Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
Ask this question and think about it: Can a man give birth to a child? Then why do I see every man holding his stomach in pain like a woman in labor, and why have all their faces turned pale with fear?
God is describing how terrified and helpless the people will be during coming judgment - even strong men will be as vulnerable as women in childbirth.
📚 Historical Context
Jeremiah prophesied during the final decades before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. This verse describes the terror that would grip Judah during the coming invasion and exile. The prophet uses the imagery of childbirth - something only women experience - to emphasize how the strongest men would be reduced to helpless agony.
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