Jeremiah 38:15Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.
The setting
Jerusalem, 588 BC. Jeremiah sits in a muddy cistern-prison. King Zedekiah secretly pulls him out for one last desperate conversation as Babylon surrounds the city. Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: exhausted prophet knowing this is his final chance to save the city
The original word
na·gad (נָגַד) — to declare openly, expose, make known what is hidden
Why it matters
This conversation happened just months before Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 38:15
Jeremiah had been imprisoned for saying exactly what the king now wants to hear
Common misconceptionPeople think Jeremiah was being evasive or diplomatic. He was actually being brutally honest about the consequences of truth-telling in a corrupt system.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 38:15
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 38:15 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 38:15 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include fear, honesty, courage. Notable phrases: will you not surely put me to death; you will not listen.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 38:15 mean to you, today?
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