Jeremiah 38 Study Notes

38:1 Jucal and Pashhur, already mentioned in 21:1 and 37:3, were among the four persons who heard Jeremiah’s messages from the guard’s courtyard (37:21).

38:2 The Chaldeans derived their name from an ancient name Chaldai, which referred to a group of Aramean tribes that moved into lower Mesopotamia somewhere around 1000 to 900 BC. After they moved from their tribal settlements to urban settings, they acquired the name Babylonians, or more precisely, Neo-Babylonians; thus, “Chaldeans” and “Babylonians” are used interchangeably.

38:3 Jeremiah repeated the substance of this message over and over again (21:7; 37:8).

38:4 The prophet was charged with weakening the morale (lit “the hands”) of the warriors. In Lachish Letter VI, one of twenty-one letters written on potsherds left during the siege of Jerusalem and Judah, this very expression is used of certain nobles in Jerusalem (see ANET, 16, pp. 321-22).

38:5 This verse portrays King Zedekiah as a weakling without moral fiber who was controlled by his officials.

38:6 Malchiah the king’s son was not one of Zedekiah’s sons, but a royal prince (see 36:26 for a similar expression).

38:7-9 Ebed-melech, a Cushite court official, whose name means “servant of the king,” was a royal official of Ethiopian descent. He told Zedekiah what the officials had done and how desperate Jeremiah’s situation was. It took real courage for him to oppose those who were determined to stop Jeremiah’s proclamations.

38:10 Ebed-melech was authorized to take thirty men to pull Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies. One Hebrew manuscript and the Greek Septuagint read “three” for “thirty,” but this is not enough evidence to overrule the Hebrew text as it stands. Perhaps thirty were needed for the total task: some for protection and some for pulling the prophet out of the pit.

38:11-13 The old rags and worn-out clothes were needed to protect Jeremiah from the ropes, since he was mired down in mud (v. 6). The narrative in 37:17-21 does not include all these details about Jeremiah’s rescue, but both record the prophet’s plea not to be sent back to this cistern (37:20; 38:26).

38:14 The third entrance, where this secret discussion between Jeremiah and the king took place, is otherwise unknown. Could it have been the king’s private entrance to the temple?

38:15 Jeremiah had good reasons for not wanting to deal with Zedekiah.

38:16 Zedekiah swore (as the Lord lives) to the prophet that he would not kill him or turn him over to his enemies.

38:17-18 The Lord, through Jeremiah, offered Zedekiah a way forward that would avert great disaster.

38:19 Apparently a few citizens of Judah had already defected to the Babylonians. The king feared these defectors might abuse him if he fell into the hands of the Babylonians.

38:20 Jeremiah’s message was not surprising. Obedience would bring blessing.

38:21 The vision the Lord had shown Jeremiah (the verdict that the Lord has shown me) was the basket of figs (24:1-10), and it still foretold the same dire consequences.

38:22 Zedekiah feared the ridicule of Judah’s defectors (v. 19), but he was even more frightened of the women (his own harem) who would remain in the palace of Judah’s king. They might shower insult and ridicule on him for being so gullible that he trusted weak allies and false prophets. The women would try to curry favor with their new Babylonian overlords.

38:23 Jeremiah had good news and bad.

38:24-27 What Jeremiah told the officials of the king was the truth. The prophet had requested that he not be sent back to his cistern prison again. Some argue that this was not the whole truth but only a half-truth. However, some persons give up their right to know the full truth. For example, the Lord instructed Samuel to tell Saul that he had come to offer a sacrifice, not revealing that he had also come to anoint David as king. Saul by his actions had forfeited his right to know the full truth (1Sm 16:1-4).