Jeremiah 21:9
in Jeremiah 21Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth out, and passeth over to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
KJV
He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
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This verse in Jeremiah 21
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
He that ... falleth to the Chaldeans - This was to counsel desertion, and would have been treason in an ordinary man: but the prophets Spoke with an authority above that even of the king, and constantly interfered in political matters with summary decisiveness. Compare Mat 24:16-18. A prey - Something not a man’s own, upon which he seizes in the midst of danger, and hurries away with it. So must the Jews hurry away with their lives as something more than they had a right to, and place them in the Chaldaean camp as in a place of safety.
This site's exposition
Furthermore, you are to tell this
on Jeremiah 21:8-10
The LORD sets “before you the way of life and the way of death,” the choice of Deuteronomy 30:19 with its terms reversed. “Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague,” but whoever “surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live.”
This site's exposition
whoever goes out and surrenders
Surrender meant leaving the city and going over to the enemy. Barnes notes such advice would be treason from anyone else, and Jeremiah later suffers for giving it (Jeremiah 38:2-4). Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read a life kept like a spoil of war as a saying for a narrow escape.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 8 and following) And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live, and shall have his life as a prize of war. For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
16 ), but it was the best course they could take now that God was against them. Both the law and the prophets had often set before them life and death in another sense--life if they obey the voice of God, death if they persist in disobedience, Deut. xxx.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
He that abideth in this city,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
(Jer 38:2, 17, 18). falleth to--deserts to. life . . . a prey--proverbial, to make one's escape with life, like a valuable spoil or prey that one carries off; the narrowness of the escape, and the joy felt at it, are included in the idea (Jer 39:18).
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַיֹּשֵׁב֙ | haiyoshev | the [one who] remains | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בָּעִ֣יר | bair | in the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| הַזֹּ֔את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| יָמ֕וּת | yamut | he will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| בַּחֶ֖רֶב | bacherev | by the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וּבָרָעָ֣ב | uvaraav | and by <the> famine | H7458 → | 101 times |
| וּבַדָּ֑בֶר | uvadaver | and by <the> pestilence | H1698 → | 49 times |
| וְהַיּוֹצֵא֩ | vehaiyotze' | and the [one who] goes out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| וְנָפַ֨ל | venafal | and he will fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַכַּשְׂדִּ֜ים | hakasdim | the Chaldeans | H3778 → | 80 times |
| הַצָּרִ֤ים | hatzarim | who are laying siege | H6696 → | 38 times |
| עֲלֵיכֶם֙ | ʾaleikhem | on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְחָיָ֔ה | vechayah | and he will live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| וְהָֽיְתָה־ | vehayetah- | and it will belong | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לּ֥וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| נַפְשׁ֖וֹ | nafsho | life his | H5315 → | 754 times |
| לְשָׁלָֽל׃ | leshalal | to plunder | H7998 → | 73 times |
הַיֹּשֵׁב֙the [one who] remains
haiyoshevH3427 →1079 times
בָּעִ֣ירin the city
bairH5892 →1090 times
הַזֹּ֔את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
יָמ֕וּתhe will die
yamutH4191 →839 times
בַּחֶ֖רֶבby the sword
bacherevH2719 →413 times
וּבָרָעָ֣בand by <the> famine
uvaraavH7458 →101 times
וּבַדָּ֑בֶרand by <the> pestilence
uvadaverH1698 →49 times
וְהַיּוֹצֵא֩and the [one who] goes out
vehaiyotze'H3318 →1067 times
וְנָפַ֨לand he will fall
venafalH5307 →435 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַכַּשְׂדִּ֜יםthe Chaldeans
hakasdimH3778 →80 times
הַצָּרִ֤יםwho are laying siege
hatzarimH6696 →38 times
עֲלֵיכֶם֙on you
ʾaleikhemH5921 →5755 times
וְחָיָ֔הand he will live
vechayahH2421 →282 times
וְהָֽיְתָה־and it will belong
vehayetah-H1961 →3559 times
לּ֥וֹto <the> him
lo
נַפְשׁ֖וֹlife his
nafshoH5315 →754 times
לְשָׁלָֽל׃to plunder
leshalalH7998 →73 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 45:5But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I will bring disaster on every living creature, declares the LORD, but wherever you go, I will grant your life…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 39:18
For I will surely rescue you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will escape with your life like a spoil of war, declares the…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Timothy 6:6–9
Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.
- Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
- Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited.
- Jeremiah 39:18
Through
Jeremiah 39:18For I will surely rescue you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will escape with your life like a spoil of war, declares the…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 38:2
“This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a…
- Psalms 34:22
The LORD redeems His servants, and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
- Ephesians 1:12
in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.
- Jeremiah 38:2
Through
Jeremiah 14:12Although they may fast, I will not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 14:21
For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem My four dire judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague—in order to cut off from it…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 14:21
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.