Jeremiah 32:5

And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.

And he shall lead {H3212} Zedekiah {H6667} to Babylon {H894}, and there shall he be until I visit {H6485} him, saith {H5002} the LORD {H3068}: though ye fight {H3898} with the Chaldeans {H3778}, ye shall not prosper {H6743}.

and he will lead Tzidkiyahu to Bavel, where he will stay until I remember him,' says ADONAI, 'and even if you fight the Kasdim, you will fail'?"

He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’”

and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith Jehovah: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper?

Jeremiah 32:5 delivers a stern prophecy concerning King Zedekiah and the inevitable fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. It underscores the Lord's absolute sovereignty over nations and the futility of resisting His divine will.

Context of Jeremiah 32:5

This verse is part of a significant prophetic message given to Jeremiah during a critical period in Judah's history. At the time, Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonian army, led by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah himself was imprisoned in the court of the guard (Jeremiah 32:2) because of his prophecies of impending doom and the necessity of surrendering to Babylon. Despite the grim immediate outlook, the larger chapter (Jeremiah 32) notably contains God's command for Jeremiah to buy a field in Anathoth, symbolizing a future restoration and return from captivity, even amidst the present judgment. Verse 5, however, focuses on the immediate, unchangeable judgment upon King Zedekiah and Judah's resistance.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Divine Judgment and Sovereignty: The verse explicitly states that Zedekiah will be led to Babylon and remain there until God "visits him." This highlights God's active role in orchestrating the downfall of Judah and the fate of its king. The Lord uses the Chaldeans (Babylonians) as His instrument of judgment, demonstrating His ultimate control over world events and human leaders.
  • Futility of Resistance: The declaration, "though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper," is a clear and unequivocal statement that any attempt to resist God's decreed judgment is doomed to fail. Judah's military might and alliances were useless against the divine plan. This theme resonates with other prophecies where God raises up nations for His purposes, as seen in Habakkuk 1:6.
  • Consequences of Disobedience: Zedekiah's fate in Babylon serves as a stark warning about the consequences of rejecting God's prophets and His warnings. His reign was marked by spiritual apostasy and political rebellion against Babylon, despite Jeremiah's repeated counsel to surrender. His eventual capture, blinding, and death in captivity are detailed in Jeremiah 39:7 and 2 Kings 25:7.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "until I visit him" translates the Hebrew word פָּקַד (paqad), which can mean to visit, inspect, or attend to. While paqad can imply a visit for blessing, in this context, particularly following a prophecy of being led into captivity, it carries the strong connotation of a visit for judgment or accountability. It signifies that Zedekiah's time in Babylon would be under God's watchful eye, leading to his ultimate reckoning.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 32:5 reminds believers that God is sovereign over all circumstances, even in times of national crisis or personal adversity. It teaches the importance of discerning and submitting to God's will, rather than futilely resisting His purposes. When faced with difficult truths or unpleasant realities, this verse encourages trust in God's ultimate plan and justice. It also serves as a sobering reminder that persistent disobedience ultimately leads to undesirable consequences, but also that God's judgment is often a prelude to His greater plan of restoration, as seen in the broader context of Jeremiah's prophecies.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Jeremiah 39:7

    Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.

  • Ezekiel 17:9

    Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.

  • Ezekiel 17:10

    Yea, behold, [being] planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

  • Jeremiah 33:5

    They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but [it is] to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.

  • Ezekiel 17:15

    But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such [things]? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

  • Jeremiah 27:22

    They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.

  • Ezekiel 12:13

    My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon [to] the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

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