What is the meaning of Jeremiah 38:22? All the women who remain in the palace of the king of Judah Jeremiah pictures the royal household’s last occupants—its women—left behind as the Babylonians break through the city walls (Jeremiah 39:1–2). • These women would include the king’s wives, concubines, daughters, and female servants (2 Kings 24:15). • Their mention highlights the total collapse of Jerusalem’s social order; even the most protected are no longer safe (Jeremiah 13:18). • The prophecy echoes earlier warnings that judgment would begin “at the royal house” (Jeremiah 21:11–12). will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon The women are herded from the palace into enemy custody, a public display of Judah’s defeat (Jeremiah 39:3–8). • Babylon’s officials (“princes”) symbolize foreign domination and humiliation (2 Kings 25:18–20). • Being “brought out” suggests exile or servitude, fulfilling prophecies that Judah’s nobility would be carried away (Jeremiah 27:20–22). • The scene underscores that no human alliance could shield Jerusalem from divine judgment (Isaiah 39:6). and those women will say: ‘They misled you and overcame you—those trusted friends of yours.’ Stripped of security, the women voice a bitter taunt toward King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 38:17–19). • “Trusted friends” points to the king’s advisers who insisted Babylon would not prevail (Jeremiah 37:19; 38:1–4). • Their counsel, rooted in political optimism rather than obedience to God’s word, proved deceptive (Micah 3:5; Lamentations 2:14). • The women recognize that misplaced trust in false prophets and unreliable allies, not Jeremiah’s warnings, led to ruin (Jeremiah 14:13–15). Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.’ The image matches Zedekiah’s predicament: trapped, immobile, and abandoned. • “Mire” recalls Jeremiah’s own experience in the muddy cistern (Jeremiah 38:6), turning the prophet’s earlier humiliation into a metaphor for the king’s downfall. • Feet stuck in mud depict helplessness while enemies close in (Psalm 69:14–15). • The deserters are the same nobles and soldiers who fled when Babylon breached the walls (Jeremiah 39:4; Ezekiel 12:12–14). • The line exposes the emptiness of earthly power that relies on human strength instead of the Lord (Jeremiah 17:5–6). summary Jeremiah 38:22 foretells the shameful spectacle awaiting King Zedekiah: his palace women dragged before Babylonian officials, openly blaming his misplaced trust in false counselors. The verse illustrates that rejecting God’s word traps a person in a mire of helplessness, deserted by those once deemed dependable. Cross-references throughout Jeremiah and Kings confirm the literal fulfillment of this prophecy, reminding believers that genuine security rests only in wholehearted obedience to the Lord. |
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