Yirmeyah 38:14

14 Then Tzidkiyah HaMelech sent, and took Yirmeyah HaNavi unto him into the third entrance that is in the Bais Hashem; and HaMelech said unto Yirmeyah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

Yirmeyah 38:14 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 38:14

Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet unto
him
When the prophet was taken out of the dungeon, and brought to the court of the prison, of which the king had knowledge, he sent some person or persons to bring him to him, to have some private conversation with him: into the third entry that [is] in the house of the Lord;
what place is meant Jarchi confesses his ignorance of, but conjectures it was the court of the Israelites; the outward court, and the court of the women, being before it. Kimchi rightly takes it to be a place through which they went from the king's house to the house of the Lord; no doubt the same that is called the king's ascent, by which he went up thither, shown to, and admired by, the queen of Sheba, ( 1 Kings 10:5 ) ; in which there were three gates or entrances, as Dr. Lightfoot observes ^F25; the first, the gate of the foundation; the second, the gate behind the guard; and the third, the gate Coponius; and here the king and the prophet had their interview: and the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing,
or "a word"; a word of prophecy; or whether there was a word of prophecy from the Lord, concerning him, his people, and city, and what it was; and what would be the event of the present siege, whether it would issue well or ill: hide nothing from me;
be it what it will, whether grateful or not; he had been told again and again how things would be; but still he was in hopes that something more favourable and consolatory would come from the Lord to him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Temple-Service, c. 33. p. 2028.

Yirmeyah 38:14 In-Context

12 And Eved-melech HaKushi said unto Yirmeyah, Put now these old rags and worn out clothes under thine armpits under the ropes. And Yirmeyah did so.

13 So they drew up Yirmeyah with ropes, and lifted him up out of the bor; and Yirmeyah remained in the Khatzer (courtyard) of the Guard.

14 Then Tzidkiyah HaMelech sent, and took Yirmeyah HaNavi unto him into the third entrance that is in the Bais Hashem; and HaMelech said unto Yirmeyah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

15 Then Yirmeyah said unto Tzidkiyah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? And if I give thee etzah, wilt thou not refuse to pay heed unto me?

16 So Tzidkiyah HaMelech swore secretly unto Yirmeyah, saying, As Hashem liveth, that made our very nefesh, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the yad of these anashim that seek thy nefesh.