The Meaning of Jeremiah 38:23 Explained

Jeremiah 38:23

KJV: So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

YLT: 'And all thy wives, and thy sons, are brought forth unto the Chaldeans, and thou dost not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon thou art caught, and this city is burnt with fire.'

Darby: And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand; for thou shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon, and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

ASV: And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans; and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So they shall bring out  all thy wives  and thy children  to the Chaldeans:  and thou shalt not escape out  of their hand,  but shalt be taken  by the hand  of the king  of Babylon:  and thou shalt cause this city  to be burned  with fire. 

What does Jeremiah 38:23 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Moreover, all the family members of Zedekiah would fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar-along with himself-and the Babylonian king would burn the city.

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 38:23 mean?

So and all your wives and children they shall surrender and to the Chaldeans You not shall escape from their hand but by the hand of the king and Babylon shall be taken and city this You shall cause to be burned and with fire -
וְאֶת־ כָּל־ נָשֶׁ֣יךָ וְאֶת־ בָּנֶ֗יךָ מֽוֹצִאִים֙ אֶל־ הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים וְאַתָּ֖ה לֹא־ תִמָּלֵ֣ט מִיָּדָ֑ם כִּ֣י בְיַ֤ד מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶל֙ תִּתָּפֵ֔שׂ וְאֶת־ הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את תִּשְׂרֹ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ פ

וְאֶת־  So 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
כָּל־  and  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
נָשֶׁ֣יךָ  your  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
בָּנֶ֗יךָ  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מֽוֹצִאִים֙  they  shall  surrender 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
אֶל־  and  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים  the  Chaldeans 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּשְׂדִּים  
Sense: a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf.
תִמָּלֵ֣ט  shall  escape 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: מָלַט 
Sense: to slip away, escape, deliver, save, be delivered.
מִיָּדָ֑ם  from  their  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
בְיַ֤ד  by  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  of  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בָּבֶל֙  and  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
תִּתָּפֵ֔שׂ  shall  be  taken 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: תָּפַשׂ  
Sense: to catch, handle, lay hold, take hold of, seize, wield.
הָעִ֥יר  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַזֹּ֖את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
תִּשְׂרֹ֥ף  You  shall  cause  to  be  burned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׂרַף  
Sense: to burn.
בָּאֵֽשׁ  and  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation