Jeremiah 20:15 (WEB)
Cursed is the man who brought news to my father, saying, “A boy is born to you,” making him very glad.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Jeremiah 20:15 (KJV)
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.
Key words
- יֻלַּד־לְךָ בֵּן זָכָרyullad-lekha ben zakhar · Hebrew
- 'A man child is born unto thee' — the birth announcement Jeremiah curses, before wishing his mother's womb had been his grave (v. 17).
Why it matters
Jeremiah curses the day of his birth and the man who announced it, and in verse 17 wishes his mother's womb had been his tomb. Pitre quotes verses 15 and 17 together as the Bible's own pairing of womb and grave (pp 136–137). That Jewish habit of thought is what lets the Fathers read Jesus' birth from a sealed womb and his resurrection from a sealed tomb as one mystery seen twice.
Catechism · 1
“At times their prayer is an argument or a complaint, but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for the intervention of the Savior God, the Lord of history.” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Am 7:2, 5; Isa 6:5, 8, 11; Jer 1:6; 15: 15-18; 20: 7-18.