Jeremiah 38:6

38:6 So the officials ¹  took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern ²  of Malkijah, one of the royal princes, ³  that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud. ⁴ 

Psalms 69:2

69:2 I sink into the deep mire

where there is no solid ground; ⁵ 

I am in ⁶  deep water,

and the current overpowers me.

Psalms 69:14

69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!

Deliver me ⁷  from those who hate me,

from the deep water!

[38:6]  ¹ tn Heb “they.”

[38:6]  ² sn A cistern was a pear-shaped pit with a narrow opening. Cisterns were cut or dug in the limestone rock and lined with plaster to prevent seepage. They were used to collect and store rain water or water carried up from a spring.

[38:6]  ³ tn Heb “the son of the king.” See the translator’s note on Jer 36:26 for the rendering here.

[38:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “And they let Jeremiah down with ropes and in the cistern there was no water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.” The clauses have been reordered and restructured to create a more natural and smoother order in English.

[69:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”

[69:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “have entered.”

[69:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “let me be delivered.”