New Living Translation
Jeremiah 38:26
26If this happens, just tell them you begged me not to send you back to Jonathan’s dungeon, for fear you would die there.”
Jeremiah 38:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.
- New International Version (NIV)then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)then you shall say to them, 'I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)then you shall say to them, ‘I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me return to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ”
Context of Jeremiah 38:26
24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Don’t tell anyone you told me this, or you will die! 25My officials may hear that I spoke to you, and they may say, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you don’t tell us, we will kill you.’ If this happens, just tell them you begged me not to send you back to Jonathan’s dungeon, for fear you would die there.” 27Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the king’s officials came to Jeremiah and asked him why the king had called for him. But Jeremiah followed the king’s instructions, and they left without finding out the truth. No one had overheard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king. 28And Jeremiah remained a prisoner in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Read all of Jeremiah 38Jeremiah 38:26 word by word
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם מַפִּיל־אֲנִ֥י תְחִנָּתִ֖י לִפְנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ לְבִלְתִּ֧י הֲשִׁיבֵ֛נִי בֵּ֥ית יְהוֹנָתָ֖ן לָמ֥וּת שָֽׁם׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then thou shalt sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto them, I presentedנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
- my supplicationתְּחִנָּהtechinnâh · supplicationH8467
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- that he would not cause me to returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- to Jonathan’sיְהוֹנָתָןyehônâthân · JonathanH3083
- houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- to dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
Cross-references for Jeremiah 38:26
- Jeremiah 37:15They were furious with Jeremiah and had him flogged and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary. Jonathan’s house had been converted into a prison.
- Jeremiah 42:2Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before.
- Esther 4:8Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 38:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26I presented my supplication - This was telling the truth, and nothing but the truth, but not the whole truth. The king did not wish him to defile his conscience, nor did he propose any thing that was not consistent with the truth.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. 24-28When Zedekiah feared his officials again, he demanded that Jeremiah keep secret what he had told him. The officials might have suspected that Zedekiah planned to surrender to the enemy. Jeremiah obeyed the king's order to stay silent, and he spent the final days of the siege in the palace prison under the king's protection.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. presented--literally, "made my supplication to fall"; implying supplication with humble prostration (see on Jr 36:7). Jonathan's house--(Jr 37:15), different from Malchiah's dungeon (Jr 38:6). This statement was true, though not the whole truth; the princes had no right to the information; no sanction is given by Scripture here to Jeremiah's representation of this being the cause of his having come to the king. Fear drove him to it. Compare Ge 20:2…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 38:26
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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