Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah in the Cistern

¹Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

²“The LORD says, ‘He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live. He will escape with his life and he will live.’

³The LORD says, ‘This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.’”

⁴Then the princes said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death, because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them; for this man doesn’t seek the welfare of this people, but harm.”

⁵Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in your hand; for the king can’t do anything to oppose you.”

⁶Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard. They let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

⁷Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin’s gate),

⁸Ebedmelech went out of the king’s house, and spoke to the king, saying,

⁹“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon. He is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.”

¹⁰Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies.”

¹¹So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

¹²Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the cords.” Jeremiah did so.

¹³So they lifted Jeremiah up with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Zedekiah's Secret Consultation

¹⁴Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to himself into the third entry that is in the LORD’s house. Then the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”

¹⁵Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? If I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

¹⁶So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”

¹⁷Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “The LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you will go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire. You will live, along with your house.

¹⁸But if you will not go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you won’t escape out of their hand.’”

¹⁹Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”

²⁰But Jeremiah said, “They won’t deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the LORD’s voice, in that which I speak to you; so it will be well with you, and your soul will live.

²¹But if you refuse to go out, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:

²²‘Behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house will be brought out to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women will say, “Your familiar friends have turned on you, and have prevailed over you. Your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned away from you.”

²³They will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. You won’t escape out of their hand, but will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. You will cause this city to be burned with fire.’”

²⁴Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you won’t die.

²⁵But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king; don’t hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also tell us what the king said to you;’

²⁶then you shall tell them, ‘I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.’”

²⁷Then all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.

²⁸So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

Previous Jeremiah 37

Next Jeremiah 39

Jeremiah faces severe persecution when officials throw him into a muddy cistern for prophesying Jerusalem's fall to Babylon, but is rescued by Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch who courageously intervenes with King Zedekiah. In a secret meeting, Zedekiah seeks Jeremiah's counsel but ultimately rejects the prophet's final plea to surrender to Babylon, choosing instead to continue his doomed resistance. The chapter powerfully illustrates both human cruelty and compassion while highlighting the tragic consequences of rejecting God's word during national crisis.

Context

This chapter occurs during the final siege of Jerusalem, following Jeremiah's previous imprisonments and continuing his consistent message of surrender that will soon prove prophetic.

Key Themes

Outline

1-3
Jeremiah's Controversial Message Officials hear Jeremiah prophesying that surrender to Babylon offers the only path to survival.
4-6
Imprisonment in the Cistern Princes convince weak King Zedekiah to let them throw Jeremiah into a muddy cistern to die.
7-13
Ebed-melech's Rescue An Ethiopian eunuch courageously appeals to the king and carefully lifts Jeremiah from the cistern.
14-16
Secret Meeting Arranged Zedekiah secretly summons Jeremiah and promises protection in exchange for honest counsel.
17-23
Final Prophetic Appeal Jeremiah urges surrender to prevent Jerusalem's destruction and the king's family's suffering.
24-28
Concealing the Truth Zedekiah instructs Jeremiah to hide their conversation from officials, and Jeremiah remains under guard.

Jeremiah in the Cistern

38:1–38:13

narrative narration hopeful

Officials throw Jeremiah into a muddy cistern for his prophecies of surrender to Babylon. The Ethiopian eunuch Ebedmelech courageously intervenes with the king to rescue Jeremiah from certain death.

person_contrast

Shephatiah, whose name means "Yahweh has judged," ironically becomes the instrument of unjust persecution against God's prophet, subverting his own theophoric identity.

Zedekiah's Secret Consultation

38:14–38:28

narrative dialogue urgent

King Zedekiah secretly consults prophet Jeremiah, who warns that surrender to Babylon is the only way to save the city and the king's life. Zedekiah expresses fear but the passage ends incomplete, showing his reluctance to heed God's warning through His prophet.

person_contrast

Zedekiah's desperate secrecy—meeting Jeremiah at the temple's "third entry"—reveals how political fear can make leaders seek God's truth while simultaneously rejecting it.

Insight Character Study

Shephatiah, whose name means "Yahweh has judged," ironically becomes the instrument of unjust persecution against God's prophet, subverting his own theophoric identity.

Insight Character Study

Zedekiah's desperate secrecy—meeting Jeremiah at the temple's "third entry"—reveals how political fear can make leaders seek God's truth while simultaneously rejecting it.

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Jeremiah 38:1 3 references

Lexicals 3

Jeremiah 21:1 Lexical

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephania…

Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah in the Cistern

Zedekiah's Secret Consultation

Jeremiah in the Cistern

Zedekiah's Secret Consultation

Insights

Cross-References

Jeremiah 38:1 3 references

Jeremiah 38:2 5 references

Jeremiah 38:6 5 references

Jeremiah 38:7 3 references

Jeremiah 38:10 2 references

Jeremiah 38:12 1 reference

Jeremiah 38:13 5 references

Jeremiah 38:14 5 references

Jeremiah 38:16 1 reference

Jeremiah 38:17 5 references

Jeremiah 38:18 5 references

Jeremiah 38:19 4 references

Jeremiah 38:22 1 reference

Jeremiah 38:23 5 references

Jeremiah 38:25 1 reference

Jeremiah 38:26 1 reference

Jeremiah 38:28 5 references

Interlinear

Historical Context