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Jeremiah 38:17-26

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17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: 1If you will surrender to 2the officials of the king of Babylon, 3then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.
18 But if you do not surrender to 4the officials of the king of Babylon, 5then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, 6and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand."
19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Judeans 7who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me."
20 Jeremiah said, "You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, 8and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared.
21 But if you refuse to 9surrender, this is the vision which the LORD has shown to me:
22 Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying, 10"'Your trusted friends have deceived you and prevailed against you; now that your feet are sunk in the mud, they turn away from you.'
23 All your wives and 11your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire."
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.
25 If 12the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, 'Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,'
26 then you shall say to them, 13'I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.'"
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Jeremiah 38:17-26 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 13

  • 1. ver. 2, 21; [Jeremiah 27:12, 13; 2 Kings 24:12]
  • 2. Jeremiah 39:3
  • 3. [Jeremiah 34:4, 5]
  • 4. [See ver. 17 above]
  • 5. See Jeremiah 21:10
  • 6. See Jeremiah 21:10
  • 7. See Jeremiah 37:13
  • 8. Jeremiah 40:9
  • 9. [See ver. 17 above]
  • 10. See Jeremiah 20:10
  • 11. Jeremiah 39:6; Jeremiah 41:10; Jeremiah 43:6
  • 12. [ver. 5]
  • 13. [Jeremiah 37:20]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.