Jeremiah 20:16 · Bible study
Jeremiah 20:16 Commentary: Cursing with Sodom's Ruin
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah curses the messenger of his birth, invoking Sodom's destruction, a shocking lament that reveals the prophet's deep despair and the raw honesty of
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jeremiah curses the messenger of his birth with the total, irreversible destruction God brought on Sodom and Gomorrah, exposing his raw despair.
- Key words: 'overthrew' (H2015 haphakh, overturn, destroy), 'cry' (H2201 ze'aqah, outcry of distress), 'shouting' (H8643 teru'ah, alarm, war-cry).
- Main debate: Whether this curse is a sinful outburst that Jeremiah later repented of (Matthew Henry) or an inspired record of the depth of human lament that belongs in Scripture (Calvin, Cambridge Bible). Both readings affirm the verse is not a model for prayer.
- Theological theme: The tension between divine calling and human suffering; the right to lament even when our emotions exceed what is just.
- Best use: In pastoral care for those in severe distress, demonstrating that the Bible does not require polished faith but welcomes genuine anguish.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
May that man be like the cities that the LORD overthrew without compassion. May he hear an outcry in the morning and a battle cry at noon,
WEB World English Bible 2000
Let that man be as the cities which Yahweh overthrew, and didn’t repent. Let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at noontime,
KJV King James Version 1769
And let that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And let that man be as the cities which Jehovah overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at noontime;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Then hath that man been as the cities, That Jehovah overthrew, and repented not, And he hath heard a cry at morning, And a shout at time of noon.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And let that man be as the cities which Jehovah overthrew, and repented not; and let him hear a cry in the morning, and a shouting at noonday,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Let that man be as the cities which the Lord hath overthrown, and hath not repented: let him hear a cry in the morning, and howling at noontide:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y sea el tal hombre como las ciudades que asoló Jehová, y no se arrepintió: y oiga gritos de mañana, y voces al medio día;
E seja tal homem como as cidades que o SENHOR assolou sem se arrepender; e ouça gritos de manhã, e clamores ao meio dia;
Que cet homme soit comme les villes
Der Mann müsse sein wie die Städte, so der HERR hat umgekehrt, und ihn nicht gereut hat; und müsse des Morgens hören ein Geschrei und des Mittags ein Heulen!
Ja, dezelve man zij, als de steden, die de HEERE heeft omgekeerd, en het heeft Hem niet berouwd; en hij hore in den morgenstond een geroep, en op den middagtijd een geschrei.
Sia quell’uomo come le città che l’Eterno ha distrutte senza pentirsene! Oda egli delle grida il mattino, e clamori di guerra sul mezzodì;
Niechże będzie on mąż jako miasta, które Pan podwrócił, a nie żałował tego; niech słyszy krzyk z poranku, i narzekanie czasu południa.
И да будет с тем человеком, что с городами, которые разрушил Господь и не пожалел; да слышит он утром вопль и в полдень рыдание
願 那 人 像耶和華 所 傾覆 而不 後悔 的城邑；願他早晨 聽見 哀聲，晌午 聽見吶喊；
May that man be like the towns overturned by the Lord without mercy: let a cry for help come to his ears in the morning, and the sound of war in the middle of the day;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 20:16
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 this verse is one of the most extreme expressions of despair in Scripture. The prophet curses the man who announced his birth, wishing on him the total, irreversible destruction God brought on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24, 25). Calvin calls it an 'insane impulse' that 'devotes an innocent man to endless perdition,' noting that Jeremiah 'mingles heaven and earth' in his fury. Gill describes the wish as 'very severe and uncharitable.' Matthew Henry treats it as a record of temptation Jeremiah later repented of, a 'relation of the ferment he had been in' from which 'by faith and hope he had recovered himself.' The Cambridge Bible sees it as part of the prophet's 'bitter complaint' that opens his inner turmoil to us. There is broad agreement: the curse is morally disproportionate and directed at an innocent person. It stands as a witness to the human frailty even of God's spokesmen, and a reminder that Scripture does not sanitize the anguish of its authors.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Imprecatory lament expressing despair: The curse is taken at face value as a genuine outburst from a man crushed by persecution. Commentators like Calvin and Gill treat it as such, focusing on its excessive nature and the lesson of human frailty.
- Record of a past temptation, not current sin: Matthew Henry and some earlier interpreters view these verses as Jeremiah's later reflection on a dark moment from which he had recovered, included as a warning about the danger of unchecked emotion.
What is clear: The verse records Jeremiah's extreme distress and the biblical authors did not censor this raw emotion, showing that Scripture welcomes honest lament even when it crosses moral bounds.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The target of the curse | All traditions see the curse as directed at an innocent person, the messenger who brought news of Jeremiah's birth. | Some (Reformed, Wesleyan) read it as a record of temptation Jeremiah later repented of; others (Catholic, Orthodox) treat it more as a genuine expression of human frailty within Scripture, but all agree it is not prescriptive. |
| The meaning of 'repented not' (Hebrew <em>nicham</em>) | The phrase refers to God's unrelenting judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, which was never reversed or regretted. | Calvin viewed this as Jeremiah wishing the man be cut off from all mercy, 'without any hope'; others (Lange, Matthew Henry) see it as a rhetorical extreme, not a theological assertion about God's character. |
| Appropriateness of imprecatory language in Scripture | Christians across traditions hold that the Bible includes imprecations without endorsing them as virtuous. Jeremiah's curse is not to be imitated. | Some traditions (e.g., many Evangelicals) emphasize that Christ teaches us to bless our enemies, making this an example of human weakness. Others (some within Reformed and Catholic traditions) see it as a valid lament form that gives voice to righteous anger, though still not a directive. |
| Literary unity of Jeremiah 20 | Most commentators agree that verses 7, 13 and 14, 18 belong together as one cry, showing a swing from trust to despair. | The Cambridge Bible suggests verses 7, 13 come from an earlier period in Jehoiakim's reign and 14, 18 from Zedekiah's days, while Calvin and others treat the whole as a single emotional episode. The disagreement is chronological, not theological. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 20:16 falls within the prophet's final recorded lament (Jeremiah 20:7, 18), a passage that follows immediately after his release from the stocks where Pashhur the priest had placed him (Jeremiah 20:1, 6). The surrounding context shows Jeremiah oscillating between trust and despair: verses 11, 13 burst into praise for deliverance, while verses 14, 18 plunge into the most bitter self-curse in the Old Testament. The curse on the birth-announcer touches a deeply personal nerve. In ancient Israel, news of a son's birth was greeted with joy, especially for a male child, who would carry on the family name and inheritance. Jeremiah's father heard 'A boy is born to you' and 'was very glad' (v. 15). By cursing the messenger, Jeremiah rejects that joy and even his own existence.
The reference to Sodom's overthrow carries maximum cultural weight. Sodom and Gomorrah were proverbial for total, divinely inflicted destruction (Deuteronomy 29:23, Isaiah 1:9). They were cities God 'overthrew' (Hebrew haphakh, the same verb used in Genesis 19:25) and 'did not repent' of, meaning God never relented or restored them. Jeremiah wishes that same finality on the man: no mercy, no recovery. The 'cry in the morning and shouting at noontide' evoke the sounds of a besieged city (Jeremiah 4:19, 48:3). Normally terrors come at night; Jeremiah wishes the man constant alarms even in broad daylight. The curse is not just for death but for a life of endless terror.
This outburst is not presented as prophetic revelation but as the raw transcript of human emotion. The Hebrew textual markers show no 'Thus says the Lord' attached. It is the sound of a man pushed beyond endurance, persecuted, mocked, isolated, and the Bible gives it space.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and lexical sources note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 20:16. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, with only minor differences in later translations such as the Greek Septuagint (which renders 'did not repent' as 'did not pity') and the Latin Vulgate (which uses 'did not relent'). These do not alter the meaning. The Masoretic reading 'and did not repent' (or 'had no compassion') is well attested.
Reception History
Jeremiah 20:16 has often been read with caution across church history. The Reformation-era commentators (Calvin, Matthew Henry) emphasized that it records a human failure, not a divine command. Calvin calls it 'inordinate' and 'insane,' while Matthew Henry sees it as a 'relation of the ferment he had been in,' implying Jeremiah wrote it to his own shame. Later Wesleyan interpreters (Wesley, Adam Clarke) stress the emotional extremity while still affirming the text's inspiration. In modern use, this verse is rarely preached in isolation; rather, it is cited alongside Job 3 and Psalm 88 to illustrate the biblical tradition of lament. Many readers find it uncomfortable, some even argue it should have been edited out. Yet its preservation in the canon suggests that the biblical writers trusted God even with their darkest words. The verse has also been used to caution against unrestrained speech in times of suffering, pointing to Jeremiah's own later example of renewed trust (Lamentations 3:22, 23).
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The depth of Jeremiah's despair. This is not a prayer or a prophecy; it is a guttural cry. The prophet does not ask God to act; he hurls a curse at a man who did nothing wrong. The intensity of his pain is real, and Scripture does not hide it.
- The honesty of biblical lament. Jeremiah is not the only one to curse his birth (Job 3, Psalm 88). The Bible gives voice to spiritual anguish without false comfort. This is permission to bring our rawest emotions to God, not as a model to imitate but as a testimony that God can handle our worst moments.
- God's grace in the broken record. That this curse was preserved, not excised, shows that the biblical writers trusted God with their anger. And yet, the same chapter that ends with 'consumed with shame' (v. 18) opens with singing (v. 13). The oscillation itself is a path to hope, despair is not the final word.
Five-point outline
- Setting the stage: Jeremiah's persecution after the Pashhur incident (20:1, 6).
- The surprising pivot to praise (20:11, 13).
- The sudden crash into despair (20:14, 18).
- The meaning of the Sodom curse: total, irreversible destruction.
- The pastoral lesson: God records our pain, not our polished prayers only.
Illustration hooks
- The birth that became a burden. A parent who was once overjoyed at a child's arrival now watches that child struggle with addiction or rebellion. Jeremiah's curse on the announcement echoes the feeling that something that was supposed to bring life has brought only pain.
- The messenger caught in the crossfire. Like a doctor delivering a terminal diagnosis, the birth-announcer did nothing wrong but becomes the target of grief. We often lash out at the nearest person when we are overwhelmed, Jeremiah shows us this raw response without glossing it over.
- The house with no quiet. Imagine being woken every morning by the sound of an alarm that never stops, and noon brings another siren. Jeremiah's curse describes a life of perpetual dread, a feeling some know when chronic anxiety or relentless trouble leaves no safe hour.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it ever okay to curse someone, even in my heart? What does Jesus' teaching on loving enemies mean for passages like this?
- Why would God put such an angry, unjust prayer in the Bible? Doesn't this set a bad example?
- What do I do when I feel so hopeless that I wish I had never been born? How does Jeremiah's honesty help me?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with the full weight of human anguish. Jeremiah was a faithful prophet who suffered rejection, violence, and isolation. His curse on the messenger shows that even God's servants can reach a breaking point where their emotions overflow boundaries. As you discuss this text, resist the urge to defend Jeremiah or to excuse the curse. Let it stand as a witness to how deep spiritual pain can go, and how Scripture gives it room.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 20:14, 18. What words or images stand out to you as most intense? Why do you think the prophet went this far?
- Why does Jeremiah single out the messenger who announced his birth? What does this reveal about his state of mind?
- The curse references Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). What did those cities represent to an Israelite audience? Why would Jeremiah choose that comparison?
- Compare this passage with Job 3:3, 10 and Psalm 88. What patterns of lament do you see across these texts? What makes them different from the way we usually pray?
- How should we understand the phrase 'the Lord overthrew and repented not'? Does it suggest God's mercy can be exhausted, or is it part of the curse's hyperbole?
- Does the fact that this is not a 'word of the Lord' (no 'Thus says the Lord') change how you read it? Why does the biblical writer include it anyway?
- How can this passage help someone who feels their sorrow is too dark for church or for prayer? What does it say about God's willingness to hear us?
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)
| Genesis 19:24 | Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky. |
| Genesis 19:25 | He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground. |
| Deuteronomy 29:23 | that all of its land is sulfur, salt, and burning, that it is not sown, doesn’t produce, nor does any grass grow in it, like the overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath. |
| Jeremiah 4:19 | My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart! My heart trembles within me. I can’t hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. |
| Jeremiah 18:8 | if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them. |
| Jeremiah 18:22 | Let a cry be heard from their houses when you bring a troop suddenly on them; for they have dug a pit to take me and hidden snares for my feet. |
| Jeremiah 26:13 | Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey Yahweh your God’s voice; then Yahweh will relent from the evil that he has pronounced against you. |
| Jeremiah 48:3 | The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction! |
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
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke interprets the phrase "let him hear the cry" as a condition of perpetual fear. For him, the text describes a person living in a state of constant alarms, never free from anxiety.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible for Schools sees this passage as revealing the prophet's deepest emotions, swinging between despair and confident hope. It argues the final verses belong to the later days of Zedekiah, while the earlier ones fit Jehoiakim's reign. The commentator also notes that the similar lament in Job likely derives from Jeremiah's more spontaneous expression.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note compares the man to the cities God overthrew and never relented from destroying. His fate would be irreversible judgment, with cries of alarm at morning and shouts of terror at noon—a life of unending, inescapable dread.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill observes that this curse compares the person to the utterly destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and wishes for them to hear the sounds of enemy invasion from morning until noon. He calls this wish extremely harsh and uncharitable, especially since it targets an innocent person.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that the cry mentioned, lasting from morning to noontide, means the person is kept in dread all day long. This terror is not just at night when fear is normal, but even in daytime when it would be extraordinary, like the constant war shouts heard in a besieged city.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry interprets these verses not as Jeremiah's current sin but as his shamefaced record of past desperation. He suggests the prophet wrote down his outburst from the stocks after faith had recovered, humbling himself and warning others to guard their spirits, amazed that God did not take him at his word.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies the cities as Sodom and Gomorrah, and interprets the cry in the morning and shouting at noon as the noise of enemy attackers breaking into a place, not as the people's own cries of distress.