38:1 Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah Except for Jucal (or Jehucal), these enemies of Jeremiah are mentioned in the ot only here. Jucal was part of the pair sent to inquire of Jeremiah in 37:3.

38:2 will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague Quotes the prophecy from 21:9. See note on 14:12.

38:3 into the hand of the army of A paraphrase of the message consistently delivered to Zedekiah (compare 32:3 and 27:1–15).

38:4 he is making slack the hands of The officials perceive that Jeremiah’s prophecies of imminent defeat are bad for morale.

38:5 king is not able to do a thing against you Emphasizes how much influence the officials had over the decisions of the king. Zedekiah fears both the pro-Egyptian (vv. 4–5) and pro-Babylonian (v. 19) factions in his government.

38:6 pit of Malchiah, the son of the king A cistern was a bottle-shaped pit dug out of rock and used to store water. Cisterns varied in size, with some as deep as 120 feet; a typical cistern had a mouth about 2 feet across and was 15–20 feet deep. Cisterns full of rainwater were important for a city under siege. The fact that this cistern is empty might indicate that the city is running low on supplies. On Malchiah (also rendered “Malchijah” and “Malkijah”), see note on 21:1.

38:7 Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch His name means “servant of the king.” His title, saris, can be used generally for a court official (Gen 37:36; 2 Kgs 23:11) or specifically for a eunuch (Esth 2:3; see note on Esth 1:10). The text connects him with the region of Cush, located south of Egypt, roughly in the area of modern Ethiopia. Jeremiah is rescued by a foreigner who recognizes the injustice done to him by his own countrymen.

the Gate of Benjamin See note on Jer 20:2.

38:9 My lord the king, these men The candid confrontation of Ebed-melech (also rendered “Ebed-Melek”) with Zedekiah suggests that he has a level of familiarity and influence with the king.

he will die there because of starvation Identifies that the muddy cistern was not a place of confinement; Jeremiah was left there to die.

38:10 Take with you these thirty men Zedekiah agrees with the advice of Ebed-melech (Ebed-Melek) and commands him to take a group of men and rescue Jeremiah. He probably sends the 30 men so that the officials who want Jeremiah dead cannot interfere. This modest show of force is a rare example of Zedekiah attempting to exert his power over his advisers.

38:11 rags and worn-out clothes Ebed-melech (Ebed-Melek) shows extra concern for Jeremiah’s physical well-being by providing rags to cushion the rope used to lift him out.

38:13 they pulled Jeremiah by the ropes It would have been impossible to climb out of the bottle-shaped cistern. The only way out was by the rope lowered through the opening.

38:14 the third entrance that was at the temple of Refers to an unknown location. Possibly an infrequently used side entrance where they would not be overheard or the king’s private entrance.

you must not hide anything from me Perhaps Zedekiah believes Jeremiah was telling him the bad news but withholding any word of salvation.

38:15 you will not listen to me Jeremiah’s greatest frustration as a prophet of Yahweh is that no one listens to him (compare 37:2, 14). He knows the message is the same and that Zedekiah has ignored it before.

38:17 you will go surrender to the officials of the king of Compare 27:12–13.

38:18 the Chaldeans The Hebrew text uses “Babylonians” and “Chaldeans” interchangeably. See note on Isa 43:14.

they will burn it with fire Compare Jer 21:10.

38:19 I am afraid of the Judeans Zedekiah’s fear of those who opposed his rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar is his excuse for not surrendering.

38:20 obey the voice of Yahweh Jeremiah reassures him that the only thing Zedekiah needs to be concerned with is obeying Yahweh.

38:22 are being led out Jeremiah foresees the captivity and exile of the king’s family if Zedekiah does not surrender.

have misled you, and they have prevailed against you Zedekiah has trusted in the wrong people. This may be alluding to his reliance on Egyptian promises of support in his rebellion against Babylon.

Your feet are stuck in the mud Turns Jeremiah’s experience in the muddy cistern into an object lesson: Jeremiah was stuck, but his friends helped him escape; Zedekiah’s friends will desert him.

38:26 to not cause me to return Compare 37:20. The content of the conversation is accurate but for a different occasion. Zedekiah is afraid of the officials who want to kill Jeremiah (see vv. 4, 38:5 and note).