“Take him, and take care of him. Do him no harm; but do to him even as he tells you.”
Parallel Translations
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“Take him, and take care of him. Do him no harm; but do to him even as he tells you.”
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Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.
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'Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.'
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Jeremiah 39:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- Psalms 105:14-15 He allowed no one to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes, “Don’t touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!”
- Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.
- Jeremiah 40:4 Now, behold, I release you today from the chains which are on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will take care of you; but if it seems bad to you to come with me into Babylon, don’t. Behold, all the land is before you. Where it seems good and right to you to go, there go.”
- Proverbs 23:5 Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky.
- Jeremiah 24:6 For I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land. I will build them, and not pull them down. I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
- Amos 9:4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good.
- Acts 7:10 and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
- 1 Peter 3:12-13 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Now who will harm you if you become imitators of that which is good?
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (9 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain It is indeed probable that the king of Babylon…
It is indeed probable that the king of Babylon had heard of Jeremiah; and though he was in prison, yet the Word of God, which he boldly proclaimed, was not bound. Then the report of this might have reached the king of Babylon: and hence it was, that he was disposed to preserve him; for he had given a faithful counsel to Zedekiah. But Nebuchadnezzar no doubt regarded only his own advantage; and hence we ought to bear in mind the wonderful goodness of God in preserving, as it were, by his own hand, the life of the Prophet; so that in extremities no one touched him, but he remained free and quiet, as we shall hereafter see. But we must put off the rest until 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 Thus God preserved his prophet by his means, whom…
Thus God preserved his prophet by his means, whom he made the scourge to punish the king, and them that were his enemies.
Hebrew, set thine eyes upon them.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Jer 39:12 Take him, and look well to him,…
Jer 39:12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.
Ver. 12. Take him, and look well to him.] A wicked man, we see, may be loving and liberal to a godly minister for self ends. Let no man, therefore, rest in it alone as a sure sign of an honest man.
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 It is more than probable that Nebuchadrezzar had been…
It is more than probable that Nebuchadrezzar had been informed by some of the chief commanders of his army, who had it from some of the Jews that had escaped out of the city to the Chaldean army, that Jeremiah had constantly told the king and the nobles that the Chaldeans should take the city, and as steadily persuaded both the king, and princes, and people to surrender it to them, and prevent the effusion of blood; and that he was imprisoned for this, and had been a great sufferer that way; and that this made, this heathen prince so kind to the prophet as to give this order. In the mean time the hand of God is to be taken notice of, who undoubtedly put this into the heart of this pagan prince; and we may learn that none shall lose any thing at last by being faithful to the commands of God, though they may be for the present losers. What we translate,
look well to him, is in the Hebrew, set thine eyes upon him; and expounded by the following words, commanding him to
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do him no harm, and to give or grant to him whatever he desired.
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 Take him, and look well to him,.... Take him…
Take him, and look well to him,.... Take him out of prison; take him under your immediate care; receive him kindly, and use him humanely; provide everything necessary for him, and let him not want for anything: or, "set thine eyes upon him" (m) look pleasantly at him, and let him be always under your view and inspection; treat him not with neglect and contempt, but see to it that nothing is wanting to him:
and do him no harm; no injury to his person by beating, imprisoning, or starving him; nor suffer any to be done to him by the common soldiers, or by his own people:
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but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee: let him have whatever he asks for: this was great favour from a Heathen prince indeed, and more than he met with from his own countrymen.
(m) "et oculos tuos pone super eum", V. L. Vatablus, Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt.
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 Take him - It is probable, that Nebuchadnezzar had…
Take him - It is probable, that Nebuchadnezzar had been informed, Jeremiah had constantly told the king, that the Chaldeans should take the city, and as steadily persuaded both the king and princes to surrender it to them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. Take him - look well to him]…
Verse 12. Take him - look well to him] Nebuchadnezzar had heard that this prophet had foretold his capture of the city, and had frequently used all his influence to induce Zedekiah to pay the tribute, and not rebel against him; and on this account would be inclined to show the prophet especial favour.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain look well to him--Hebrew, "set thine eyes upon him";…
look well to him--Hebrew, "set thine eyes upon him"; provide for his well-being.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. If we are to accept this as historical…
12. If we are to accept this as historical (see introd. note to ch.), Nebuchadnezzar’s action was due to the fact that Jeremiah had consistently throughout counselled submission to him on the part of the Jews. See Jer_40:4.
look well to him] Heb. set thine eyes upon him.
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.