Jeremiah 27:17
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
Original Language Analysis
אַל
H408
אַל
Strong's:
H408
Word #:
1 of 13
not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (job 24:25) as a noun, nothing
תִּשְׁמְע֣וּ
Hearken
H8085
תִּשְׁמְע֣וּ
Hearken
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
2 of 13
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
עִבְד֥וּ
not unto them serve
H5647
עִבְד֥וּ
not unto them serve
Strong's:
H5647
Word #:
4 of 13
to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
5 of 13
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
בָּבֶ֖ל
of Babylon
H894
בָּבֶ֖ל
of Babylon
Strong's:
H894
Word #:
7 of 13
babel (i.e., babylon), including babylonia and the babylonian empire
וִֽחְי֑וּ
and live
H2421
וִֽחְי֑וּ
and live
Strong's:
H2421
Word #:
8 of 13
to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive
לָ֧מָּה
H4100
לָ֧מָּה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
9 of 13
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
תִֽהְיֶ֛ה
H1961
תִֽהְיֶ֛ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
10 of 13
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
Historical Context
Jeremiah's counsel contradicted everything Judah believed about God's unconditional protection of Jerusalem and the Davidic throne. This 'defeatist' message led to accusations of treason (37:13-14). Yet events proved Jeremiah right—Zedekiah's rebellion brought total destruction.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'surrender' might God be calling you to that your pride interprets as betrayal of principle?
- How do you distinguish between faithfulness that requires resistance and faithfulness that requires submission?
- When have you seen catastrophe result from refusing to accept God's counterintuitive direction?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Serve the king of Babylon, and live (עִבְדוּ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וִחְיוּ)—God's command to abad (serve, become subject to) Babylon scandalized Jerusalem. Yet submission meant survival; rebellion meant Jerusalem's destruction. This sovereign reversal—pagan empire as God's instrument—demolished Judah's presumption that God must defend Zion regardless of covenant faithfulness.
Wherefore should this city be laid waste? (לָמָה תִהְיֶה הָעִיר הַזֹּאת חָרְבָּה)—The rhetorical question exposes the tragic irony: resistance to God's revealed will, cloaked in patriotic zeal, would accomplish what submission prevented. The Hebrew chorbah (waste, ruin) anticipates the 586 BC destruction—a preventable catastrophe if Judah had heeded Jeremiah.