Jeremiah 37:10
For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
Study Note
Study Note
The startling hyperbole — 'though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans... yet should they rise up every man in his tent' — presses home the inevitability of Jerusalem's fall by asserting divine will against even the most extreme counter-scenario. The verse is part of Jeremiah's consistent message to king Zedekiah that resistance to Babylon is resistance to God's own judgment, and that surrender is the only path that preserves life. Theologically, the passage illustrates how divine sovereignty does not operate through the probability of human military outcomes but overrides them entirely, echoing Proverbs 21:31: 'The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.'
Other Translations
For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
for though ye had smitten all the force of the Chaldeans who are fighting with you, and there were left of them wounded men--each in his tent--they rise, and have burnt this city with fire.'
For even if you had overcome all the army of the Chaldaeans fighting against you, and there were only wounded men among them, still they would get up, every man in his tent, and put this town on fire.
Cross References
And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands …
And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his …
Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by …
But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are …
One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be …
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your …
And afterward, saith the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such …
And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed …