The Meaning of Jeremiah 32:4 Explained

Jeremiah 32:4

KJV: And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;

YLT: And Zedekiah king of Judah doth not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but is certainly given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and his mouth hath spoken with his mouth, and his eyes see his eyes,

Darby: and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans; for he shall certainly be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;

ASV: and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Zedekiah  king  of Judah  shall not escape  out of the hand  of the Chaldeans,  but shall surely  be delivered  into the hand  of the king  of Babylon,  and shall speak  with him mouth  to mouth,  and his eyes  shall behold  his eyes; 

What does Jeremiah 32:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 32:1-44 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 32

1  Jeremiah, being imprisoned by Zedekiah for his prophecy,
6  buys Hanameel's field
13  Baruch must preserve the evidences, as tokens of the people's return
16  Jeremiah in his prayer complains to God
26  God confirms the captivity for their sins;
36  and promises a gracious return

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 32:4 mean?

And Zedekiah king of Judah not shall escape from the hand of the Chaldeans but surely shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon and shall speak with him face to face and eye - - to eye see him
וְצִדְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֔ה לֹ֥א יִמָּלֵ֖ט מִיַּ֣ד הַכַּשְׂדִּ֑ים כִּ֣י הִנָּתֹ֤ן יִנָּתֵן֙ בְּיַ֣ד מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶ֔ל וְדִבֶּר־ פִּ֣יו עִם־ פִּ֔יו וְעֵינָ֖יו אֶת־ [עינו] (עֵינָ֥יו) תִּרְאֶֽינָה

וְצִדְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙  And  Zedekiah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִדְקִיָּה 
Sense: the last king of Judah renamed from ‘Mattaniah’ by Nebuchadnezzar; son of Josiah by wife Hamutal; placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar when he carried his nephew Jehoiakim in captivity.
מֶ֣לֶךְ  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָ֔ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
יִמָּלֵ֖ט  shall  escape 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָלַט 
Sense: to slip away, escape, deliver, save, be delivered.
מִיַּ֣ד  from  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הַכַּשְׂדִּ֑ים  of  the  Chaldeans 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּשְׂדִּים  
Sense: a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf.
הִנָּתֹ֤ן  surely 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Infinitive absolute
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
יִנָּתֵן֙  shall  be  delivered 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בְּיַ֣ד  into  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  of  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בָּבֶ֔ל  of  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
וְדִבֶּר־  and  shall  speak  with  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
פִּ֣יו  face 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
פִּ֔יו  face 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
וְעֵינָ֖יו  and  eye 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, cdc, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
[עינו]  - 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
(עֵינָ֥יו)  to  eye 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
תִּרְאֶֽינָה  see  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.