You shall not die by the sword. The Most High commanded Jeremiah to tell Zedekiah that nothing could deliver Jerusalem from Nebuchadnezzar, for He had already delivered it into his hand.

However, the king of Judah could have avoided prolonging the affliction of the people by submitting to the Babylonian Yoke. He could have also avoided a violent death if he had obeyed what God said through Jeremiah.

The expression “you shall not die by the sword” (v 4.) means just that.

However, by disobeying the Divine order, Zedekiah was taken prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar during the invasion of Jerusalem.

In addition, he saw his sons die before having his eyes put out by the Chaldean king. he was the taken prisoner to Babylon, where he died (38.5-9;52.11;2 Kings 25.5-7).