Jeremiah 38:11

11 Therefore when Ebedmelech had taken men with him, he entered into the house of the king, that was under the cellar; and he took from thence old clothes, and old rags, that were rotten; and he sent them down to Jeremy, into the pit, by cords. (And so when Ebedmelech had taken the men with him, he entered into the house of the king, and went down to the cellar; and he took from there some old clothes, and some old rags, that were rotten; and then he sent them down by cords, into the pit, to Jeremiah.)

Jeremiah 38:11 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 38:11

So Ebedmelech took the men with him
The thirty men, as the king ordered: as soon as ever he had got the grant, he immediately set about the work, and lost no time to save the prophet's life: and went unto the house of the king under the treasury;
from the gate of Benjamin he went to the king's palace, and to a particular place under the treasury; by which "treasury" may be meant the treasury of garments, or the royal wardrobe, under which was a place, where clothes worn out, or cast off, were put: the Septuagint represent it as underground, a cellar under the wardrobe: and took thence old cast clouts, and old rotten rags:
the Syriac version has it, such as cattle were wiped and cleaned with: and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah;
for it was so deep, that men could not reach to put them into the hands of the prophet; and, had they been thrown in, they might have been scattered about and be out of his reach, who stuck in the mire; or they would have been in all likelihood greatly bedaubed with the mire.

Jeremiah 38:11 In-Context

9 My lord the king, these men did evil all things, whatever things they did against Jeremy, the prophet, sending him into the pit, that he die there for hunger; for why loaves be no more in the city. (My lord the king, these men have done a very evil thing, yea, what they have done against the prophet Jeremiah, by sending him into the pit, so that he would die there of hunger; for there be no more loaves in the city.)

10 Therefore the king commanded to Ebedmelech (the) Ethiopian, and said, Take with thee thirty men from hence, and raise thou [up] Jeremy, the prophet, from the pit, before that he die. (And so the king commanded to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, and said, Take three men from here with thee, and raise thou up the prophet Jeremiah, from the pit, before that he die there.)

11 Therefore when Ebedmelech had taken men with him, he entered into the house of the king, that was under the cellar; and he took from thence old clothes, and old rags, that were rotten; and he sent them down to Jeremy, into the pit, by cords. (And so when Ebedmelech had taken the men with him, he entered into the house of the king, and went down to the cellar; and he took from there some old clothes, and some old rags, that were rotten; and then he sent them down by cords, into the pit, to Jeremiah.)

12 And Ebedmelech (the) Ethiopian said to Jeremy, Put thou [the] old clothes, and these rent and rotten things under the cubit of thine hands, and on the cords. Therefore Jeremy did so (And Jeremiah did so).

13 And they drew out Jeremy with cords, and led him out of the pit. Forsooth Jeremy dwelled in the porch of the prison. (And they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and pulled him out of the pit. And then Jeremiah lived in the courtyard of the prison.)