Of his call to the prophetic mission, Jeremiah himself wrote: "The Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." Jeremiah 1:9, 10.

Jeremias skrev selv om sin kaldelse til profetgerningen: "Herren udrakte sin hånd, rørte ved min mund og sagde til mig: "Nu lægger jeg mine ord i din mund. Se, jeg giver dig i dag myndighed over folk og riger til at oprykke og nedbryde, til at ødelægge og nedrive, til at opbygge og plante." Jer. 1,9-10.