New International Version
Jeremiah 38:9
9“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”
Jeremiah 38:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city."
- New King James Version (NKJV)“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)“My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.”
Context of Jeremiah 38:9
7But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, 8Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.” 10Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
Read all of Jeremiah 38Jeremiah 38:9 word by word
אֲדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ הֵרֵ֜עוּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ אֵ֣ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ לְיִרְמְיָ֣הוּ הַנָּבִ֔יא אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־הִשְׁלִ֖יכוּ אֶל־הַבּ֑וֹר וַיָּ֤מָת תַּחְתָּיו֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הָֽרָעָ֔ב כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין הַלֶּ֛חֶם ע֖וֹד בָּעִֽיר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- My lordאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- these menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- have done evilרָעַעrâ‛a‛ · be evilH7489
- in all that they have doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- to Jeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫הוּyirmeyâh yirmeyâhû · JeremiahH3414
- the prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
- whom they have castשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993
- into the dungeonבּוֹרbôr · pitH953
- and he is like to dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- forפָּנֶהpânîym · face: becauseH6440
- hungerרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- in the placeתַּחַתtachath · underneath: standH8478
- no more breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
- in the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
Cross-references for Jeremiah 38:9
- Jeremiah 38:1Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said,
- Esther 7:4For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”
- Job 31:34because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside—
- Proverbs 24:11Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
- Proverbs 31:8Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
- Jeremiah 37:21King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
- Jeremiah 52:6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 38:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9My lord the king, these men have done evil - He must have been much in the king's confidence, and a humane and noble spirited man, thus to have raised his voice against the powerful cabal already mentioned. There is no more bread in the city - They had defended it to the last extremity; and it appears that bread had been afforded to the prophet according to the king's commandment, as long as there was any remaining. See Jeremiah 36:21.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-13Jeremiah could talk to people while in the prison courtyard. He shared the Lord's judgments, which angered some government officials. Zedekiah showed cowardice by allowing these men to put Jeremiah in a muddy cistern. However, the king showed courage when he let a palace servant rescue Jeremiah and bring him back to the palace prison.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. die for hunger in the place where he is; for ... no ... bread in ... city--(Compare Jr 37:21). He had heretofore got a piece of bread supplied to him. "Seeing that there is the utmost want of bread in the city, so that even if he were at large, there could no more be regularly supplied to him, much less now in a place where none remember or pity him, so that he is likely to die for hunger." "No more bread," that is, no more left of the public store in…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 38:9
In the dictionaries
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
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