Jeremiah 16:1-2

The Lord commanded His prophet never (Heb. lo’) to marry and rear children. In contrast, God commanded Hosea to marry and have children (Hosea 1:2). This difference reflects God’s sovereignty over His servants. His will for one may not be the same as His will for another in amoral matters.

The Israelites and ancient Near Easterners in general regarded the unmarried state and childlessness as divine curses (cf. Matthew 24:19; 1 Corinthians 7:26), but here God overruled what was normal (cf. Genesis 1:28; Genesis 2:18; Deuteronomy 7:14) for a special reason. Bachelors were so rare in Israel that there is no word for "bachelor" in the Hebrew language. As an unmarried man, Jeremiah would have been the object of much derision and scorn.