For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, and say, ‘Yahweh says, “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it; and Zedekiah king of Judah won’t escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes will see his eyes; and he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” says Yahweh: “though you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not prosper?” ’ ”
Parallel Translations
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For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, and say, ‘Yahweh says, “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it;
and Zedekiah king of Judah won’t escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes will see his eyes;
and he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” says Yahweh: “though you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not prosper?” ’ ”
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For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.
Show all 3 translations
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For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying: 'Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say: Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I remember him, saith the LORD; though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper?'
Cross-references (39)
- Jeremiah 34:2-3 (v3) “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Yahweh says, “Behold, I will give this city into…
- Jeremiah 21:4-7 (v3) ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king…
- 2 Kings 25:4-7 (v4) Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the…
- Jeremiah 26:8-9 (v3) When Jeremiah had finished speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the…
- Jeremiah 37:17 (v4) then Zedekiah the king sent, and had him brought out. The king asked him secretly in his house, “Is there any word from Yahweh?” Jeremiah…
Show all 39 cross-references
- Jeremiah 38:18 (v4) But if you will not go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will…
- Jeremiah 38:23 (v4) They will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. You won’t escape out of their hand, but will be taken by the hand of…
- Jeremiah 39:4-7 (v4) When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went out of the city by night, by the way of the…
- Jeremiah 21:4-5 (v5) ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king…
- Jeremiah 27:22 (v5) ‘They will be carried to Babylon, and there they will be, until the day that I visit them,’ says Yahweh; ‘then I will bring them up, and…
- Jeremiah 32:28-29 (v3) Therefore Yahweh says: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,…
- Jeremiah 33:5 (v5) while men come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have killed in my anger and in my wrath,…
- Jeremiah 39:7 (v5) Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 52:8-11 (v4) but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.…
- Ezekiel 12:12-13 (v4) “ ‘The prince who is among them will bear on his shoulder in the dark, and will go out. They will dig through the wall to carry things out…
- Ezekiel 17:9-10 (v5) “Say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Will it prosper? Won’t he pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh…
- Ezekiel 17:15 (v5) But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will…
- Exodus 5:4 (v3) The king of Egypt said to them, “Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!”
- Numbers 14:41 (v5) Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of Yahweh, since it shall not prosper?
- 2 Kings 6:31-32 (v3) Then he said, “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.” But Elisha was sitting in his…
- 2 Chronicles 13:12 (v5) Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of Israel, don’t…
- 2 Chronicles 24:20 (v5) The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “God says, ‘Why do you…
- 2 Chronicles 28:22 (v3) In the time of his distress, he trespassed yet more against Yahweh, this same king Ahaz.
- Proverbs 21:30 (v5) There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 2:30 (v3) “I have struck your children in vain. They received no correction. Your own sword has devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
- Jeremiah 2:37 (v5) You will also leave that place with your hands on your head; for Yahweh has rejected those in whom you trust, and you won’t prosper with…
- Jeremiah 5:3 (v3) O Yahweh, don’t your eyes look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused…
- Jeremiah 27:8 (v3) “ ‘ “ ‘It will happen that I will punish the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that…
- Jeremiah 34:4-5 (v5) “Yet hear Yahweh’s word, O Zedekiah king of Judah: Yahweh says concerning you, ‘You won’t die by the sword. You will die in peace; and with…
- Jeremiah 37:6-10 (v3) Then Yahweh’s word came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you…
- Jeremiah 37:10 (v5) For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and only wounded men remained among them, they would each…
- Jeremiah 38:4 (v3) Then the princes said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this…
- Jeremiah 38:8 (v3) Ebedmelech went out of the king’s house, and spoke to the king, saying,
- Ezekiel 17:13-21 (v4) He took some of the royal offspring, and made a covenant with him. He also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;…
- Ezekiel 21:25-26 (v4) “ ‘You, deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, the Lord Yahweh says:…
- Amos 7:13 (v3) but don’t prophesy again any more at Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house!”
- Luke 20:2 (v3) They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”
- Acts 6:12-14 (v3) They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him and seized him, then brought him in to the council, and set…
- Ezekiel 12:13 (v5) I will also spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv3–5 Then the reason is added why he was shut…
Then the reason is added why he was shut up in prison, — he had dared to prophesy against the city and the king himself. It was no wonder that the king’s mind was exasperated when Jeremiah boldly said that he would come into the hands of his enemies, for he had not only spoken of the ruin of the city, but also of the fall of the king; he had said that he would be brought before king Nebuchadnezar, and be led to Babylon, and be there until God visited him. We know how delicate are the ears of kings; it was then no wonder Zedekiah became incensed against Jeremiah; but yet he ought to have been softened and humbled when he found that this oracle had come from God. That he then still kept Jeremiah a prisoner, proves his madness and stupidity, for he had no regard for God. I shall proceed with the subject to-morrow.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v5 Till I take Zedekiah away by death: for he…
Till I take Zedekiah away by death: for he shall not die by the sword, as Jer. 34:4.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv3–5 Jer 32:3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut…
Jer 32:3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
Ver. 3. For Zedekiah had shnt him up.] He who before had set him at liberty, and thereby haply hoped to have stopped his mouth; but that might not be.
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Behold, I will give this city.] This holy city, as the false prophets styled it, and therefore held this prophecy little better than blasphemy.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv3, 5 We no where read that Zedekiah immediately commanded Jeremiah…
We no where read that Zedekiah immediately commanded Jeremiah to be imprisoned, he seemeth rather to have been favourable to Jeremiah, and judicious interpreters think his present prison was a favourable prison; but God accounteth princes to do that which their ministers or subordinate magistrates do with their connivance, and without their hinderance. Though it be wild divinity for any to say, that inferior ministers or subjects are excused by the command of the superior, and the guilt lieth only on them; yet it is as wild to say they contract no guilt by the extravagant acts of subordinate magistrates, whom they put in place, and can punish and remove from their places.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv3–5 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up,....…
For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up,.... In prison, at least in the court of the prison; he had given orders for his imprisonment, which were executed, and it was the same as if he had done it himself; the reason of which was, as follows:
saying, wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, thus saith the Lord,
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behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it? meaning the city of Jerusalem, now besieged by the king of Babylon. This prophecy stands in Jer 34:1; the prophecies of this book not being put together in proper order of time.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v5 Until I visit him - Perhaps in mercy; it…
Until I visit him - Perhaps in mercy; it is certain Zedekiah was not put to death, only carried to Babylon, where some think he afterward found favour with the king of Babylon.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v4 Verse 4. And shall speak with him mouth to…
Verse 4. And shall speak with him mouth to mouth] He shall be reduced to a state of the most abject servitude. The slave was obliged to fix his eyes on every motion of the master whilst giving his orders, who often condescended to give them only by dumb signs.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v3 Jer 32:3-5. Jeremiah was shut up in the court…
Jer 32:3-5. Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the prison — He was afterward put in the dungeon, Jer 37:16; and Jer 38:6. But now he was not under so severe a restraint. Compare Jer 32:26; Jer 32:28 of that chapter. For Zedekiah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy and say, &c. — This refers to the prophecy recorded Jer 34:2, &c., the particulars there mentioned being, in order of time, before the passages related in this chapter. We nowhere read that Zedekiah himself immediately commanded Jeremiah to be imprisoned: he seems rather to have been favourable to him, and to have been averse to his confinement; but God accounts princes to do that which their ministers or subordinate magistrates do with their connivance, or without their prohibition. Behold, I will give this city, &c., and Zedekiah shall not escape — Jeremiah prophesies that both the city and the court should fall into the hands of the king of Babylon: for God, whose city it was, in a peculiar manner would put it out of his protection, and give it into their hands; that, though Zedekiah should attempt to make his escape, he should be overtaken, and brought as a prisoner into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence, to his great confusion and terror, he having made himself particularly obnoxious to him by breaking his faith with him; that he should hear the king of Babylon pronounce his doom, and see with what fury and indignation he should look upon him, his eyes, as it is expressed, beholding Nebuchadnezzar’s eyes. He further prophesies that Zedekiah should be carried to Babylon, and continue a miserable captive there until God should visit him — That is, till God should put an end to his life by a natural death, as Nebuchadnezzar had long before put an end to every comfort of his life by putting out his eyes. And, lastly, he foretels that all their attempts to force the besiegers from their trenches would be ineffectual; for though they should fight with the Chaldeans, they should not prosper. For prophesying thus, that is, for bearing testimony to the truth, and giving them faithful warning of impending judgments, he is imprisoned.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv3, 5 For the prophecies on which the charge was grounded…
For the prophecies on which the charge was grounded see Jer 21:4-7, Jer 21:9.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v4 Eyes. They were afterwards put out at Reblatha, (Haydock)…
Eyes. They were afterwards put out at Reblatha, (Haydock) so that he could not see Babylon, Ezechiel xii. 13. (Worthington) --- Sedecias was imprisoned, and buried there by the Jews, chap. xxxiv. 5, 12.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv4–5 his eyes shall behold his eyes--that is, only before…
his eyes shall behold his eyes--that is, only before reaching Babylon, which he was not to see. Jer 39:6-7 harmonizes this prophecy (Jer 32:4) with the seemingly opposite prophecy, Eze 12:13, "He shall not see."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v5 5. Until I visit him — What a fearfully…
5. Until I visit him — What a fearfully pregnant meaning had this word “visit!” and how mercifully concealed from this man, who was coming to a fate darker than he could well conceive — of the murder of his sons, the putting out of his own eyes, and the sufferings and ignominy of hopeless confinement in a Babylonian prison to the day of his death. See Jer_39:6-7; Jer_52:11.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv3–5 3. For] Gi. and Co. supported by LXX render…
3. For] Gi. and Co. supported by LXX render Where, to which Du. also inclines. Not so Dr.
3–5. These vv. form a parenthetical explanation, so that Jer_32:6 is to be connected immediately in sense with Jer_32:2.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v5 (5) There shall he be until I visit him…
(5) There shall he be until I visit him . . .—The word for “visit” is ambiguous, being used elsewhere both for “punishing” and “delivering.” Its use in Jer_29:10 is in favour of the latter meaning here. The prophet looks forward to a general deliverance, or at least mitigation of suffering, for the exiles in Babylon, and, though he does not in distinct terms predict that Zedekiah will share in it, seems to cherish the hope that he will not be altogether excluded. Of his fate after he arrived in Babylon we know nothing, but the absence of his name when Jehoiachin was released from his imprisonment (Jer. Iii. 31) by Evil-merodach suggests the conclusion that he was then dead.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv3, 5 Had shut him up. A brief and general account…
Had shut him up. A brief and general account of the circumstances related more in full in Jer 37. For the prophecies referred to, Jer_34:3-5 Jer_37:17 Jer_38:17-23. (the following verse is almost identical with Jer_34:3)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v3 Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him
Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him
It might be best to translate so that the reader understands that other people helped Zedekiah do this. (See: Metonymy)
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had imprisoned him
Here "him" refers to Jeremiah. It is not clear why Jeremiah is referring to himself by name here. You may translate using first person, as the UDB does. (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
Why do you prophesy and say
Zekekiah uses a question to rebuke Jeremiah. AT: "It is wrong for you to continue prophesying and saying" (See: Rhetorical Question)
I am about to give over this city into the hand of the king of Babylon
Yahweh speaks of the city as if it were a small object that one person could give to another. The word "hand" is a metonym for the power or control that the hand exercises. AT: "I am about to put this city under the control of the king of Babylon" or "I am about to allow the king of Babylon to do whatever he wants with this city" (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)
he will capture it
It might be best to translate so that the reader understands that other people would help the king of Babylon take control of the city.
he will certainly be given into the hand of the king of Babylon
The word "hand" is a metonym for the power or control that the hand exercises. This can be stated in active form. AT: "I will certainly put him under the control of the king of Babylon" or "I will certainly allow the king of Babylon to do whatever he wants with him" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)
His mouth will speak to the king's mouth, and his eyes will see the king's eyes
Here "mouth" and "eyes" represent the whole person. AT: "Zedekiah himself will see and directly speak with Nebuchadnezzar" (See: Synecdoche)
this is Yahweh's declaration
Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated this in Jeremiah 1:8. AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
you fight
Here "you" is plural and refers to the people in Jerusalem. (See: Forms of You)
translationWords
hand
Chaldea
declare
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v4 32:4-5 Continuing to resist the Babylonians was hopeless; it…
32:4-5 Continuing to resist the Babylonians was hopeless; it would result in disaster for the city and for Zedekiah.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.