Reference

Jeremiah 38:2

Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city 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.
1

Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,

2

Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city 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.

3

Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.

4

Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Literal Fulfillment
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

While the verse describes concrete outcomes, the phrase "shall have his life for a prey" is a metaphorical expression for barely escaping with one's life, which slightly complicates a purely literal interpretation of all elements.

Prophetic Methods of Communication

The verse presents a direct message from "the Lord" but does not describe *how* that message was communicated to Jeremiah, the prophet. It focuses on the content of the prophecy, not the method of its reception.