Reference

Jeremiah 38:17

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
15

Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?

16

So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.

17

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:

18

But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.

19

And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Prophetic Methods of Communication
Keyword Match
90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Literal Fulfillment

The verse presents a conditional prophecy, where the "literal fulfillment" of the stated outcomes (Zedekiah's survival, the city not being burned) is entirely dependent on Zedekiah's choice to surrender. This makes it a hypothetical statement rather than a direct prediction of an unchangeable future event, thus weakening its support for the theme of "Literal Fulfillment" as an assured outcome.

Prophecy Fulfilled Literally

This verse describes a conditional promise for the immediate future of Zedekiah and Jerusalem, not a prophecy of a long-term, concrete, physical, or geographical fulfillment of Old Testament promises to Israel. The "fulfillment" here is contingent on Zedekiah's actions, and the outcome is presented as a direct consequence rather than a predetermined prophetic event.

Prophetic Methods of Communication

The verse describes Jeremiah delivering a message, but it does not explicitly detail the method by which Jeremiah himself received that message from God, focusing instead on the content of the prophecy.