Jeremiah 38:6–13
Jeremiah sinks in the mud of a cistern and Ebed-melech brings him out
Study it word by word6So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchijah son of the king, which was in the court of the guard, and they let down Jeremiah with ropes. In the cistern there was no water, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.
7And Ebed-melech the Cushite, a man, a court official, and he was in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern —now the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin—
8And Ebed-melech went out from the house of the king and spoke to the king, saying,
9“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have thrown into the cistern; and he will die where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.”
10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, saying, “Take with you from here thirty men, and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.”
11So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king, to a place under the treasury, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, and let them down to Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes.
12And Ebed-melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put, please, the old rags and the worn-out clothes under your armpits, beneath the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so.
13So they pulled Jeremiah with ropes and brought him up from the cistern; and Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard.
In its context
4And the princes said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death, for in this way he is weakening the hands of the men of war who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them words like these; for this man is not seeking the peace of this people, but evil.”
5And King Zedekiah said, “Look, he is in your hand; for the king is not able to do anything against you.”
…
14Then King Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to himself at the third entrance that was in the house of YHWH; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am asking you something; do not hide anything from me.”
15And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”
Its words in the original
- יִּקְחוּyikchu· take
Take: seize, take along, receive. Also "take a wife" (marry).
- יִרְמְיָהוּyirmyahu· Jeremiah
Jeremiah: a name meaning "YHWH raises up" or "YHWH exalts," borne by several men: best known is the prophet, son of Hilkiah, from Anathoth (Jeremiah 1:1); in 2 Kings 23:31 and 24:18 another Jeremiah, of Libnah, grandfather of two kings.
- יַּשְׁלִכוּyashlichu· throw
Throw, cast, cast away.
- בּוֹרbor· pit, cistern
Pit or cistern dug to keep rainwater; when empty, it served as a prison; also the grave.
- מַלְכִּיָּהוּmalkiyahu· Malchijah
Malchijah: the name of several Israelites. The name means "my king is YHWH."
- בֶןven· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- מֶּלֶךְmelech· Melech
Melech: a descendant of Saul, son of Micah. As a common word it means "king."
- חֲצַרchatsar· court; village
Enclosed court, courtyard; also an unwalled village.
- מַּטָּרָהmatara· target, guard
A target aimed at with arrows; elsewhere, a guard or the court of the guard (a guarded place).
- יְשַׁלְּחוּyeshalchu· send, stretch out
Send; stretch out (the hand); let go, send away, set free.
- חֲבָלִיםchavalim· region, cord, pain
In its first sense a cord, especially a measuring line; from there a region or portion measured with it; also a snare, a band of people, or the pains of birth.
- מַיִםmayim· water
Water. In Hebrew it is always plural ("waters").
- טִיטtit· mud, clay
Mud, clay; the mire of the streets or of the bottom of a pit. Also the potter's clay.
- יִּטְבַּעyitba· sink
Sink.
- יִּשְׁמַעyishma· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.
- עֶבֶדeved· Ebed-melech
Ebed-melech: a name meaning "servant of the king"; a Cushite official of King Zedekiah who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern.
- כּוּשִׁיkushi· Cushite
Cushite: a person from Cush, the region south of Egypt (toward present-day Sudan). Joab's messenger is called this (2 Samuel 18), and so is Ebed-melech, who pulled Jeremiah out of the cistern (Jeremiah 38). In the plural, the Cushites as a people. It says nothing good or bad about the person, only where they come from.
- אִישׁish· man, husband, each
Man, male; with a possessive, husband. Also "each one", "anyone". It is "ish", distinct from "adam" (human being); it is used for the man in contrast with the woman ("ishah").
- סָרִיסsaris· official, eunuch
Court official. The word can also mean eunuch.
- בֵיתvet· house, household
House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".
- מֶּלֶךְmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- נָתְנוּnatnu· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- יוֹשֵׁבyoshev· sit, dwell
Sit, sit down; from there stay in a place, live, dwell. In the causative form, settle someone, make to dwell. Also sit as judge or as king.
- שַׁעַרshaar· gate
Gate of a city. It was also the open place where the elders met, business was done and disputes were judged.
- בִּנְיָמִןbinyamin· Benjamin
Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel; also the tribe that came from him and its land. The name means "son of the right hand".
- יֵּצֵאyetse· go out, bring out
Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".
- יְדַבֵּרyedaber· speak
Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.
- אמֹרmor· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- אֲדֹנִadoni· lord, master
Lord: one who has authority over another (an owner, a husband, a superior). It is also a polite form, "my lord". Said of God, "the Lord".
- הֵרֵעוּhereu· do evil, harm
Do evil, cause harm; be bad, be displeasing ("it was evil in his eyes").
- עָשׂוּasu· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- נָּבִיאnavi· prophet
Prophet: a person to whom God speaks and who speaks in his name; he also intercedes for others.
- יָּמָתyamat· die
Die. In the causative form, kill, put to death. Hebrew can repeat the verb for emphasis ("dying you will die" = "you will surely die").
- פְּנֵיpene· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- רָעָבraav· famine, hunger
Hunger; famine, a shortage of food in a region.
- לֶּחֶםlechem· bread, food
Bread; in a wide sense, food.
- עִירir· city
City: in ancient times any settlement with protection, however small.
- יְצַוֶּהyetsave· command
Command, give an order; give charge to someone.
- יָדְyad· hand, power
Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.
- שְׁלֹשִׁיםsheloshim· thirty
Thirty; also "thirtieth".
- הַעֲלִיתָhaalita· go up, offer up
Go up, ascend, climb. It is also used for "offering" a sacrifice (making it go up), and for coming up from Egypt.
- טֶרֶםterem· not yet, before
Not yet; before.
- יָּבֹאyavo· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- אוֹצָרotsar· treasure, storehouse
A treasure, or a storehouse where something valuable is kept.
- בְּלוֹיֵbeloye· worn-out rags
Old rags, worn-out clothing.
- סְחָבוֹתsechavot· rag
Rag, piece of torn cloth.
- מְלָחִיםmelachim· rag
Rag, worn-out clothing.
- שִׂיםsim· put, set
Put, place, set; appoint, establish; make something into something.
- אַצִּלוֹתatsilot· armpit, joint
Armpit; also a joint.
- יִּמְשְׁכוּyimshchu· draw, drag; prolong
Draw, pull, drag out; also prolong, sound a long note.