Old Testament Commentary - Jeremiah 38

by Don R. Hender

In the jumble of the order of the chapters of Jeremiah which are not in proper chronological order, this chapter 38 falls after chapters 32 and 33 when Jeremiah has been placed in the prison of the King's court after his first stay in the prison of the Sarim, Jonathan's prison. It is during that course of stay in the prison of the king's court that the warnings which Jeremiah gives to the visiting people begin to annoy the 'Ruling Elders', the Princes of the Jews, the Sarim. And they accordingly in chapter 38 exert their political presure on the King to have Jeremiah turned over to them, which the weak King, prone to the fears of men readily does while at a session of the King's court before the body of the presure of the Sarim.
NOTE: The proper order of chapters 32 to 38 concerning the reign of King Zedekiah are such: 34, 37, 32, 33, and 38. Both chapters 35 and 36 are obviously completely out of chronological order as they record and speak of events 10 years earlier during the reign of King Jehoiakim. The muddle caused by this mixed up set of chapters keeps Jeremiah's book from being more clearly read and understood. Just removing the two chapters so obviously out of place is only the first step. Realizing that these particular 7 chapters are thuroughly shuffled and must needs be placed back into a reasonable order is requesite in understanding Jeremiah and the reign of King Zedekiah.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

The princes cast Jeremiah into a miry dungeon—He is freed by Ebed-melech, and Ethiopian, and put in the court of the prison—He counsels Zedekiah concerning the war.

1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of ^aPashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and ^bPashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
2 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^a; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of ^aBabylon's army, which shall take it.

Jeremiah Prophesies ". . . thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;" - Jeremiah 32:36
While in the court prison of the king's house, Jeremiah had access to such audiences of the people that were there and would come there. And he spoke such to them according to verses 2-3 above of chapter 38 of which he was accused. And this the ruling priests and princes of the council could not abide and thus they had brought Jeremiah before the king.
2^a he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live This was the only escape, to leave Jeruselam and turn yourself over unto the Babylonians. It was so for the people of Jerusalem and it was also true of the king which Jeremiah offered the same relief later in verse 17. Who of the people may have gone out we do not know. We do know that Zedekiah did not act upon the Lord's last offer and his household, his sons, were not spared excepting Mulek who had escaped.

4 Therefore the ^aprinces 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 ^bwelfare of this people, but the hurt.
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, **he is in your hand: for the king ^ais not he that can do any thing against you^a**.
6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of ^aHammelech, 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.
**5^a he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you** 'He in your hand: for the king not can do thing against you.' With the italized words removed, the rough translation simply conveys that King Zedekiah was under the political presure of doing according to the will of the Elders of Israel. As in most societies when things go wrong the weight of the whole of it rests upon the man at the top. All the pointing fingers did but point to the King as the cause and fault of it all. And Zedekiah was such a man who could not stand up to such social presure. Thus he was one who could do nothing against the influence of the Sarim, who represented the political wave of power over the king. It is most difficult to stand for what is right when everyone else is standing and yelling for that which is wrong. Zedekiah was not a man who could do this. His fear of man would be seen to be even greater than his fear of death and even God. 4^a OR officers or rulers

7 ¶ Now when Ebed-melech 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;
8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying,
9 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 ^abread in the city.

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence ^aold cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

14 ¶ 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.
15 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?
16 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.

17 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:
18 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.

19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that ^aare fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they ^bmock me.
20 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.

21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:
22 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.
23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy ^achildren 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.

24 ¶ Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
25 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:
26 Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there^a.
26^a I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there Where the 'Sarim', the elders of the 'church', had once again taken Jeremiah to die was back to 'Jonathan's Prison', the prison of the people controlled by the princes, rulers and elders of the people. But Jeremiah this time was to be placed in the most awful 'dungeon' or 'sewer pit' of the prision which was filled with mire. And since there was no bread left in the city where Jonathan's prison was located. Jeremiah would die from weakness to stand due to starvation and sink into the mire and die. This was the horrible death the members of the Sarim (the princes) had designed for Jeremaih to suffer.

27 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.
28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
The princes cast Jeremiah into a miry dungeon—He is freed by Ebed-melech, and Ethiopian, and put in the court of the prison—He counsels Zedekiah concerning the war.
1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of ^aPashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and ^bPashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying, 2 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^a; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. 3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of ^aBabylon's army, which shall take it. Jeremiah Prophesies ". . . thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;" - Jeremiah 32:36 While in the court prison of the king's house, Jeremiah had access to such audiences of the people that were there and would come there. And he spoke such to them according to verses 2-3 above of chapter 38 of which he was accused. And this the ruling priests and princes of the council could not abide and thus they had brought Jeremiah before the king.	2^a he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live This was the only escape, to leave Jeruselam and turn yourself over unto the Babylonians. It was so for the people of Jerusalem and it was also true of the king which Jeremiah offered the same relief later in verse 17. Who of the people may have gone out we do not know. We do know that Zedekiah did not act upon the Lord's last offer and his household, his sons, were not spared excepting Mulek who had escaped.
4 Therefore the ^aprinces 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 ^bwelfare of this people, but the hurt. 5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, *he is in your hand: for the king ^ais not he that* can do any thing against you^a*. 6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of ^aHammelech, 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.	*5^a he is in your hand: for the king is not he that* can do any thing against you** 'He in your hand: for the king not can do thing against you.' With the italized words removed, the rough translation simply conveys that King Zedekiah was under the political presure of doing according to the will of the Elders of Israel. As in most societies when things go wrong the weight of the whole of it rests upon the man at the top. All the pointing fingers did but point to the King as the cause and fault of it all. And Zedekiah was such a man who could not stand up to such social presure. Thus he was one who could do nothing against the influence of the Sarim, who represented the political wave of power over the king. It is most difficult to stand for what is right when everyone else is standing and yelling for that which is wrong. Zedekiah was not a man who could do this. His fear of man would be seen to be even greater than his fear of death and even God.	4^a OR officers or rulers
7 ¶ Now when Ebed-melech 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; 8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying, 9 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 ^abread in the city.
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence ^aold cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14 ¶ 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. 15 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? 16 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.
17 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: 18 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.
19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that ^aare fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they ^bmock me. 20 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.
21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me: 22 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. 23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy ^achildren 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.
24 ¶ Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. 25 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: 26 Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there^a.	26^a I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there Where the 'Sarim', the elders of the 'church', had once again taken Jeremiah to die was back to 'Jonathan's Prison', the prison of the people controlled by the princes, rulers and elders of the people. But Jeremiah this time was to be placed in the most awful 'dungeon' or 'sewer pit' of the prision which was filled with mire. And since there was no bread left in the city where Jonathan's prison was located. Jeremiah would die from weakness to stand due to starvation and sink into the mire and die. This was the horrible death the members of the Sarim (the princes) had designed for Jeremaih to suffer.
27 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. 28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.