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.
¶ Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
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 like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.
Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
¶ Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.
Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?
So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.
So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.
But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:
Then came all the princes unto 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 abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when 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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