ירמיהו, פרק ל״ח, פסוק כ״ז

Jeremiah's final, secret meeting with King Zedekiah ends with great tension regarding the royal ministers. During this private encounter, the prophet makes one last attempt to convince the king that surrendering is the only way to save the city and his own life. However, the royal ministers are extreme zealots who absolutely refuse to surrender. The king is afraid of them and ultimately submits to the path they dictate [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

After the meeting, the ministers confront Jeremiah to interrogate him about his discussion with the king. To hide the true nature of their conversation, Jeremiah answers them exactly as the king had instructed him. Upon hearing his response, the ministers fall silent, leave him alone, and do him no harm. The primary approach among commentators is that they drop the matter because the actual details of the meeting remain completely unknown to anyone. Since no one else was present to witness the exchange, there is no one who can contradict the prophet's account. Without any conflicting evidence, the ministers believe his story, let him go, and stop their investigation.