Jeremiah 38:1-6 Meaning: When the Truth Turns Friendly Leaders Hostile
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did princes who once sought Jeremiah's prayers now demand his death? This passage shows the danger of hearing truth we refuse to obey.
Context
The scene is the final months of Jerusalem's siege, around 589 BC. Jeremiah had been moved from a dark dungeon to the court of the guard, where he could speak more freely. Four high-ranking officials heard him repeating the same message: surrender to the Chaldeans is the path to life; resistance leads to death. Two of those men, Pashhur and Jucal, had previously asked Jeremiah to pray for the city (Jeremiah 21:1, 37:3). But now they did not come seeking prayer. They came as accusers. They went to King Zedekiah, charging Jeremiah with weakening the soldiers' morale. The king, weak and afraid, handed the prophet over. The princes took Jeremiah and threw him into a muddy cistern, intending to silence him forever. The passage shows what happens when people hear God's word but refuse to obey it.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words open the scene in ways we might miss. First, the princes accuse Jeremiah of making the soldiers' hands weak (raphah, H7503). The word means to let drop, sink, or become slack. It is the same word used for lowering ropes or letting go. They said Jeremiah caused the warriors' hands to go limp. But the real reason their hands dropped was not Jeremiah's words, it was their own rebellion against God.
Second, they claimed Jeremiah did not seek the welfare of the people (darash H1875 + shalom H7965). Darash means to search out or require with care. Shalom means peace, wholeness, well-being. In a terrible reversal, they accused the one messenger of mercy of being an enemy of peace. The truth was the opposite: his call to surrender was the only path to shalom.
Third, Jeremiah's message promised that those who surrendered would have their life for a prey (nephesh H5315, shalal H7998). Shalal is the spoil a soldier carries home from battle. The prophet said life itself would be their plunder, a gift snatched from destruction. The princes saw surrender as defeat. God saw it as deliverance.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions read this passage as a sobering portrait of resistance to God's word. Adam Clarke (Methodist) called Zedekiah a 'poor weak prince' who 'sacrificed an innocent man to his own weakness.' John Calvin (Reformed) described the princes' actions as 'extreme presumption and cruelty.' Matthew Henry (Reformed) emphasized the king's failure to protect the prophet. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary (Protestant) notes that if Jeremiah had no divine commission, he might be guilty of treason, but speaking as God's representative he 'acted humanely.' Across these readings, the passage warns against silencing uncomfortable truth and challenges readers to examine their own hearts when they hear what they do not want to accept.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that Jeremiah was being unpatriotic by advising surrender to the enemy. In fact, he was delivering God's message, and the call to surrender was merciful, it was the only way for people to survive. As Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes, having a divine commission, Jeremiah 'acted humanely as interpreter of God's will.' His word was not treason; it was a path to life.
Living This Out
This week you may hear a truth you do not like, from Scripture, a sermon, or a close friend. It may challenge a comfortable opinion or call you to change direction. Your first impulse might be to push back, to find fault with the messenger. The princes heard the same message they had always heard, but now it demanded something from them. They chose to silence the prophet. You probably won't throw anyone into a cistern, but you can be tempted to ignore or belittle a hard truth. Ask God for grace to listen humbly. And if you are the one called to speak an unpopular truth, trust that the message of life is worth the risk, even if it lands you in the mud.
Main takeaway: Jeremiah's warning was a word of life in disguise, but those who heard it chose to attack the messenger instead.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The prophet Jeremiah told people God's message, but some leaders got very angry. They put him down a deep, muddy hole. God saw Jeremiah and did not forget him.
For ages 9, 12
Jeremiah kept telling the truth even when it was dangerous. The leaders did not want to hear it, so they threw him into a cistern, a big, empty water tank, with mud at the bottom. They wanted to silence him. But God was with Jeremiah, and soon a man named Ebed-Melech came to rescue him. When you hear something true but hard, remember Jeremiah. Ask God for courage to listen, and to stand with those who speak the truth.
Questions People Ask
Why did the princes want to kill Jeremiah?
They had heard Jeremiah's prophecy that those who remain in Jerusalem would die and those who surrender to the Babylonians would live. They accused him of weakening the soldiers' morale and seeking the people's harm, not their welfare. But really, they did not want to accept God's message of surrender. They saw Jeremiah as a traitor, though he was speaking God's word to save lives.
Was Jeremiah being a traitor when he told people to surrender?
No. Jeremiah was a prophet delivering God's message. The kingdom of Judah had broken its covenant with God, and judgment was coming. Jeremiah's call to surrender was actually merciful, it was the only way for people to escape death by sword, famine, or plague. Commentators note that if he spoke without divine commission, he might be guilty, but he spoke as God's representative.
Why did King Zedekiah hand Jeremiah over to the princes?
Zedekiah was a weak king. He respected Jeremiah but was afraid of the powerful princes. He said, 'He is in your hand; for the king can't do anything to oppose you.' Instead of protecting the prophet, he gave in to pressure. His fear led him to abandon an innocent man.
What does it mean that Jeremiah 'weakened the hands' of the soldiers?
The Hebrew word 'raphah' means to let drop, sink, or become slack. The princes accused Jeremiah of making the warriors lose heart and courage. They viewed his message as demoralizing. But in truth, Jeremiah was speaking reality: resistance was futile apart from repentance. The hands dropping were a symptom of a deeper spiritual failure, not Jeremiah's fault.
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