Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah 38:1

Pashur. See note on Jeremiah 20:1.

Jeremiah 38:2

goeth forth. Some codices add “and falleth”.

life = soul.

Jeremiah 38:4

welfare = peace.

Jeremiah 38:6

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.

Jeremiah 38:7

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

Jeremiah 38:8

Ebed-melech. Some codices add “the Ethiopian”.

Jeremiah 38:10

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

Jeremiah 38:11

old cast = cast-off clothes.

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

Jeremiah 38:12

armholes = armpits.

Jeremiah 38:13

remained. See note on Jeremiah 37:18.

Jeremiah 38:14

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

Jeremiah 38:15

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

Jeremiah 38:16

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.

Jeremiah 38:17

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”.

Jeremiah 38:19

afraid = apprehensive.

Jeremiah 38:22

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.

Jeremiah 38:23

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.

Jeremiah 38:27

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”.

Jeremiah 38:28

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