Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — All the officials come to Jeremiah and question him about his earlier encounter with the king. He responds by repeating the exact words Zedekiah had commanded him to deliver, after which the officials stop questioning him because no one overheard the exchange.
The words — וַ/יַּגֵּ֤ד (va/i.ya.Ged) means "and he told," marking Jeremiah’s precise recitation of the royal script. כָל־הַ/שָּׂרִ֤ים (khol-ha./sa.Rim) translates to "all the officials," specifying the complete delegation that witnessed the private conversation.
The thread — This dynamic of guarded communication and concealed divine instruction appears in 1 Samuel 10:15, 1 Samuel 16:2, and 2 Kings 6:19.
Why it lands — The text shows that a prophet’s message remains unchanged when delivered under political pressure and private conditions. It requires readers to observe how divine words are preserved and protected even when messengers operate under surveillance.
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
Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 10:15 “Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel say to you?”
- 1 Samuel 16:2 “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
- 2 Kings 6:19 And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
- Acts 23:6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”