The Meaning of Jeremiah 38:5 Explained

Jeremiah 38:5

KJV: Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

YLT: And the king Zedekiah saith, 'Lo, he is in your hand: for the king is not able for you in anything.'

Darby: And king Zedekiah said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do a thing against you.

ASV: And Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do anything against you.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then Zedekiah  the king  said,  Behold, he [is] in your hand:  for the king  [is] not [he that] can  do [any] thing  against you. 

What does Jeremiah 38:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Zedekiah turned Jeremiah over to the nobles. He claimed he could not overrule their will. Obviously he should have stood up for Jeremiah , but he feared his state officials (cf. Jeremiah 38:25-27). He was an early-day Pontius Pilate who washed his hands of his responsibility (cf. Matthew 27:24).

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 38:5 mean?

And said the king Zedekiah Look he [is] in your hand for nothing the king can [do] against you -
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ הִנֵּה־ ה֖וּא בְּיֶדְכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־ אֵ֣ין הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ יוּכַ֥ל אֶתְכֶ֖ם דָּבָֽר

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ  Zedekiah 
Parse: 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.
הִנֵּה־  Look 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
ה֖וּא  he  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
בְּיֶדְכֶ֑ם  in  your  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
אֵ֣ין  nothing 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יוּכַ֥ל  can  [do] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
אֶתְכֶ֖ם  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
דָּבָֽר    - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.