1Ale Matanův syn Šefatja, Pašchurův syn Gedaljahu, Šelemjahuův syn Jukal a Malkijův syn Pašchur slyšeli slova, jimiž se Jeremiáš obracel ke všemu lidu: 2„Takto mluví Jahve. Kdo zůstane v tomto městě, zemře mečem, hladem a morem; ale kdo vyjde a vzdá se Chaldejcům, zůstane naživu, svůj život bude mít jako kořist: Bude žít! 3Takto mluví Jahve: Toto město bude určitě vydáno do rukou vojska babylonského krále a on se ho zmocní!“ 4Tu knížata řekla králi: „Ať je ten člověk vydán na smrt! On bere odvahu bojovníkům, kteří zůstali v tomto městě, i všemu lidu, když k nim vede takové řeči. Ano, ten člověk neusiluje vůbec o pokoj pro tento lid, nýbrž o jeho neštěstí.“ 5Král Sedechiáš odpověděl: „Hle, máte ho v rukou, neboť král nemá vůči vám žádnou moc!“ 6Oni se tedy Jeremiáše chopili a uvrhli ho do cisterny králova syna Malkijahua ve strážním dvoře; spustili ho po provazech. V té cisterně nebyla žádná voda, ale bahno, a Jeremiáš zapadl do bahna. 7Kušita Ebed-Melek, kleštěnec ve službách královského paláce, se dozvěděl, že Jeremiáše uvrhli do cisterny. Když král seděl u Benjaminovy brány, 8vyšel Ebed-Melek z královského paláce a obrátil se na krále: 9„Můj pane králi, ti muži jednali špatně, když takhle naložili s prorokem Jeremiášem; hodili ho do cisterny: namístě zemře hladem, neboť ve městě už není chleba.“ 10Král dal tedy Kušitovi Ebed-Melekovi tento příkaz: „Vezmi si odsud třicet mužů a vytáhni proroka Jeremiáše z cisterny dřív, než zemře.“ 11Ebed-Melek s sebou ty muže vzal, vešel do královského paláce, do šatny Pokladnice; odtud si vzal všelijaké cáry a hadry a ty dal po provazech spustit k Jeremiášovi do cisterny. 12Kušita Ebed-Melek Jeremiášovi řekl: „Podlož si těmi cáry a hadry provazy v podpaží.“ Jeremiáš to udělal. 13Pak Jeremiáše na provazech vyzdvihli a vytáhli ho z cisterny. A Jeremiáš zůstal ve strážním dvoře. 14Král Sedechiáš poslal pro proroka Jeremiáše ke třetímu vchodu do Jahvova Chrámu. Král Jeremiášovi řekl: „Dožaduji se od tebe slova; neutajuj ho přede mnou!“ 15Jeremiáš Sedechiášovi odpověděl: „Když ti ho zvěstuji, dáš mě usmrtit, viď? A poradím-li ti, nebudeš mě poslouchat!“ 16Král Sedechiáš tedy potají složil Jeremiášovi tuto přísahu: „Jako že žije Jahve, jenž nám dal tento život, nedám tě usmrtit a nevydám tě do rukou těchto mužů, kteří ti ukládají o život.“ 17Jeremiáš tedy Sedechiášovi řekl: „Takto mluví Jahve, Bůh Sabaot, Bůh Izraele. Vyjdeš-li a vzdáš-li se velitelům babylonského krále, zachráníš si život a toto město nebude vypáleno; zůstaneš naživu ty i tvá rodina. 18Ale nevyjdeš-li a nevzdáš-li se velitelům babylonského krále, bude toto město vydáno do rukou Chaldejců a oni je vypálí; a ty z jejich rukou nevyvázneš.“ 19Tu král Sedechiáš Jeremiášovi řekl: „Bojím se Judovců, kteří přeběhli k Chaldejcům; Chaldejci by mě mohli vydat do jejich rukou a oni by se mnou zle naložili.“ 20Jeremiáš odpověděl: „Nevydají tě. Poslouchej přece Jahvův hlas, podle něhož jsem k tobě promluvil, a pak ti bude dobře a vyvázneš životem. 21Odmítneš-li však vyjít, pohleď, co mi Jahve ukázal: 22Hle, všechny ženy, které ještě zůstaly v paláci judského krále, budou vyvedeny k velitelům babylonského krále; a řeknou: Svedli tě, podvedli tě tví dobří přátelé! Nohy se ti boří do bahna, oni utekli! 23Ano, všechny tvé ženy i tvé děti vyvedou k Chaldejcům. A ty jejich rukám neunikneš, ale budeš sevřen v pěsti babylonského krále. A toto město bude vypáleno.“ 24Sedechiáš řekl Jeremiášovi: „Ať se o těch slovech nikdo nedozví, jinak bys zemřel. 25Doslechnou-li se knížata o mém rozhovoru s tebou a přijdou-li a řeknou ti: ‘Pověz nám, co jsi řekl králi a co ti řekl král; nic nám neskrývej, jinak tě dáme usmrtit,’ 26odpovíš jim: ‘Předložil jsem králi tuto žádost: Ať mě neposílá nazpět k Jehonatanovi, abych tam zemřel’.“ 27Všechna knížata opravdu přišla za Jeremiášem a vyptávala se ho. Sdělil jim přesně to, co mu přikázal král. Nechali ho tedy na pokoji, neboť onen rozhovor nikdo nevyslechl. 28A Jeremiáš zůstal ve strážním dvoře, dokud Jeruzalém nebyl dobyt. A byl tam, když byl Jeruzalém dobyt.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 JEREMIAH PREDICTS THE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM, FOR WHICH HE IS CAST INTO A DUNGEON, BUT IS TRANSFERRED TO THE PRISON COURT ON THE INTERCESSION OF EBED-MELECH, AND HAS A SECRET INTERVIEW WITH ZEDEKIAH. (Jer. 38:1-28)
Jucal--Jehucal (
Jer 37:3).
Pashur-- (
Jer 21:1; compare
Jer 21:9 with
Jer 38:2). The deputation in
Jer 21:1, to whom Jeremiah gave this reply, if not identical with the hearers of Jeremiah (
Jer 38:1), must have been sent just before the latter "heard" him speaking the same words. Zephaniah is not mentioned here as in
Jer 21:1, but is so in
Jer 37:3. Jucal is mentioned here and in the previous deputation (
Jer 37:3), but not in
Jer 21:1. Shephatiah and Gedaliah here do not occur either in
Jer 21:1 or
Jer 37:3. The identity of his words in both cases is natural, when uttered, at a very short interval, and one of the hearers (Pashur) being present on both occasions.
unto all the people--They had free access to him in the court of the prison (
Jer 32:12).
2 life . . . a prey--He shall escape with his life; though losing all else in a shipwreck, he shall carry off his life as his gain, saved by his going over to the Chaldeans. (See on
Jer 21:9).
4 Had Jeremiah not had a divine commission, he might justly have been accused of treason; but having one, which made the result of the siege certain, he acted humanely as interpreter of God's will under the theocracy, in advising surrender (compare
Jer 26:11).
5 the king is not he--Zedekiah was a weak prince, and now in his straits afraid to oppose his princes. He hides his dislike of their overweening power, which prevented him shielding Jeremiah as he would have wished, under complimentary speeches. "It is not right that the king should deny aught to such faithful and wise statesmen"; the king is not such a one as to deny you your wishes [JEROME].
6 dungeon--literally, the "cistern." It was not a subterranean prison as that in Jonathan's house (
Jer 37:15), but a pit or cistern, which had been full of water, but was emptied of it during the siege, so that only "mire" remained. Such empty cisterns were often used as prisons (
Zech 9:11); the depth forbade hope of escape.
Hammelech-- (
Jer 36:26). His son followed in the father's steps, a ready tool for evil.
sunk in the mire--Jeremiah herein was a type of Messiah (
Ps 69:2,
Ps 69:14). "I sink in deep mire," &c.
7 Ebed-melech--The Hebrew designation given this Ethiopian, meaning "king's servant." Already, even at this early time, God wished to show what good reason there was for calling the Gentiles to salvation. An Ethiopian stranger saves the prophet whom his own countrymen, the Jews, tried to destroy. So the Gentiles believed in Christ whom the Jews crucified, and Ethiopians were among the earliest converts (
Acts 2:10,
Acts 2:41;
Acts 8:27-
Acts 8:39). Ebed-melech probably was keeper of the royal harem, and so had private access to the king. The eunuchs over harems in the present day are mostly from Nubia or Abyssinia.
8 went forth . . . and spake--not privately, but in public; a proof of fearless magnanimity.
9 die for hunger in the place where he is; for . . . no . . . bread in . . . city--(Compare
Jer 37:21). He had heretofore got a piece of bread supplied to him. "Seeing that there is the utmost want of bread in the city, so that even if he were at large, there could no more be regularly supplied to him, much less now in a place where none remember or pity him, so that he is likely to die for hunger." "No more bread," that is, no more left of the public store in the city (
Jer 37:21); or, all but no bread left anywhere [MAURER].
10 with thee--Hebrew, "in thine hand," that is, at "thy disposal" (
1Sam 16:2). "From hence," that is, from the gate of Benjamin where the king was sitting (
Jer 38:7).
thirty men--not merely to draw up Jeremiah, but to guard Ebed-melech against any opposition on the part of the princes (
Jer 38:1-
Jer 38:4), in executing the king's command. Ebed-melech was rewarded for his faith, love, and courage, exhibited at a time when he might well fear the wrath of the princes, to which even the king had to yield (
Jer 39:16-
Jer 39:18).
11 cast clouts--"torn clothes" [HENDERSON].
rotten rags--"worn-out garments." God can make the meanest things His instruments of goodness to His people (
1Cor 1:27-29).
under . . . armholes--"under the joints of thine hands," that is, where the fingers join the hand, the clothes being in order that the hands should not be cut by the cords [MAURER].
13 court of . . . prison--Ebed-melech prudently put him there to be out of the way of his enemies.
14 third entry--The Hebrews in determining the position of places faced the east, which they termed "that which is in front"; the south was thus called "that which is on the right hand"; the north, "that which is on the left hand"; the west, "that which is behind." So beginning with the east they might term it the first or principal entry; the south the second entry; the north the "third entry" of the outer or inner court [MAURER]. The third gate of the temple facing the palace; for through it the entrance lay from the palace into the temple (
1Kgs 10:5,
1Kgs 10:12). It was westward (
1Chr 26:16,
1Chr 26:18;
2Chr 9:11) [GROTIUS]. But in the future temple it is eastward (
Ezek 46:1-
Ezek 46:2,
Ezek 46:8).
15 wilt thou not hearken unto me--Zedekiah does not answer this last query; the former one he replies to in
Jer 38:16. Rather translate, "Thou wilt not hearken to me." Jeremiah judges so from the past conduct of the king. Compare
Jer 38:17 with
Jer 38:19.
16 Lord . . . made us this soul-- (
Isa 57:16). Implying, "may my life (soul) be forfeited if I deceive thee" [CALVIN].
17 princes-- (
Jer 39:3). He does not say "to the king himself," for he was at Riblah, in Hamath (
Jer 39:5;
2Kgs 25:6). "If thou go forth" (namely, to surrender;
2Kgs 24:12;
Isa 36:16), God foreknows future conditional contingencies, and ordains not only the end, but also the means to the end.
19 afraid of the Jews--more than of God (
Pro 29:25;
John 9:22;
John 12:43).
mock me--treat me injuriously (
1Sam 31:4).
22 women--The very evil which Zedekiah wished to escape by disobeying the command to go forth shall befall him in its worst form thereby. Not merely the Jewish deserters shall "mock" him (
Jer 38:19), but the very "women" of his own palace and harem, to gratify their new lords, will taunt him. A noble king in sooth, to suffer thyself to be so imposed on!
Thy friends--Hebrew, "men of thy peace" (see
Jer 20:10;
Ps 41:9, Margin). The king's ministers and the false prophets who misled him.
sunk in . . . mire--proverbial for, Thou art involved by "thy friends'" counsels in inextricable difficulties. The phrase perhaps alludes to
Jer 38:6; a just retribution for the treatment of Jeremiah, who literally "sank in the mire."
they are turned . . . back--Having involved thee in the calamity, they themselves shall provide for their own safety by deserting to the Chaldeans (
Jer 38:19).
23 children-- (
Jer 39:6;
Jer 41:10). "wives . . . children . . . thou"; an ascending climax.
24 Let no man know--If thou wilt not tell this to the people, I will engage thy safety.
25 Kings are often such only in title; they are really under the power of their subjects.
26 presented--literally, "made my supplication to fall"; implying supplication with humble prostration (see on
Jer 36:7).
Jonathan's house-- (
Jer 37:15), different from Malchiah's dungeon (
Jer 38:6). This statement was true, though not the whole truth; the princes had no right to the information; no sanction is given by Scripture here to Jeremiah's representation of this being the cause of his having come to the king. Fear drove him to it. Compare
Gen 20:2,
Gen 20:12; on the other hand,
1Sam 16:2,
1Sam 16:5.
left off speaking with--Hebrew, "were silent from him," that is, withdrawing from him they left him quiet (
1Sam 7:8, Margin).
28 he was there when Jerusalem was taken--These words are made the beginning of the thirty-ninth chapter by many; but the accents and sense support English Version.
This chapter consists of two parts: the first describes the capture of Jerusalem, the removal of the people to Babylon, and the fate of Zedekiah, and that of Jeremiah. The second tells of the assurance of safety to Ebed-melech.