Jeremiah 38:25

If the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,’

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jeremiah speaks these conditional words to King Zedekiah during their secret meeting, anticipating the officials' potential interrogation. The prophet outlines the lethal threat the courtiers will make if they discover their private conversation.

The words — The verb יִשְׁמְעוּ (yish.me.'U) means "they will hear," and the clause כִּי־דִבַּרְתִּי אִתָּךְ (ki-di.Bar.ti 'i.to/Kh) translates literally to "that I have spoken with you." These terms establish the precise trigger for the officials' confrontation.

The thread — This dynamic between the prophet and the court officials appears in Jeremiah 38:4, where they demand his execution for discouraging the warriors, and in Jeremiah 38:27, where they question him and receive his exact instructions. The sequence shows the officials consistently pressing for the source of the king's defeatist directives.

Why it lands — The text requires a reader to recognize the concrete danger of delivering unflattering divine messages to those who hold execution power. It demands preparation for the direct interrogation that follows truth-telling in hostile political environments.

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

וְכִֽי־ve./khi-and/ if יִשְׁמְע֣וּyish.me.'Uthey will hear הַשָּׂרִים֮ha./sa.Rimthe/ officials כִּֽי־ki-that דִבַּ֣רְתִּיdi.Bar.tiI have spoken אִתָּךְ֒'i.to/Khwith/ you וּבָ֣אוּu./Va.'uand/ they will come אֵלֶ֣יךָ'e.Lei./khato/ you וְֽאָמְר֪וּve./'a.me.Ruand/ they will say אֵלֶ֟יךָ'e.Lei./khato/ you הַגִּֽידָה־ha.gi.da/h-tell/ !נָּ֨אna'pleaseלָ֜נוּLa./nuto <the>/ usמַה־mah-what?דִּבַּ֧רְתָּdi.Bar.tadid you say אֶל־'el-to הַמֶּ֛לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king אַל־'al-may not תְּכַחֵ֥דte.kha.Chedyou hide [it]מִמֶּ֖נּוּmi.Me./nufrom/ us וְלֹ֣אve./Lo'and/ not נְמִיתֶ֑ךָne.mi.Te./khawe will put to death/ you וּמַה־u./mah-and/ what?דִּבֶּ֥רdi.Berdid he say אֵלֶ֖יךָ'e.Lei./khato/ you הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ha./Me.lekhthe/ king

King James Version

But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:

Cross-references

Jeremiah 38:4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”
Jeremiah 38:27 When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he relayed to them the exact words the king had commanded him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had overheard the conversation.