Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

JEREMIAH 26:24KJV
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Jeremiah 26:24 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 26:24 mean?

Jeremiah 26:24 describes how Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, protected the prophet Jeremiah from being handed over to the people who wanted to kill him. This verse shows that Jeremiah’s life was spared because someone with influence intervened on his behalf.

In this scene, Jeremiah has just delivered a message from God that angered many in Jerusalem, and the crowd wanted him executed. Ahikam, a respected official, used his authority to shield Jeremiah from harm. The verse highlights the real danger Jeremiah faced for speaking God’s message and the crucial role Ahikam played in saving his life.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 26:24

  • יָד (yad, "hand"): This word is used twice in the verse, first to describe Ahikam’s support ("the hand of Ahikam was with Jeremiah") and then in the phrase "into the hand of the people." In Hebrew, "hand" often means power, control, or protection, so Ahikam’s "hand" with Jeremiah means he actively used his influence to protect him.
  • נָתַן (natan, "give"): This verb is used for "give him into the hand of the people," carrying the sense of handing someone over to another’s control. The verse emphasizes that Jeremiah was not surrendered to the crowd’s will because of Ahikam’s intervention.
  • עָם (am, "people"): This word refers to the group demanding Jeremiah’s death, highlighting the collective threat he faced.

Why Jeremiah 26:24 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Jeremiah’s survival was not due to luck or his own efforts, but because someone in power chose to stand with him, showing the importance of allies in times of crisis.
  • The mention of Ahikam connects this event to other parts of the Bible, where his family is shown as supportive of true prophets, giving a sense of continuity and the presence of faithful individuals even in corrupt times.
  • Jeremiah 26:24 helps readers understand the real risks prophets faced and the social dynamics at play, making Jeremiah’s courage and the cost of delivering God’s message more vivid.

Where else these words appear

“Ahikam” Hebrew H296 · used in 20 verses

  • 2 Kings 22:12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,
  • Jeremiah 40:6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.
  • Jeremiah 41:1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.

“Shaphan” Hebrew H8227 · used in 28 verses

  • Leviticus 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
  • Jeremiah 36:11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,

“Jeremiah” Hebrew H3414 · used in 133 verses

  • 2 Kings 23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
  • Jeremiah 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
  • Jeremiah 38:9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.