Jeremiah 38:5 kjv
Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.
Jeremiah 38:5 nkjv
Then Zedekiah the king said, "Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you."
Jeremiah 38:5 niv
"He is in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "The king can do nothing to oppose you."
Jeremiah 38:5 esv
King Zedekiah said, "Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you."
Jeremiah 38:5 nlt
King Zedekiah agreed. "All right," he said. "Do as you like. I can't stop you."
Jeremiah 38 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 38:6 | So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah. | Fulfillment of Jeremiah's suffering |
| Jeremiah 20:10 | for I heard the slander of many, “Fear on every side! Denounce him.” | Similar public condemnation |
| Jeremiah 26:11 | Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves to die.” | Priests accusing prophets |
| Jeremiah 26:8 | When Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die!” | Similar persecution of Jeremiah |
| Psalm 31:12 | I am forgotten like a dead man; I am like a broken vessel. | Metaphor of brokenness and neglect |
| Psalm 42:7 | Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; yourBenzyloxy | Images of drowning/overwhelment |
| Lamentations 3:53 | They silenced my life with stones and put a rope around my neck. | Experience of near death/entrapment |
| Isaiah 53:3 | He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. | Prophet as suffering servant |
| Matthew 27:43 | He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. | Similar accusations against Jesus |
| Acts 7:52 | Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one... | Pattern of persecuting prophets |
| 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 | We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not ruined; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. | Endurance through suffering |
| 1 Peter 4:12-13 | Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings... | Suffering as a test of faith |
| John 15:20 | Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. | Jesus' warning to disciples |
| Acts 5:40-41 | And when they had called the apostles and flogged them, they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and set them free. Then they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. | Rejoicing in suffering for Christ |
| 2 Timothy 3:12 | Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. | Universal promise of persecution |
| Jeremiah 37:15 | And Jeremiah said to them, “It is a lie. I have not turned traitor to the king.” | Jeremiah's denial of treason |
| Jeremiah 37:11-12 | Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh's army, then the priests and Jeremiah departed from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin... | Jeremiah's earlier lawful departure |
| Jeremiah 37:16-17 | When Jeremiah went into the house of Ishmael the son of Gedaliah... He also said to Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid... I will not hand you over.” | Treachery against Jeremiah |
| John 19:4 | Then Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” | Pilate's declaration of innocence |
| Isaiah 50:6 | I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. | Foreshadowing of Jesus' suffering |
| Psalm 88:8 | You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me an object of horror to them. | Isolation in suffering |
Jeremiah 38 verses
Jeremiah 38 5 Meaning
This verse describes Jeremiah's passive suffering and submission to unjust punishment by the princes and the people, who unjustly declared him guilty and proceeded to have him thrown into a cistern, effectively a dry well or pit. His ordeal stemmed from his prophecies that foretold Jerusalem's destruction, which the authorities interpreted as treasonous defeatism.
Jeremiah 38 5 Context
This verse occurs within the narrative of the final siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Jeremiah, the prophet, has been delivering messages of doom and repentance, warning the people and leaders that resistance to Babylon is futile and will lead to destruction. His prophecies are unpopular, and he is accused of weakening the people's resolve and betraying the city. In chapter 37, Jeremiah is initially arrested on false charges of trying to desert to the Babylonians. He is released and placed under a form of house arrest. However, in chapter 38, driven by the fear and desperation of the princes of Judah, they seize Jeremiah again, acting without royal authority and with cruel intent. They cast him into a cistern to die by starvation or in the mud. This act is a continuation of the consistent opposition Jeremiah faced from the leadership throughout his ministry.
Jeremiah 38 5 Word Analysis
- And (וְ, wə): A conjunctive particle, linking this action to what preceded.
- Jeremiah (יִרְמְיָה, Yirməyah): The prophet's name, meaning "Yahweh exalts" or "Yahweh throws."
- they (הֵם, hem): Pronoun referring to the princes mentioned previously in chapter 38.
- took (לָקְחוּ, ləqəḥû): Past tense, indicating a forceful seizure.
- him (אֹתוֹ, ōṯô): The prophet Jeremiah.
- and (וְ, wə): Conjunction.
- cast (וַיִּתְּנוּ, way·yit·nû): The Niphal (passive) or Piel (intensive causative) form of נָתַן (natan), here implying them putting him into something.
- him (אֹתוֹ, ōṯô): Jeremiah.
- into (אֶל, ’el): Preposition indicating direction.
- the cistern (הַבּוֹר, hab·bōr): A well, pit, or cistern; a place of confinement and potential death.
- of Malkijah (מַלְכִּיָּה, Malkîyyâ): The name of the eunuch whose cistern it was. His name means "my king is Yah."
Phrase Group Analysis:
- "they took Jeremiah": This phrase signifies the physical apprehension of the prophet by the officials, driven by their animosity.
- "and cast him into the cistern": This highlights the severity and method of his punishment – being thrown into a confined, likely waterless or muddy pit, representing death and burial.
- "of Malkijah": This identifies the specific location, personalizing the imprisonment and emphasizing it as a place of potential death within the city.
Jeremiah 38 5 Bonus Section
The cistern, often described as muddy and deep, symbolizes not just physical confinement but also a place of spiritual death and despair, reflecting the spiritual barrenness of those who condemned him. The mention of Malkijah's cistern emphasizes the personalization of the prophet's suffering by specific individuals who acted upon their ill will. This event foreshadows the ultimate rejection and suffering of God's Son, Jesus Christ, who also suffered unjust condemnation and was figuratively placed in a state of death before His resurrection. The narrative of Jeremiah’s unjust imprisonment and rescue highlights themes of God's providence and deliverance even amidst extreme adversity.
Jeremiah 38 5 Commentary
Jeremiah is abandoned to a desolate fate by the very people he was sent to warn. The princes, driven by their own agenda and misunderstanding, mete out cruel judgment. Throwing someone into a cistern was a form of execution by deprivation and neglect, a slow, miserable end. This act starkly portrays the hostility and persecution faced by prophets. Jeremiah's submission to this fate, as detailed in the subsequent verses by Ebed-melech's intervention, underscores his passive endurance, a pattern seen in the suffering of many faithful servants of God, and ultimately in Christ. It's a stark contrast to his prophetic boldness, showing a phase of silent suffering.