ירמיהו, פרק ל״ז, פסוק י״ח

Jeremiah confronts King Zedekiah with a sharp rhetorical question, demanding a clear justification for his imprisonment. In making his case, he structures his defense in a descending order of severity, moving from the most serious potential offense down to the lightest. He begins by asking if he committed a crime against the king himself, as harming the monarch is the gravest possible offense.

Next, he mentions the king's officials and servants, representing a lesser degree of wrongdoing. Finally, he includes the common people, which would be considered the lightest offense since it does not involve any insult to royal honor. This stepped approach is designed to highlight his absolute innocence. By breaking down the kingdom from top to bottom, Jeremiah emphasizes that not only did he avoid the ultimate crime of harming the king, but he is also entirely free of even the smallest offense against an ordinary citizen [חומת אנך].