Jeremiah 32:16-25 · Bible study
Jeremiah 32:16-25 Commentary: Prayer That Bridges Judgment and Restoration
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah prays after buying land as Babylon besieges Jerusalem. Explore the tension between God's judgment and promised restoration in this poignant prayer.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jeremiah prays a prayer of praise and perplexity, acknowledging God's power and justice while confessing Israel's sin, then placing the contradiction of commanded purchase and impending exile before God.
- Key words: 'Too hard' (yipale, v.17), beyond human ability; 'lovingkindness' (chesed, v.18), covenantal loyalty; 'stretched out arm' (zeroa netuyah), creative and redemptive power.
- Main debate: Whether Jeremiah's prayer expresses complaint that edges toward questioning God's wisdom, or a model of faithful submission that trusts without understanding.
- Theological theme: Theodicy, how God's justice (judgment) and God's faithfulness (restoration) coexist when present circumstances seem to deny His promises.
- Best use: A template for honest lament in times of national or personal crisis; a script for praying when obedience to God appears to conflict with observable reality.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
16After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD:
17“Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!
18You show loving devotion to thousands but lay the iniquity of the fathers into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of Hosts,
19the One great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men, to reward each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
20You performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and You do so to this very day, both in Israel and among all mankind. And You have made a name for Yourself, as is the case to this day.
21You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror.
22You gave them this land that You had sworn to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.
23They came in and possessed it, but they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law. They failed to perform all that You commanded them to do, and so You have brought upon them all this disaster.
24See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened, as You now see!
25Yet You, O Lord GOD, have said to me, ‘Buy for yourself the field with silver and call in witnesses, even though the city has been delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans!’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
16Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to Yahweh, saying,
17“Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you.
18You show loving kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them. The great, the mighty God, Yahweh of Armies is your name:
19great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of men, to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings;
20who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, both in Israel and among other men; and made yourself a name, as it is today;
21and brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, with wonders, with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
22and gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
23They came in and possessed it, but they didn’t obey your voice and didn’t walk in your law. They have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do. Therefore you have caused all this evil to come upon them.
24“Behold, siege ramps have been built against the city to take it. The city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, of the famine, and of the pestilence. What you have spoken has happened. Behold, you see it.
25You have said to me, Lord Yahweh, ‘Buy the field for money, and call witnesses;’ whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
KJV King James Version 1769
16Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying,
17Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
18Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name,
19Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
20Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;
21And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;
22And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
23And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:
24Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.
25And thou hast said unto me, O Lord God, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
16Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto Jehovah, saying,
17Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for thee,
18who showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God, Jehovah of hosts is his name;
19great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings;
20who didst set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, both in Israel and among other men; and madest thee a name, as at this day;
21and didst bring forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
22and gavest them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
23and they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them.
24Behold, the mounds, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence; and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.
25And thou hast said unto me, O Lord Jehovah, Buy thee the field for money, and call witnesses; whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
16And I pray unto Jehovah--after my giving the purchase-book unto Baruch son of Neriah--saying,
17`Ah, Lord Jehovah, lo, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power, and by Thy stretched-out arm; there is nothing too wonderful for Thee:
18Doing kindness to thousands, and recompensing iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their sons after them; God, the great, the mighty, Jehovah of Hosts is His name,
19Great in counsel, and mighty in act, in that Thine eyes are open on all the ways of the sons of Adam, to give to each according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
20In that thou hast done signs and wonders in the land of Egypt unto this day, and in Israel, and among men, and Thou dost make for Thee a name as at this day.
21`And Thou bringest forth Thy people Israel from the land of Egypt, with signs and with wonders, and by a strong hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great fear,
22And thou givest to them this land that thou didst swear to their fathers to give to them, a land flowing with milk and honey,
23And they come in, and possess it, and they have not hearkened to Thy voice, and in Thy law have not walked, all that which Thou didst lay a charge on them to do they have not done, and Thou dost proclaim to them all this evil.
24`Lo, the mounts--they have come in to the city to capture it, and the city hath been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it, because of the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence; and that which Thou hast spoken hath come to pass, and lo, Thou art seeing;
25Yet Thou hast said unto me, O Lord Jehovah, Buy for thee the field with money, and cause witnesses to testify--and the city hath been given into the hand of the Chaldeans!'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
16And after I had given the writing of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Nerijah, I prayed unto Jehovah saying,
17Alas, Lord Jehovah! Behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and stretched-out arm; there is nothing too hard for thee:
18who shewest mercy unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them, thou, the great, the mighty God, — Jehovah of hosts is his name;
19great in counsel and mighty in work, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the children of men, to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
20who hast displayed signs and wonders unto this day, in the land of Egypt and in Israel and among [other] men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day.
21And thou broughtest forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt by signs, and by wonders, and by a powerful hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terror;
22and didst give them this land, which thou hadst sworn unto their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
23And they came in and possessed it: but they hearkened not unto thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do; so that thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them.
24Behold the mounds, they are come unto the city for taking it; and the city is given over into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, by the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and behold, thou seest [it].
25And thou, Lord Jehovah, thou hast said unto me, Buy for thyself the field for money, and take witnesses; — and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
16And after I had delivered the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neri, I prayed to the Lord, saying:
17Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God, behold thou hast made heaven and earth by thy great power, and thy stretched out arm: no word shall be hard to thee:
18Thou shewest mercy unto thousands, and returnest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: O most mighty, great, and powerful, the Lord of hosts is thy name.
19Great in counsel, and incomprehensible in thought: whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the children of Adam, to render unto every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his devices.
20Who hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt even until this day, and in Israel, and amongst men, and hast made thee a name as at this day.
21And hast brought forth thy people Israel, out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm, and with great terror.
22And hast given them this land which thou didst swear to their fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey.
23And they came in, and possessed it: but they obeyed not thy voice, and they walked not in thy law: and they did not any of those things that thou didst command them to do, and all these evils are come upon them.
24Behold works are built up against the city to take it: and the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans, who fight against it, by the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken, is all come to pass, as thou thyself seest.
25And sayest thou to me, O Lord God: Buy a field for money, and take witnesses, whereas the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 32:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions see this prayer as a profound example of bringing honest confusion to God. Jeremiah has just obeyed God's command to purchase a field, yet the city is under siege. He begins by acknowledging God's creative power: the opening exclamation 'Ah Lord Yahweh' (v.17) directly follows the phrase 'there is nothing too hard for You', the Hebrew lo yipale from the root pala', meaning 'too wonderful' or 'beyond one's power' (Gill). The prayer then traces salvation history from Exodus to the gift of Canaan (vv.20-22), followed by a confession of Israel's disobedience and the resulting judgment (v.23). Finally Jeremiah presents the stark contradiction: the city is delivered to Babylon, yet God told him to buy land (vv.24-25). Adam Clarke calls the prayer 'sublimity of expression' and 'strength of faith.' Calvin notes that the prophet's perplexity shows that even prophets did not always understand God's counsels. The prayer models a faith that does not hide confusion but brings it into God's presence, trusting His character more than human understanding.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Prayer as honest complaint: Jeremiah places the command and the siege side by side without resolving them, suggesting he is struggling with God's consistency; the tone echoes his earlier complaints (Jer 12:1).
- Prayer as faithful submission: Jeremiah frames his confusion within extended praise of God's power and justice, indicating he ultimately trusts God's character more than his own understanding.
What is clear: Jeremiah prays after obeying God's command to buy land, and his prayer honestly presents the tension between God's promised restoration and the certain judgment visible in the siege.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'nothing too hard' (v.17) | The phrase draws from Genesis 18:14 and affirms God's omnipotence, especially over creation; it becomes the foundation for Jeremiah's hope. | Some interpret the Hebrew <em>yipale</em> primarily as 'too wonderful' (miraculous), emphasizing God's ability to act beyond natural law; others stress 'too difficult,' focusing on the believer's trust that no problem exceeds God's capacity. |
| Corporate retribution in v.18 | The verse echoes Exodus 20:5-6; God's justice involves both mercy to the faithful and the outworking of sin across generations. | Christians differ on how much of the 'iniquity of the fathers' language refers to temporal consequences within a covenant community versus eternal judgment. Some emphasize that Ezekiel 18 later reorients this to individual responsibility. |
| Intent of Jeremiah's perplexity | Jeremiah is genuinely confused by the command to buy land while the city is being destroyed. | Clarke and Gill praise the prayer as a model of faith that overcomes perplexity; Calvin emphasises that prophets did not always understand God's counsels, so the prayer is as much a request for understanding as an act of trust. |
| Purpose of the purchased field | The purchase is a sign that fields will again be bought in the land after the exile (v.15). | Some traditions see this as a literal prophecy of the return from Babylon; others understand it more broadly as a pledge of God's long-term restoration for His people, fulfilled ultimately in the new creation. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The year is 589, 588 BC. Nebuchadnezzar's army has surrounded Jerusalem; siege ramps, earthen embankments pushed to the walls, are already in place (v.24; Barnes explains these were raised to mount battering engines). Inside, famine and plague have reduced the population. Jeremiah himself is imprisoned in the court of the guard (Jer 32:2-3). Into this catastrophe comes his cousin Hanamel, offering to sell a field in Anathoth, the right of redemption (Jer 32:7-8). Jeremiah buys it publicly, signs the deed before witnesses, and stores the documents in a clay jar (vv.10-14). Then he prays.
The prayer's structure follows a pattern found in other biblical prayers: appeal to God as Creator (Isa 37:16-20), recitation of his mighty acts (Neh 9:6-31), confession of sin (Daniel 9:4-19), and finally a plea. The phrase 'stretched out arm' (v.17) echoes both creation language (Jer 27:5) and the exodus formula (Deut 4:34; 26:8). 'Loving kindness' (v.18) translates chesed, covenant loyalty, the same term from Exodus 20:6. The 'bosom' (v.18) refers to the folds of a garment where a person carried possessions; Barnes notes that 'men must receive and carry with them God's requital.'
The land described as 'flowing with milk and honey' (v.22) is a stock phrase for Canaan's fertility (Ex 3:8). By confessing that Israel 'did not obey' (v.23), the verb shama implies both hearing and obeying, Jeremiah explicitly links the exile to covenant curses (Deut 28:15-68). The siege is not random; it is the fulfillment of God's spoken word (v.24).
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 32:16-25. The Hebrew text is well established across the Masoretic tradition and supported by the major versions (Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac). The primary interpretive questions concern the passage's meaning, not its wording.
Reception History
This prayer has been treasured across Christian tradition as a model for praying in times of national crisis. Early church writers saw in Jeremiah's purchase of land a type of Christ's redemptive work, buying a possession in a doomed world. The Reformers, especially Calvin, used the passage to illustrate how believers must bring their human perplexity to God while resting on His sovereign character. In the Puritan tradition, the prayer was frequently cited in sermons about waiting on God when His ways seem contradictory. African American spirituals and liberation theology have drawn on the 'nothing too hard' declaration as an anchor of hope during oppression. In modern pastoral care, the prayer is often used to validate the painful tension between present suffering and promised hope, teaching that honest lament is itself a form of faith.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- God's power and justice in creation and providence (vv.17-19). Jeremiah grounds everything in God's absolute sovereignty: nothing is too hard for Him. The twin attributes of mercy and judgment are held together, He shows chesed to thousands yet repays iniquity into the next generation's 'bosom.'
- God's power and justice in redemption history (vv.20-22). The exodus miracles and the gift of Canaan are not ancient history; they are present evidence of God's character. Jeremiah uses them to argue that the same God who gave the land can restore it.
- The honest question placed before God (vv.23-25). After reciting Israel's sin and the siege, Jeremiah ends with the contradiction: 'You have said... buy the field... whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.' He leaves the tension unresolved in prayer.
Five-Point Outline
- Introduction: Jeremiah's obedience and perplexity (vv.16-17a)
- Creative power as the ground of faith (v.17b)
- Covenantal justice, mercy and retribution (vv.18-19)
- Salvation history: exodus to settlement (vv.20-22)
- Present crisis and the unresolved command (vv.23-25)
Illustration hooks
- Buying a house in a neighbourhood where you know the highway will be built next year. The purchase makes no economic sense, but you trust the person who told you to buy.
- A farmer planting an orchard in a drought. No rain in the forecast, but he works the soil anyway, acting on a promise that rain will come.
- A family putting money into a pension fund the day they are diagnosed with a terminal illness. The act seems absurd, until you hear that the diagnosis was wrong.
Questions your congregation is asking
- 'Does God expect me to act in hope when everything around me is falling apart?'
- 'If God is sovereign, why does He command things that contradict what I see with my own eyes?'
- 'Is it okay to tell God I am confused? Does that show weak faith?'
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah prays a prayer that holds two truths in one hand: God's certain judgment and God's promised restoration. His situation forces him to live in the gap between a city under siege and a field that will one day be fruitful again. This session helps your group explore how to pray honestly when God's commands seem to contradict current reality.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 16-17 aloud. Jeremiah begins with praise. Why do you think he starts there before mentioning his confusion? What does that tell you about the order of prayer?
- The Hebrew word for 'too hard' in verse 17 is yipale, literally 'too wonderful' or 'hidden from you.' How does that nuance change your understanding of God's power compared with simply 'hard'?
- Verse 18 repeats the word 'iniquity' in the context of fathers and children. How did Jeremiah's generation understand God's justice? How does that connect to the siege happening around them?
- In verses 20-22, Jeremiah retells the exodus story. Why spend time on history when the present is so urgent? What function does remembering serve in prayer?
- Verse 23 confesses Israel's disobedience in three parts: 'did not obey,' 'did not walk,' 'did not do.' How does this threefold confession mirror the people's total failure? Why include it in a prayer that is ultimately about hope?
- Jeremiah ends with the contradiction: 'Buy the field... whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans' (v.25). He does not resolve it. What does it mean to leave a question hanging in prayer? Have you ever done that?
- How might this passage change the way you bring your own perplexities to God this week?
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 32:9 | Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good,’ |
| Genesis 32:12 | You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which can’t be counted because there are so many.’” |
| II Samuel 7:18 | Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh; and he said, “Who am I, Lord Yahweh, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far? |
| II Samuel 7:25 | “Now, Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do as you have spoken. |
| Jeremiah 12:1 | You are righteous, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet I would like to plead a case with you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are they all at ease who deal very treacherously? |
| Ezekiel 36:35 | They will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ |
| Ezekiel 36:37 | “‘The Lord Yahweh says: “For this, moreover, I will be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock. |
| Philippians 4:6 | In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. |
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 marvels at the prayer as a model of profound faith: it confesses the worst crimes against a holy God without despairing of mercy or presuming on goodness. He explains that God's omniscience and omnipresence mean His eyes watch every human path. He also notes that the besieged city faced extreme need, forcing a long and desperate
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the phrase "too hard" literally means "too wonderful," pointing to the mystery of God's ways. He highlights the image of recompense placed in the bosom, meaning people must carry God's requital for their deeds. The command regarding Jerusalem appears contrary to human prudence, yet the prophet trusts God will explain.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that the prophet's perplexity did not contradict his prophetic office. Jeremiah knew God would restore the land but could not comprehend how or when, so his wonder and prayer arose from the mystery of divine timing. This ignorance was compatible with his sure knowledge of the promise.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that Jeremiah struggled to reconcile God’s command to buy a field—a sign of future hope—with the destruction he had already announced. The prayer that follows is largely built from phrases found elsewhere in Scripture, though it is a fine composition outlining God’s attributes, Israel’s history, and the people’s sin.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight Jeremiah's prayer as a pattern of faith: he begins by declaring God's unlimited power and mercy, then reviews God's past deliverance of Israel, confesses their disobedience, and finally lays the present siege before God, still trusting His promise to redeem the land.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that Jeremiah finished his business transaction before turning to prayer, deliberately separating himself from worldly cares. The prophet's opening prayer describes God's power and justice not as abstract praise but as a way to strengthen his own faith against the contradiction: why buy land if the city is about to fall?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that Jeremiah's perplexity over God's command to buy land while destruction looms drives him to his one sure remedy: prayer. The prophet grounds his appeal in God's creative power and righteous judgment, then directly states the unresolved tension between the siege and the purchase, trusting God with the inconsistency.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch see Jeremiah’s prayer as less about his own doubt and more about seeking an explanation from God. The prophet praises God’s power and justice, then directly asks how the command to buy a field can be reconciled with the certain destruction of the city before his eyes.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights that Jeremiah's prayer builds to a deliberate paradox: God sees Jerusalem falling yet commands the prophet to buy a field. The earlier praise of God's unlimited power and faithfulness provides the key for resolving this apparent contradiction. The prayer's structure leaves the reader to find the solution.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads "signs" as the wonders of judgment God performed in Egypt, still remembered. He takes "mounts" not as hills but as siege engines — the war machines nations used to batter walls and shoot stones into besieged cities.