Daily Tanach Monday 18th Kisleiv Sefer Yirmiyah Chapter 38: The Prophet’s Peril, Rescue, and Final Warning to King Zedekiah

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

  1. Yirmiyah’s Warning (Yirmiyah 38:1–3)
  • Yirmiyah delivers a clear message from the Lord to the people of Jerusalem.
  • He 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.
  1. Plot Against Yirmiyah (38:4–6)
  • The officials accuse Yirmiyah of weakening the morale of the soldiers and the people by his words.
  • They claim that he does not seek the welfare of the people but their harm.
  • King Zedekiah, unable to oppose them, gives Yirmiyah into their hands.
  • The officials then lower Yirmiyah into a cistern in the courtyard of the guard. The cistern has no water, only mud, and Yirmiyah sinks into it, facing certain death if left there.
  1. Rescue 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 pleads that the officials have acted wickedly and that Yirmiyah will die of hunger because there is no bread left in the city.
  • The king orders Ebed-melech to take thirty men and rescue Yirmiyah.
  • Ebed-melech gathers old rags and cloths, lowers them with ropes, and instructs Yirmiyah to pad his armpits before being pulled up.
  • Yirmiyah is lifted out of the cistern and remains in the courtyard of the guard.
  1. Secret Meeting with Zedekiah (38:14–16)
  • King Zedekiah summons Yirmiyah privately to the third entrance of the temple and asks for God’s word, urging Yirmiyah not to hide anything.
  • Yirmiyah hesitates, fearing for his life, but Zedekiah swears an oath 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.
  1. God’s Message to Zedekiah (38:17–23)
  • Yirmiyah conveys the Lord’s command: if Zedekiah surrenders to the Babylonian officers, he and his household will live, and the city will not be burned. If he refuses, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, burned with fire, and Zedekiah will not escape.
  • Zedekiah expresses fear that the Jews who defected to Babylon will mock him. Yirmiyah reassures him that this will not happen and urges obedience to God’s voice for his own good.
  • He warns that if Zedekiah resists, his wives and children will be taken, and he will be captured by the Babylonian king. The city will be destroyed, and Zedekiah will face humiliation.
  1. Secrecy Maintained (38:24–27)
  • Zedekiah instructs Yirmiyah to keep their conversation secret. If the officials question him, Yirmiyah should say that he pleaded not to be returned to the house of Jonathan to die there.
  • When the officials interrogate Yirmiyah, he answers as instructed, and the matter is dropped. This secrecy protects Yirmiyah and avoids further conflict.
  1. Final Note (38:28)

Yirmiyah remains in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem is captured. He is still there when the city falls, marking the fulfillment of the prophecy he had delivered.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.