Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
Parallel translations
- WEB Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by your name, Yahweh, God of Armies.
- BSB Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
- NKJV Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
- NASB Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, Lord God of armies.
- NLT When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jeremiah found God's words and ate them, and they became the joy and delight of his heart because he bears God's name. Delighting in God's word is the deep nourishment of those who belong to Him.
Overview
To eat God's words pictures receiving and inwardly treasuring His revelation as life-giving food. Despite his sufferings, Jeremiah finds true joy in the word and in belonging to the LORD of Armies. This points to the satisfying delight believers find in Scripture and ultimately in Christ, the living Word, whom the soul feeds upon by faith (John 6:35).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Rev 10:9–10And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
- Ezek 3:1–3Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
- Ps 119:101–103I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
- Job 23:12Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
- Ps 19:10More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
- Ps 119:111Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
- Ps 119:97O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
- Ps 119:72The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
- Jer 14:9Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 15:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.