Jeremiah 21:3

Study note

Setting — Jeremiah addresses the royal envoys dispatched by King Zedekiah while Jerusalem endures the Babylonian siege. He delivers his response at the moment the king’s desperate plea for divine intervention is being relayed.

The words — כֹּה (koh) = thus, and תֹאמְרֻ֖ן (tom.Ru/n) = you will say. These terms establish the formal prophetic messenger structure that frames the ensuing oracle.

The thread — This exact delivery formula appears in Jeremiah 26:2 and 1 Kings 22:14, where prophets are instructed to relay a message verbatim to a ruling authority.

Why it lands — It requires the reader to recognize that political survival cannot override prophetic declaration. The text demands immediate attention to the coming judgment rather than negotiation with the besieging army.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.