The Meaning of Jeremiah 35:1 Explained

Jeremiah 35:1

KJV: The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

YLT: The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, saying:

Darby: The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying,

ASV: The word which came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The word  which came unto Jeremiah  from the LORD  in the days  of Jehoiakim  the son  of Josiah  king  of Judah,  saying, 

What does Jeremiah 35:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This oracle came to Jeremiah during King Jehoiakim"s reign (609-598 B.C.) after the Babylonians had begun to invade Judah ( Jeremiah 35:11). 2 Kings 24:1-2 reads, "In his [1] days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him [2]. And the LORD sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it ..." This seems to be the setting for what follows. The year was probably602or601 B.C. (cf. Jeremiah 12:7-13).

Context Summary

Jeremiah 35:1-19 - A Lesson From The Rechabites
Among the refugees from the neighboring country who sought asylum within the walls of Jerusalem, was a group of Arabs, known as Rechabites. Probably they encamped in one of the open spaces. They clung tenaciously to the regulations promulgated by Jonadab some three hundred years before. See Judges 1:16; 2 Kings 10:15; 1 Chronicles 2:55. They drank no wine, did not cultivate the ground, and lived in tents. We do well not to touch alcohol; not to strike our roots two deeply into this world, where we are pilgrims and strangers; and to cultivate the pilgrim spirit, which looks for and travels toward the city that hath foundations. Israel had not been as true to the divine precepts as the Rechabites to those of their founder. Therefore the Chosen People would be dispossessed and scattered; while the Rechabites have preserved their independence to the present day. Obedience is the only source of permanence. "He that doeth the will of God abideth forever." [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 35

1  By the obedience of the Rechabites,
12  Jeremiah condemns the disobedience of the Jews
18  God blesses the Rechabites for their obedience

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 35:1 mean?

The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah saying
הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־ הָיָ֥ה אֶֽל־ יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה בִּימֵ֨י יְהוֹיָקִ֧ים בֶּן־ יֹאשִׁיָּ֛הוּ מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר

הַדָּבָ֛ר  The  word 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הָיָ֥ה  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ  Jeremiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִרְמְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Hilkiah of the priestly family in Anathoth; author of the prophetic book bearing his name.
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בִּימֵ֨י  in  the  days 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
יְהוֹיָקִ֧ים  of  Jehoiakim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹויָקִים 
Sense: son of Josiah and the third from the last king of Judah; subject vassel of Nebuchadnezzar who reigned for years before he died a violent death either in combat or by the hands of his own subjects.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יֹאשִׁיָּ֛הוּ  of  Josiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄאשִׁיָּה 
Sense: son of Amon by Jedidah who succeeded his father to the throne of Judah and reigned for 3 years; his reign is noteworthy for the great revivals back to the worship of Jehovah which he led.
מֶ֥לֶךְ  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָ֖ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
לֵאמֹֽר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.