Jeremiah 26:19
in Jeremiah 26Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did Hezekiah not fear the LORD and seek His favor, and did not the LORD relent of the disaster He had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great harm on ourselves!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? did he not fear Jehovah, and entreat the favor of Jehovah, and Jehovah repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.
KJV
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.
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This verse in Jeremiah 26
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Some of the elders of the
on Jeremiah 26:17-19
Some “elders of the land” answer with a precedent, quoting Micah 3:12 from a century earlier: “Zion will be plowed like a field.” Hezekiah spared Micah and sought the LORD's favor, the LORD relented, and now “we are about to bring great harm on ourselves!”
This site's exposition
Did Hezekiah king of Judah
The elders argue from what Hezekiah did with Micah. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the precedent came from the reign of a good king. Hezekiah answered the warning by seeking the LORD, the disaster was held back, and killing Jeremiah would bring great harm on Judah itself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 17 onwards) And the men of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to the whole assembly of the people, saying: Micaiah of Moresheth was a prophet in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house like the high places of a forest. Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death?
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Thus - Now, if we should take a quite contrary course, and put this man to death, we should do ourselves no good, but procure great evil against our souls; that is against ourselves.
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death?....
Note, It is good to deter ourselves from sin with the consideration of the mischief we shall certainly do to ourselves by it and the irreparable damage it will be to our own souls. Here is an instance of another prophet that was put to death by Jehoiakim for prophesying as Jeremiah had done,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Hezekiah, so far from killing him, was led "to fear the Lord," and pray for remission of the sentence against Judah (2Ch 32:26). Lord repented-- (Ex 32:14;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thus might we procure ... - Rather, And we should commit a great evil against our own souls; i. e., by putting Jeremiah to death, we should commit a sin which would prove a great misfortune to ourselves.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Also a man was prophesying The one who said this did not say this. I.e., those who related the incident of Micah did not relate the incident concerning Uriah. Up to here are the words of the righteous.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הֶהָמֵ֣ת | hehamet | ¿ really <to put to death> | H4191 → | 839 times |
| הֱ֠מִתֻהוּ | hemituhu | did they put to death him | H4191 → | 839 times |
| חִזְקִיָּ֨הוּ | chizkiyahu | Hezekiah | H2396 → | 127 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יְהוּדָ֜ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יְהוּדָ֗ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| הֲלֹא֮ | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָרֵ֣א | yare' | was he fearing | H3372 → | 315 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָה֒ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וַיְחַל֙ | vaychal | and did he entreat | H2470 → | 76 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| פְּנֵ֣י | penei | [the] face of | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם | vaiyinachem | and he repented | H5162 → | 108 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | concerning | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָרָעָ֖ה | haraah | the calamity | H7451 → | 662 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| דִּבֶּ֣ר | diber | he had spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם | ʾaleihem | on them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וַאֲנַ֗חְנוּ | vaanachnu | and we | H587 → | 120 times |
| עֹשִׂ֛ים | ʾosim | [are] about to do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| רָעָ֥ה | raah | an evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| גְדוֹלָ֖ה | gedolah | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| נַפְשׁוֹתֵֽינוּ׃ | nafshoteinu | selves our | H5315 → | 754 times |
הֶהָמֵ֣ת¿ really <to put to death>
hehametH4191 →839 times
הֱ֠מִתֻהוּdid they put to death him
hemituhuH4191 →839 times
חִזְקִיָּ֨הוּHezekiah
chizkiyahuH2396 →127 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
יְהוּדָ֜הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
יְהוּדָ֗הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
הֲלֹא֮¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
יָרֵ֣אwas he fearing
yare'H3372 →315 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוָה֒Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וַיְחַל֙and did he entreat
vaychalH2470 →76 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
פְּנֵ֣י[the] face of
peneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וַיִּנָּ֣חֶםand he repented
vaiyinachemH5162 →108 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶל־concerning
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָרָעָ֖הthe calamity
haraahH7451 →662 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
דִּבֶּ֣רhe had spoken
diberH1696 →1141 times
עֲלֵיהֶ֑םon them
ʾaleihemH5921 →5755 times
וַאֲנַ֗חְנוּand we
vaanachnuH587 →120 times
עֹשִׂ֛ים[are] about to do
ʾosimH6213 →2628 times
רָעָ֥הan evil
raahH7451 →662 times
גְדוֹלָ֖הgreat
gedolahH1419 →526 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
נַפְשׁוֹתֵֽינוּ׃selves our
nafshoteinuH5315 →754 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
Exodus 32:14So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
it leads to
- Jonah 3:10
When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.
- Jeremiah 26:13
So now, correct your ways and deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, so that He might relent of the disaster He has pronounced against you.
- Psalms 106:45
And He remembered His covenant with them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.
- 1 Chronicles 21:15
Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the…
- Jonah 4:2
So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish.…
- Jonah 3:10
Through
2 Samuel 24:16But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that…
it leads to
- Exodus 12:23
When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will not allow…
- Joel 2:13–14
So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
- Genesis 6:6
And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
- Exodus 12:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsJudahJacob's fourth son who pledges himself for Benjamin; the tribe that carries the scepter to Shiloh (49:10) and the line to Christ (…
- PersonDivided kingdomHezekiahThe reforming king of Judah who trusted Jehovah against Sennacherib, spread the Assyrian letter before the LORD, was granted fifte…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
