JeremiahChapter 38

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Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words Jeremiah was speaking to all the people:

"This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by plague, but whoever goes out to the Chaldeans will live; he will escape with his life and survive.

This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it."

So the officials said to the king, "This man must be put to death. By speaking such words to them he is undermining the courage of the soldiers who are left in this city and of all the people. This man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their ruin."

King Zedekiah answered, "He is in your hands; the king can do nothing to stop you."

So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

But Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the king's palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,

Ebed-melech left the palace and said to him,

"My lord the king, these men have done wrong in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, since there is no more bread in the city."

Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, "Take thirty men with you from here and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."

So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to a room beneath the treasury in the palace. From there he took worn-out rags and cast-off clothing and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.

Ebed-melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, "Put these rags and cast-off clothing under your armpits, to pad the ropes." Jeremiah did so,

and they pulled him up by the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance of the LORD's house. "I am going to ask you something," the king said. "Hide nothing from me."

Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will surely put me to death. And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me."

But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private, "As surely as the LORD lives, who gave us breath, I will not put you to death or hand you over to those men who want to kill you."

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, says: If you will surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will live.

But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans; they will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their hands."

King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldeans; they may hand me over to them, and they will abuse me."

"They will not hand you over," Jeremiah replied. "Obey the voice of the LORD in what I am telling you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.

But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me:

All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be led out to the officers of the king of Babylon, and they will say to you: 'Your trusted friends misled you and got the better of you. Now that your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned their backs on you.'

All your wives and children will be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape their hands. You will be captured by the king of Babylon, and you will burn this city down with fire."

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know about this conversation, or you may die.

If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and they come and say, 'Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you. Do not hide it from us, or we will kill you'—

then tell them, 'I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.'"

All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them exactly what the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had overheard the conversation.

And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. This is how Jerusalem was taken:

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Summary2

Chapter 38

Main Theme: Jeremiah is thrown into a pit for his preaching, but is rescued and gives King Zedekiah one final choice between obedience and destruction.

Content: The officials accuse Jeremiah of weakening the people's will to resist and throw him into a muddy cistern. Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian court official, obtains the king's permission to rescue the prophet. Afterwards, King Zedekiah has a secret conversation with Jeremiah, who advises him to surrender to the Babylonians in order to save the city and his own life. The king fears the consequences and does not follow the advice, but asks Jeremiah to keep the conversation hidden.

Key Words/Images:

The Pit (הַבּוֹר): A symbol of mortal danger and humiliation; Jeremiah sinks into the mud, but God provides rescue.
Ebed-Melech: A foreigner who acts righteously when God's own people fail, becoming an example of faith in action.
The Choice: Zedekiah faces a clear choice between obedience to God's word (life) and disobedience (destruction).
Secrecy: The king's desire to conceal the conversation reveals his fear and lack of leadership.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Jeremiah 38

People

The chapter names four court officials who accused Jeremiah: Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah. These were influential sarim (שָׂרִים) – high-ranking officials at King Zedekiah’s court. Notably, a clay seal impression (bulla) found in the excavations of the City of David in Jerusalem bears the name "Gedaliah son of Pashhur," and another bulla mentions "Jucal son of Shelemiah" – both named precisely in this chapter. These are rare instances where archaeological findings confirm the names of biblical figures outside the royal family.

Ebed-Melech ("the king’s servant") is described as a Cushite (Ethiopian/Nubian) and a saris (סָרִיס). The term saris can mean court official or eunuch. The presence of Cushites at the Judean court reflects the close ties between Judah and Egypt/Cush during this period, when Egypt was Judah’s main ally against Babylon.

Places

The cistern belonging to Malkijah the king’s son (verse 6) in the guard courtyard was a water-collecting pit (בּוֹר) that was empty of water but full of mud. Such cisterns were common in Jerusalem and were hewn out of rock to collect rainwater. The fact that it belonged to a "king’s son" indicates it was located in a royal area.

The Benjamin Gate (verse 7), where the king sat, was likely a gate in the northern city wall, facing toward the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. City gates functioned as courtrooms and administrative centers where the king received petitions and pronounced judgments.

The third entrance to the house of the Lord (verse 14) was probably a private or royal entrance to the temple, possibly intended for the king, allowing discreet meetings away from public view.

Events and Customs

The expression "weakens the hands" (מְרַפֵּא אֶת־יְדֵי, verse 4) was a common idiomatic description of undermining morale. The exact same expression is found in the Lachish Letters – military correspondence from the same period – where an officer complains that the leaders in Jerusalem "weaken the hands" of the people. This shows that Jeremiah’s opponents used contemporary military terminology in their accusation.

The officials’ demand for the death penalty and the king’s evasive response (verses 4–5) illustrate the political tension at court. Zedekiah’s statement, "He is in your hands," reveals a king who was powerless against his own officials – a sign of the political chaos in Jerusalem’s final days.

Key Terms

The expression "his life shall be his prize" (נַפְשׁוֹ לְשָׁלָל, verse 2) is a war idiom meaning that one saves one’s life as the only gain, just as a soldier takes spoils of war. In the context of siege warfare, it meant surviving with nothing but one’s life intact.

"Rags and worn-out clothes" (בְּלוֹאֵי הַסְּחָבוֹת וְהַמְּלָחִים, verses 11–12) that Ebed-Melech retrieved from "under the treasury" were likely stored textiles intended for charity or practical use. The detailed description of how the rags should protect Jeremiah’s armpits from rope burns shows care and practical wisdom amid crisis.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The Lachish Letters, discovered in 1935 and dated precisely to Jerusalem’s siege in 588–586 BC, provide a unique parallel to this chapter. Letter number 6 contains the complaint that "the words of the officials weaken the hands" – the same terminology used against Jeremiah. This shows that the prophet was not alone in being accused of defeatism, and that similar tensions between the "peace party" and the "war hawks" existed in other cities of Judah during the siege.

People10

Jehukal1 Gedaliah1 Shephatiah (Ancestor of Meshullam, from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chron. 9:8))1 Ebed-Melek5 Jeremiah14 Zedekiah (son of Kenaanah, prophet under Ahab)7 Mattan1 Meshelemiah1 Pashhur1 Malkiah2

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Key words8

Jeremiah — A prophet in the Old Testament who received God's messages and delivered them to the people of Israel.
Babylon — An ancient kingdom and city in Mesopotamia, known for its high tower and power. Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem and led the Jews into exile.
The Cistern of Mud — A cistern filled with mud where Jeremiah was thrown by his enemies as punishment for his prophecies about Jerusalem's destruction.
Ebed-Melech — An Ethiopian court official who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern of mud by obtaining the king's permission and help from other men.
King Zedekiah — The last king of Judah who ruled during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. He asked Jeremiah for advice but ignored it and was then punished by God.
The Fall of Jerusalem — The event where Babylon's army, led by Nebuchadnezzar, besieged and destroyed Jerusalem, including the temple, and led many Jews into exile.
God's Wrath — God's strong displeasure and judgment against the people of Israel because of their sins and disobedience to his commands.
Circumstance — A situation or event that occurs around a person or group of people, often used to describe the challenging conditions Jeremiah faced.