Jeremiah 37:16

"When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; 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. Moreover Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? Where now are your prophets that prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?"

"The dungeon-house, and the cells ..." (Jeremiah 37:16). The prison mentioned here was a huge cistern-like excavation beneath the house of Jonathan, with cells excavated into the side of it, having no light or ventilation. Inmates were expected to die from such treatment; and yet Jeremiah survived it many days.

"The king asked him secretly in his house ..." (Jeremiah 37:17). Zedekiah's secrecy was due to his fear of his ministers who hated Jeremiah and who urgently desired to murder him; but the king's conscience no doubt drove him to arrange this secret interview. Also, the conceited arrogance of the whole Jewish nation continued right down to the very day the city fell and Nebuchadnezzar removed the survivors to Babylon. Despite their consummate wickedness, they still believed Jerusalem and the temple were invulnerable and that God would yet spare them. Therefore Zedekiah asked, "Is there any word from Jehovah?"

"Wherein have I sinned against thee, etc. ..." (Jeremiah 37:18). It should be noted that Jeremiah here accused the king of being responsible for his imprisonment, pressing, at the same time, his plea of innocence from any wrong-doing.

"Where now are your prophets that prophesied, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you ..." (Jeremiah 37:19)? What a powerful argument is this! "The implication is, `Why should a truth-teller be in jail, and the tellers of lies be free'"?[19] Having laid such a foundation for it, Jeremiah skillfully presented his plea for mercy.