While the princes intended to simply abandon Jeremiah to a slow death in the mud, the text highlights the depth of the cistern and the weight of the mire. This wasn't just a dirty pit; it was a place designed to immobilize and trap, showing the extreme measures taken to silence him.
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After being accused of treason and intending to flee, Jeremiah is handed over by officials to be cast into a cistern. This deep, dry pit, a dungeon belonging to Malchiah, had a thick layer of mud at the bottom, causing Jeremiah to sink into it. Their cruel intention was to leave him there to die slowly of starvation and neglect.
Imagine being lowered into a deep, dark pit, not knowing if you'll ever see the light of day again. This wasn't just any prison; it was a place designed for despair.
Jeremiah is thrown into a cistern, specifically the one belonging to Malchiah, which is located in the court of the guard. This wasn't a typical cell; it was a dry cistern, a deep pit that served as a dungeon. The word 'cistern' points to a place for storing water, common in Jerusalem, especially during sieges. When dry, these deep wells became formidable prisons. The crucial detail is that it contained 'only mud,' not water. This detail is significant because it wasn't just a place to be held, but a place to be slowly, miserably consumed. The mud would trap him, making escape impossible and life agonizing. The goal of his enemies was clear: to let him sink and be slowly suffocated or starved in this pit.
Jeremiah's enemies didn't just want him silenced; they wanted him to disappear. Yet, even in the deepest mire, God's presence is felt.
The princes who threw Jeremiah into the cistern were acting out of extreme cruelty and hardened impiety. Their motive wasn't justice, but malice. They hated Jeremiah because he faithfully delivered God's message, even when it was unpopular and foretold disaster for Jerusalem. By casting him into this muddy pit and leaving him there, they sought to achieve his death without the 'odium' of a public execution. It was a way to eliminate the prophet and his inconvenient truths. However, the narrative implicitly points to God's sovereign hand. Despite the princes' wicked intentions and the horrifying conditions, Jeremiah was not left to die. God, who is ultimately in control, would ensure his rescue. This ordeal showcases the world's wickedness against God's faithful servants, but also God's power to preserve those who belong to Him, even in the most desperate situations.
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Understand the original words
bôr · Hebrew Noun
A deep pit or underground reservoir used for storing water, often dug into rock; in a biblical context, they could be dry, dark, and dangerous places of imprisonment or death.
This event places Jeremiah's suffering in the context of Jerusalem's final, desperate days. The deep, muddy cistern, a common feature in ancient Jerusalem used for water storage, became a symbol of despair and a near-death experience, highlighting the rulers' intense hatred and the prophet's profound isolation amidst the city's collapse.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invades Judah and takes captives, including young nobles and those with special skills, to Babylon. Jeremiah is a young prophet during this time, warning Judah about the impending doom.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This event further intensifies the pressure on Jerusalem.
c. 589-587 BC
Siege of Jerusalem Begins
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem. The city faces extreme hardship, famine, and internal strife as they resist the Babylonian advance.
c. 587 BC
Jeremiah Imprisoned in Guard Courtyard
Due to his continued pronouncements of doom and advice to surrender, Jeremiah is arrested by officials and imprisoned in a dungeon within the palace guard's quarters. This is a less severe confinement than the cistern.
c. 587 BC— this verse
Jeremiah Cast into Cistern
Under the direction of officials who opposed his counsel, Jeremiah is taken from the guard courtyard and thrown into an empty, muddy cistern belonging to Malchiah, where he sinks.
c. 587 BC
Ebed-Melech Rescues Jeremiah
An Ethiopian eunuch in the king's palace hears of Jeremiah's plight and intervenes, securing permission to pull the prophet out of the cistern using old rags and ropes.
c. 587 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
After a long and devastating siege, Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians. The city is plundered, the Temple is destroyed, and a final wave of exiles is deported.
This psalm describes a deep suffering and being sunk in mud and mire, which many scholars believe reflects Jeremiah's experience in the cistern, showing a powerful parallel between the prophet's suffering and the Messianic Psalms.
Lamentations 3:53This verse speaks of being cast into a well or pit, with stones being thrown, and the sound of water not being heard, strongly echoing the physical sensations and despair Jeremiah likely felt in the miry cistern.
Zechariah 9:11This passage mentions God releasing prisoners from a dry well, highlighting the historical use of cisterns and wells as places of imprisonment, much like Jeremiah's cruel fate in the cistern of Malchiah.
John 19:34While not a direct parallel in imagery, Jesus' experience of being pierced and blood and water flowing out can be seen as a fulfillment of prophetic suffering where the 'mire' could symbolize the deep suffering and immersion in pain that He also experienced for humanity.
calvinJeremiah 38:6: "Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire."
- Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in t…
pooleJeremiah 38:6: "Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire."
Cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison; a place much of the same nature with that of which we read Jeremiah 37:16 , but in another prison. It should seem there was no passage into i…
While the princes intended to simply abandon Jeremiah to a slow death in the mud, the text highlights the depth of the cistern and the weight of the mire. This wasn't just a dirty pit; it was a place designed to immobilize and trap, showing the extreme measures taken to silence him.
After being accused of treason and intending to flee, Jeremiah is handed over by officials to be cast into a cistern. This deep, dry pit, a dungeon belonging to Malchiah, had a thick layer of mud at the bottom, causing Jeremiah to sink into it. Their cruel intention was to leave him there to die slowly of starvation and neglect.
After being accused of treason and intending to flee, Jeremiah is handed over by officials to be cast into a cistern. This deep, dry pit, a dungeon belonging to Malchiah, had a thick layer of mud at the bottom, causing Jeremiah to sink into it. Their cruel intention was to leave him there to die slowly of starvation and neglect.
"So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud." — While the princes intended to simply abandon Jeremiah to a slow death in the mud, the text highlights the depth of the cistern and the weight of the mire. This wasn't just a dirty pit; it was a p…
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Last reviewed October 2026
