Jeremiah is cast into a miry dungeon by princes who accuse him of weakening the city's resolve with his prophecies of surrender. Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian eunuch, intercedes with King Zedekiah and rescues Jeremiah from certain death. Later, Zedekiah secretly consults Jeremiah, who reiterates that surrendering to the Babylonians is the only way for the king and Jerusalem to survive.
Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:
“This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.
Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”
So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,
“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.”
Then Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the king’s palace, to a place below the storehouse. From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” said the king to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”
But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of these men who are seeking your life.”
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.
But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’”
But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for the Chaldeans may deliver me into their hands to abuse me.”
All the women who remain in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon, and those women will say: ‘They misled you and overcame you— those trusted friends of yours. Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.’
All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”
If the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,’
When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he relayed to them the exact words the king had commanded him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had overheard the conversation.
And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Study Notes for Jeremiah 38
Verse 1
These officials were influential pro-Egyptian nationalists who viewed Jeremiah’s message of surrender to Babylon as dangerous treason against the state. The names overlap with those mentioned in ch. 37.
Verse 2
Jeremiah repeats the core prophetic message: resistance means death by siege conditions; surrender to the Chaldeans (Babylonians) is the only path to survival. This message was theologically correct, though politically inflammatory.
Verse 4
The accusation that Jeremiah “weakeneth the hands” implies that the prophet was committing sabotage by undermining the morale of the soldiers and citizens, equating prophecy with disloyalty.
Verse 5
Zedekiah’s weakness is evident. He fears his own officials more than he fears God or the consequences of the war, illustrating his inability to exercise royal authority effectively.
Verse 6
The 'dungeon' was likely a deep cistern (a water storage pit) that had dried up, leaving only deep mud (*mire*). This method was a slow, agonizing way to kill someone without incurring the ritual blood guilt of execution.
Verse 7
Ebed-Melech ('Servant of the King'), an Ethiopian (Cushite) eunuch, is a key figure of righteousness. As a foreigner, he demonstrates more faith and courage than the native Israelite leaders, foreshadowing his later promised reward (39:15–18).
Verse 9
Ebed-Melech correctly identifies the princes' intent—to let Jeremiah die by starvation, especially since the city was already suffering from famine.
Verse 10
The command to take 'thirty men' suggests the difficulty and danger of the rescue, requiring a significant force to extract Jeremiah from the deep mire and prevent interference from the hostile princes.
Verse 12
The use of rags and cords shows the practical nature of the rescue, designed to protect Jeremiah from being cut by the rope while being pulled from the thick, clinging mud.
Verse 14
The 'third entry' was likely a secluded, private access point in the palace or temple complex, emphasizing the secrecy of this meeting, which Zedekiah desperately needed to hide from his officials.
Verse 16
Zedekiah swears a solemn oath by the Lord to protect Jeremiah. This displays the king's deep internal conflict: he believes Jeremiah's prophecy but remains paralyzed by fear of his own court.
Verse 17
This is Jeremiah’s final, clear, conditional promise of life for the king and safety for Jerusalem, contingent entirely upon Zedekiah's immediate surrender to the Babylonian princes.
Verse 19
Zedekiah’s primary fear is not death, but humiliation. He is afraid of being mocked by the Jewish deserters who had already defected, revealing his priority for personal dignity over the survival of his kingdom.
Verse 22
Jeremiah predicts that the royal women will mock Zedekiah after their capture, using the metaphor of sinking in the mire—a direct parallel to Jeremiah's own recent suffering (v. 6), indicating Zedekiah is spiritually stuck just as Jeremiah was physically stuck.
Verse 23
Jeremiah confirms that refusal to surrender will lead to the destruction of the city and the king’s capture, emphasizing that Zedekiah’s decision is the key factor determining the city’s fate.
Verse 24
Zedekiah's instruction confirms his fear of the princes and his desire to maintain secrecy regarding God’s ultimate counsel, which he refuses to follow publicly.
Verse 26
Jeremiah is instructed to give a false, but plausible, excuse for the meeting: that he was pleading not to be returned to the deadly prison of Jonathan's house (cf. 37:15, 20).
Verse 28
This verse concludes the narrative of Jeremiah's imprisonment leading up to the fall of Jerusalem, demonstrating God’s protection of the prophet amidst political chaos and military siege.
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