Bible Strands
Jeremiah 32:4
Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah addresses King Zedekiah of Judah while confined in the court of the guard, responding to the king's accusation that his prophecy of Jerusalem's capture by Babylon is false.
The words — The Hebrew יִמָּלֵ֖ט (yi.ma.Let) means "he will escape," coupled with מִ/יַּ֣ד (mi./Yad), literally "from the hand of," structuring the prophecy around unavoidable divine delivery.
The thread — The text's claim that Zedekiah will not escape the Chaldeans connects to the city's breach and royal flight in 2 Kings 25:4, his private inquiry in Jeremiah 37:17, and the repeated instruction to surrender to Babylon in Jeremiah 38:18.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to accept that human authority cannot circumvent declared judgment, demanding a sober assessment of divine sovereignty over political outcomes.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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;
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 25:4 Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
- Jeremiah 37:17 Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
- Jeremiah 38:18 But 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.’”
- Jeremiah 38:23 All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”
- Jeremiah 39:4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and they went out along the route to the Arabah.
- Jeremiah 52:8 but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him.
- Ezekiel 12:12 And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land.
- Ezekiel 17:13 He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land,
- Ezekiel 21:25 And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’