The big picture
Jeremiah 21 opens in verse 1 with “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD , when king Zedekiah sent unto him…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 7 with “And afterward, saith the LORD , I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants…”, and closes in verse 14 with “But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD : and I will…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, king, hand, city, Babylon. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Jeremiah · King James Version · 14Jeremiah 21:1-7
1–7: The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD , when king Zedekiah…
Jeremiah 21:1–7 opens with “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD , when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the…” and reaches “And afterward, saith the LORD , I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 21 develops its own movement around LORD, king, hand, city, Babylon, with particular weight carried by king, LORD, hand.
Context that brings the passage to life
“The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD , when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and…” Naming Jeremiah and Maaseiah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the…” Naming Babylon and Enquire keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye…” Naming Babylon and Chaldeans keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Jeremiah 21:1-7
King James Version1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD , when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
2Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.
3Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:
4Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.
5And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
6And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.
7And afterward, saith the LORD , I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
Jeremiah 21:8-14
8–14: Unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD ; Behold, I set…
Jeremiah 21:8–14 opens with “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD ; Behold, I set before you the way of…” and reaches “But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD : and I will kindle…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 21 develops its own movement around LORD, king, hand, city, Babylon, with particular weight carried by LORD, fire, burn.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD ; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of…” The line’s distinctive content terms include death, life, LORD. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
“He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD : it shall be given into the hand…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
Jeremiah 21:8-14
King James Version8And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD ; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
9He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
10For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD : it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
11And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD ;
12O house of David, thus saith the LORD ; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
13Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD ; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
14But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD : and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Jeremiah 21:1 begins with “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD , when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the…”
Where the chapter turns
Jeremiah 21:3 forms a natural hinge: “Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:”
The final note
Jeremiah 21:14 leaves the reader with “But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD : and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, king, hand, city, Babylon, fire help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How is God's faithfulness shown in both halves of the family?
Isaac is born as promised, and Ishmael is heard and preserved with a future of his own.
Why does a well deserve narrative space?
Water sustains life and makes residence possible in a land Abraham does not yet own.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- lest
- so that something does not happen
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.