This verse records Jeremiah’s response to the divine call. It is a feeling of inadequacy, such as Moses experienced at the time of his call (Exo 4.10).

Ah represents a cry of alarm; it appears several times in the Old Testament when a person is in the presence of God or his angel (Josh 7.7; Jdg 6.22; Jer 4.10; 14.13; 32.17; Ezek 4.14; 9.8; 11.13; 20.49). Good News Translation does not represent this exclamation by a word in the text. Bible en français courant uses Hélas (“Alas”).

Lord GOD is translated “Sovereign LORD” by Good News Translation and “my Lord and God” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch.

Behold translates an attention-getter; it is represented by “see” in New Jerusalem Bible, but it has no verbal equivalent in Good News Translation, New International Version, New American Bible, or New English Bible. This word is best looked upon as a formal feature of the Hebrew text, and as such it should not be slavishly reproduced in translation, although “Look” is appropriate in many languages.

I do not know how to speak must not be taken to indicate that Jeremiah could not speak. Among the translations the meaning is perhaps best expressed by Luther 1984: “I am not fit to preach.” Another good way to express it is “I don’t know how to speak in public.”

Youth is used of the infant Moses (Exo 2.6) and of the young man Absalom (2 Sam 18.5). Thus it is impossible to determine Jeremiah’s age on the basis of its usage here. The Septuagint has “I am too young,” which is also the choice of several modern translations (Good News Translation, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Luther 1984, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). New Revised Standard Version has “for I am only a boy”; New International Version has “I am only a child,” but since we cannot know Jeremiah’s exact age at this time, only that he was less than thirty years old, this may be too restrictive. Bible en français courant has restructured the second part of the verse: “I am too young to speak in public.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .