. . . the call narrative also hints
that although Jeremiah was summoned to be a prophet while “only a boy” (1:7),
he did not undertake his active ministry until he was a bit older. When the
Lord asks Jeremiah about what his eyes are beholding at his call, the prophet
reports seeing all almond tree (v. 11). The Lord replies, “You have seen well,
for I am watching over my word to perform it” (v. 12). This seemingly odd
exchange involves a play on words in Hebrew that does not come across in translation.
The Hebrew verb for God’s “watching” in verse 12 (šōqēd) picks up the
Hebrew noun for “almond tree” in verse 11 (šāqēd). God will preserve the
Word that he has given to Jeremiah so that God may later bring about that which
his Word, spoken by Jeremiah, will articulate. (William M. Wright IV and
Francis Martin, Encountering the Living God in Scripture: Theological and
Philosophical Principles for Interpretation [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker
Academic, 2019], 47)
