Bible Strands
Jeremiah 40:1
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had released him at Ramah, having found him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text records a divine message delivered to Jeremiah immediately after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, releases him from chains at Ramah among the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah. This occurs at the precise moment of transition from formal captivity to provisional freedom.
The words — הַדָּבָר (ha.davar) translates literally as "the word," functioning as the standard formal marker for a prophetic oracle. אֲשֶׁר (asher) operates as a relative pronoun that syntactically binds this utterance directly to its source.
The thread — Ramah appears in Joshua 18:25 as a marked territorial boundary and in Jeremiah 31:15 as a geographical anchor for national mourning. The detail of bound captives parallels the chain imagery in Acts 12:6, though the narrative circumstances differ.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to observe that prophetic instruction follows concrete historical events of judgment and release. It demands attention to the sequence of divine decree, human bondage, and subsequent freedom as the structural framework for receiving further communication.
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
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after that Nebuzar–adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.
Cross-references
- Joshua 18:25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
- Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
- Acts 12:6 On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
- Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
- Ephesians 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.
- 1 Samuel 7:17 Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.
- Psalms 68:6 God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
- Psalms 107:16 For He has broken down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
- Jeremiah 39:11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, saying,
- Acts 28:20 So for this reason I have called to see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”