Jeremiah 38:16

Translations

Modern

But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of these men who are seeking your life.”

Traditional

So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.

Literal

And the king Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secret, saying, “As YHWH lives, who made for us this soul, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your soul!

Latin

Juravit ergo rex Sedecias Jeremiæ clam, dicens: Vivit Dominus, qui fecit nobis animam hanc, si occidero te, et si tradidero te in manus virorum istorum qui quærunt animam tuam.

Original

Hebrew

English

But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of these men who are seeking your life.”

Notes

Jeremiah 38:14–16

Zedekiah desperately wanted a miracle to save his kingdom from the Babylonian armies. He arranged a secret meeting with Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 37:1–38:28

The focus now returns to Zedekiah, who became king of Judah after his nephew Jehoiachin. These chapters describe meetings between Zedekiah and Jeremiah, highlighting Zedekiah’s struggle to fully commit to God's word (compare Deuteronomy 10:12–13). Zedekiah is a classic example of a person with divided loyalty (James 1:6–8).

Theme notes and profiles

Jeremiah God Protects His Servant Persecution

Events

Prophecies of Jeremiahc. 628 BC

Related verses

Jeremiah 37:17
Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
Jeremiah 38:1–6
Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:
Zechariah 12:1
This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him:
Isaiah 57:16
For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me—the breath of life I have made.
John 3:2
He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
Jeremiah 34:20
I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
Numbers 27:16
“May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation
Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:
Hebrews 12:9
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
Ecclesiastes 12:7
…before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

People

Jeremiah: Son of Hilkiah, the prophet during Judah's final days Zedekiah: Last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile

Glossary

Book of Jeremiah Courts and Trials Guard, Courtyard of the Jehoiachin

Topics

Oath: Zedekiah Swears to Jeremiah Prisoners: Jeremiah Prisoners: Kindness To by the Prison Guard to Jeremiah Zedekiah: Made King of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar by Jeremiah Zedekiah: Made King of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar: Imprisons Jeremiah on Account of his Denunciations Zedekiah: Made King of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar: Seeks the Intercession of Jeremiah with God on his Behalf

Jeremiah 38:16

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