The Meaning of Jeremiah 38:4 Explained

Jeremiah 38:4

KJV: Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

YLT: And the heads say unto the king, 'Let, we pray thee, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.'

Darby: And the princes said unto the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; for why should he weaken the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking to them according to these words? for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

ASV: Then the princes said unto the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; forasmuch as he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore the princes  said  unto the king,  We beseech thee, let this man  be put to death:  for thus  he weakeneth  the hands  of the men  of war  that remain  in this city,  and the hands  of all the people,  in speaking  such words  unto them: for this man  seeketh  not the welfare  of this people,  but the hurt. 

What does Jeremiah 38:4 Mean?

Study Notes

let this man
See Jeremiah 26:11 .
The fundamental reason why the prophetic warnings of the Old and New Testaments are unwelcome to an unreasoning optimism.

Verse Meaning

These nobles complained to Zedekiah that Jeremiah was weakening the morale of the soldiers and discouraging the people from resisting the enemy. They accused the prophet of desiring to harm the people, rather than seeking their well-being. This was a seditious thing to do, and Jeremiah could have been put to death if his accusers proved him guilty of treason.
"It was ironical ... that the leaders who had played the traitor against Babylon, their overlord, were such sticklers for internal loyalty, and that they should profess concern for the peace and welfare (shalom, Jeremiah 38:4 b) of the citizens whom they insisted on sacrificing." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 38

1  Jeremiah, by a false suggestion, is put into the dungeon of Malchiah
7  Ebed-Melech, by suit, gets him some enlargement
14  Upon secret conference, he counsels the king by yielding to save his life
24  By the king's instructions he conceals the conference from the princes

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 38:4 mean?

Therefore said the princes to the king let be put to death please - man this for thus he weakens as he is discouraging the hands of men of the war who remain in city this and the hands of all the people by speaking to them words these for man this not does seek the welfare of people this of this but - their harm
וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ הַשָּׂרִ֜ים אֶל־ הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ י֣וּמַת נָא֮ אֶת־ הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּה֒ כִּֽי־ עַל־ כֵּ֡ן הֽוּא־ מְרַפֵּ֡א אֶת־ יְדֵי֩ אַנְשֵׁ֨י הַמִּלְחָמָ֜ה הַֽנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים ׀ בָּעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֗את וְאֵת֙ יְדֵ֣י כָל־ הָעָ֔ם לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כַּדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֣י ׀ הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֗ה אֵינֶ֨נּוּ דֹרֵ֧שׁ לְשָׁל֛וֹם לָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה כִּ֥י אִם־ לְרָעָֽה

וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ  Therefore  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַשָּׂרִ֜ים  the  princes 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
י֣וּמַת  let  be  put  to  death 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
נָא֮  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
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.
הָאִ֣ישׁ  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הַזֶּה֒  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
עַל־  thus 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הֽוּא־  weakens 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
מְרַפֵּ֡א  as  he  is  discouraging 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: רָפָה  
Sense: to sink, relax, sink down, let drop, be disheartened.
אֶת־  the  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְדֵי֩  of  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
אַנְשֵׁ֨י  of  the  war 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הַמִּלְחָמָ֜ה  who  remain 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
הַֽנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים ׀  in  city 
Parse: Preposition, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
בָּעִ֣יר  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וְאֵת֙  the  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְדֵ֣י  of  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
כָל־  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָעָ֔ם  by  speaking 
Parse: Preposition, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
לְדַבֵּ֣ר  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם  words 
Parse: Preposition, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
כַּדְּבָרִ֖ים  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
כִּ֣י ׀  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
הָאִ֣ישׁ  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אֵינֶ֨נּוּ  does  seek 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
דֹרֵ֧שׁ  the  welfare 
Parse: Preposition, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דַּרְיׄושׁ 
Sense: to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require.
לְשָׁל֛וֹם  of  people 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
לָעָ֥ם  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַזֶּ֖ה  of  this 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
אִם־  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
לְרָעָֽה  their  harm 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.