Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 38

Verse 1

Pashur. See note on Jeremiah 20:1 .

Verse 2

goeth forth. Some codices add "and falleth".

life = soul.

Verse 4

welfare = peace.

Verse 6

dungeon. See note on Jeremiah 37:16 .

Hammelech = the king. See note on Jeremiah 36:26 .

prison = house of detention.

sunk in the mire. To be preferred to the moral sinking of Zedekiah in Jeremiah 38:22 .

Verse 7

Ebed-meleoh the Ethiopian. See Jeremiah 39:16 ; and compare Acts 8:27-38 .

Verse 8

Ebed-melech. Some codices add "the Ethiopian".

Verse 10

thirty. The king knew the danger. No need to suppose that "thirty" is a copyist's error for "three"!

Verse 11

old cast = cast-off clothes.

clouts = patches. Ang. -Sax. clut = a patch.

Verse 12

armholes = armpits.

Verse 13

remained. See note on Jeremiah 37:18 .

Verse 14

Then, &c. This is the last picture of Zedekiah, and the house of Judah.

Verse 15

wilt thou not . . . me? = thou wilt not. This second clause is not a question in the Hebrew text.

Verse 16

As the LORD liveth = By the life of Jehovah.

soul. Hebrew. nephesh ( App-13 ): i.e. May He Who gave us both our life, take mine away if I take thine, or give thee, &c.

Verse 17

the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 35:17 .

the God of hosts. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, omit "God", and read "Jehovah Z baioth, God of Israel".

Verse 19

afraid = apprehensive.

Verse 22

princes. Showing that Nebuchadnezzar himself was not there. Compare Jeremiah 39:1 .

set thee on = persuaded thee. See note on Jeremiah 20:7 .

sunk in the mire. The moral sinking of Zedekiah far worse than Jeremiah's physical sinking.

Verse 23

children = sons.

thou shalt cause this city to be burned. Hebrew thou wilt burn. Note the idiom by which the act is put for the declaration that it should be done.

Verse 27

he told them, &c. In Holy Scripture we have an inspired record of what was said and done by others, but it does not follow that all that was so said and done was inspired.

commanded. Some codices, with Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, add "him".

Verse 28

abode. See the note on Jeremiah 37:16 . further date: viz. "in the tenth day of the month".