Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
Parallel translations
- WEB Thus said Yahweh: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
- BSB This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there,
- NKJV Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word,
- NASB This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word,
- NLT This is what the Lord said to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God sends Jeremiah to the royal palace to deliver a message to Judah's king. The prophet must confront the throne itself.
Overview
Jeremiah is commanded to go down to the king's house, signaling a direct confrontation with the seat of power. Prophets often had to address rulers face to face, calling them to covenant obedience. This opening frames the chapter's sustained critique of Judah's kings and its appeal to justice, reminding us that no office is above God's word.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Jer 34:2Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
- Amos 7:13But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.
- Hos 5:1Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
- Jer 21:11And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
- 2 Sam 12:1And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
- Mark 6:18For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.
- 1 Kgs 21:18–20Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
- 1 Sam 15:16–23Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
- 2 Sam 24:11–12For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
- 2 Chr 33:10And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.
- Luke 3:19–20But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
- 2 Chr 19:2–3And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.
- 2 Chr 25:15–16Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 22:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.