Jeremiah 38:2

Jeremiah in the Dungeon

1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, ^aJucal the son of Shelemiah, and ^bPashhur the son of Malchiah ^cheard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lord: ^a‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’

3 Thus says the Lord: ^a‘This city shall surely be ^bgiven into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’ ”

4 Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, ^alet this man be put to death, for thus he¹ weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the² welfare of this people, but their harm.”

5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.”

6 ^aSo they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Commentaries:

Matthew Henry

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Jeremiah 38:1-28

Jeremiah is cast into a dungeon, from whence he is delivered by an Ethiopian. (1-13) He advises the king to surrender to the Chaldeans. (14-28)

Verses 1-13 Jeremiah went on in his plain preaching. The princes went on in their malice. It is common for wicked people to look upon God's faithful ministers as enemies, because they show what enemies the wicked are to themselves while impenitent. Jeremiah was put into a dungeon. Many of God's faithful witnesses have been privately made away in prisons. Ebed-melech was an Ethiopian; yet he spoke to the king faithfully, These men have done ill in all they have done to Jeremiah. See how God can raise up friends for his people in distress. Orders were given for the prophet's release, and Ebed-melech saw him drawn up. Let this encourage us to appear boldly for God. Special notice is taken of his tenderness for Jeremiah. What do we behold in the different characters then, but the same we behold in the different characters now, that the Lord's children are conformed to his example, and the children of Satan to their master?

Verses 14-28 Jeremiah was not forward to repeat the warnings, which seemed only to endanger his own life, and to add to the king's guilt, but asked whether he feared to do the will of God. The less men fear God, the more they fear men; often they dare not act according to their own judgments and consciences.

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Jeremiah in the Dungeon

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning