Bible Strands
Jeremiah 39:16
“Go and tell Ebed-melech the Cushite that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to fulfill My words against this city for harm and not for good, and on that day they will be fulfilled before your eyes.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, speaks through Jeremiah to Ebed-melech the Cushite while Jeremiah is confined in the courtyard of the guard. This message occurs immediately after Jerusalem's fall and directly precedes the promise of Ebed-melech's deliverance.
The words — The Hebrew verb הָל֣וֹךְ (ha.Lokh) means "go," and כֹּֽה\־ (koh-) translates to "thus," framing the command to deliver a fixed declaration. These terms anchor the instruction as a direct transmission rather than a suggestion.
The thread — The fulfillment of divine words against a city appears in Daniel 9:12 regarding disaster, Zechariah 1:6 concerning prophetic statutes, and Joshua 23:14 on the certainty of God's promises. These references trace a consistent pattern of God's speech executing historical outcomes.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that divine judgment operates independently of human fear or political circumstance. It demands acceptance that prophetic declarations will materialize exactly as stated, regardless of the observer's location or status.
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
Go and speak to Ebed–melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
Cross-references
- Daniel 9:12 You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
- Zechariah 1:6 But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers? They repented and said, ‘Just as the LORD of Hosts purposed to do to us according to our ways and deeds, so He has done to us.’”
- Joshua 23:14 Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the LORD your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah.
- Psalms 91:8 You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.
- Psalms 92:11 My eyes see the downfall of my enemies; my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes.
- Jeremiah 5:14 Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.
- Jeremiah 19:11 and you are to proclaim to them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I will shatter this nation and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.
- Jeremiah 21:7 ‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’
- Jeremiah 24:8 But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.