Jeremiah 38:18
in Jeremiah 38But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
KJV
But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
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This verse in Jeremiah 38
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
“Do not hide anything from me.”
on Jeremiah 38:14-18
Zedekiah meets Jeremiah and asks him to hide nothing, and Jeremiah answers, “you will surely put me to death.” The king swears secretly to spare him. The word sets two outcomes: if he surrenders, “you will live,” and if he refuses, he “will not escape their grasp.”
This site's exposition
you yourself will not escape their grasp
The other half of the choice mirrors the first clause for clause, with the city burned and the king taken. Matthew Henry's summary is that sinners must either bend or break. Jeremiah repeats the same terms at 38:23, adding that the king's wives and children will be handed over.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
); for when God judges he will overcome. This is the case of sinners with God; let them humbly submit to his grace and government and they shall live; let them take hold on his strength, that they may make peace, and they shall make peace; but, if they harden their hearts against his proposals, it will certainly be to their destruction: they must either bend or break.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes,....
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֣ם | veim | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֵצֵ֗א | tetze' | you will go out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שָׂרֵי֙ | sarei | [the] commanders of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בָּבֶ֔ל | bavel | Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| וְנִתְּנָ֞ה | venitenah | and it will be given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| הָעִ֤יר | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| הַזֹּאת֙ | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| בְּיַ֣ד | beyad | in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים | hakasdim | the Chaldeans | H3778 → | 80 times |
| וּשְׂרָפ֖וּהָ | userafuha | and they will burn it | H8313 → | 117 times |
| בָּאֵ֑שׁ | baesh | with <the> fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| וְאַתָּ֖ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִמָּלֵ֥ט | timalet | you will escape | H4422 → | 95 times |
| מִיָּדָֽם׃ ס | miyadam | from hand their | H3027 → | 1618 times |
וְאִ֣םand if
veimH518 →1069 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תֵצֵ֗אyou will go out
tetze'H3318 →1067 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
שָׂרֵי֙[the] commanders of
sareiH8269 →421 times
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
בָּבֶ֔לBabylon
bavelH894 →262 times
וְנִתְּנָ֞הand it will be given
venitenahH5414 →2011 times
הָעִ֤ירthe city
hairH5892 →1090 times
הַזֹּאת֙<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
בְּיַ֣דin [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔יםthe Chaldeans
hakasdimH3778 →80 times
וּשְׂרָפ֖וּהָand they will burn it
userafuhaH8313 →117 times
בָּאֵ֑שׁwith <the> fire
baeshH784 →378 times
וְאַתָּ֖הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִמָּלֵ֥טyou will escape
timaletH4422 →95 times
מִיָּדָֽם׃ סfrom hand their
miyadamH3027 →1618 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
2 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 38:3This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 21:10
For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it…
- Jeremiah 32:3–5
For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying: “Why are you prophesying like this? You claim that the LORD says, ‘Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the…
- Jeremiah 21:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.