Jeremiah 38:16

Jeremiah 38:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath, I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, "As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life."
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the Lord lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”

Context of Jeremiah 38:16

14King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and brought him to the third entrance in the Lord’s temple. “I’m going to ask you a question,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Don’t hide anything from me.” 15Jeremiah answered Zedekiah, “If I answer you, you’ll kill me. If I give you advice, you won’t listen to me.” So King Zedekiah secretly swore an oath to Jeremiah, “The Lord gave us life. As the Lord lives, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to kill you.” 17Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, you will live, and this city will not be burned. You and your household will live. 18But if you don’t surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them.”

Jeremiah 38:16 word by word

וַיִּשָּׁבַ֞ע הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּ֛הוּ אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ בַּסֵּ֣תֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר חַי־יְהוָ֞ה אֲשֶׁר֩ עָשָׂה־לָ֨נוּ אֶת־הַנֶּ֤פֶשׁ הַזֹּאת֙ אִם־אֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ וְאִם־אֶתֶּנְךָ֗ בְּיַד֙ הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֥ר מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים אֶת־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So Zedekiahצִדְקִיָּ֫הוּtsidqîyâh tsidqîyâhû · ZedekiahH6667
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• swareשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
• secretlyסֵ֫תֶרsêther sithrâh · secrecyH5643
• unto Jeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫הוּyirmeyâh yirmeyâhû · JeremiahH3414
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• livethחַיchay · aliveH2416
• that madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• us this soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
• I will not put thee to deathמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• neither will I giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• thee into the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• of these menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• that seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245

Cross-references for Jeremiah 38:16

• Jeremiah 37:17Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, and the king asked him privately in the palace, “Is there any message from the Lord?” Jeremiah answered, “Yes! There is a message from the Lord. You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
• John 3:2He came to Jesus one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.”
• Numbers 16:22Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground and said, “O God, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone! If one man sins, will you be angry with the whole community?”
• Numbers 27:16“Lord, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone. Please appoint someone over the community
• Ecclesiastes 12:7Then the dust ⌞of mortals⌟ goes back to the ground as it was before, and the breath of life goes back to God who gave it.
• Isaiah 57:16I will not accuse you forever. I will not be angry with you forever. Otherwise, the spirits, the lives of those I’ve made, would grow faint in my presence.
• Zechariah 12:1This is the prophetic revelation, the Lord’s word about Israel. The Lord—who spread out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit in a person—says,
• Hebrews 12:9On earth we have fathers who disciplined us, and we respect them. Shouldn’t we place ourselves under the authority of God, the father of spirits, so that we will live?
• Jeremiah 38:1Shephatiah (son of Mattan), Gedaliah (son of Pashhur), Jucal (son of Shelemiah), and Pashhur (son of Malchiah) heard that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people.
• Jeremiah 34:20I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them, and their corpses will be food for birds and wild animals.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 38:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16As the Lord liveth, that made us this soul - He is the living God, and he is the Author of that life which each of us possesses; and as sure as he lives, and we live by him, I will not put thee to death, nor give thee into the hands of those men who seek thy life. A very solemn oath; and the first instance on record of the profane custom of swearing by the soul.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16That made us this soul - This very unusual addition to the formula of an oath 1 Samuel 20:3 was intended to strengthen it. By acknowledging that his soul was God‘s workmanship Zedekiah also implied his belief in God‘s power over it.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-28Verses 14-28 Jeremiah was not forward to repeat the warnings, which seemed only to endanger his own life, and to add to the king's guilt, but asked whether he feared to do the will of God. The less men fear God, the more they fear men; often they dare not act according to their own judgments and consciences.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-16Zedekiah desperately wanted a miracle to save his kingdom from the Babylonian armies. He arranged a secret meeting with Jeremiah.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Lord ... made us this soul--(Is 57:16). Implying, "may my life (soul) be forfeited if I deceive thee" [Calvin].Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 38:16

• Oath
• Prisoners
• Zedekiah

In the dictionaries

• Jeremiah
• Zedekiah
• Jeremiah (2)
• Oath
• Zedekiah (2)

Commentaries on Jeremiah 38

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings