Jeremiah 38:16
So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
Original Language Analysis
וַיִּשָּׁבַ֞ע
sware
H7650
וַיִּשָּׁבַ֞ע
sware
Strong's:
H7650
Word #:
1 of 27
to seven oneself, i.e., swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)
יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ
unto Jeremiah
H3414
יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ
unto Jeremiah
Strong's:
H3414
Word #:
5 of 27
jirmejah, the name of eight or nine israelites
בַּסֵּ֣תֶר
secretly
H5643
בַּסֵּ֣תֶר
secretly
Strong's:
H5643
Word #:
6 of 27
a cover (in a good or a bad, a literal or a figurative sense)
חַי
liveth
H2416
חַי
liveth
Strong's:
H2416
Word #:
8 of 27
alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or livin
יְהוָ֞ה
As the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֞ה
As the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
9 of 27
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
10 of 27
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
אֲשֶׁר֩
H834
אֲשֶׁר֩
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
11 of 27
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
עָשָׂה
that made
H6213
עָשָׂה
that made
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
12 of 27
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
14 of 27
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
thy life
H5315
נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
thy life
Strong's:
H5315
Word #:
15 of 27
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
אִם
H518
אִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
17 of 27
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
אֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ
I will not put thee to death
H4191
אֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ
I will not put thee to death
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
18 of 27
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
וְאִם
H518
וְאִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
19 of 27
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
אֶתֶּנְךָ֗
neither will I give
H5414
אֶתֶּנְךָ֗
neither will I give
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
20 of 27
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
בְּיַד֙
thee into the hand
H3027
בְּיַד֙
thee into the hand
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
21 of 27
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים
H376
הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים
Strong's:
H376
Word #:
22 of 27
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
24 of 27
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים
that seek
H1245
מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים
that seek
Strong's:
H1245
Word #:
25 of 27
to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive after
Cross References
Jeremiah 37:17Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.Isaiah 57:16For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.Zechariah 12:1The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.John 3:2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.Jeremiah 34:20I 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.Numbers 16:22And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?Numbers 27:16Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
Historical Context
Oath-taking by God's name was the most binding form of commitment in ancient Israel (Leviticus 19:12). That Zedekiah made this oath "secretly" shows he feared his anti-Jeremiah officials (particularly those who had just thrown the prophet into a cistern) more than he feared breaking covenant with Yahweh.
Questions for Reflection
- What does it reveal about Zedekiah's character that he swears by God privately but won't obey Him publicly?
- How do we similarly compartmentalize faith—acknowledging God in some areas while excluding Him from others?
- Why might Zedekiah fear his officials more than the God by whose name he swears?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
So Zedekiah the king sware secretly (נִשְׁבַּע בַּסֵּתֶר)—The king took an oath secretly, revealing his moral cowardice. He feared his own officials more than God, so he met Jeremiah in private rather than publicly honoring God's prophet. The verb shaba (שָׁבַע, "to swear") invokes the most solemn form of commitment in Hebrew culture.
As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul—Zedekiah swore by Yahweh as the Creator of nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ, "soul/life"). The irony is profound: he invoked the God whose word he continually rejected, and appealed to God's life-giving power while refusing the life-saving counsel God offered through Jeremiah. This oath acknowledges God's sovereignty while planning to disobey His explicit command—a contradiction epitomizing Zedekiah's spiritual schizophrenia.