Jeremiah 38:24

38:24 Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about the conversation we have had. 1  If you do, you will die. 2 

Jeremiah 38:27

38:27 All the officials did indeed come and question Jeremiah. 3  He told them exactly what the king had instructed him to say. 4  They stopped questioning him any further because no one had actually heard their conversation. 5 

1 tn Heb “about these words.”

2 tn Or “so that you will not die.” Or “or you will die.” See the similar construction in 37:20 and the translator’s note there.

sn This is probably not a threat that the king himself will kill Jeremiah, but a premonition that if the pro-Egyptian party that was seeking to kill Jeremiah found out about the conversation they would go ahead and kill Jeremiah (cf. 38:2-4).

3 tn Heb “All the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him.”

4 tn Heb “And he reported to them according to all these words which the king had commanded.”

5 tn Heb “And they were silent from him because the word/matter [i.e., the conversation between Jeremiah and the king] had not been heard.” According to BDB 578 s.v. מִן 1.a the preposition “from” is significant in this construction, implying a verb of motion. I.e., “they were [fell] silent [and turned away] from him.”