New King James Version
Jeremiah 38:9
9“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.”
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.
- New International Version (NIV)“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.”
- 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 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
7Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, 8Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: “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.” 10Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.” 11So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
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 38:1Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying,
- Esther 7:4For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”
- Job 31:34Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door—
- Proverbs 24:11Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
- Proverbs 31:8Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
- Jeremiah 37:21Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah to the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread from the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
- Jeremiah 52:6By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries