Jeremiah 38:7

World English Bible (2000)

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin),

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּשְׁמַ֡ע עֶֽבֶד־מֶ֨לֶךְ הַכּוּשִׁ֜י אִ֣ישׁ סָרִ֗יס וְהוּא֙ בְּבֵ֣ית הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כִּֽי־נָתְנ֥וּ אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ אֶל־הַבּ֑וֹר וְהַמֶּ֥לֶךְ יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּשַׁ֥עַר בִּנְיָמִֽן׃

Transliteration

And wə-yišmaʿ ʿEḇeḏ-meleḵ the-Kûšî, ʾîš sārîs, and-he in-bêt the-meleḵ, kî-nātnû ʾet-Yirməyāhû into-the-bôr; and-the-meleḵ yôšēḇ in-šaʿar Binyāmin

Grammar Details

• *wə-yišmaʿ*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - and he heard
• *ʿEḇeḏ-meleḵ*: proper noun, masculine singular - Ebed-melech (meaning 'servant of the king')
• *Kûšî*: gentilic adjective, masculine singular - Cushite/Ethiopian
• *ʾîš*: noun, masculine singular construct - man of
• *sārîs*: noun, masculine singular - eunuch/official
• *bêt*: noun, masculine singular construct - house of
• *meleḵ*: noun, masculine singular - king
• *kî*: conjunction - that
• *nātnû*: qal perfect, 3rd common plural - they had put
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *Yirməyāhû*: proper noun, masculine singular - Jeremiah
• *bôr*: noun, masculine singular - pit/cistern
• *yôšēḇ*: qal participle, masculine singular - sitting
• *šaʿar*: noun, masculine singular construct - gate of
• *Binyāmin*: proper noun - Benjamin

Word Meanings

• *ʿEḇeḏ-meleḵ*: name meaning 'servant of the king'
• *Kûšî*: Cushite/Ethiopian
• *sārîs*: eunuch/court official/officer
• *nātnû*: they had put/placed
• *bôr*: pit/cistern/dungeon
• *yôšēḇ*: sitting/remaining/dwelling

Referenced Verses

• Jer 29:2 : 2 (after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen mother, and the eunuchs, [and] the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem),
• Jer 37:13 : 13 When he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, You are falling away to the Chaldeans.
• Deut 21:19 : 19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place;
• Amos 5:10 : 10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.
• Matt 8:11-12 : 11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, 12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
• Matt 20:16 : 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen."
• Luke 10:30-36 : 30 Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, 34 came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.' 36 Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"
• Luke 13:29-30 : 29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in the Kingdom of God. 30 Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last."
• Acts 8:27-39 : 27 He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28 He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, "Go near, and join yourself to this chariot." 30 Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31 He said, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" He begged Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn't open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch answered Philip, "Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?" 35 Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him Jesus. 36 As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?" 37 38 He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn't see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
• 2 Kgs 24:15 : 15 He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the chief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
• Job 29:7-9 : 7 when I went forth to the city gate, when I prepared my seat in the street. 8 The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged rose up and stood. 9 The princes refrained from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. 10 The voice of the nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. 11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it commended me: 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had none to help him, 13 the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem. 15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the needy. The cause of him who I didn't know, I searched out. 17 I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
• Ps 68:31 : 31 Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her hands to God.
• Jer 13:23 : 23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.
• Jer 39:16-18 : 16 Go, and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring my words on this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before you in that day. 17 But I will deliver you in that day, says Yahweh; and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be for a prey to you; because you have put your trust in me, says Yahweh.
• Jer 34:19 : 19 the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf;