And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.

JEREMIAH 40:2KJV
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Jeremiah 40:2 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 40:2 mean?

Jeremiah 40:2 describes how the captain of the Babylonian guard took the prophet Jeremiah aside and told him that the disaster ("evil") that had come upon Jerusalem was something the LORD, Jeremiah’s God, had declared would happen to that place. The verse shows that even a foreign official recognized that the destruction was a fulfillment of God’s word.

The speaker here is the captain of the Babylonian guard, addressing Jeremiah after Jerusalem’s fall. Jeremiah had been imprisoned during the siege, but now, as the Babylonians take control, the captain acknowledges that the LORD (using God’s personal name, יְהוָה / YHWH) had foretold this judgment. This moment highlights both Jeremiah’s role as a true prophet and the recognition of God’s authority even by outsiders.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 40:2

  • יְהוָה (YHWH, transliterated "Yahweh"): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, used here by a Babylonian official, which is striking and shows respect for Jeremiah’s faith and message.
  • רָעָה (ra‘ah, "evil" or "disaster"): This word often means calamity or misfortune, not just moral evil. Here it refers to the destruction and suffering that came upon Jerusalem.
  • דִּבֵּר (dibber, "pronounced" or "spoken"): This verb means to declare or speak. The captain recognizes that the disaster was not random but something God had specifically spoken about through Jeremiah.

Why Jeremiah 40:2 matters

  • Jeremiah 40:2 shows that God’s warnings through His prophets were taken seriously, even by foreign conquerors, after the events came true.
  • The verse emphasizes that the destruction of Jerusalem was not just a political event, but a fulfillment of divine prophecy, reinforcing the authority of God’s word.
  • This moment sets up Jeremiah’s release and special treatment, showing that his faithfulness and God’s message were respected, even in defeat and exile.

Where else these words appear

“guard” Hebrew H2876 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 37:36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
  • 2 Kings 25:11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.
  • Jeremiah 40:5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.

“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 38:7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;