Jeremiah 38:23

Jeremiah 38:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.
• New International Version (NIV)“All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will be burned down.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire."
• New King James Version (NKJV)‘So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”

Context of Jeremiah 38:23

21But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has shown me. 22All the women who are left in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon. These women will say: ‘Your trusted friends have misled you and used you. Your feet are stuck in the mud, and your friends have deserted you.’ “All your wives and children will be brought to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be captured by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.” 24Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die. 25The officials may find out that I’ve been talking with you. They may come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you. Don’t hide anything from us, or we’ll kill you.’

Jeremiah 38:23 word by word

וְאֶת־כָּל־נָשֶׁ֣יךָ וְאֶת־בָּנֶ֗יךָ מֽוֹצִאִים֙ אֶל־הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים וְאַתָּ֖ה לֹא־תִמָּלֵ֣ט מִיָּדָ֑ם כִּ֣י בְיַ֤ד מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶל֙ תִּתָּפֵ֔שׂ וְאֶת־הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את תִּשְׂרֹ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So they shall bring outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
• all thy wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• and thy childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• to the Chaldeansכַּשְׂדִּיםkaώdîy kaώdîymâh · ChaldeaH3778
• and thou shalt not escape outמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422
• of their handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• but shalt be takenתָּפַשׂtâphaώ · to captureH8610
• of the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
• and thou shalt cause this cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• to be burnedשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
• with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784

Cross-references for Jeremiah 38:23

• Jeremiah 38:18But 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 39:6The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons as Zedekiah watched at Riblah. He also slaughtered all the leaders of Judah.
• Jeremiah 41:10Then Ishmael took captive the rest of the people who were at Mizpah. He captured the king’s daughters and all the other people who had been left at Mizpah. They were the people whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had put under the control of Gedaliah, son of Ahikam. Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, took them captive and left for Ammon.
• Jeremiah 52:8The Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plain of Jericho. His entire army had deserted him.
• 2 Kings 25:7They slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons as he watched, and then they blinded Zedekiah. They put him in bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
• 2 Chronicles 36:20The king of Babylon took those who weren’t executed to Babylon to be slaves for him and his sons. They remained captives until the Persian Empire began to rule.
• Jeremiah 27:12I spoke the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah, “Surrender to the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and you will stay alive.
• Ezekiel 14:9“ ‘If a prophet is tricked into giving a prophecy, it is I, the Lord, who tricked the prophet. I will use my power against you and destroy you from among my people Israel.
• Ezekiel 43:3This vision was like the one I saw when he came to destroy Jerusalem and like the one I saw by the Chebar River. I immediately bowed down.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 38:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23They shall bring out all thy wives and thy children - These were the women of the first rank, by whom the king had children. These had no temptation to go out to the Chaldeans, nor would they have been made welcome; but the others being young, and without children, would be well received by the Chaldean princes.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23So - And. In addition to the ridicule there shall be the miseries of the capture. Thou shalt cause this city to be burned - literally, as margin. It shall be thy own act as completely as if done with thine own hand.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. 1-28The 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).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. children--(Jr 39:6; 41:10). "wives ... children ... thou"; an ascending climax.Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 38:23

• Prisoners
• Zedekiah

In the dictionaries

• Babylon
• Babylon, Babylonia, Babylonian
• Foreknowledge of God
• Jeremiah (2)
• Zedekiah (2)
• Zedekiah

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