, rejection, and inner torment. The sixth confession stands out for its emotional intensity.
The text introduces the sixth and most intense of Jeremiah’s personal confessions. This passage reveals the prophet at his most vulnerable, providing unparalleled insight into the psychological and spiritual toll of prophetic ministry. The text moves from accusation against God, to affirmation of divine presence, and finally to profound despair that leads Jeremiah to curse his own birth.
I. The Emotional Toll of Rejection and Persecution
The Preceding Context
Before examining the confession itself, we must understand its immediate context. “Now the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. Then Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD. The next morning when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, The LORD has named you not Pashhur but ‘Terror-all-around’” (Jeremiah 20:1–3).
Jeremiah 20:1-6 describes how Pashhur, the priest and chief officer of the temple, had Jeremiah beaten and placed in stocks overnight after hearing his prophecies of doom. This public humiliation came as the culmination of ongoing rejection and threats Jeremiah had endured for years.
The Language of Victimization
The confession begins with extraordinarily bold language addressed to God: “O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long” (Jer 20:7–8).
The Hebrew word translated “deceived” (pātâ) is used in the context of rape, seduction, or enticement. Jeremiah accuses God of deceiving him into a ministry that has brought nothing but suffering. The term can also suggest deception, implying Jeremiah feels misled about what his prophetic calling would entail.
This language reveals Jeremiah’s emotional state after his public humiliation. Jeremiah feels God has somehow misrepresented the nature of his calling. He felt powerless: “you have overpowered me” suggests that Jeremiah was coerced and forced into his prophetic ministry. Jeremiah was publicly humiliated: “I have become a laughingstock all day long.” This statement reflects Jeremiah’s social isolation. Jeremiah’s stress took a toll on his life. The phrase all day long” appears twice, emphasizing the unrelenting nature of his suffering.
Jeremiah’s Internal Conflict
Verse 9 reveals Jeremiah’s internal struggle: “If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’ then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9).
This powerful metaphor of fire trapped in his bones illustrates Jeremiah’s psychological torment: he wishes to resign from his prophetic office to escape suffering. Yet God’s word creates an internal compulsion too powerful to resist. The image of “fire shut up in my bones” suggests pain that afflicted him from the depths of his soul.
The expression “Weary with holding it in” reveals the exhaustion of attempting of not proclaiming God’s message to the people. Jeremiah finds himself in an impossible position: speaking brings persecution, but silence brings internal torment. This paradox takes a severe emotional toll, leaving him psychologically depleted.
II. The Descent into Despair: Cursing His Birth
From Persecution to Paranoia
Verse 10 reveals how constant opposition has affected Jeremiah’s psychological state: “For I hear many whispering: ‘Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. ‘Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him’” (Jeremiah 20:10).
The phrase “Terror is on every side” (Hebrew: Magor-missabib) is particularly significant because it is the same name Jeremiah prophetically gave to Pashhur in 20:3. Now Jeremiah himself experiences this “terror on every side,” suggesting he feels surrounded by threats, with nowhere to go in which he could find peace.
His perception that “all my close friends” are watching for his downfall indicates a paranoia that has developed from legitimate persecution. Those who should offer support instead seek to kill him. This social isolation compounds his emotional distress.
Brief Affirmation of Faith
In verses 11–13, Jeremiah temporarily breaks from his lament to affirm God’s presence and power: “But the LORD is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. O LORD of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers” (Jeremiah 20:11–13).
This affirmation provides a momentary respite from despair. Jeremiah expresses confidence in divine vindication and even calls on others to praise God (v. 13). However, the brevity of this section compared to the surrounding lament suggests this confidence is fragile.
The Descent into Ultimate Despair
After this brief expression of trust, Jeremiah plunges into unprecedented despair: “Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, “A child is born to you, a son,” making him very glad. Let that man be like the cities that the LORD overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon, because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great. Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?” (Jeremiah 20:14–18).
This shocking curse of his own birth represents the lowest of Jeremiah’s emotional journey in his prophetic ministry. Several aspects of Jeremiah’s curse deserve attention.
Jeremiah first curses the day of his birth, then he curses the messenger who announced his birth finally, he wishes for his death before birth. His father’s gladness at his birth is contrasted with his present misery. Birth, which was considered to be a blessing in Israel, now, to Jeremiah his birth was not a blessing, but a curse. The messenger, who brought the good news of his birth is condemned and cursed.
Jeremiah does not express suicidal intentions but rather he wishes that he had never been born. This desire for non-existance represents a deeper despair than the desire for death, a rejection of his entire being
Jeremiah’s confession ends without resolution. His final question “Why did I come out from the womb? remains unanswered. Jeremiah’s last words, “spend my days in shame,” suggests a state of continuing despair
This last confession in which Jeremiah curses the day he was born reveals how completely Jeremiah’s suffering has consumed his identity. His ministry has so enveloped his life that he cannot separate his prophetic role from his existence. When his ministry brings only rejection and persecution, he questions the value of his very life.
III. Application to Prophetic Ministry Today
Jeremiah’s sixth confession offers sobering insight into the psychological and spiritual struggles that accompany prophetic ministry in any era.
Emotional and Psychological Strain
Modern-day prophets—activists, truth-tellers, and reformers—often experience isolation, ridicule, and emotional burnout. Jeremiah reminds us that faithfulness does not guarantee affirmation. On the contrary, authentic prophetic witness may invite hostility even from religious institutions.
Wrestling with God
Jeremiah’s accusations against God model a form of raw, honest prayer. He does not suppress his emotions but brings them into dialogue with God. This challenges modern prophetic voices to embrace lament as a spiritual discipline, not a sign of weak faith.
Divine Compulsion and Persistence
Despite his pain, Jeremiah confesses that God’s word is like fire in his bones. This inner compulsion sustains the prophet even when external circumstances fail. Contemporary prophetic ministry must similarly rely not on popular support but on divine conviction.
The Paradox of Joy and Suffering
Jeremiah oscillates between despair and doxology (cf. vv. 11–13). This emotional paradox is common in modern ministries that seek justice amidst systemic resistance. The prophet’s path is one of weeping and worship, lament and hope.
Conclusion
Jeremiah’s sixth confession reveals the profound emotional toll of prophetic ministry. His journey from divine compulsion to public rejection to personal despair illuminates the psychological complexity of speaking truth to power. The raw honesty of his lament culminating in the shocking curse of his own birth, provides contemporary readers with permission to acknowledge the personal cost of faithful witness.
Despite this despair, Jeremiah’s continuing ministry in subsequent chapters suggests that such dark nights of the soul need not be the end of the story. His perseverance despite overwhelming obstacles offers hope to all who find themselves called to speak uncomfortable truths in resistant contexts.
The confession stands as testimony that authentic prophetic ministry embraces not only bold proclamation but also genuine human vulnerability. It is precisely this combination of unflinching truth-telling and unfiltered emotional honesty that makes Jeremiah’s witness so powerful across the centuries and so relevant for prophetic voices today.
The Confessions of Jeremiah
Jeremiah’s First Confession (Jeremiah 11:18–23)
Jeremiah’s Second Confession (Jeremiah 12:1–6)
Jeremiah’s Third Confession: Jeremiah 15:10–21
Jeremiah’s Fourth Confession: Jeremiah 17:14–18
Jeremiah’s Fifth Confession (Jeremiah 18:18–23)
NOTE: For a comprehensive collection of studies on the prophet Jeremiah, read my post Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah.
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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