Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard what Jeremiah was saying to all the people:
“Thus said GOD: Whoever remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans shall live; he shall at least gain his lifeahe shall at least gain his life Lit. “he shall have his life as booty”; cf. 21.9. and shall live.
Word-by-Word Analysis
כה
25
אמר
241
יהוה
26
הישב
317
בעיר
282
הזאת
413
ימות
456
בחרב
212
ברעב
274
ובדבר
214
והיצא
112
אלהכשדים
410
יחיה
33
וחיה
29
והיתהלו
462
נפשו
436
לשלל
390
וחיס
84
Jeremiah 38:3
Gematria: 2648
כהאמריהוההנתןתנתןהעירהזאתבידחילמלךבבלולכדה
Thus said GOD: This city shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon’s army, and he shall capture it.”
Then the officials said to the king, “Let that man be put to death, for he disheartensbdisheartens Lit. “weakens the hands of.” the soldiers, and all the people who are left in this city, by speaking such things to them. That man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm!”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויאמרו
263
השרים
555
אלהמלך
126
יומת
456
נא
51
אתהאיש
717
הזה
17
כיעלכן
200
הואמרפא
333
אתידי
425
אנשי
361
המלחמה
128
הנשארים
606
בעיר
282
הזאת
413
ואת
407
ידי
24
כלהעם
165
לדבר
236
אליהם
86
כדברים
276
האלה
41
כי
30
האיש
316
הזה
17
איננו
117
דרש
504
לשלום
406
לעם
140
הזה
17
כי
30
אםלרעה
346
Jeremiah 38:5
Gematria: 1634
ויאמרהמלךצדקיהוהנההואבידכםכיאיןהמלךיוכלאתכםדבר
King Zedekiah replied, “He is in your hands; the king cannot oppose you in anything!”
So they took Jeremiah and put him down in the pit of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the prison compound; they let Jeremiah down by ropes. There was no water in the pit, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch who was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit. The king was then sitting at the Benjamin Gate;
Word-by-Word Analysis
וישמע
426
עבדמלך
166
הכושי
341
איש
311
סריס
330
והוא
18
בבית
414
המלך
95
כינתנו
536
אתירמיהו
672
אלהבור
244
והמלך
101
יושב
318
בשער
572
בנימן
152
Jeremiah 38:8
Gematria: 1439
ויצאעבדמלךמביתהמלךוידבראלהמלךלאמר
so Ebed-melech left the king’s palace, and spoke to the king:
“O lord king, those men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophet Jeremiah; they have put him down in the pit, to die there of hunger.” For there was no more bread in the city.
Then the king instructed Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take with you thirtycthirty One ms. reads “three.” men from here, and pull the prophet Jeremiah up from the pit before he dies.”
So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went to the king’s palace, to a place belowda place below Emendation yields “the wardrobe of.” the treasury. There they got worn cloths and rags, which they let down to Jeremiah in the pit by ropes.
King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah, and had him brought to him at the third entrance of the House of GOD. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I want to ask you something; don’t conceal anything from me.”
Thereupon King Zedekiah secretly promised Jeremiah on oath: “As GOD lives who has given us this life,egiven us this life Meaning of Heb. uncertain. I will not put you to death or leave you in the hands of those who seek your life.”
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down. You and your household will live.
But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, who will burn it down; and you will not escape from them.”
King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have defected to the Chaldeans; that they [the Chaldeans] might hand me over to them to abuse me.”
All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah shall be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and they shall say:fthey shall say I.e., those women, to the king of Judah. Those who were your friendsHave seduced you and vanquished you.Now that your feet are sunk in the mire,They have turned their backs [on you].
They will bring out all your wives and children to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be captured by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned down.”gthis city shall be burned down So Targum and Septuagint and some mss. Most mss. and the editions read “you will burn down this city by fire.”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ואתכלנשיך
837
ואתבניך
489
מוצאים
187
אלהכשדים
410
ואתה
412
לאתמלט
510
מידם
94
כי
30
ביד
16
מלךבבל
124
תתפש
1180
ואתהעיר
692
הזאת
413
תשרף
980
באשס
363
Jeremiah 38:24
Gematria: 2382
ויאמרצדקיהואלירמיהואישאלידעבדבריםהאלהולאתמות
Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.hor you will die Lit. “that you may not die.”
If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you, and they should come and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; hide nothing from us, or we’ll kill you.ior we’ll kill you Lit. “that we may not kill you.” And what did the king say to you?’
All the officials did come to Jeremiah to question him; and he replied to them just as the king had instructed him. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not been overheard.
Jeremiah remained in the prison compound until the day Jerusalem was captured.When Jerusalem was captured…jWhen Jerusalem was captured… This clause would read well before 39.3.