Chapter 38: The Prophet’s Peril, Rescue, and Final Warning to King Zedekiah

(28 Pesukim)

1. Yirmiyah’s Warning (Yirmiyah 38:1–3)

• Princes Shefatya son of Matan, Gedalyahu son of Pashhur, Yukhal son of Shelemyahu, and Pashhur son of Malkiya received the statements Yirmiyah addressed to all the people.
• Yirmiyah delivers a clear message from Hashem to the people of Jerusalem:
• Those who remain in city will die: Yirmiyah warns that anyone who remains in the city will die by the sword, famine, or pestilence. However, those who surrender to the Chaldeans (Babylonians) will live and keep their lives as a prize.
• He emphasizes that the city will inevitably be handed over to the Babylonian army, and they will capture it.

2. Plot Against Yirmiyah (38:4–6)

• The officials who heard the words of this prophecy accused Yirmiyah of weakening the morale of the soldiers and the people by his words. They claimed that he does not seek the welfare of the people but their harm.
• A death sentence: Hence the ministers requested from the king to put Yirmiyah to death.
• King Zedekiah, unable to oppose them, gave Yirmiyah into their hands.
• A slow death in sinking mud: The officials took Yirmiyah and lowered him into a cistern of Malkiyahu the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They did not cast him into the pit; rather, they lowered Jeremiah with ropes. The cistern had no water, only mud, and Yirmiyah sunk into it, facing certain death if left there.

3. Rescue of Yirmiyah by Ebed-melech (38:7–13)

• Ebed-melech, a Cushite and an officer in the king’s house, hears about Yirmiyah’s plight and approaches the king at the Benjamin Gate.
• He pleaded to the king that the officials had acted wickedly and that Yirmiyah will die of hunger if he remains in the pit because there is no bread left in the city.
• The king then ordered Ebed-melech the Cushi to take thirty men and rescue Yirmiyah by raising him from the pit before he dies.
• The rescue: Ebed-melech gathered the thirty men and took old rags and cloths from the house of the king beneath the treasury. He lowered the garments and rags with ropes, and instructed Yirmiyah to pad his armpits before being pulled up [in order to prevent injury from occurring to him[1]] and so he did.
• Yirmiyah was then lifted with the help of the ropes out of the cistern and remained confined to the courtyard of the guard.

4. Secret Meeting with Zedekiah (38:14–16)

• King Zedekiah summoned Yirmiyah privately to come before him in the third entrance of the temple and asked Yirmiyah for God’s word, urging Yirmiyah not to hide anything.
• Yirmiyah hesitated, fearing for his life, saying “What is the point of me telling you the prophecy, won’t you execute me?”
• So, Zedekiah swore an oath by Hashem’s name that he will not kill him or hand him over to those who seek his life.
• This sets the stage for Yirmiyah to deliver God’s message directly to the king.

5. God’s Message to Zedekiah (38:17–23)

• Yirmiyah conveys the following message from Hashem: So says Hashem, if you Zedekiah surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your household will live, and the city will not be burned. If, however you refuse, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, burned with fire, and you Zedekiah will not escape.
• The kings response: Zedekiah then expresses fear to Yirmiyah that if he does so, perhaps the Chaldeans will hand me to the hands of the Jews who defected to Babylon and they will abuse me.
• So, Yirmiyah reassures him that this will not happen and that he should listen to God’s instructions for his own good.
• Yirmiyah warns that if Zedekiah resists, all of his wives and children and those of royal blood will be taken captive, and he will be captured by the Babylonian king. They will ridicule you. The city will be destroyed in fire, and Zedekiah will face humiliation.

6. Secrecy Maintained (38:24–27)

• Zedekiah then instructed Yirmiyah to keep their conversation secret. If the officials question him about his meeting with the king threatening death if he does not disclose their conversation, Yirmiyah should say that he pleaded before the king to not be returned to the house of Yonathan to die there.
• When the officials eventually interrogated Yirmiyah about his conversation, he answered as instructed, and the matter was dropped. This secrecy protected Yirmiyah and avoided further conflict.

7. Final Note (38:28)

Yirmiyah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. He was still there when the city fell, marking the fulfillment of the prophecy he had delivered.

[1] Rashi 38:12