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Jeremiah 38:20

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 38:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
Jeremiah 38:20 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 38

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
17Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babylon`s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thy house.
18But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon`s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
19And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
20But 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.
21But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that Jehovah hath showed me:
22behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah`s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon`s princes, and those women shall say, Thy familiar friends have set thee on, and have prevailed over thee: [now that] thy feet are sunk in the mire, they are turned away back.
23And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans; and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.
← Jeremiah 38:19Jeremiah 38:21 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“But Jeremiah said, they shall not deliver [thee], etc.] To take off the above excuse, or remove that objection, the prophet assures the king that the Chaldeans would never deliver him into the hands of the Jews; he might depend upon it, it would never be done: obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee; the counsel he had given him, to surrender to the Chaldeans, was not from himself, but from the Lord: and though he had no express order to give it at that time, yet it was what was agreeable to the will of God, and what he had exhorted the people to in the beginning of this chapter; and therefore, since it came from the Lord, as it ought to be attended to, so he…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“38:20-22 Jeremiah reassured Zedekiah that everything would go well if Zedekiah chose to obey the Lord. If he refused, even his friends would abandon him.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Obey: Jer 26:13; Ch2 20:20; Dan 4:27; Act 26:29; Co2 5:11, Co2 5:20, Co2 6:1; Plm 1:8-10; Jam 1:22 and thy: Isa 55:3 Jeremiah 38:21”
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Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 38 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification