Jeremiah 14:9Why should you be like a scared man, as a mighty man who can't save? Yet you, Yahweh, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; don't leave us.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Jeremiah continues his drought prayer, boldly asking why the Almighty seems paralyzed. The temple still stands but God feels absent in modern Israel/Palestine...
The emotion here: clinging desperately to God's reputation while questioning His power
The original word
gibbôr (גבור) — mighty warrior, champion in battle, one who should never lose
Why it matters
Jeremiah uses military language — calling God a 'confused soldier' who can't win battles
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 14:9
The phrase 'scared man' literally means 'dismayed warrior' — someone shocked into inaction
Common misconceptionThis isn't lack of faith — it's the opposite. Jeremiah is so convinced of God's power that God's apparent weakness confuses him completely.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 14:9
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 14:9 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 14:9 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. The setting is the Temple. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 40% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the prayer genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine weakness, covenant identity, abandonment plea. Notable phrases: scared man; mighty man who can't save; called by your name; don't leave us. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 14:9 mean to you, today?
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