Jeremiah 26:16
in Jeremiah 26Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man is not worthy of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets: This man is not worthy of death; for he hath spoken to us in the name of Jehovah our God.
KJV
Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.
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This verse in Jeremiah 26
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
This man ... - literally, There is not to this man a sentence of death, i. e., he is acquitted by the princes and the congregation.
This site's exposition
Then the officials and all the
The people who seized Jeremiah join the officials against the priests and prophets: “This man is not worthy of death.” Their ground is his commission, “he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God,” accepted as his defense. The cry for his death becomes an acquittal.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 16) And the leaders and all the people said to the priests and prophets: This man does not deserve death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. The people, who had previously been deceived by the priests and false prophets, join forces with the city's leaders and speak up for Jeremiah, stating that he is not guilty of deserving death, but rather that he has prophesied in the name of the Lord and according to His word. For the uneducated masses easily change their opinion when given a valid reason.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets,....
If they say, His prophecy is from heaven, it may justly be asked, Why did you not then believe him? Note, It is a pity that those who are so far convinced of the divine original of gospel preaching as to protect it from the malice of others do not submit to the power and influence of it themselves. A precedent quoted to justify them in acquitting Jeremiah.
Note, God can, when he pleases, raise up great men to patronize good men; and it is an encouragement to us to trust him in the way of duty that he has all men's hearts in his hands.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The priests, through envy of his holy zeal, were more his enemies than the princes, whose office was more secular than religious. A prophet could not legally be put to death unless he prophesied in the name of other gods (therefore, they say, "in the name of the Lord"), or after his prophecy had failed in its accomplishment.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
This man is not worthy to die - The whole court acquitted him.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַשָּׂרִים֙ | hasarim | the officials | H8269 → | 421 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעָ֔ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים | hakohanim | the priests | H3548 → | 750 times |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַנְּבִיאִ֑ים | haneviim | the prophets | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אֵין־ | ʾein- | not | H369 → | 789 times |
| לָאִ֤ישׁ | laish | [belongs] to the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הַזֶּה֙ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| מִשְׁפַּט־ | mishpat- | a sentence of | H4941 → | 422 times |
| מָ֔וֶת | mavet | death | H4194 → | 156 times |
| כִּ֗י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בְּשֵׁ֛ם | beshem | in [the] name of | H8034 → | 864 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ | ʾeloheinu | God our | H430 → | 2601 times |
| דִּבֶּ֥ר | diber | he has spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֵלֵֽינוּ׃ | ʾeleinu | to us | H413 → | 5510 times |
וַיֹּאמְר֤וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
הַשָּׂרִים֙the officials
hasarimH8269 →421 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
הָעָ֔םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַכֹּהֲנִ֖יםthe priests
hakohanimH3548 →750 times
וְאֶל־and to
veel-H413 →5510 times
הַנְּבִיאִ֑יםthe prophets
haneviimH5030 →314 times
אֵין־not
ʾein-H369 →789 times
לָאִ֤ישׁ[belongs] to the man
laishH376 →1663 times
הַזֶּה֙<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
מִשְׁפַּט־a sentence of
mishpat-H4941 →422 times
מָ֔וֶתdeath
mavetH4194 →156 times
כִּ֗יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
בְּשֵׁ֛םin [the] name of
beshemH8034 →864 times
יְהוָ֥הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּGod our
ʾeloheinuH430 →2601 times
דִּבֶּ֥רhe has spoken
diberH1696 →1141 times
אֵלֵֽינוּ׃to us
ʾeleinuH413 →5510 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
Acts 23:29I found that the accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.
it leads to
- Acts 25:25
But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 26:31
On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”
- Acts 18:15
But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”
- Acts 25:25
Through
Acts 23:9A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken…
it leads to
- Acts 22:7
I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’
- Acts 22:17–18
Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
- John 12:29
The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.
- Acts 22:7
Through
Acts 25:25But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.
it leads to
- Acts 23:29
I found that the accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.
- Acts 25:11–12
If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand…
- Acts 23:29
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset, and 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.
