Jeremiah 33:1

The Lord Promises a Second Time to Restore Israel and Judah

33:1 The Lord spoke ¹  to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse. ² 

Jeremiah 38:13

38:13 So they pulled Jeremiah up from the cistern with ropes. Jeremiah, however, still remained confined ³  to the courtyard of the guardhouse.

Jeremiah 39:15

Ebed Melech Is Promised Deliverance because of His Faith

39:15 ⁴ Now the Lord had spoken to Jeremiah while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse, ⁵ 

[33:1]  ¹ sn The introductory statement here ties this incident in with the preceding chapter which was the first time that the Lord spoke to him about the matters discussed here. There is no indication of how much time passed between the two incidents though it appears that the situation has worsened somewhat (cf. v. 4).

[33:1]  ² tn Heb “And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time…, saying.”

[38:13]  ³ tn Heb “Jeremiah remained/stayed in the courtyard of the guardhouse.” The translation is meant to better reflect the situation; i.e., Jeremiah was released from the cistern but still had to stay in the courtyard of the guardhouse.

[39:15]  ⁵ sn Jer 39:15-18. This incident is out of chronological order (see Jer 38:7-13). It is placed here either due to a desire not to interrupt the sequential ordering of events centering on Jeremiah’s imprisonment and his release (38:14–39:14) or to contrast God’s care and concern for the faithful (Ebed-Melech who, though a foreigner, trusted in God) with his harsh treatment of the faithless (Zedekiah who, though informed of God’s will, was too weak-willed in the face of opposition by his courtiers to carry it out).

[39:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he…saying.” The form of this clause is disjunctive showing that it does not follow the preceding events in either chronological or logical sequence. For a discussion of the form and function of such disjunctive clauses see IBHS 650-52 §39.2.3. This example most closely fits the description and function of example 12, Ruth 4:18, 21-22 on p. 652.