The Church Fathers on this verse
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Jeremiah 20:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Then I said: I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name: and there came in my heart as a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I was wearied, not being able to bear it.

Douay-Rheims

וְאָמַרְתִּ֣י לֹֽא־אֶזְכְּרֶ֗נּוּ וְלֹֽא־אֲדַבֵּ֥ר עוֹד֙ בִּשְׁמ֔וֹ וְהָיָ֤ה בְלִבִּי֙ כְּאֵ֣שׁ בֹּעֶ֔רֶת עָצֻ֖ר בְּעַצְמֹתָ֑י וְנִלְאֵ֥יתִי כַּֽלְכֵ֖ל וְלֹ֥א אוּכָֽל׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

5 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 6 commentaries

John Chrysostom

4th centuryChurch Father

They declared: I will not remember. Observe the dignity, how he openly acknowledged such a flaw and did not hide such a weakness, but rather made manifest, as if on a pedestal, the imperfections of his thoughts. He was like a blaze. This signifies the Spirit. You have triumphed and inadvertently led me away. Yet, someone might question: what value is there in prophesying out of obligation? What merits arise from it? (And after a brief exchange). Note that when necessary actions must be taken, God also employs necessity. For it is not due to His frailty that those who have gained should be lost.

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When Jeremiah, who voiced many warnings to the Israelites and foretold future disasters, faced scorn and ridicule from his audience daily, he longed to cease such prophecies because he felt unable to withstand their mockery and derision. Hear what he expresses in these subsequent words: “and I thought, I will not remember Him, nor speak anymore in His name; but there was in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not.” His message conveys this: I wished to refrain from prophesying - he claims - because the people would not heed me; yet, as soon as I resolved to do so, the force of the Spirit, like a fire, assailed my soul and seared my being, exhausting and consuming my very bones, making the heat unbearable.

Jerome of Stridon

4th centuryChurch Father

The message of the Lord had become a source of shame and ridicule for me day after day. In my despair, I declared that I would no longer remember Him or invoke His name, nor would I proclaim His words anymore. Yet deep within my heart, it felt like a consuming fire trapped in my bones, leaving me exhausted and drained, unable to endure it. I heard the slander from many who surrounded me, urging, “Pursue him, and we will pursue him.” When I cried out, warning that the Babylonian forces were advancing and the enemy's sword was laying waste to all, the word of the Lord turned against me, becoming a target of scorn due to the perceived delay in the prophecy’s fulfillment, which many took as evidence of its inaccuracy.

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Consequently, I made a firm decision not to share the divine messages with the people nor to invoke His name again. However, though I was filled with humiliation, I could not silence the voice within me—it was as if the word of God was a blazing fire within me, confined in my bones, leaving me utterly spent beyond measure. The word of God burns within us even if not spoken aloud. Thus, Paul also expressed, “If I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I am entrusted with a stewardship” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17). In Athens, witnessing the city steeped in idolatry, he was stirred in his spirit and felt a profound anguish. Furthermore, as noted elsewhere in Acts, upon the arrival of Silas and Timothy from Macedonia, Paul was deeply troubled in spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Today, many church leaders continue to face similar challenges, enduring the reproaches of those who conspire against them, declaring, “Persecute them, and we will pursue them.”

Ambrose of Milan

4th centuryChurch Father

Success is rare and achievements are minimal if we are only motivated by the fear of punishment to stay on the right path. Rather, it is mercy and love that can inspire greater change, leading the Lord to nurture our longing for His compassion and ignite our desire for the divine presence: I have come to bring fire upon the earth (Lk. 12:49). This fire does not annihilate earthly goodness; instead, it fosters goodwill, purifying the sacred vessels in the Lord's house, while consuming what is merely hay and straw (cf. 1 Cor. 3:12-15). This divine fire eradicates all temporal distractions born from worldly pleasures and the destructive deeds of the flesh. It burned fiercely within the prophets, as St. Jeremiah expressed: And I became like a blazing fire in my bones (Jer. 20:9).

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Concerning the Lord’s fire, it is proclaimed, Fire shall burn before Him (Ps. 96:3). The Lord Himself embodies this fire, declaring: ‘I am a scorching and indestructible fire’ (cf. Ex. 3:2; 24:17; Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29). The fire of the Lord serves as an eternal light, igniting the lamps, of which He previously instructed, Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning (Luke 12:35). A lamp is essential because the days of this life resemble night (cf. Origen: hom in Luke. fr. 80). Cleopas and his companion bear witness that this fire was instilled in them by the Lord: Did not our heart burn... on the road when He opened the Scriptures to us? (Lk. 24:32). They demonstrate how this fire illuminated the depths of their hearts. This likely explains why the Lord is prophesied to come in fire (see Isaiah 66:15) to purge away sin at the resurrection and to fulfill the hopes of all through His manifestation, illuminating the light of virtues and mysteries.

My heart is aflame within me, and a fire shall be kindled in my thoughts (Psalm 38:4). The most severe wounds, as we discern, are treated with caustic substances or fire. Hence, the wise individual becomes their own healer; however, even a skilled physician finds their wounds inflamed unless they attain a state of complete wisdom and tranquility. Their heart is ignited, they experience feverish emotions and are consumed by feelings of shame and contempt. When silence prevails, inner turmoil persists. Just as a stone striking a rock produces sparks, a righteous conscience burns with guilt when reminded of its sins, igniting a fervor in its thoughts.

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There exists a fire that may scorch yet does not destroy, reminiscent of the blaze Moses witnessed in a bush that burned but was not consumed (Exod. 3:2). This fire weakens sin and eradicates its guilt through its intensity. It is kindled through contemplation of the sacred Scriptures; Jeremiah hints at this when he declares, “And there was a blazing fire enclosed in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9). Perhaps this fire was mentioned by Cleopas and his companion when, following the Resurrection, Christ joined them, saying, “Did not our heart burn when he expounded the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). The Lord's mission was to ignite this fire upon the earth (Luke 12:49), to enlighten all souls, to inspire fervor, and to consume sin.

Theodoret of Cyrus

5th centuryChurch Father

I declared that I would not recall the name of the Lord, nor would I speak to any individual in His name; meaning that I would refrain from prophesying and sharing God's revelations with the disobedient. I was compelled within, like a consuming fire, burning intensely in my spirit and causing turmoil in my bones, relentlessly pressuring me until I could no longer contain it. The apostle Paul encountered similar turmoil when he remained silent in Athens, as it is recounted that his spirit was stirred within him upon witnessing the idolatry (Acts 17:16). The prophet underwent a parallel experience, as the divine grace of prophecy compelled him even when he hesitated to speak.

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He goes on to explain how they not only inflicted suffering and physical punishment upon him but also conspired for his demise, attempting to deceive him and lead him away from faith in God. As the prophet notes, they engaged in mutual deliberations.

Nikolaj Velimirovic

20th centuryChurch Father

How the word of God is perceived when it is given to the prophet by the Spirit of God, Jeremiah describes from his own experience: It was to me as a burning fire shut up in my bones. That means he was inspired by God the Almighty.

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