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Shephatiah 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,
Verse 1. And Phassur, the violent priest. Calmet. 20:1.—People, who might come to the entry of the prison.
“The LORD 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.’
Verse 2. Safe. Hebrew “a booty.” Calmet. 21:9.—Septuagint “like a thing found.” Calmet.—The Hebrew idiom implies that he shall most surely live. Voluntary offerings prevent eternal misery. Worthington.
The LORD says, ‘This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.’”
Then 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.”
Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in your hand; for the king can’t do anything to oppose you.”
Verse 5. Lawful. This is a compliment, or Sedecias complains indirectly that they had only left him the name of king. He grieved at the treatment of the prophet. Calmet.
Then 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.
Verse 6. Mire, up to the neck; so that he would soon have been smothered. Jos. Ant. x. 10.
Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin’s gate),
Verse 7. Eunuch. Officer over 30. verse 10. Bible.—He was afterwards rewarded. Calmet. 39:15. Calmet.—God moves some to pity the distressed, till he recompense their patience. Worthington.
Ebedmelech went out of the king’s house, and spoke to the king, saying,
“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon. He is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.”
Verse 9. City. It was useless, therefore, to add the torment of the dungeon, since he must soon have perished. Calmet.
Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies.”
So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the cords.” Jeremiah did so.
Verse 12. Arms. He was probably naked. Sanctius.
So they lifted Jeremiah up with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to himself into the third entry that is in the LORD’s house. Then the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”
Verse 14. Third, or officers of the guard’s gate, leading from the palace to the temple. 4 Kennicott. 11:19. Calmet.—Hebrew hashelishi; ( Bible.) the third denotes also an officer of the army.
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? If I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”
So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “The LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you will go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire. You will live, along with your house.
Verse 17. King. He was at Reblatha. Though an usurper, he had claims upon Sedecias, whom he had appointed ruler, on his swearing to be faithful and to pay tribute. The prophet’s advice was just. Calmet.—Even conditional prophecies are certain, and the king would have been treated differently if he had complied. But on his refusal, great misery ensued. Worthington.
But if you will not go out to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you won’t escape out of their hand.’”
Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”
Verse 19. Jews. Traitors, whom Sedecias had perhaps treated ill. Calmet.
But Jeremiah said, “They won’t deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the LORD’s voice, in that which I speak to you; so it will be well with you, and your soul will live.
But if you refuse to go out, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:
‘Behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house will be brought out to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women will say, “Your familiar friends have turned on you, and have prevailed over you. Your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned away from you.”
Verse 22. Say. At parting, bewailing thy blindness, which has entailed misery upon all. Bible.—Of peace. That is, thy false friends, promising thee peace and happiness, and by their evil counsels involving thee in misery. Challoner.—Mire. He alludes to his own treatment, ( Calmet.) which he had received from these false counsellors or princes. verse 4. Bible.
They will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. You won’t escape out of their hand, but will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. You will cause this city to be burned with fire.’”
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you won’t die.
But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king; don’t hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also tell us what the king said to you;’
then you shall tell them, ‘I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.’”
Verse 26. There. This he had actually done. Calmet. 37:19. He perhaps renewed the petition, at this interview, to satisfy the king. Bible.—We may conceal the truth, but must never speak what is false. Calmet.—“In a matter, says Puffendorf, which I am not obliged to declare to another, if I cannot with safety conceal the whole, I may fairly discover no more than a part.” Who can require a privy counsellor to reveal the king’s secret? Yet Paine accuses the prophet of duplicity! Watson.
Then all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.
So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.