By a symbolic action the LORD gives Jeremiah the message that he is to proclaim. This is a very significant moment in Jeremiah’s ministry, since elsewhere Jeremiah is spoken of as the LORD’s mouth (15.19). In the call of Isaiah one of the seraphim touches his mouth with a burning coal that had been taken from the altar (Isa 6.6-7). But the significance of the two actions is quite different: in Isaiah it is a sign of the purification of his lips from sin (Isa 6.7), while here it is the means by which the prophet is simultaneously dedicated to his task and given his message.

Put forth his hand is variously rendered as “stretched out his hand” (New English Bible) or simply “reached out” (Good News Translation). Whether it is natural to keep his hand or not will vary in different languages. Or hand can even be moved to the end of the second clause: “Then the LORD reached out and touched my mouth with his hand.” Although the Hebrew has touched my mouth … put my words in your mouth, it may be more natural in some languages to use “lips” (so Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). In many respects Jeremiah is portrayed as the successor to Moses, and so it is of some significance that what is said here is similar to the promise that the LORD gave to Moses in Deut 18.18: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

And the LORD said to me: And is simply marking here that the narration is continuing. In some languages no such transition is necessary. Also, it is not always natural to repeat the LORD, so New American Bible has “… touched my mouth saying….”

For Behold see the discussion at verse 6.

In many languages the expression put my words in your mouth will be understood easily by readers. Others will find “giving you the words you must speak” (Good News Translation) more natural. See also Bible en français courant, “It is you who will pronounce [or, speak] my words.”

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 .