Jeremiah 39:18
in Jeremiah 39For 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 LORD.’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For I will surely save thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee; because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith Jehovah.
KJV
For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.
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This verse in Jeremiah 39
Commentary
8 notes on this verseI will surely deliver thee - Thou hast feared the Lord, and not the king, nor his princes, and thou hast taken the part of the prophet, and become his intercessor. Thou shalt not be slain. Thou hast put thy trust in me; thou shalt therefore be safe whithersoever thou goest. They that fear God need fear nothing besides.
This site's exposition
while Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard
on Jeremiah 39:15-18
Ebed-melech is told, “you will not be delivered into the hands of the men whom you fear.” The reason is given: “Because you have trusted in Me.” The promise that he will escape “like a spoil of war” repeats the promise to those who surrender in 21:9 and 38:2.
This site's exposition
Because you have trusted in Me
The ground of the promise is trust, and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown trace Ebed-melech's courage before the officials to it. The life he risked for Jeremiah is the life he keeps, like a spoil of war, the phrase of 21:9 and 38:2. Albert Barnes calls it an unlooked-for gain.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
For I will surely deliver thee,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Jer 45:5). put . . . trust in me-- (Jer 38:7-9). Trust in God was the root of his fearlessness of the wrath of men, in his humanity to the prophet (1Ch 5:20; The "life" he thus risked was to be his reward, being spared beyond all hope, when the lives of his enemies should be forfeited ("for a prey").
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Belonging to the time when the city was not yet taken, and when Jeremiah was still in the court of the prison (Jer 38:13). This passage is inserted here because it was now that Ebed-melech's good act (Jer 38:7-12;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
A prey unto thee - An unexpected and unlooked-for gain. He had given proof of faith in courageously delivering God’s prophet.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מַלֵּט֙ | malet | certainly <rescue> | H4422 → | 95 times |
| אֲמַלֶּטְךָ֔ | ʾamaletkha | I will rescue you | H4422 → | 95 times |
| וּבַחֶ֖רֶב | uvacherev | and by the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִפֹּ֑ל | tipol | you will fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| וְהָיְתָ֨ה | vehayetah | and it will belong | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לְךָ֤ | lekha | to <the> you | ||
| נַפְשְׁךָ֙ | nafshekha | life your | H5315 → | 754 times |
| לְשָׁלָ֔ל | leshalal | to plunder | H7998 → | 73 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בָטַ֥חְתָּ | vatachta | you trusted | H982 → | 120 times |
| בִּ֖י | bi | in <the> me | ||
| נְאֻם־ | neum- | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ ס | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
מַלֵּט֙certainly <rescue>
maletH4422 →95 times
אֲמַלֶּטְךָ֔I will rescue you
ʾamaletkhaH4422 →95 times
וּבַחֶ֖רֶבand by the sword
uvacherevH2719 →413 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תִפֹּ֑לyou will fall
tipolH5307 →435 times
וְהָיְתָ֨הand it will belong
vehayetahH1961 →3559 times
לְךָ֤to <the> you
lekha
נַפְשְׁךָ֙life your
nafshekhaH5315 →754 times
לְשָׁלָ֔לto plunder
leshalalH7998 →73 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
בָטַ֥חְתָּyou trusted
vatachtaH982 →120 times
בִּ֖יin <the> me
bi
נְאֻם־[the] utterance of
neum-H5002 →376 times
יְהוָֽה׃ סYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 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
Psalms 34:22The LORD redeems His servants, and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
it leads to
- Psalms 103:4
who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,
- 1 Peter 1:18–19
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
- Psalms 31:5
Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
- Psalms 71:23
When I sing praise to You my lips will shout for joy, along with my soul, which You have redeemed.
- 2 Samuel 4:9
But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
- Psalms 103:4
Through
Psalms 84:12O LORD of Hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!
it leads to
- Jeremiah 17:7–8
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
- Psalms 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Jeremiah 17:7–8
Through
Jeremiah 21:9Whoever 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…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 45:5
But 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…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 45:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.