The Meaning of Jeremiah 38:9 Explained

Jeremiah 38:9

KJV: My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

YLT: My lord, O king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit, and he dieth in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.'

Darby: My lord, O king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he will die by reason of the famine in the place where he is; for there is no more bread in the city.

ASV: My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

My lord  the king,  these men  have done evil  in all that they have done  to Jeremiah  the prophet,  whom they have cast  into the dungeon;  and he is like to die  for  hunger  in the place  where he is: for [there is] no more bread  in the city. 

What does Jeremiah 38:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Ebed-melech informed the king that Jeremiah"s enemies had acted wickedly by putting him in the cistern. The prophet would die if he remained there because there was no more food in Jerusalem and he would be neglected. Zedekiah had previously promised to provide food for Jeremiah as long as there was food available ( Jeremiah 37:21), so Ebed-melech may have been appealing to this promise.
"God, as is His way so often, used an insignificant person to touch off Jeremiah"s rescue." [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 38:9 mean?

My lord the king have done evil men these - in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the dungeon and he is likely to die in the place where he is from hunger for [there is] no bread more in the city
אֲדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ הֵרֵ֜עוּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ אֵ֣ת כָּל־ אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ לְיִרְמְיָ֣הוּ הַנָּבִ֔יא אֲשֶׁר־ הִשְׁלִ֖יכוּ אֶל־ הַבּ֑וֹר וַיָּ֤מָת תַּחְתָּיו֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הָֽרָעָ֔ב כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין הַלֶּ֛חֶם ע֖וֹד בָּעִֽיר

אֲדֹנִ֣י  My  lord 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הֵרֵ֜עוּ  have  done  evil 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
אֵ֣ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
כָּל־  in  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁ֤ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עָשׂוּ֙  they  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לְיִרְמְיָ֣הוּ  to  Jeremiah 
Parse: Preposition-l, 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.
הַנָּבִ֔יא  the  prophet 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
אֲשֶׁר־  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הִשְׁלִ֖יכוּ  they  have  cast 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁלַךְ  
Sense: to throw, cast, hurl, fling.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַבּ֑וֹר  the  dungeon 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּור 
Sense: pit, well, cistern.
וַיָּ֤מָת  and  he  is  likely  to  die 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
תַּחְתָּיו֙  in  the  place  where  he  is 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
הָֽרָעָ֔ב  hunger 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
אֵ֥ין  [there  is]  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
הַלֶּ֛חֶם  bread 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
ע֖וֹד  more 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
בָּעִֽיר  in  the  city 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.