Jeremiah 38:23

23 `And all thy wives, and thy sons, are brought forth unto the Chaldeans, and thou dost not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon thou art caught, and this city is burnt with fire.'

Jeremiah 38:23 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 38:23

So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the
Chaldeans
Not the citizens of Jerusalem; but, as Kimchi observes, the Chaldeans that should enter the city shall bring them out to the Chaldeans without: or it may be rendered impersonally, "they shall be brought out": not only the ladies at court, that waited on him and his queen, as before; but all his wives and concubines, and his children, or his sons rather; for at the taking of the city no mention is made of daughters, only of sons, who were slain before his eyes, ( Jeremiah 39:6 ) ; and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the
hand of the king of Babylon;
not by him personally, for he was not present at the taking of him, but by his army, who having taken him, brought him to him, and delivered him into his hand, ( Jeremiah 39:5 ) ; and thou shalt cause this city to be burnt with fire;
or, "thou shall burn this city with fire" ^F2; be the moral cause of it; through his sin and obstinacy, impenitence and unbelief, the burning of the city might be laid to his charge; his sin was the cause of it; and it was all one as if he had burnt it with his own hands. All this is said to work upon him to hearken to the advice given; but all was in vain.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F2 (vab Pdvt) "combures igne", Vatablus, Schmidt; "cremabis in igne", Montanus.

Jeremiah 38:23 In-Context

21 `And if thou art refusing to go forth, this [is] the thing that Jehovah hath shewn me:

22 That, lo, all the women who have been left in the house of the king of Judah are brought forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, and lo, they are saying: Persuaded thee, and prevailed against thee, Have thine allies, Sunk into mire have thy feet, They have been turned backward.

23 `And all thy wives, and thy sons, are brought forth unto the Chaldeans, and thou dost not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon thou art caught, and this city is burnt with fire.'

24 And Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, `Let no man know of these words, and thou dost not die;

25 and when the heads hear that I have spoken with thee, and they have come in unto thee, and have said unto thee, Declare to us, we pray thee, what thou didst speak unto the king, do not hide [it] from us, and we do not put thee to death, and what the king spake unto thee,