Saturday, November 2, 2024
“For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 39:18 KJV).
What is this, “thy life shall be for a prey unto thee?”
The proverb is found four times in the Authorized Version, one being today’s Scripture. “He that abideth in this city [Jerusalem] shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey” (Jeremiah 21:9). “Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city [Jerusalem] shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live” (Jeremiah 38:2). “For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 39:18). “And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest” (Jeremiah 45:5).
God’s counsel to Jerusalem was, paraphrased, “Willingly surrender to the Babylonian armies!” Otherwise, famine (shortage of food) and pestilence (disease, plague) in the city would surely kill these Jews. If he submitted to Babylon and came out of hiding freely, any man of Judah would have “his life… unto him for a prey.” Jeremiah 21:9 and Jeremiah 38:2 qualify this with, “he shall live.” The King James word “prey” here seems to confuse people, so, provided we have a good definition, we will have no problem. “Prey” means “something gained or won.” To wit, life itself—in this context of the invading soldiers of Babylon—is considered a prize or loot that should be seized upon and run away with….
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