Jeremiah 38:20
in Jeremiah 38“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the LORD in what I am telling you, that it may go well with you and you may live.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of Jehovah, in that which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live.
KJV
But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
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This verse in Jeremiah 38
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans
on Jeremiah 38:19-28
Zedekiah names his fear: “I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans.” Jeremiah answers, “They will not hand you over,” and describes the palace women mocking the king: “Your feet sank into the mire.” He remains in the courtyard “until the day Jerusalem was captured.”
This site's exposition
They will not hand you over
Jeremiah meets the king's fear with a direct promise. Matthew Henry says he begs the king to obey the LORD at last, after so many foolish turns, and so live. The remnant will make the same promise to obey at 42:6, and then break it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): They shall not deliver thee up, but treat thee as becomes thy character. He begs of him, after all the foolish games he had played, to manage wisely the last stake, and now at length to do well for himself: Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, because it is his voice, so it shall be well unto thee.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
But Jeremiah said, they shall not deliver thee,....
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ | yirmeyahu | Jeremiah | H3414 → | 147 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִתֵּ֑נוּ | yitenu | they will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| שְֽׁמַֽע־ | shema'- | listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| נָ֣א׀ | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| בְּק֣וֹל | bekol | to [the] voice of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לַאֲשֶׁ֤ר | laasher | to [that] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אֲנִי֙ | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| דֹּבֵ֣ר | dover | [am] speaking | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֵלֶ֔יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וְיִ֥יטַב | veyitav | so it may go well | H3190 → | 117 times |
| לְךָ֖ | lekha | for <the> you | ||
| וּתְחִ֥י | utechi | so it may live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ | nafshekha | self your | H5315 → | 754 times |
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יִרְמְיָ֖הוּJeremiah
yirmeyahuH3414 →147 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִתֵּ֑נוּthey will give
yitenuH5414 →2011 times
שְֽׁמַֽע־listen
shema'-H8085 →1159 times
נָ֣א׀please
na'H4994 →404 times
בְּק֣וֹלto [the] voice of
bekolH6963 →506 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לַאֲשֶׁ֤רto [that] which
laasherH834 →5497 times
אֲנִי֙I
ʾaniH589 →874 times
דֹּבֵ֣ר[am] speaking
doverH1696 →1141 times
אֵלֶ֔יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
וְיִ֥יטַבso it may go well
veyitavH3190 →117 times
לְךָ֖for <the> you
lekha
וּתְחִ֥יso it may live
utechiH2421 →282 times
נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃self your
nafshekhaH5315 →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
2 Chronicles 20:20Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the…
it leads to
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- John 14:1
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well.
- John 11:40
Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
- Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
- Luke 16:31
Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
- Romans 8:31
Through
Isaiah 55:3Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 32:40
I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will never turn away…
- Matthew 11:28
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
- Jeremiah 32:40
Through
Daniel 4:27Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be…
it leads to
- Jonah 3:9
Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jonah 3:9
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.