Attention now shifts to Jeremiah, who has lived through the invasion. Nebuchadnezzar is clearly aware of the prophet’s presence in the city. He may well have heard about Jeremiah and his pro-Babylonian messages via those who had deserted Jerusalem and surrendered to his armed force. He gives specific instructions for Jeremiah to be looked after well and that no harm must come to him. Jeremiah is to be allowed the freedom to decide what happens to him. Nebuzaradan and the other Babylonian officials in Jerusalem therefore take Jeremiah from the court of the guard where he had been kept under arrest by Zedekiah and placed under the care of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Nebuchadnezzar had appointed Gedaliah as governor of Judah (2 Kings 25:22). His family had a long history of supporting Josiah and they had given Jeremiah protection during Jehoiakim’s rule (Jeremiah 26:24). As a supporter of Jeremiah, Gedaliah would have been pro-Babylonian. Jeremiah is therefore set free to live among the people
and to continue his work as the Lord’s prophet1.
There is a longer, more detailed account of Jeremiah's release in Jeremiah 40:1–6. That account says that Nebuzaradan set Jeremiah free from Ramah where he had been taken in chains with all those who were being exiled to Babylon. The most likely explanation for the difference in the two accounts is that Jeremiah 39:11–14 is a very brief summary of the events and that Jeremiah had been released from the courtyard of the guard by Nebuzaradan, but in the chaos of occupying the city, Jeremiah had been swept up with the exiles who were being taken to Babylon. Nebuzaradan therefore had to intervene and set Jeremiah free again at Ramah and bring him back to Jerusalem2.
12 “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.”