This is what the Lord said to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him,
Parallel translations
- WEB Thus said Yahweh: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
- KJV Thus saith the LORD; 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,
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 34:2“Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Yahweh says, “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.
- Amos 7:13but don’t prophesy again any more at Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house!”
- Hos 5:1“Listen to this, you priests! Listen, house of Israel, and give ear, house of the king! For the judgment is against you; for you have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread on Tabor.
- Jer 21:11“Concerning the house of the king of Judah, hear Yahweh’s word.
- 2 Sam 12:1Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
- Mark 6:18For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
- 1 Kgs 21:18–20“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.
- 1 Sam 15:16–23Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stay, and I will tell you what Yahweh said to me last night.” He said to him, “Say on.”
- 2 Sam 24:11–12When David rose up in the morning, Yahweh’s word came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
- 2 Chr 33:10Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they didn’t listen.
- Luke 3:19–20but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done,
- 2 Chr 19:2–3Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked, and love those who hate Yahweh? Because of this, wrath is on you from before Yahweh.
- 2 Chr 25:15–16Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against Amaziah, and he sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of your 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.