Jeremiah 30:6-7
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Jeremiah’s question, "Can a man bear a child?" is designed to shock us into realizing the unnatural, unprecedented level of distress about to strike. The imagery highlights not just pain, but a profound inversion of roles and a collective loss of composure, as even strong men are reduced to the physical agony and pallor of a woman in labor.
Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is instructed to record God's message about the future of Israel and Judah, emphasizing both coming judgment and ultimate restoration. This passage vividly depicts the overwhelming terror and distress that will precede this future deliverance, describing men in such agony that they appear like women in labor, their faces pale with fear. This intense imagery highlights the severity of the approaching tribulation, even as it hints at the profound relief that will follow.
Have you ever seen a man in labor? It's a sight that defies nature. Jeremiah uses this impossible image to describe an unimaginable reality.
Jeremiah poses a rhetorical question: 'Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child?' The answer is an emphatic NO. It's biologically impossible. Men do not experience childbirth.
But then, the prophet declares, 'Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?' This isn't a literal observation. Instead, it's a powerful metaphor illustrating the extreme, unnatural agony that God's judgment brings. The people are experiencing a pain so profound, so overwhelming, that it mimics the most intense suffering known to humanity – a woman in the throes of childbirth. It signifies a crisis that is both deeply personal and universally felt, shaking men to their core in a way that is profoundly unsettling and unmanly.
What does a 'pale face' really tell us? In Jeremiah's time, it was a clear, undeniable signal of profound dread.
The verse continues, 'Why has every face turned pale?' This physical manifestation of terror is crucial. It’s not just about feeling scared; it’s about the visible evidence of that fear draining the life and color from people.
Historically, a pale face indicated a loss of blood and vitality, often associated with extreme fear or illness. In this context, it signifies that the people are not just facing hardship, but are utterly overcome by dread. This is the look of those who realize they are in the grip of a power far greater than themselves, a power that has brought them to the brink of despair. It's the universal human reaction when confronted with inescapable, terrifying judgment.
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Understand the original words
tsarah · Hebrew Noun
A period of intense trouble, difficulty, or affliction, often used in prophetic literature to describe divine judgment or historical calamities preceding restoration.
Ya'aqov · Hebrew Noun
A representative term for the nation of Israel, descended from the patriarch Jacob, emphasizing their identity as the chosen people of the covenant.
This prophecy was delivered during the intense suffering of the Babylonian exile, when Jerusalem lay in ruins and the people faced unimaginable despair. Jeremiah's vivid imagery of men in labor pains highlights the unprecedented nature of their agony and terror, emphasizing that their suffering was a consequence of their unfaithfulness and a prelude to God's ultimate restoration.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Jerusalem and deports some of the Jewish nobility, including Daniel. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile, a period of great distress for Judah.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation
Another large group of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, are deported to Babylon. The kingdom of Judah is severely weakened.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar utterly destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, leading to a final, massive deportation of the remaining population to Babylon. This is the lowest point for the Judean people.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon. This event sets the stage for the eventual return of the exiles to Jerusalem.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the return and restoration period.
This passage uses similar imagery of a woman in labor to describe the terror and anguish of Jerusalem, directly linking the physical pain of childbirth to overwhelming fear.
Jeremiah 6:24This verse also employs the metaphor of a woman in labor and pain to depict the approaching destruction and sorrow that will fall upon the people, emphasizing the intensity of their suffering.
Isaiah 13:8This prophecy describes the terrifying events of judgment with similar language, noting that people will be seized by pain and fear like a woman giving birth, highlighting the unnatural and profound distress.
Matthew 24:8Jesus uses the phrase 'all these are but the beginning of the birth pains' to describe the intense suffering and turmoil preceding the end times, drawing a parallel to the painful, yet ultimately preparatory, nature of labor.
1 Thessalonians 5:3This passage warns about the suddenness of destruction, stating that 'sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman,' underscoring the unexpected and intense nature of God's judgment.
gillJeremiah 30:6: "Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?"
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child?.... Look into the histories of former times, inquire of those most versed in them, whether ever there was such a thing in the world as that a man should travail with child; ask one and, another you see in distress, whether that is their case o…
calvinJeremiah 30:4-6: "And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah."
- Inquirite et aspicite an pariat masculus? quare video cunctos viros manibus suis super lumbos tanquam parturiens (solet mulier, subaudiendum est, vel, sicuti solet mulier parturiens) et conversae sunt omnes facies in pallorem (vel, in auriginem, ut alii vertunt, sed nomen palloris melius convenit?)
Both Jews and Christians pervert this passage, for they apply it to the time of the Messiah;…
Jeremiah’s question, "Can a man bear a child?" is designed to shock us into realizing the unnatural, unprecedented level of distress about to strike. The imagery highlights not just pain, but a profound inversion of roles and a collective loss of composure, as even strong men are reduced to the physical agony and pallor of a woman in labor.
Jeremiah is instructed to record God's message about the future of Israel and Judah, emphasizing both coming judgment and ultimate restoration. This passage vividly depicts the overwhelming terror and distress that will precede this future deliverance, describing men in such agony that they appear like women in labor, their faces pale with fear. This intense imagery highlights the severity of the approaching tribulation, even as it hints at the profound relief that will follow.
Jeremiah is instructed to record God's message about the future of Israel and Judah, emphasizing both coming judgment and ultimate restoration. This passage vividly depicts the overwhelming terror and distress that will precede this future deliverance, describing men in such agony that they appear like women in labor, their faces pale with fear. This intense imagery highlights the severity of the approaching tribulation, even as it hints at the profound relief that will follow.
"Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? Alas! That day is so great there is none like it…" — Jeremiah’s question, "Can a man bear a child?" is designed to shock us into realizing the unnatural, unprecedented level of distress about to strike. The imagery highlights not just pain, but a profo…
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Last reviewed October 2026
