Jeremiah 15:10 · Bible study
Jeremiah 15:10 Commentary: Lament of a Prophet Rejected
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah laments being born a man of strife, yet innocent of provoking conflict. A study in the cost of faithful obedience.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jeremiah laments that his faithful prophetic calling has made him universally hated, even though he has given no cause for personal offense.
- Key words: Strife (רִיב, riv) and contention (מָדוֹן, madon), terms from legal/courtroom settings, indicating public dispute; lent (נָשִׁיתי, nashiti), economic activity that was a common source of lawsuits.
- Main debate: Whether the surrounding verses (11, 14) belong to Jeremiah’s original oracle or are later additions (Cambridge Bible argues for insertion; other scholars defend unity).
- Theological theme: The cost of prophetic obedience, God’s messenger can be rejected and cursed by the very people God loves.
- Best use: A comfort and model for anyone suffering opposition because of faithfulness to God’s word; a pastoral resource for honest lament.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and conflict in all the land. I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife, and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have not lent, neither have men lent to me; yet every one of them curses me.
KJV King James Version 1769
Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have not lent, neither have men lent to me; yet every one of them doth curse me.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Woe to me, my mother, For thou hast borne me a man of strife, And a man of contention to all the land, I have not lent on usury, Nor have they lent on usury to me--All of them are reviling me.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole land! I have not lent on usury, nor have they lent to me on usury; [yet] every one of them doth curse me.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Woe is me, my mother: why hast thou borne me a man of strife, a man of contention to all the earth? I have not lent on usury, neither hath any man lent to me on usury: yet all curse me.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¡ Ay de mí, madre mía, que me has engendrado hombre de contienda y hombre de discordia á toda la tierra! Nunca les dí á logro, ni lo tomé de ellos; y todos me maldicen.
Ai de mim, minha mãe, que me geraste homem de brigas e homem de confrontos a toda a terra! Nunca lhes emprestei a juros, nem deles emprestado; e mesmo assim todos eles me amaldiçoam.
Malheur à moi, ma mère, de ce que tu m’ as fait naître
Ach, meine Mutter, daß du mich geboren hast, wider den jedermann hadert und zankt im ganzen Lande! Habe ich doch weder auf Wucher geliehen noch genommen; doch flucht mir jedermann.
Wee mij, mijn moeder, dat gij mij gebaard hebt, een man van twist, en een man van krakeel den gansen lande! Ik heb hun niet op woeker gegeven, ook hebben zij mij niet op woeker gegeven, nog vloekt mij een ieder van hen.
Me infelice! o madre mia, poiché m’hai fatto nascere uomo di lite e di contesa per tutto il paese! Io non do né prendo in imprestito, e nondimeno tutti mi maledicono.
Biada mnie, matko moja! żeś mię urodziła męża swaru, i męża sporu po wszystkiej ziemi; nie dawałem im na lichwę, ani mnie oni na lichwę dawali, a wżdy mi każdy złorzeczy.
"Горе мне, мать моя, что ты родила меня человеком, который спорит и ссорится со всею землею! никому не давал я в рост, и мне никто не давал в рост, а все проклинают меня".
我的母親哪，我 有禍了！因 你生我 作為遍 地 相爭 相競 的人。我素來沒有 借貸與人，人也沒有 借貸 與我，人人卻都 咒罵我。
Sorrow is mine, my mother, because you have given birth to me, a cause of fighting and argument in all the earth! I have not made men my creditors and I am not in debt to any, but every one of them is cursing me.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 15:10
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Jeremiah's cry in this verse springs not from personal bitterness but from the unbearable weight of his calling. He has done nothing to earn the hostility he receives, Barnes notes he has “no personal cause of quarrel with the people,” and Gill stresses he was neither a creditor nor a debtor, yet “every one of them doth curse me.” The Hebrew word translated lent (נָשָׁה, nashah) carries the sense of a moneylending relationship, a frequent source of strife in ancient Israel. By claiming no part in such transactions, Jeremiah underlines his innocence of any ordinary provocation. The strife, Calvin explains, comes not from his character but from his message: God’s word confronts sin, and those who reject it attack the messenger. Still, Jeremiah’s anguish is real. Keil and Delitzsch observe that this lament differs sharply from Job’s cursing of his birth (Job 3:1); Jeremiah does not curse the day but cries out to his mother in a rhetorical appeal against the pain of his office. The consensus respects Jeremiah’s humanity while affirming that the Spirit prevented him from utter despair. This verse invites those who suffer for truth to bring their honest grief to God, who does not turn them away.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Textual authenticity disputed: Cambridge Bible questions vv.11–14 as later insertions, affecting how this verse connects to the divine response.
- Lament as faithful expression: Most commentators (Calvin, Gill, Keil) see it as a human but not sinful cry, unlike Job's cursing of his birth (Job 3:1).
What is clear: The verse records Jeremiah's deep anguish at being universally opposed despite his innocence of provoking conflict, a reality many faithful servants of God face.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The nature of Jeremiah's complaint | Jeremiah is expressing real human anguish at being rejected by his people despite his innocence. | Some traditions (e.g., Wesleyan holiness) see the cry as a momentary weakness that God gently corrects; others (e.g., Reformed) read it as a legitimate lament that God answers with promise, not reproof. |
| The meaning of 'lent on usury' | Jeremiah uses this to show he has not engaged in the common economic transactions that lead to conflict. | Catholic and Orthodox readings emphasize the ethical context of Torah prohibitions on interest between Israelites; Protestant commentators tend to read it as a generic claim of innocence, not specifically about usury. |
| The role of the prophet in society | The prophet is called to speak God's word, which will inevitably create conflict with those who reject it. | Some contemporary voices stress that the conflict should always be limited to the message, not the person; others note that in Jeremiah's case the personal attacks were unavoidable, and faithful servants should expect the same. |
| Textual unity of Jeremiah 15:10, 21 | The passage forms a coherent unit of lament and divine response in most modern translations. | Some scholars (Cambridge Bible, Gi.) regard verses 11, 14 as inserted from another context, while others (Keil, Calvin) read them as integral to the dialogue. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah prophesied in Judah’s final decades, under kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, when the nation careened toward Babylonian conquest. His message of judgment made him a natural target for ridicule and persecution. The phrase “the whole earth” (כָל־הָאָרֶץ) in verse 10 refers to the whole land of Judah, not the planet, as the Targum and early commentators clarify. Jeremiah’s audiences heard him as a troubler of national peace, much as Ahab called Elijah “the troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17). The reference to lending on interest (נָשִׁיתִי) taps into a deeply felt social pressure. Moneylending and borrowing were tightly regulated in Torah (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36; Deuteronomy 23:19, 20) because they so often bred conflict and exploitation. By declaring that he has not lent or borrowed, Jeremiah claims complete disengagement from the economic relationships that normally cause lawsuits and curses. Yet the curse falls on him anyway. The surrounding context (Jeremiah 15:6, 9) describes God’s weary rejection of Judah; Jeremiah has been pleading for mercy, and the people have responded not with repentance but with venom. His lament in verse 10 is the outburst of a faithful intercessor whose love for his nation is met with stones. The immediate context (v.11 onward) records God’s answering promise that Jeremiah will be strengthened and that his enemies will eventually seek his help, a vindication that would have seemed impossible in the moment of this cry.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for verse 10 itself. However, the surrounding passage (verses 11, 14) has been questioned. The Cambridge Bible considers verses 13, 14 almost certainly a later insertion, and suggests verses 11, 12 either need drastic emendation or are also secondary. Most modern critical editions (BHS, Qumran fragments) preserve the Masoretic text intact, but the debate about the passage's literary unity continues among scholars.
Reception History
Early in church history, Jeremiah’s lament was read typologically as prefiguring Christ’s rejection by his own people (John 1:11). Fathers such as Jerome cited the prophet’s complaint as evidence of true human emotion even in holy persons. In the Reformation, Calvin found in this verse a model of how the Spirit restrains believers from utter despair: “He was so restrained by the secret power of the Holy Spirit, that he did not break forth intemperately.” Puritan and Pietist commentators (Matthew Henry, Gill) used the verse to comfort ministers facing unpopularity. In modern reception, it has become a touchstone for those who experience social ostracism for their convictions, missionaries, ethicists, and whistleblowers have found language for their pain in Jeremiah’s cry.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Innocence does not prevent opposition. Jeremiah had not lent or borrowed, he gave no cause for strife, yet he was cursed. Faithfulness to God often provokes hostility from those who are hostile to God.
- The prophetic call includes personal cost. Jeremiah was a “man of strife and contention” not by temperament but by vocation. The message of judgment made him an enemy to his own people.
- Honest lament is not betrayal of faith. Jeremiah cries out to his mother, not to curse God. His anguish is real and recorded in Scripture as a model for bringing our deepest pain before God without protest.
Five-point outline
- The setting of the cry: Jeremiah is alone after public ministry, feeling the weight of rejection from the very people he serves.
- The nature of the strife: Not personal quarrels, but the inevitable clash between God’s word and human sin.
- The innocence of the sufferer: Jeremiah’s “I have not lent” is a claim of being undeserving of the hatred he receives.
- The universality of the curse: “Everyone” curses him, total rejection from his community.
- God’s answer (v.11, 14): Promise of strength and eventual vindication, though the pain is not removed.
Illustration hooks
- A whistleblower in a workplace who reports wrongdoing and is quietly ostracised by colleagues. They did nothing to deserve exile.
- A student who takes a stand for a biblical truth in a classroom discussion and is mocked by peers. The teacher’s word was true, but the reception was curses.
- A pastor who delivers an uncomfortable sermon on a communal sin and sees attendance drop. The congregation’s anger is not at the person but at the message.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow his faithful servants to suffer rejection when they are only doing what he commanded?
- Is it wrong to feel angry or despairing when my faith brings conflict with my family or neighbours?
- How can I tell the difference between persecution because of my own sin and persecution because of my obedience?
Leading a Discussion
This passage opens a window into the real cost of prophetic obedience. Jeremiah was not a cold oracle; he was a man who loved his people and felt the sting of their hatred. As you read through the verses, notice the movement from public confrontation to private anguish to God’s reaffirming answer. The discussion questions below will help your group explore both the historical situation and the personal application.
Discussion questions
- What does Jeremiah’s address to his mother reveal about the depth of his pain? (v.10)
- Why does Jeremiah mention that he has not lent or borrowed? What point is he making about the source of the conflict?
- Read 1 Kings 18:17, 18. How is Jeremiah’s situation similar to Elijah’s? How does that help you understand what “a man of strife” really means?
- In what ways might a faithful Christian today become “a man of strife” without being personally quarrelsome?
- Jeremiah’s lament is recorded, but God answers in v.11 with a promise. What does this tell us about how God receives honest complaint from his servants?
- How can we support people in our congregation who face opposition because of their obedience to Christ?
- What is one small step you can take this week to stand for truth, even if it might cost you a relationship or reputation?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 22:25 | “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor. You shall not charge him interest. |
| Leviticus 25:36 | Take no interest from him or profit; but fear your God, that your brother may live among you. |
| Deuteronomy 23:19 | You shall not lend on interest to your brother: interest of money, interest of food, interest of anything that is lent on interest. |
| Deuteronomy 23:20 | You may charge a foreigner interest; but you shall not charge your brother interest, that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land where you go in to possess it. |
| I Kings 18:17 | When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” |
| I Kings 18:18 | He answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken Yahweh’s commandments and you have followed the Baals. |
| I Kings 21:20 | Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight. |
| I Kings 22:8 | The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke clarifies that the phrase "whole earth" here actually means the whole land—that is, the man's own countrymen. He emphasizes that this opposition came despite the man having done nothing to deserve their displeasure.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that Jeremiah’s sorrow stems not from any personal grievance with the people, but from being God’s reluctant minister, forced into a conflict he did not choose. The word “strife” means a lawsuit: Jeremiah feels like a man compelled to argue the case of heaven itself against the whole earth.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees Jeremiah's bitter complaint as the prophet's natural human weakness, but held in check by the Holy Spirit so that it never became intemperate. His cry serves a public purpose: to show the Jews that their hardened resistance to God's messenger will only harm themselves. Jeremiah calls himself a man of strife not simply because prophets must contend with the world, but because slanderers blamed him for causing the very divisions he was sent to expose.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary treats Jeremiah's lament as one of the most eloquent and pathetic passages in the book, but argues that verses 13-14 are likely an insertion from elsewhere and that verses 11-12 require drastic emendation. The prophet bewails his lot, assailed from all sides as though he were a usurer or defaulting debtor, while the image of northern iron points to the hardest iron from the Black Sea region.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights Jeremiah's bewilderment: his message has made him a man of strife with the whole land, yet he has given no ordinary cause for resentment. He has neither lent money at interest nor borrowed on those terms, the usual sources of hard feelings. His suffering comes solely from his calling, not from personal wrongdoing.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that Jeremiah was not personally quarrelsome but was hated purely for faithfully delivering God's message. He makes a point of noting that the prophet had no involvement in money-lending or trade, the usual sources of conflict, yet still drew curses from the whole land.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Despite his sensitive nature, Jeremiah was called to deliver a hard message that guaranteed personal attack. The phrase about not lending or borrowing is a proverb showing he gave no cause for the hostility he faced from all sides.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch distinguish Jeremiah's lament from Job's cursing of his birth: Jeremiah appeals to his mother in sorrow, not reproach, and insists he gave no cause for conflict. They see God's answer as a promise of vindication and strengthening, not affliction, so the prophet will stand unbreakable like iron and brass.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights that Jeremiah was a peaceable man who gave no provocation, yet he became a man of strife because others contended with him. The real cause of their opposition, Henry notes, was his faithfulness to God and to their souls.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the complete innocence of the sufferer, who has done no wrong at all, while still facing every kind of evil accusation. The point is not merely that the accusations are false, but that they come despite a clear record of no injury done to the accusers.