Jeremiah 1:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I have appointed you a prophet even as Jeremiah, who prophesied concerning nations while remaining in Jerusalem. The Lord did not merely send him forth without understanding the trials he would face in fulfilling his divine assignment. Thus, He spoke words meant to uplift him, declaring, “Before you were born, I conformed you to Myself,” which precisely conveys, “I have known you,” affirming His sovereign design for what was created. As one can be designated to the priesthood and other roles, He specifies the kind of calling: you are destined to prophesy to the people, referring to them as tribes. Jeremiah hesitated, believing he lacked the ability to communicate effectively with such audiences, particularly with rulers, yet God provided him encouragement.

It may pertain to Adam in either his formed state, crafted from the earth, or in a pre-existing condition during God’s comprehensive act of creation before time began, as God selected and predestined his saints before the world’s foundation (Eph. 1:4). Regardless of the specific causes, be they listed or otherwise, it is evident that God recognized Jeremiah before He fashioned him in his mother’s womb. It is sufficient to acknowledge that Jeremiah received life in its true sense only after being born to his parents, and as he matured, he could lead a life of virtue or vice, but not before, either during his gestation or even at the stage where he was formed yet not yet born. This aligns with the apostolic assertion concerning the twins, who in Rebekah's womb had not engaged in any deeds, whether good or bad (Rom. 9:11).

It is not without purpose that it is said, "neither is a babe clean from sin, though he dwell on the earth but one day" (Job 14:4, according to the LXX), and in the Psalms, "behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalms 50:7), and also "in Adam all die; in him all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). Nonetheless, let us hold fast to the truth that whatever merits of parents might be imparted to their children, and whatever grace may sanctify individuals before birth, no one can commit good or evil before entering the world. The notion that souls have sinned in some way previously and are assigned to different bodies based on their sins does not align with the Apostle’s clear statement that those yet unborn have performed neither virtuous nor sinful acts.

Thus, we will address how the sin of the first humans has impacted all of humanity at another time; however, it is clear that a person, before being created from the earth and coming to life, cannot inherit any guilt. Just as it was with Esau and Jacob, who, as the Apostle noted, had not done either good or bad while still in the womb, we cannot assert that they inherited any merit if their parents themselves had not committed any deeds, nor could we claim that humanity sinned in Adam if he had not sinned himself. Adam, too, could only have sinned after achieving life, at which point he could act righteously or wickedly; thus, contemplating the concept of Adam's sin or act during the initial creation, when all was formed simultaneously, is futile. In that original act of creation, when God made all things together, mankind was brought into existence in accordance with the divine idea of creation, not as a completed act within creation itself.

When it is said, "He hath made thee a prophet among the nations," this implies what we will read later in the writings of that very prophet, indicating that his prophecy extended not only to Jerusalem but to numerous neighboring nations. Some interpret this passage as relating to the Savior, who, in a true sense, is the prophet of the nations and, through the apostles, summons all peoples to Him. Indeed, before He was formed in the womb of the Virgin and before His birth, He was sanctified in the womb and yielded to the Father, for He is eternally united with the Father, and the Father is perpetually present in Him.

The phrase ‘out of the womb he sanctified thee’ should be understood in the context of the womb truly bringing forth the children of God, as described in the holy Gospel: ‘but to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:12-13), through the act of baptism.