What Does Jeremiah 41:8 Mean?
But ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, "Do not make us die, for we have hidden stores in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey." So he held back, and did not make them die among their brothers.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.THE KEY
What is hidden in the field becomes the plea that stops the killing for ten men, while their slain brethren remain beyond reprieve.
THE MEANING
A plea for life brings hidden provision into view, and Ishmael stops killing these ten men. They survive while their brethren remain slain; the reprieve does not erase the violence surrounding it.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie that being spared means the violence around you is over.
THE ROOT
מַטְמֹנִים
matmonim
GROWS FROM
טמן
ṭāman
To hide, bury, or conceal.
“hidden stores in the field” in this verse is matmonim. Matmonim names hidden stores: the wheat, barley, oil, and honey are provisions concealed in the field. When the men reveal what is buried there, Ishmael stops killing them, though the deaths of their brethren remain.
ALSO GROWS
maṭmôn: A hidden treasure or store.
מַטְמוֹן
It shares the root of matmonim and makes clear that the word points to something concealed.
ṭāmûn: Hidden or concealed.
טָמוּן
This form describes the state of the provisions before the men reveal them.
THE PATTERN
Life-sustaining provision placed before an enemy can interrupt the expected continuation of violence.
And he answered, You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.If the one who hates you hungers, feed him bread; and if he thirsts, give him water to drink.So if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirsts, give him drink, for by doing this you will heap coals of fire upon his head.THE THREAD
They call the peoples to the mountain; there they offer sacrifices of alignment, for they nurse from the abundance of the seas, and from the treasures buried in the sand.Jeremiah uses matmonim, hidden stores, for the provisions concealed in the field. Deuteronomy uses a form of the same root, טמן, for treasures hidden in sand: in both verses, what lies concealed becomes a source of provision.
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