Jeremiah 38:1-11

Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern

1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, ¹Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and ²Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people,

2 "Thus says the LORD: ³He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, ⁴but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live.

3 Thus says the LORD: ⁵This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken."

4 Then the officials said to the king, ⁶"Let this man be put to death, ⁷for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking ⁸the welfare of this people, but their harm."

5 King Zedekiah said, "Behold, he is in your hands, ⁹for the king can do nothing against you."

6 So they took Jeremiah ¹⁰and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in ¹¹the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down ¹²by ropes. ¹³And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and ¹⁴Jeremiah sank in the mud.

Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern

7 When ¹⁵Ebed-melech ¹⁶the Ethiopian, ¹⁷a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern--the king was sitting ¹⁸in the Benjamin Gate--

8 ¹⁹Ebed-melech went from the king's house and said to the king,

9 "My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of ²⁰hunger, ²¹for there is no bread left in the city."

10 Then the king commanded ²²Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, "Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."

11 So ²³Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern ²⁴by ropes.

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Jeremiah 38:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 38

This chapter is taken up in giving an account of Jeremiah's being cast into a dungeon; his deliverance from it; and private conversation with King Zedekiah. The occasion of the prophet's being cast into a dungeon was his discourse to the people, which four of the princes represented to the king as seditious, and moved to have him put to death; and, being delivered into their hands, was put into a miry dungeon, Jer 38:1-6. Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, hearing of his miserable case, represented it to the king, and interceded for his release; which being granted, with the help of thirty men, and by means of old clouts and rotten rags, let down by cords, drew him up, and placed him in the court of the prison, Jer 38:7-13. King Zedekiah sends for Jeremiah, and has a private conference with him about the state of affairs; when the prophet faithfully told him how things would issue, and gave him his best advice, Jer 38:14-23; upon parting, the king desires the conference might be kept a secret from the princes, which was accordingly done, Jer 38:24-27; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison till the taking of Jerusalem, Jer 38:28.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 24

1. [Jeremiah 37:3]
2. See Jeremiah 20:1
3. Jeremiah 21:9; [ver. 17, 18]
4. Jeremiah 21:9; [ver. 17, 18]
5. See Jeremiah 32:3
6. Jeremiah 26:11
7. See Jeremiah 6:24
8. [Jeremiah 33:9]
9. See ver. 24-28
10. Jeremiah 37:16
11. See Jeremiah 32:2
12. ver. 11, 13
13. [Genesis 37:24; Zechariah 9:11]
14. [Psalms 69:14]
15. Jeremiah 39:16
16. [Acts 8:27]
17. Jeremiah 29:2; Isaiah 56:3, 4
18. See Jeremiah 37:13
19. [See ver. 7 above]
20. Jeremiah 11:22; [Jeremiah 14:16, 18; Jeremiah 19:9]
21. [Jeremiah 37:21]
22. [See ver. 7 above]
23. [See ver. 7 above]
24. ver. 6

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.