# Jeremiah 38 đ: Jeremiah in the Cistern
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Jeremiah Is Charged with Treason and Put in a Cistern to Die
[[#Verse 01.]] Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah had heard the things that Jeremiah had been telling the people. They had heard him say,Â
[[#Verse 02.]] âThe Lord says, âThose who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives.ââÂ
[[#Verse 03.]] They had also heard him say, âThe Lord says, âThis city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. They will capture it.ââÂ
[[#Verse 04.]] So these officials said to the king, âThis man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. This man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.âÂ
[[#Verse 05.]] King Zedekiah said to them, âVery well, you can do what you want with him. For I cannot do anything to stop you.âÂ
[[#Verse 06.]] So the officials took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern of Malkijah, one of the royal princes, that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud.
### An Ethiopian Official Rescues Jeremiah from the Cistern
[[#Verse 07.]] An Ethiopian, Ebed Melech, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put in the cistern. While the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate,Â
[[#Verse 08.]]Â Ebed Melech departed the palace and went to speak to the king. He said to him,Â
[[#Verse 09.]]Â âYour royal Majesty, those men have been very wicked in all that they have done to the prophet Jeremiah. They have thrown him into a cistern and he is sure to die of starvation there because there is no food left in the city.â
[[#Verse 10.]] Then the king gave Ebed Melech the Ethiopian the following order: âTake thirty men with you from here and go pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.âÂ
[[#Verse 11.]] So Ebed Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasure room in the palace. He got some worn-out clothes and old rags from there and let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.Â
[[#Verse 12.]] Ebed Melech called down to Jeremiah, âPut these rags and worn-out clothes under your armpits to pad the ropes.â Jeremiah did as Ebed Melech instructed.
[[#Verse 13.]] So they pulled Jeremiah up from the cistern with ropes. Jeremiah, however, still remained confined to the courtyard of the guardhouse.
### Jeremiah Responds to Zedekiahâs Request for Secret Advice
[[#Verse 14.]] Some time later Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah brought to him at the third entrance of the Lordâs temple. The king said to Jeremiah, âI would like to ask you a question. Do not hide anything from me when you answer.âÂ
[[#Verse 15.]] Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, âIf I answer you, you will certainly kill me. If I give you advice, you will not listen to me.âÂ
[[#Verse 16.]] So King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah and sealed it with an oath. He promised, âAs surely as the Lord lives who has given us life and breath, I promise you this: I will not kill you or hand you over to those men who want to kill you.â
[[#Verse 17.]] Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, âThe Lord God of Heavenâs Armies, the God of Israel, says, âYou must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down. Indeed, you and your whole family will be spared.Â
[[#Verse 18.]] But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians and they will burn it down. You yourself will not escape from them.ââÂ
[[#Verse 19.]] Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, âI am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Babylonians. The Babylonians might hand me over to them and they will torture me.â
[[#Verse 20.]] Then Jeremiah answered, âYou will not be handed over to them. Please obey the Lord by doing what I have been telling you. Then all will go well with you and your life will be spared.Â
[[#Verse 21.]] But if you refuse to surrender, the Lord has shown me a vision of what will happen. Here is what I saw:Â
[[#Verse 22.]]Â All the women who are left in the royal palace of Judah will be led out to the officers of the king of Babylon. They will taunt you saying:
ââYour trusted friends misled you;
they have gotten the best of you.
Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,
they have turned their backs on you.â
[[#Verse 23.]] âAll your wives and your children will be turned over to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from them but will be captured by the king of Babylon. This city will be burned down.â
[[#Verse 24.]] Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah, âDo not let anyone know about the conversation we have had. If you do, you will die.
[[#Verse 25.]] The officials may hear that I have talked with you. They may come to you and say, âTell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you. Do not hide anything from us. If you do, we will kill you.âÂ
[[#Verse 26.]] If they do this, tell them, âI was pleading with the king not to send me back to die in the dungeon of Jonathanâs house.ââÂ
[[#Verse 27.]] All the officials did indeed come and question Jeremiah. He told them exactly what the king had instructed him to say. They stopped questioning him any further because no one had actually heard their conversation.Â
[[#Verse 28.]] So Jeremiah remained confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse until the day Jerusalem was captured.
### The Fall of Jerusalem and Its Aftermath
The following events occurred when Jerusalem was captured.
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
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## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The officials named in 38:1 include Gedaliah son of Pashhur and Jucal son of Shelemiah.
2. Clay seal impressions bearing the names "Gedalyahu son of Pashhur" and "Yehukal son of Shelemyahu" were found in excavations in the City of David, matching names in this chapter.
3. Jeremiah was lowered into the cistern of Malkijah the king's son, which had no water but only mud (38:6).
4. Ebed-melech means "servant of the king." He was a Cushite, from the region south of Egypt (38:7).
5. Ebed-melech is described as a eunuch or court official (38:7).
6. The king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate (38:7), where legal matters were heard.
7. Ebed-melech used old rags under Jeremiah's arms so the ropes would not cut him (38:12).
8. Jeremiah met Zedekiah secretly at the third entrance of the Lord's house (38:14).
9. Zedekiah feared the Judeans who had already deserted to the Babylonians (38:19).
10. Jeremiah described women mocking the king, saying his feet were sunk in the mud (38:22), the same image of Jeremiah's own suffering.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One God would not abandon to the pit. Jeremiah sank in the mud of a cistern and was lifted out (38:6, 13), and Jesus was raised from the grave because God did not let His Holy One see decay (Acts 2:27, 31).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. The officials said Jeremiah was discouraging the soldiers and people (38:4). How can speaking truth be mistaken for being unpatriotic or unloving?
2. Ebed-melech, a foreigner, risked himself to rescue Jeremiah (38:7-13). What does his courage teach us about doing right when others will not?
3. Zedekiah was afraid of people more than he trusted God (38:19). What fears keep us from obeying God fully?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 6: They lowered Jeremiah into a cistern with no water, and he sank into the mud.
- đ verses 12-13: Ebed-melech uses old rags and ropes to lift Jeremiah out of the cistern.
- đ verse 20: Obey the voice of the Lord, and it will go well with you, and you will live.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Acts 02#Verse 27.|Acts 2:27-31]] - God did not abandon His Holy One to the grave.
- đ [[Psalm 40#Verse 02.|Psalm 40:2]] - He lifted me out of the pit, out of the mud.
- đ [[Psalm 69#Verse 14.|Psalm 69:14]] - Rescue me from the mire.
- đ [[Proverbs 29#Verse 25.|Proverbs 29:25]] - The fear of man is a snare.
- đ [[Acts 08#Verse 27.|Acts 8:27]] - Another Ethiopian official who responded to God's word.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Jeremiah 38 - SOAP|God Keeps Us Safe In Ways We Donât Notice]]
## đ Internal Notes