Jeremiah 38:10

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.)

Jeremiah 38:10 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 38:10

Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian
Being affected with the case of the prophet; and repenting of the leave he had given the princes to do with him as they pleased, gave orders as follows: saying, take from hence thirty men with thee;
from the place where the king was, the gate of Benjamin; where very probably at this time was a garrison of soldiers, thirty of which were ordered to be taken; or these were to be taken out of the king's bodyguard, he had here with him. Josephus ^F23 calls them thirty of the king's servants, such as were about the king's person, or belonged to his household; and so the Syriac version of ( Jeremiah 38:11 ) says that Ebedmelech took with him men of the king's household; but why thirty of them, when three or four might be thought sufficient to take up a single man out of a dungeon? Abarbinel thinks the dungeon was very deep, and Jeremiah, ah old man, could not be got out but with great labour and difficulty. Jarchi and Kimchi say, the men were so weakened with the famine, that so many were necessary to draw out one man; but the true reason seems rather to be, that should the princes, whom the king might suspect, or any other, attempt to hinder this order being put in execution, there might be a sufficient force to assist in it, and repel those that might oppose it: and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he die;
the king speaks honourably of Jeremiah, giving him his title as a prophet, and expresses great concern for him; and orders them to hasten the taking him up, lest he should die before, which he suggests would give him great concern.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Antiqu. l. 10. c. 7. sect. 5.

Jeremiah 38:10 In-Context

8 And Ebedmelech went out of the king's house, and spake to the king, and said, (And Ebedmelech went forth from the palace, and spoke to the king, and said,)

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).