Jeremiah 15:10
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Jeremiah cries out that he's a "man of strife and contention" not because he's a quarrelsome person, but because the people perceive him that way, even though he's conducted himself righteously in his financial dealings. This highlights how often God's messengers are reviled and misunderstood, accused of causing trouble simply for delivering God's unwelcome truth.
Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah, overwhelmed by the people's persistent rejection and his own suffering, laments his birth into a life of conflict and misunderstanding. He feels he has done nothing wrong in his dealings with others, having no financial disputes, yet he is universally cursed. This cry of anguish reveals the immense personal cost of faithfully delivering God's message to a stubborn nation.
Jeremiah cries out, 'Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention!' It sounds like he's angry at his own birth. What does it mean to be 'a man of strife'?
Jeremiah isn't saying he likes conflict, or that he goes looking for fights. Instead, he feels like his very existence has become a battleground.
The Prophet's Burden
Jeremiah declares, 'I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.' Why bring up money matters when he's feeling so distraught?
Jeremiah uses a common source of conflict in his day – financial dealings – to emphasize his innocence and the people's unreasonable hatred.
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No Personal Grudges
Understand the original words
oy · Hebrew Interjection
A prophetic exclamation of profound grief, despair, or impending judgment. It captures the heavy burden of declaring God's message in a hostile environment.
madon · Hebrew Noun
The state of being in constant conflict or legal dispute. In the prophetic context, it refers to the struggle of a faithful messenger who stands in opposition to a sinful culture.
Jeremiah's lament in this verse stems from the intense, personal rejection he faced as God's messenger during a time of national crisis and impending judgment, where his faithful warnings were met with curses rather than repentance.
Late 7th century BC
Jeremiah's Call to Prophethood
Jeremiah is called by God to be a prophet to Judah, a time marked by increasing political instability and impending doom from Babylon.
c. 609-605 BC
Reign of Jehoiakim
Jeremiah prophesies during the turbulent reign of King Jehoiakim, who resisted God's word and fell under Babylonian influence.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacks Judah, taking captives, including young nobles like Daniel, to Babylon.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following another rebellion, King Jehoiachin and many more Judahites, including the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon, marking the end of the kingdom of Judah.
Jeremiah 15:10-14— this verse
Prophet's Lament and Divine Reply
Jeremiah expresses deep personal anguish and feelings of rejection, lamenting his birth and the constant opposition he faces. God responds, affirming His support and calling him back to faithful service.
Like Job, Jeremiah is in deep anguish over his birth, questioning the purpose of his existence when his life seems to bring only suffering and contention.
Matthew 10:34Jesus' words here echo Jeremiah's experience, highlighting that proclaiming God's truth, even with good intentions, can lead to division and conflict, not outward peace.
Psalm 109:4Jeremiah's complaint that everyone curses him mirrors the psalmist's lament of being repaid with curses for his love, illustrating the painful reality of undeserved hostility.
John 15:18Jesus' warning that the world will hate his followers if it hated him speaks to Jeremiah's situation, where his faithfulness to God made him an object of hatred and contention to his people.
clarkeJeremiah 15:10: "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."
A man of contention to the whole earth! - To the whole Land, to all his countrymen; though he had done nothing to merit their displeasure.
calvinJeremiah 15:10: "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."
Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
Hei mihi! mater, mea, quod genueris me virum rixae et virum…
Jeremiah cries out that he's a "man of strife and contention" not because he's a quarrelsome person, but because the people perceive him that way, even though he's conducted himself righteously in his financial dealings. This highlights how often God's messengers are reviled and misunderstood, accused of causing trouble simply for delivering God's unwelcome truth.
Jeremiah, overwhelmed by the people's persistent rejection and his own suffering, laments his birth into a life of conflict and misunderstanding. He feels he has done nothing wrong in his dealings with others, having no financial disputes, yet he is universally cursed. This cry of anguish reveals the immense personal cost of faithfully delivering God's message to a stubborn nation.
Jeremiah, overwhelmed by the people's persistent rejection and his own suffering, laments his birth into a life of conflict and misunderstanding. He feels he has done nothing wrong in his dealings with others, having no financial disputes, yet he is universally cursed. This cry of anguish reveals the immense personal cost of faithfully delivering God's message to a stubborn nation.
"Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me." — Jeremiah cries out that he's a "man of strife and contention" not because he's a quarrelsome person, but because the people perceive him that way, even though he's conducted himself righteously in…
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Last reviewed October 2026
