Jeremiah 38:1-6 · Bible study
Jeremiah 38:1-6 Commentary: Silencing the Prophet
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did princes who sought Jeremiah's prayers now seek his death? This passage shows the cost of speaking God's truth in a hostile court.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jeremiah is thrown into a cistern to die because his message of surrender threatens the ruling officials' war policy.
- Key words: “weaken the hands” (raphah, H7503), to dishearten; “welfare” (shalom, H7965), peace/well-being; “mire” (tit, H2916), mud/slime causing suffocation.
- Main debate: Was Jeremiah’s call to surrender treasonous or was it faithful prophecy? The princes argued harm; the narrative sides with the prophet.
- Theological theme: The cost of prophetic ministry: rejection, suffering, and the vulnerability of truth in the face of political power.
- Best use: Teaching on courage in speaking God’s word, the danger of silencing dissenting voices, and the failure of weak leadership.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:
2“This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.
3This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”
4Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”
5“Here he is,” replied King Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop you.”
6So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
WEB World English Bible 2000
1Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,
2“Yahweh says, ‘He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live. He will escape with his life and he will live.’
3Yahweh says, ‘This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.’”
4Then the princes said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death, because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them; for this man doesn’t seek the welfare of this people, but harm.”
5Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in your hand; for the king can’t do anything to oppose you.”
6Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard. They let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
KJV King James Version 1769
1Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
2Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
3Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.
4Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
5Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.
6Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spake unto all the people, saying,
2Thus saith Jehovah, He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey, and he shall live.
3Thus saith Jehovah, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.
4Then the princes said unto the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; forasmuch as he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
5And Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do anything against you.
6Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying,
2`Thus said Jehovah: He who is remaining in this city dieth, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth unto the Chaldeans liveth, and his soul hath been to him for a prey, and he liveth.
3Thus said Jehovah: This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he hath captured it.'
4And the heads say unto the king, `Let, we pray thee, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.'
5And the king Zedekiah saith, `Lo, he is in your hand: for the king is not able for you in anything.'
6And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that is in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinketh in the mire.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
2Thus saith Jehovah: He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; and he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
3Thus saith Jehovah: This city shall certainly be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, and he shall take it.
4And the princes said unto the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; for why should he weaken the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking to them according to these words? for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
5And king Zedekiah said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do a thing against you.
6Then they took Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the son of Hammelech, which was in the court of the guard, and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1Now Saphatias the son of Mathan, and Gedelias the son of Phassur, and Juchal the son of Selemias, and Phassur the son of Melchias heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying:
2Thus saith the Lord: Whosoever shall remain in this city, shall die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence: but he that shall go forth to the Chaldeans, shall live, and his life shall be safe, and he shall live.
3Thus saith the Lord: This city shall surely be delivered into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.
4And the princes said to the king. We beseech thee that this man may be put to death: for on purpose he weakeneth the hands of the men of war, that remain in this city, and the hands of the people, speaking to them according to these words: for this man seeketh not peace to this people, but evil.
5And king Sedecias said: Behold he is in your hands: for it is not lawful for the king to deny you any thing.
6Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Melchias the son of Amelech, which was in the entry of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah by ropes into the dungeon, wherein there was no water, but mire. And Jeremiah sunk into the mire.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 38:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that these four princes, some of whom had earlier asked Jeremiah to intercede with God (Jeremiah 21:1; 37:3), now conspire to have him killed. Jeremiah had been moved from a harsher prison to the court of the guard, where his message reached the people directly (Clarke, Cambridge). His repeated call to surrender to the Babylonians, identical to what he had prophesied for years (Jer 21:9), was politically catastrophic for the war party. Calvin notes that the princes "feared nothing so much as the truth." Barnes says their accusation that Jeremiah "weakens the hands" of the soldiers was a pretense: the real offense was that his words lowered morale in a way that undermined their resistance strategy. Zedekiah's reply, "He is in your hand" (v.5), reveals a king who respects the prophet but lacks the courage to protect him (Clarke; Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). The cistern into which they cast Jeremiah was a water storage pit, now empty but with deep mud at the bottom, a deliberate death trap (Gill, Keil & Delitzsch).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Political expediency: The princes accused Jeremiah of harming the war effort (v.4), and the context of military crisis makes this charge plausible. Barnes and Keil note that desertions were already occurring.
- Spiritual rebellion: Calvin and Clarke stress that the princes rejected not just a political message but God’s word itself. Their earlier requests for prayer (Jer 21:1; 37:3) show they had access to truth but chose to oppose it.
- Weak king complicity: Zedekiah’s surrender of Jeremiah (v.5) enabled the conspiracy. The LXX variant softens his guilt slightly; some see him as trapped, others as cowardly.
What is clear: Jeremiah’s message of surrender was consistent with previous prophecies, and the princes deliberately used it to secure his death, with the king’s passive consent.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Motives of the princes | All commentators agree the princes acted to eliminate Jeremiah because his message threatened their war policy and lowered morale. | Some (Calvin, Gill) emphasize their hardened rebellion against God; others (Barnes) focus more on political pragmatism and fear of mass desertion. |
| Zedekiah’s responsibility | All note that Zedekiah failed to protect Jeremiah despite knowing he was innocent. | Some (Clarke, Matthew Henry) blame the king’s cowardice; others (Cambridge, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) point to the princes’ overwhelming power, suggesting the king was genuinely helpless. |
| The manner of punishment | All see the cistern as intended to cause a slow death by starvation, suffocation, or exposure. | Some (Gill, Keil & Delitzsch) stress the lack of water as the main danger; others (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) emphasize the mud as designed to entrap and drown the victim. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jerusalem was under siege by Nebuchadnezzar’s army. By this point in the siege, likely its final months, famine had begun to grip the city (Jer 38:9), and many fighting men had already deserted to the Chaldeans or died (Keil & Delitzsch). The four princes named in v.1 were high-ranking officials at Zedekiah’s court. Two of them, Jucal (also called Jehucal) and Pashhur, had been sent by the king earlier to ask Jeremiah to pray for the city (Jer 37:3; 21:1). Their turn from petitioners to persecutors highlights how deeply the prophet’s counsel threatened their political agenda. In an ancient Near Eastern siege, morale was a decisive factor. Defeatist speech could be treated as treason. The princes accused Jeremiah of "weakening the hands" (v.4), the Hebrew verb raphah means to slacken or let drop (H7503). This was the official charge: psychological sabotage of the army. Cisterns (bor) were commonly used as prisons when dry (Zech 9:11), but this one had mud at the bottom, meaning slow suffocation awaited the prophet. The location in the court of the guard suggests it was near the palace, within reach of the king, making his inaction all the more damning.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants that alter the meaning of Jeremiah 38:1-6. Barnes observes that in v.5 the Septuagint renders the clause "the king is not he that can do anything against you" as a narrator's comment ("For the king was not able … against them") rather than direct speech. This changes the emphasis slightly, making it an authorial observation on Zedekiah’s powerlessness rather than his spoken excuse, but does not affect the basic plot. The Hebrew text (Masoretic) is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Christian tradition has often seen Jeremiah’s suffering in this passage as a type of Christ’s rejection. The imagery of sinking into the mire (v.6) echoes Psalm 69:2, 14, a psalm attributed to David but sometimes linked to Jeremiah by early interpreters, including some church fathers. Jerome, commenting on Jeremiah, highlighted the contrast between the princes’ pride and the prophet’s humility. In medieval lectio, this scene was read as a call to fortitude under persecution. The passage has been a touchstone for martyrologies and for preaching on the cost of prophetic witness, particularly during periods of state-church conflict. Later Reformed writers (Calvin, the Geneva Bible) used it to demonstrate the corruption of earthly rulers who suppress God’s truth.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Message They Did Not Want to Hear, Jeremiah’s words (vv.2-3) were not new; he had said the same for decades (Jer 21:9). But now, with the enemy at the gate, surrender sounded like betrayal. The princes heard the message but refused to accept its source.
- The Accusation They Used to Silence Him, The charge of “weakening hands” (v.4) was half-true; Jeremiah’s word did drain morale. But a true prophet speaks God’s diagnosis, not human preferences. They mislabeled divine counsel as harm.
- The King Who Would Not Intervene, Zedekiah (v.5) knew Jeremiah was innocent. Yet he surrendered the prophet to the mob. Fear of his own officials outweighed his faith. The pit in v.6 is the consequence of that cowardice.
Five-point outline
- The setting: war, famine, and the court of the guard (v.1).
- The repeating summons: surrender and live (vv.2-3).
- The conspiracy: princes who once sought prayer now seek blood (v.4).
- The capitulation: a king who will not rule (v.5).
- The pit: a cistern of mud as a grave (v.6).
Illustration hooks
- A doctor who gives a terminal diagnosis to a patient who refuses to hear it. The family demands a second opinion, then threatens to sue if the news is released.
- A corporate whistleblower who is fired after revealing the company’s financial fraud. Colleagues call her a traitor, even though she saved the company from worse ruin.
- A coach who tells the team they need a new game plan because they cannot win with their current strategy. The star players get the coach fired.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Why would God’s own people silence His messenger?”
- “When do difficult truths become ‘harm’ and when are they actually loving?”
- “How do I respond when those in authority refuse to protect the innocent?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage raises hard questions about our willingness to hear uncomfortable truths. The four princes had once asked Jeremiah to pray for the city (Jer 21:1, 2; 37:3). Now they want him dead. What changed? Not Jeremiah’s message, it was consistent for decades. What changed was the context: the war was at its worst, and the prophet’s call to surrender now seemed like treason. The group can explore how political pressure can twist even religious leaders into opponents of God.
Discussion questions
- Read vv.2-3. What specific message did Jeremiah deliver? How was it different from what the princes wanted to hear?
- The princes accused Jeremiah of weakening the soldiers’ hands (v.4). In what ways could a true prophet’s words be seen as demoralizing? When does truth-telling become a threat to a community?
- Zedekiah said, “He is in your hand; for the king can’t do anything to oppose you” (v.5). Was he powerless, or did he choose not to act? What fears may have driven him?
- Jeremiah was thrown into a mud-filled cistern (v.6). What does this act reveal about the princes’ intentions? Why not a quick execution?
- How does this story challenge our own tendency to reject messengers who bring inconvenient news? Can you think of a time you dismissed a hard truth?
- In what situations today do Christians face pressure to soften or silence a biblical message? How should they respond?
- What would it mean for our group to “go out to the Chaldeans” in a figurative sense, to accept loss for the sake of life? (See v.2)
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Chronicles 9:12 | and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; and Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; |
| Ezra 2:3 | The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two. |
| Nehemiah 7:9 | The children of Shephatiah: three hundred seventy-two. |
| Nehemiah 11:12 | and their brothers who did the work of the house, eight hundred twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, |
| Jeremiah 21:1 | The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, |
| Jeremiah 21:10 | For I have set my face on this city for evil, and not for good,” says Yahweh. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.”’ |
| Jeremiah 37:3 | Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to Yahweh our God for us.” |
| Jeremiah 37:4 | Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies the faction seeking Jeremiah's life as the "Antitheocratic" party, those opposed to God's rule. He emphasizes that Jeremiah never wavered in his testimony, knowing its truth from God. Clarke then condemns King Zedekiah's weakness for handing the prophet over to his enemies, calling him a "poor weak prince" who sacrificed an innocent man.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that Jeremiah did not speak as a private citizen but as the representative of a theocratic government, where the ruler answers directly to God. The princes held real power, and the king was too weak to refuse their demand for Jeremiah's death. The dungeon was a dry cistern, a common underground reservoir repurposed as a prison.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that Jeremiah’s imprisonment could not silence God’s word; the prophet still freely preached, and the king’s power was actually weaker than the princes’ fury. He argues the charge of weakening soldiers’ hands was a pretext, and Zedekiah’s complaint that he could do nothing against the
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the princes falsely accused Jeremiah of weakening morale, when the prophet actually urged surrender to save lives. He highlights Zedekiah's weakness in handing the prophet over, and notes the princes' disrespectful language and their choice of a miry dungeon for a slow, private death.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB argues that Jeremiah was not a traitor in urging surrender; as a divinely commissioned prophet he acted humanely by declaring what he knew God had made certain. Zedekiah's weak reply to the princes masks fear behind flattery, letting them cast Jeremiah into a mire-filled cistern.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that the princes' complaint against Jeremiah was factually correct but unjust: his message discouraged resistance, yet he spoke God's word out of love, not cowardice, to avert worse ruin. The king's weak surrender of the prophet stemmed from both moral weakness and inward rejection of God's word, not any desire to save him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry contrasts the princes' murderous hatred with the kindness shown by Ebed-melech, a foreigner and a eunuch. He notes that when God's own people turned against Jeremiah, God raised up help from an unlikely source, proving that no one is beyond the reach of His care.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes the speaker's sudden, stark realization of his own powerlessness. He notes that the king sees himself as effectively no king, completely unable to oppose or control those he addresses. They will do exactly as they please, and he can do nothing against them.