Jeremiah 1:18

I, the Lord, ¹  hereby promise to make you ²  as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in ³  the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land.

Isa 50:7; Jer 6:27; Jer 15:20; Jer 21:4-14; Jer 22:1-30; Jer 26:12-15; Jer 34:3,20-22; Jer 36:27-32; Jer 37:7; Jer 38:2,18; Jer 42:22; Eze 3:8,9; Mic 3:8,9; Joh 1:42

¹ tn See the note on “Jeremiah” at the beginning of v. 17.

² tn Heb “today I have made you.” The Hebrew verb form here emphasizes the certainty of a yet future act; the Lord is promising to protect Jeremiah from any future attacks which may result from his faithfully carrying out his commission. See a similar use of the same Hebrew verb tense in v. 9, and see the translator’s note there.

³ tn Heb “I make you a fortified city…against all the land….” The words “as strong as” and “so you will be able to stand against all the people of…” are given to clarify the meaning of the metaphor.