6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the water-hole of Malchiah, the king's son, in the place of the armed watchmen: and they let Jeremiah down with cords. And in the hole there was no water, but wet earth: and Jeremiah went down into the wet earth.
So Jeremiah came into the hole of the prison, under the arches, and was there for a long time.
Then by the order of Zedekiah the king, Jeremiah was put into the place of the armed watchmen, and they gave him every day a cake of bread from the street of the bread-makers, till all the bread in the town was used up. So Jeremiah was kept in the place of the armed watchmen.
And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it.
He took me up out of a deep waste place, out of the soft and sticky earth; he put my feet on a rock, and made my steps certain.
Take me from the grip of the sticky earth, so that I may not go down into it; let me be lifted up from the deep waters. Let me not be covered by the flowing waters; let not the deep waters go over my head, and let me not be shut up in the underworld.
See, all the rest of the women in the house of the king of Judah will be taken out to the king of Babylon's captains, and these women will say, Your nearest friends have been false to you and have got the better of you: they have made your feet go deep into the wet earth, and they are turned away back from you.
They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love.
And the king gave orders to Jerahmeel, the king's son, and Seraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the Lord kept them safe.
So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king, to the place where the clothing was kept, and got from there old clothing and bits of old cloth, and let them down by cords into the water-hole where Jeremiah was. And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put these bits of old cloth under your arms under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
They who are against me without cause have gone hard after me as if I was a bird; They have put an end to my life in the prison, stoning me with stones. Waters were flowing over my head; I said, I am cut off. I was making prayer to your name, O Lord, out of the lowest prison.
But Herod the king, because John had made a protest on account of Herodias, his brother's wife, and other evil things which Herod had done, Did this most evil thing of all, and had John shut up in prison.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Jeremiah 38
Commentary on Jeremiah 38 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 38
In this chapter, just as in the former, we have Jeremiah greatly debased under the frowns of the princes, and yet greatly honoured by the favour of the king. They used him as a criminal; he used him as a privy-counsellor. Here,
Jer 38:1-13
Here,
Jer 38:14-28
In the foregoing chapter we had the king in close conference with Jeremiah, and here again, though (v. 5) he had given him up into the hands of his enemies; such a struggle there was in the breast of this unhappy prince between his convictions and his corruptions. Observe,