Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 38:14-27

"Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of Jehovah: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me. Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hearken unto me. So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As Jehovah liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life. Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babylon`s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thy house. But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon`s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of Jehovah, in that which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live. But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that Jehovah hath showed me: behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah`s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon`s princes, and those women shall say, Thy familiar friends have set thee on, and have prevailed over thee: [now that] thy feet are sunk in the mire, they are turned away back. And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans; and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire. Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king; hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee: then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan`s house, to die there. Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived." — Jeremiah 38:14-27 (ASV)

1. Here, Jeremiah is freed from the fear of death, his safety having been granted to him by the king.

   1. The agreement for his safety is discussed.

   2. The keeping of the agreement is shown: but Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the prison (Jeremiah 38:28).

   Regarding the first point, two things are mentioned:

   1. Their mutual requests are mentioned. The king seeks a divine response or counsel: I will ask you something. This is like the exchange in 1 Kings 22:16: I adjure you again and again that you do not tell me anything in the name of the Lord except that which is true.

   2. The prophet seeks a promise of safety: but Jeremiah said to Zedekiah... His response, which can be read as either a question or a dismissal, is similar to Christ's in Luke 22:67: If I tell you, you will not believe me.

   Second, their mutual promises are given.

   1. The king first makes a promise of safety: therefore, King Zedekiah swore... I will not kill you, so that he would not be harmed. This is like the promise in Isaiah 42:6: I the Lord have called you in justice, and I have taken your hand, and saved you.

   2. The prophet gives counsel for salvation. Concerning this, he makes four points.

      1. The prophet's beneficial exhortation is mentioned: and Jeremiah said... The king is given the option to choose good or evil. Life and death are before a man, and whatever he chooses will be given to him .

      2. The king's excuse is given: and the king said... I am afraid of the Jews, whose property he had destroyed because they had deserted to the Chaldeans. As it says above in Jeremiah 9:4: Everyone is on guard against his neighbor and has no confidence in any brother, because every brother will surely supplant, and every friend will walk deceitfully.

      3. Jeremiah's rebuttal to this excuse is given: Jeremiah responded. He dismisses the king's fear, promising that if he listens to his advice, they will not hand you over. This is like the promise in Isaiah 1:19: If you are willing and will listen to me, you will eat the good things of the land.

         Jeremiah then issues a threat for what will happen if the king refuses to listen: but if you are unwilling...

         He threatens that the king will face contempt from the women: behold, all the women will say... With insults, they will reproach the foolish counsel of his friends: Your men have deceived you, as much as they could, and have prevailed, because you believed them. They will mock your men of peace, who promised you peace. This is like the warning in Isaiah 3:12: O my people, those who call you blessed are deceiving you and destroying the way of your steps.

         The resulting harm is that they have plunged your feet into the mud of sin and into a slippery place of punishment, as it is written, Let their way be dark and slippery (Psalms 34:5). Finally, their desertion is complete: they have withdrawn from you. As Sirach 6:9 says, There is a friend for his own time, and he will not remain in the day of trouble.

         Jeremiah also threatens the capture of the king's family: and all your wives... This fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 39:7: They will take some of your sons who will come forth from you, whom you will father, and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. He also threatens the capture of the king himself: and you will not escape. As Lamentations 2:22 says, On the day of the Lord’s fury, no one escaped or remained.

         Finally, he threatens the destruction of the city itself: and he will burn this city with fire. This is like the judgment in Amos 1:14: I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its houses.

      4. The king asks that the counsel Jeremiah has given be kept secret: therefore, Zedekiah said to Jeremiah...

         Concerning this, he makes three points.

         1. He asks that the counsel be kept secret: let no one know. This contrasts with the wisdom of Tobit 12:7: It is good to hide the secret of a king, but it is honorable to reveal and confess the works of God.

         2. He teaches Jeremiah the way to keep it secret: but if the princes hear... The goal is to remain silent about the full truth without speaking a falsehood. As Proverbs 10:19 says, Whoever guards his lips is most prudent.

         3. The fulfillment of the king's request is mentioned: therefore, all the princes came to Jeremiah. Jeremiah acts according to the wisdom of Proverbs 11:13: Whoever walks deceitfully reveals hidden things, but a faithful friend conceals what is entrusted to him.