Jeremiah 38 · Verse 18

Jeremiah 38:18

But 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.
Jeremiah 38:18, King James Version

Jeremiah 38:18 in other translations

BSBBut if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’”
WEBBut if you will not go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you won’t escape out of their hand.’”
ASVBut 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.
YLTAnd if thou dost not go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then hath this city been given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they have burnt it with fire, and thou dost not escape from their hand.'
DARBYBut 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.
BBEBut if you do not go out to the king of Babylon's captains, then this town will be given into the hands of the Chaldaeans and they will put it on fire, and you will not get away from them.
WebsterBut 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 from their hand.

What does Jeremiah 38:18 mean?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 38:14-28

Jeremiah was not forward to repeat the warnings, which seemed only to endanger his own life, and to add to the king's guilt, but asked whether he feared to do the will of God. The less men fear God, the more they fear men; often they dare not act according to their own judgments and consciences.

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 38:14-28 →

Jeremiah 38:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאִ֣םve.'Imand ifH518
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תֵצֵ֗אte.Tze'you will go outH3318
אֶל\־'el-toH413
שָׂרֵי֙sa.Rei[the] commanders ofH8269
מֶ֣לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
בָּבֶ֔לba.VelBabylonH894
וְנִתְּנָ֞הve.ni.te.Nahand it will be givenH5414
הָעִ֤ירha.'Irthe cityH5892
הַזֹּאת֙ha.zoT<the> thisH2063
בְּיַ֣דbe.Yadin [the] hand ofH3027
הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔יםha.kas.Dimthe ChaldeansH3778
וּשְׂרָפ֖וּהָu.se.ra.Fu.haand they will burn itH8313
בָּאֵ֑שׁba.'Eshwith <the> fireH784
וְאַתָּ֖הve.'a.Tahand youH859
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תִמָּלֵ֥טti.ma.Letyou will escapeH4422
מִיָּדָֽם\׃\ \סmi.ya.Damfrom hand theirH3027

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 38:18

  • Jeremiah 24:8-10

    And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the Lord, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

  • Jeremiah 32:3-5

    For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.

  • 2 Kings 25:4-10

    And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. …

  • Jeremiah 38:3

    Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.

  • Jeremiah 38:23

    So 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 52:7-11

    Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him. And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. …

  • Jeremiah 34:2-3

    Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire: And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

  • Jeremiah 39:5-7

    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. Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.

  • Jeremiah 34:19-22

    The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf; I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you. Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

  • Ezekiel 17:20-21

    And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.

  • Ezekiel 12:13

    My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

  • Jeremiah 37:8

    And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
if thou.
2Ki 24:12; 25:27-30
then.
3,23; 24:8-10; 32:3-5; 34:2,3,19-22; 39:3,5-7; 52:7-11
2Ki 25:4-10; Eze 12:13; 17:20,21; 21:25-27

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 38:17

    Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly 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 thine house:

  • Jeremiah 38:18

    But 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.

  • Jeremiah 38:19

    And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

Read all of Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah 38:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas si no salieres á los príncipes del rey de Babilonia, esta ciudad será entregada en mano de los Caldeos, y la pondrán á fuego, y tú no escaparás de sus manos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mais si tu ne sors pas vers les princes du roi de Babylone, cette ville sera livrée en la main des Chaldéens, et ils la brûleront par le feu; et toi, tu n’échapperas pas à leur main.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wenn du aber nicht zu den Fürsten des Königs von Babel hinausgehst, so wird diese Stadt in die Hand der Chaldäer gegeben werden, und sie werden sie mit Feuer verbrennen; und du, du wirst ihrer Hand nicht entrinnen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Si autem non exieris ad principes regis Babylonis, tradetur civitas hæc in manus Chaldæorum, et succendent eam igni: et tu non effugies de manu eorum.