Jeremiah 38 3

Jeremiah 38:3 kjv

Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.

Jeremiah 38:3 nkjv

Thus says the LORD: 'This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.' "

Jeremiah 38:3 niv

And this is what the LORD says: 'This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.'?"

Jeremiah 38:3 esv

Thus says the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken."

Jeremiah 38:3 nlt

The LORD also says: 'The city of Jerusalem will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.'"

Jeremiah 38 verses

Jeremiah 38 3 Meaning

The leaders of Judah, driven by fear and a desire to appease the Babylonians, urge King Zedekiah to surrender Jeremiah to them. They falsely claim that by delivering Jeremiah to them, he can appease the Lord, suggesting that Jeremiah's words are the sole cause of the nation's current distress. This action exposes their misguided belief that the covenant blessings or curses were tied to appeasing human rulers rather than obeying God's commands.

Jeremiah 38 3 Context

This verse is situated within Jeremiah chapter 38, which details the final imprisonment and near death of the prophet Jeremiah during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The chapter occurs during the reign of King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, a time of great political and spiritual crisis for the nation. Jeremiah had been consistently delivering messages of judgment and urging surrender to Babylon as the only means of escape, a message that was deeply unpopular and perceived as treasonous by the Judean leadership.

In the preceding verses (Jeremiah 38:1-3), Jeremiah is cast into a cistern because the officials falsely accuse him of demoralizing the troops and the populace with his prophecies of destruction. This verse (Jeremiah 38:4) presents the rationale given by these officials to King Zedekiah for their actions. They argue that Jeremiah's continued prophetic activity is weakening the will to fight and that he should be handed over to them to be put to death. Their underlying motive is self-preservation and a desperate, misguided attempt to shift blame and avoid accountability for the city's impending doom.

Jeremiah 38 3 Word Analysis

• וְכֵן֙ (ve'khen): "And thus," or "and so." This connective particle indicates a consequence or explanation that follows from what has been said or the situation at hand.
• אָמְר֛וּ (am'ru): "They said." The verb is in the Hiphil conjugation, perfect tense, third person plural masculine, from the root אמר (amar) meaning "to say." It indicates direct speech from the officials to the king.
• כִּ֤י (ki): "For" or "because." This conjunction introduces the reason or justification for their statement and actions.
• כִּ֥י (ki): "For" or "that." Used here to introduce the content of their spoken accusation and argument.
• בְּדָֽבְרֵי֙ (bediv'rey): "In the words of," or "through the words of." It points to Jeremiah's pronouncements as the basis of their complaint. From the root דבר (davar), meaning "word" or "thing."
• הָאִ֣ישׁ (ha'ish): "This man," or "this person." Refers specifically to Jeremiah, highlighting him as the source of the problem from their perspective.
• הַזֶּ֔ה (hazeh): "This." A demonstrative pronoun, emphasizing Jeremiah’s immediate presence or the current issue he represents.
• אֶת־ (et): Direct object marker. Indicates that "the hands of the men" is the direct object of the verb "weakening."
• יְדֵ֧י (yedei): "The hands of." From the root יד (yad), meaning "hand." Used idiomatically here to signify strength, power, or support.
• אַנְשֵׁ֥י (anshei): "The men of." From the root איש (ish), meaning "man."
• הַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה (hammilchamah): "The war," or "the battle." The noun specifies the context where Jeremiah’s words are perceived to be damaging morale.
• הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים (hannish'arim): "Who are left," or "who remain." The passive participle from the root שאר (sha'ar), meaning "to remain," describes the soldiers still in Jerusalem.
• בָּעִ֣יר (ba'ir): "In the city." Indicates the location of these remaining soldiers.
• הַזֹּ֑את (hazot): "This." Another demonstrative pronoun referring to Jerusalem, emphasizing its current dire state.
• וְלֹאמַ֠ר (velomar): "And saying." Introduces further justification or a specific action they propose.
• לְרַפֵּ֛א (lerap'e): "To weaken." From the root רפא (rapha), meaning "to heal" or "to strengthen." In the Hiphil conjugation with the prefix ל (le) "to," it signifies "to make weak" or "to enfeeble."
• אֶת־ (et): Direct object marker.
• יְדֵ֣י (yedei): "The hands of." As noted before, idiomatically referring to the resolve or courage.
• הָעָם֙ (ha'am): "The people." Refers to the populace of Jerusalem.
• כָּלָ֔ם (kulam): "All of them." Emphasizes the universal impact of Jeremiah’s words on the people.
• בְּשָׁלְח֣וֹ (besholch'o): "By his sending" or "by his speaking." Implies that by allowing Jeremiah to speak or by engaging with his message, the city's resolve is undermined. From the root שלח (shalach), meaning "to send."
• אֹ֠תָם (otam): "Them." Refers back to "the people."
• בַּדָּבָ֣ר (badavár): "In the matter," or "concerning the matter." Refers to the current situation and the content of Jeremiah's prophecy regarding surrender.
• הָרָעָ֖ה (hara'ah): "The evil," or "the bad thing." The adjective describes the negative message of impending doom and defeat.

Words Group Analysis

• "Weakening the hands of the men of war... and the people, all of them": This phrase conveys the core accusation. The officials perceive Jeremiah's prophecies not as divine warnings but as acts of sabotage designed to erode the fighting spirit and will to resist among both the soldiers and the citizens of Jerusalem. This shows their understanding of the psychological warfare aspect, albeit misdirected from God's purpose.
• "by his speaking them in the city these bad things": This part pinpoints the "how." Jeremiah's "bad things" – prophecies of doom, destruction, and surrender – when proclaimed "in the city," directly undermine the courage needed for defense. They accuse him of demoralizing the city by speaking forth God's pronouncements of judgment, equating God's word with a betrayal of the nation.

Jeremiah 38 3 Bonus Section

The officials' justification that handing Jeremiah over will "appease the LORD" (v. 5, implied in the request) reflects a common, but incorrect, understanding of appeasement and sacrifice. They believed that a human sacrifice of sorts – silencing the prophet – could pacify God and avert His wrath, rather than seeking repentance and obedience. This misunderstands God's justice, which calls for genuine heart change, not the suppression of His messengers. Their fear of the Babylonians mirrors the fear of the Romans described in John 11:48, where the Sanhedrin feared that Jesus' popularity would cause the Romans to "take away both our place and our nation." The underlying fear of external powers often drove the Judean leadership, superseding their allegiance to God.

Jeremiah 38 3 Commentary

The officials accuse Jeremiah of weakening the people by his words. Their framing of his prophecies as "bad things" spoken "in the city" reveals their attempt to manipulate the king and the situation. They present a distorted view of prophecy, seeing it as inherently destructive rather than a truthful, albeit harsh, message from God intended for repentance. Their argument highlights a profound misunderstanding of leadership and spiritual responsibility, blaming the messenger rather than considering the sins that brought about God's judgment. This passage illustrates the dangerous tendency of political expediency to override divine truth, where the desire to maintain a facade of strength leads to the silencing of a necessary warning. The officials, by presenting surrender to God's judgment as Jeremiah’s fault, try to absolve themselves of responsibility, while their own resistance to God's word is the true cause of the city’s predicament. Their appeal to the king reveals their strategic manipulation to have Jeremiah removed.