John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 37:17

"Then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Jehovah? And Jeremiah said, There is. He said also, Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon." — Jeremiah 37:17 (ASV)

From these words we learn that King Zedekiah, though he had not obeyed good and wise counsels, nor even God and his truth, was not yet one of the worst, for he himself called the Prophet to him and wished to find out if he could in any way appease God.

Here, in short, a description is given of the character of Zedekiah: he was unwilling to submit to God and his word, and yet he was not so cruel as to become enraged against the Prophet; nor had he completely cast away all fear of God, all concern for religion, and all regard for prophetic teaching.

For he no doubt sent for Jeremiah as God’s true servant, and in some degree honored him, and wished God to be favorable to him. But this is usually the case with hypocrites: they would willingly be reconciled with God, but at the same time they wish to remain free, that is, to retain their own sinful dispositions; in short, they wish to live in such a way that God would give way to them and allow them to sin as they please.

Such was Zedekiah, and yet he had not reached the height of impiety, for he still had some regard for the Prophet; nor was he as savage and cruel as his counsellors. He then called him to himself and asked him privately, so that he might not, as we shall see in another place, in any way depart from his royal dignity: for he simply asked the Prophet not to speak openly, because he would thus lose his own authority.

He then asked him in secret, because he had been perplexed. He indeed wished for some favorable answer, but he hardly dared to hope for it. Therefore, he led the Prophet to a secret place and asked him without anyone as a witness, Is there, he said, a word from God? Some explain this as though Zedekiah had asked whether the prophecies of Jeremiah were true, as though he had said, “What you have spoken until now, has it come from God?” But this is not a suitable explanation; on the contrary, he asked whether the Prophet had recently received any word from God.

He wished then for some new message, and to hear something about the future deliverance of the city, for he was no doubt persuaded that Jeremiah had until then been discharging the office of a Prophet, as was fitting for him. For he did not ask him as a common man, nor did he regard him as an impostor, but inquired whether there was a word from God. What I stated before is true: that hypocrites always seek God’s favor in a foolish way, for they would have God gratify their sinful lusts, but God cannot deny himself. Hence Zedekiah, though he apparently showed some regard for religion, yet foolishly asked whether there was a word from Jehovah – that is, whether any message had recently been made known to Jeremiah. He answered, There is, even this: You shall be delivered into the hand of the Chaldeans.

Here we may notice the boldness of the Prophet; he had not been broken down by all the evils he had met with, but always faithfully performed the office committed to him. He therefore answered the king honestly, though not without danger, You shall be delivered, he said, into the hands of the Chaldeans. For he had hardly come out of prison, where he had been buried as in a grave, and we shall see that the prison had been to him like death; and the Prophet was not divested of infirmity and fear, as he will soon show; yet fear did not prevent him from faithfully performing the office committed to him.

Though the Prophet dreaded the sufferings of the prison, though he also feared death, he yet overcame all these feelings and presented his life as a sacrifice, when he openly and boldly answered the king that the Chaldeans would soon be conquerors and make him captive. Then follows the expostulation which the Prophet made to the king—