Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

JEREMIAH 37:17KJV
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Jeremiah 37:17 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 37:17 mean?

Jeremiah 37:17 describes a moment when King Zedekiah secretly brings the prophet Jeremiah out of prison to ask if there is any message from the LORD, and Jeremiah replies that there is: Zedekiah will be handed over to the king of Babylon. The verse shows Zedekiah’s private fear and desire for hope, but Jeremiah gives him the same hard truth he has always spoken.

In this scene, King Zedekiah (the last king of Judah) is worried about the Babylonian threat and wants to know if God has anything new to say through Jeremiah, whom he has kept imprisoned. The conversation happens in secret, showing Zedekiah’s anxiety and lack of confidence. Jeremiah’s answer is direct and unchanged: the coming defeat by Babylon is certain, no matter what the king hopes to hear.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 37:17

  • "Secretly" (בַּסֵּתֶר, baseter): This word means "in secret" or "privately." It highlights that Zedekiah is afraid to be seen consulting Jeremiah, showing his insecurity and the tense political situation.
  • "Word" (דָּבָר, davar): This is the common Hebrew term for "word," "message," or "matter." Zedekiah is asking if there is any new revelation from God, not just casual conversation.
  • "Delivered" (נָתַן, natan): This verb means "to give" or "to hand over." Jeremiah’s use of it is blunt—Zedekiah will be "given" into the hands of Babylon, making the outcome sound definite and unavoidable.

Why Jeremiah 37:17 matters

  • The verse clears up any idea that Jeremiah was changing his message to please the king; he remains consistent, even when asked in private.
  • It shows Zedekiah’s conflicted leadership—he is desperate for hope but unwilling to act publicly on God’s word, which is a key theme in the surrounding chapters.
  • The secrecy of the meeting and Jeremiah’s bold answer highlight the tension and fear in Jerusalem as Babylon’s army threatens the city, setting the stage for the final fall of Judah.

Where else these words appear

“secretly” Hebrew H5643 · used in 36 verses

  • Deuteronomy 13:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
  • Job 24:15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.
  • Psalms 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

“Zedekiah” Hebrew H6667 · used in 62 verses

  • 1 Kings 22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
  • Jeremiah 27:12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
  • Jeremiah 38:14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

“is” Hebrew H3426 · used in 129 verses

  • Genesis 18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
  • 1 Samuel 21:8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
  • Psalms 73:11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

“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 28:15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
  • 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.