Jeremiah 32:4

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He must answer personally to the king of Babylon and confront him face to face.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְצִדְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֔ה לֹ֥א יִמָּלֵ֖ט מִיַּ֣ד הַכַּשְׂדִּ֑ים כִּ֣י הִנָּתֹ֤ן יִנָּתֵן֙ בְּיַ֣ד מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל וְדִבֶּר־פִּ֣יו עִם־פִּ֔יו וְעֵינָ֖יו אֶת־עֵינָ֥יו תִּרְאֶֽינָה׃

Transliteration

And ṣidqîyāhû meleḵ yĕhûdāh not yimmālēṭ from yad the kaśdîm because being given yinnātēn in yad meleḵ-bābel and will speak pîw with pîw and 'ênāw 'et 'ênāw tir'eynāh.

Grammar Details

• *ṣidqîyāhû*: proper noun, masculine - Zedekiah
• *meleḵ*: noun, masculine, singular construct - king of
• *yĕhûdāh*: proper noun - Judah
• *yimmālēṭ*: verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - will escape
• *yad*: noun, feminine, singular construct - hand of
• *kaśdîm*: proper noun, masculine plural - Chaldeans
• *hinnātōn yinnātēn*: verb, niphal infinitive absolute + niphal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - surely be given [emphatic construction]
• *bābel*: proper noun - Babylon
• *pîw*: noun, masculine, singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his mouth
• *'ênāw*: noun, feminine, dual with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his eyes
• *tir'eynāh*: verb, qal imperfect, 3rd feminine plural - they will see

Word Meanings

• *yimmālēṭ*: will escape/will be delivered/will save himself
• *kaśdîm*: Chaldeans/Babylonians
• *hinnātōn yinnātēn*: surely be given/certainly be delivered [emphatic construction]
• *pîw 'im-pîw*: his mouth with his mouth [idiom for direct speech]
• *'ênāw 'et-'ênāw tir'eynāh*: his eyes will see his eyes [idiom for face-to-face meeting]

Referenced Verses

• Jer 38:18 : 18 But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians and they will burn it down. You yourself will not escape from them.’”
• Jer 38:23 : 23 “All your wives and your children will be turned over to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from them but will be captured by the king of Babylon. This city will be burned down.”
• Jer 39:4-7 : 4 When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they tried to escape. They departed from the city during the night. They took a path through the king’s garden and passed out through the gate between the two walls. Then they headed for the rift valley. 5 But the Babylonian army chased after them. They caught up with Zedekiah in the rift valley plains of Jericho and captured him. They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath and Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him there. 6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon also had all the nobles of Judah put to death. 7 Then he had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains to be led off to Babylon.
• 2 Kgs 25:4-7 : 4 The enemy broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden.(The Babylonians were all around the city.) Then they headed for the rift valley. 5 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the rift valley plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him. 6 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he passed sentence on him. 7 Zedekiah’s sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon then had Zedekiah’s eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and carried him off to Babylon.
• Jer 37:17 : 17 Then King Zedekiah had him brought to the palace. There he questioned him privately and asked him,“Is there any message from the LORD?”Jeremiah answered,“Yes, there is.” Then he announced,“You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
• Jer 52:8-9 : 8 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the rift valley plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him. 9 They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there. 10 The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah. 11 He had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains. Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day he died.
• Ezek 12:12-13 : 12 “The prince who is among them will raise his belongings onto his shoulder in darkness, and will go out. He will dig a hole in the wall to leave through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 13 But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans(but he will not see it), and there he will die.
• Ezek 17:13-21 : 13 He took one from the royal family, made a treaty with him, and put him under oath. He then took the leaders of the land 14 so it would be a lowly kingdom which could not rise on its own but must keep its treaty with him in order to stand. 15 But this one from Israel’s royal family rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape? 16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, surely in the city of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke– in the middle of Babylon he will die! 17 Pharaoh with his great army and mighty horde will not help him in battle, when siege ramps are erected and siege-walls are built to kill many people. 18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note– he gave his promise and did all these things– he will not escape! 19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant! 20 I will throw my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there because of the unfaithfulness he committed against me. 21 All the choice men among his troops will die by the sword and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken!
• Ezek 21:25-26 : 25 “‘As for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, the time of final punishment, 26 this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Tear off the turban, take off the crown! Things must change! Exalt the lowly, bring down the proud!