Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Jeremiah 20:18 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 18. 18Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be…” at Jeremiah 20:18 within “Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth.”
Read It With
- Jeremiah 20:14–18
Read Jeremiah 20:18 with 20:14–18. By itself, “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, imperial horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: The confession ends by cursing birth, messenger, womb, and a life of toil and shame rather than offering tidy resolution.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Terror, Surveillance, and Praise Share One Confession” into “Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: The confession ends by cursing birth, messenger, womb, and a life of toil and shame rather than offering tidy resolution. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be…” at Jeremiah 20:18 within “Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth.”
What Remains True
No metaphor or theological explanation makes abuse, humiliation, torture, sexual violence, or victim blame acceptable. In Jeremiah 20:18, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be…” at Jeremiah 20:18 within “Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth.”
How It Can Shape Life
- Name harm without spectacle, center survivors and consent, and connect interpretation to concrete safety and care. This response follows Jeremiah 20:14–18's specific concern, “Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The prophetic word through Jeremiah presses the question “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be…” at Jeremiah 20:18 within “Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Jeremiah 20:14–18 — Jeremiah Curses the Day of His BirthSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Jeremiah 20:14–18, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Jeremiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2; fixed commit
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Jer.xml, OSIS 20:14–18
Open the fixed Hebrew Jeremiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Jeremiah with Translator, Textual, and Study Notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; official eBible PDF distribution, NET Bible Second Edition; official PDF accessed 2026
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, names, textual problems, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Jeremiah PDF, pp. 1258-1459, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Jeremiah 20:14–18
Open the official NET Jeremiah PDF ↗