Jeremiah 40 · Verse 9

Jeremiah 40:9

And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
Jeremiah 40:9, King James Version

Jeremiah 40:9 in other translations

BSBGedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.
WEBGedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.
ASVAnd Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
YLTAnd swear to them doth Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, and to their men, saying, ‘Be not afraid of serving the Chaldeans, abide in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it is well for you;
DARBYAnd Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
BBEAnd Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to them and their men, saying, Have no fear of the servants of the Chaldaeans: go on living in the land, and become the servants of the king of Babylon, and all will be well.
WebsterAnd Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

What does Jeremiah 40:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. Fear not--They were afraid that they should not obtain pardon from the Chaldeans for their acts. He therefore assured them of safety by an oath. serve--literally, "to stand before" (Jr 40:10; Jr 52:12), that is, to be at hand ready to execute the commands of the king of Babylon.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 40:7-16

Jeremiah had never in his prophecies spoken of any good days for the Jews, to come immediately after the captivity; yet Providence seemed to encourage such an expectation. But how soon is this hopeful prospect blighted! When God begins a judgment, he will complete it. While pride, ambition, or revenge, bears rule in the heart, men will form new projects, and be restless in mischief, which commonly ends in their own…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 40:7-16 →

Jeremiah 40:9 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.

וַיִּשָּׁבַ֨עvai.yi.sha.Va'and he swore an oathH7650
לָהֶ֜םla.Hemto <the> them
גְּדַלְיָ֨הוּge.dal.Ya.huGedaliahH1436
בֶן\־ven-[the] son ofH1121
אֲחִיקָ֤ם'a.chi.KamAhikamH296
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
שָׁפָן֙sha.FanShaphanH8227
וּלְאַנְשֵׁיהֶ֣םu.le.'an.shei.Hemand to men theirH582
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תִּֽירְא֖וּti.re.'Uyou be afraidH3372
מֵעֲב֣וֹדme.'a.Vodfrom servingH5647
הַכַּשְׂדִּ֑יםha.kas.Dimthe ChaldeansH3778
שְׁב֣וּshe.VuremainH3427
בָאָ֗רֶץva.'A.retzin the landH776
וְעִבְד֛וּve.'iv.Duand serveH5647
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
מֶ֥לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
בָּבֶ֖לba.VelBabylonH894
וְיִיטַ֥בve.yi.Tavso it may go wellH3190
לָכֶֽם\׃la.Khemfor <the> you

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 40:9

  • Jeremiah 27:11

    But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

  • 2 Kings 25:24

    And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

  • Jeremiah 38:17-20

    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: 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. 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. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.

  • 1 Samuel 20:16-17

    So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David’s enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

  • Psalms 128:2

    For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

  • Genesis 49:15

    And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

  • Psalms 37:3

    Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
sware.
1Sa 20:16,17; 2Ki 25:24
Fear.
27:11; 38:17-20; Ge 49:15; Ps 37:3; 128:2

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 40:8

    Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

  • Jeremiah 40:9

    And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

  • Jeremiah 40:10

    As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.

Read all of Jeremiah 40

Jeremiah 40:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y juróles Gedalías hijo de Ahicam, hijo de Saphán, á ellos y á sus hombres, diciendo: No tengáis temor de servir á los Caldeos: habitad en la tierra, y servid al rey de Babilonia, y tendréis bien.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Guedalia, fils d’Akhikam, fils de Shaphan, leur jura, à eux et à leurs hommes, disant: Ne craignez pas de servir les Chaldéens; habitez dans le pays et servez le roi de Babylone, et vous vous en trouverez bien.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Gedalja, der Sohn Achikams, des Sohnes Schaphans, schwur ihnen und ihren Männern und sprach: Fürchtet euch nicht, den Chaldäern zu dienen; bleibet im Lande und dienet dem König von Babel, so wird es euch wohlgehen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et juravit eis Godolias filius Ahicam filii Saphan, et comitibus eorum, dicens: Nolite timere servire Chaldæis: habitate in terra, et servite regi Babylonis, et bene erit vobis.