Jeremiah 16:19Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, even vanity and things in which there is no profit.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Jeremiah stands in the temple courtyard as Babylonian armies approach. He sees beyond the current crisis to a future hope...
The emotion here: devastated by national deception but clinging to God's truth
The original word
māʿôz (מָעוֹז) — fortress, stronghold, a place of military safety
Why it matters
This was spoken during Jehoiakim's reign when Judah was caught between Egyptian and Babylonian superpowers
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 16:19
Jeremiah calls God 'my refuge' while standing in the very temple that would be destroyed
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about other people's false religions, but Jeremiah is talking about his own people inheriting lies from their fathers—even good families can pass down spiritual deception.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 16:19
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 16:19 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 16:19 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 80% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the prayer genre of biblical literature. Key themes include God as refuge, trust in God. Notable phrases: my strength; my stronghold; my refuge. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same worship
“Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:”
— Deuteronomy 6:4
“and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
— Deuteronomy 6:5
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
— John 14:6
“Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."”
— John 8:58
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 16:19 mean to you, today?
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