Jeremiah38

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.

Princes Demand Jeremiah’s Death

Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

Thus says the LORD, He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes out to the Kasdim shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey, and he shall live.

Thus says the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.

Then the princes said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them: for this man doesn’t seek the welfare of this people, but the hurt.”

Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he who can do anything against you.

Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Ebed-Melech Rescues Jeremiah

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin),

Ebedmelech went out of the king’s house, and spoke to the king, saying,

My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.

Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies.

So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put now these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the cords. Jeremiah did so.

So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Zedekiah Seeks Secret Counsel

Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the LORD’s house: and the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.

So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD lives, who made us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: If you will go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house.

But if you will not go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Kasdim, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape out of their hand.

Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who are fallen away to the Kasdim, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the voice of the LORD, in that which I speak to you: so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.

But if you refuse to go out, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:

behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought out to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Your familiar friends have set you on, and have prevailed over you. Your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned away back.

They shall bring out all your wives and your children to the Kasdim; and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.

King Zedekiah’s Deception

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.

But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, Declare to us now what you have said to the king; don’t hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said to you:

then you shall tell them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.

Then came all the princes to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.

So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

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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Jeremiah38

Princes Demand Jeremiah’s Death

Ebed-Melech Rescues Jeremiah

Zedekiah Seeks Secret Counsel

King Zedekiah’s Deception

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