Jeremiah 40:2

2 Therefore the prince of the chivalry took Jeremy, and said to him, Thy Lord God spake this evil on this place, (And so the captain of the guard took Jeremiah aside, and said to him, The Lord thy God spoke evil against this place,)

Jeremiah 40:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 40:2

And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah
When he mustered his prisoners, to his great surprise he found the prophet among them, whom he took out from them, and set him free; though, before he dismissed him, he had the following conversation with him: and said unto him, the Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil on this
place;
the city of Jerusalem; from whence the prophet and the rest of the captives were just brought, and which now lay in ruins; the houses burnt; the walls broken down; and the inhabitants spoiled and carried captive. This was the evil which the Lord, he says, had "decreed", as the Targum renders it; had purposed to bring upon it; and which he had declared and pronounced by the mouth of Jeremiah, whose Lord God he was, being his prophet, and a worshipper of him: this Nebuzaradan was apprized of by the Jews that deserted to the Chaldeans; and particularly, as is probable, by Gedaliah.

Jeremiah 40:2 In-Context

1 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, after that he was delivered of Nebuzaradan, master of the chivalry, from Ramah, when he took him bound with chains, in the midst of all men that passed from Jerusalem, and from Judah, and were led into Babylon. (The word of the Lord that was made to Jeremiah, after that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Ramah, where he had taken him bound with chains, in the midst of all those who were carried away captive from Jerusalem, and from Judah, and were being led captive to Babylon.)

2 Therefore the prince of the chivalry took Jeremy, and said to him, Thy Lord God spake this evil on this place, (And so the captain of the guard took Jeremiah aside, and said to him, The Lord thy God spoke evil against this place,)

3 and the Lord hath brought (it in), and hath done (it), as he spake; for ye sinned to the Lord, and heard not the voice of him, and this word is done to you. (and now the Lord hath brought it to be, and hath done just as he said he would do; for ye all have sinned against the Lord, and did not listen to his voice, and so all of this hath come upon you.)

4 Now therefore lo! I have released thee today from the chains that be in thine hands (And so now lo! I release thee today from the chains that be upon thy hands); if it pleaseth thee to come with me into Babylon, come thou, and I shall set mine eyes on thee; soothly if it displeaseth thee to come with me into Babylon, sit thou here; lo! all the land is in thy sight, that that thou choosest, and whither it pleaseth thee to go, thither go thou,

5 and do not thou come with me. But dwell thou with Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon made sovereign to the cities of Judah; therefore dwell thou with him in the midst of the people, either go thou, whither ever it pleaseth thee to go. And the master of [the] chivalry gave to him meats, and gifts, and let go him. (and do not thou feel compelled to come with me. Yea, stay thou with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made the ruler over the cities of Judah; and so either stay thou with him in the midst of the people, or go thou, wherever it pleaseth thee to go. And the captain of the guard gave him food, and gifts, and let him go.)