Jeremiah 38:5

For the king is not he that can do anything against you.

Zedekiah weakened and ruined through fear of man

Zedekiah was one of those unfortunate characters, frequent in history, like our own Charles I. and Louis XVI. of France, who find themselves at the head of affairs during a great crisis, without having the strength of character to enable them to do what they know to be right, and whose infirmity becomes moral guilt. The princes of his court had him completely under their influence (Jeremiah 38:5). “The king is not he that can do anything against you.” This view of his character is the key to Jeremiah 38:17. The king had some sympathy with the imprisoned prophet. He had also a desire to hear the Word of the Lord; but he was afraid of the princes. He did not dare openly to show his sympathy, openly to declare his reverence for the Divine message; so he had a secret interview with him. Jeremiah’s address to the king may be divided into three parts--

(1) A prophecy,

(2) A personal defence,

(3) A request.

He declared that the King of Babylon should be victorious; he also declared his own innocence of any design against king or people, and compared his own conduct with that of the prophets who, to please the people, had spoken smooth things unto them; and he asked for some alleviation of his treatment.