Zedekiah’s weakness as king is exposed by his response to those who want Jeremiah killed. Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.
Placed on the throne by the Babylonians, Zedekiah had very little support in the land. Many still viewed the exiled Jeconiah as their true king. The pro-Egyptian officials hold great power and influence, and Zedekiah concedes as much. Unlike Jehoiakim, there is no reason to think that Zedekiah wanted Jeremiah killed. Throughout his reign Zedekiah seems to be in awe of Jeremiah as the Lord’s prophet, but he simply does not have the courage or conviction to respond to the prophet’s message with obedience and trust. He does not see how he can defend Jeremiah against the accusations of treason that the officials have brought, even if he knows that Jeremiah has spoken the truth1. Zedekiah effectively hands Jeremiah over to be killed without explicitly calling for his execution. His actions have many parallels with the way Pontius Pilate deals with Jesus in the accounts of his trial in the Gospels (Matthew 27:1–22; Mark 15:1–15; Luke 23:1–25; John 19:1).
The officials recognize that no one will stand in their way, and they take Jeremiah and throw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard.
This appears to be a different cistern from the dungeon cells
that he was placed in previously (Jeremiah 38:16). This cistern is a hole in the ground that was probably used to store water. It is so deep that they have to use ropes to lower him down. There is no water in the cistern, but there is deep mud that Jeremiah sinks into. It is quite clear that they have left Jeremiah there to die, but they also seem to be doing all that they can to not be directly tied to his death2.
5 King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.”