And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

JEREMIAH 38:22KJV
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Jeremiah 38:22 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 38:22 mean?

Jeremiah 38:22 describes a scene where the women remaining in the royal household of Judah will be handed over to the Babylonian officials, and these women will declare that the king’s trusted friends have betrayed him, leaving him helpless and abandoned. The verse uses the image of the king’s feet being stuck in the mud to show his defeat and isolation.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to King Zedekiah of Judah during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Jeremiah warns that if the king does not surrender, the remaining women in his palace will be taken by Babylon’s princes, and they will openly say that his allies have deceived and deserted him. The verse paints a vivid picture of humiliation and betrayal, emphasizing the complete collapse of the king’s support.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 38:22

  • The word for "women" is אִשָּׁה (ishah, H802), which here refers specifically to the royal women left in the palace—likely family members and attendants—emphasizing the personal cost of the king’s downfall.
  • The phrase "thy friends" uses two words: אִישׁ (ish, H582, meaning "man" or "friend") and שָׁלוֹם (shalom, H7965, meaning "peace" or "well-being"). Together, they point to those the king trusted for safety, highlighting the irony that these supposed friends have become his undoing.
  • "Feet" is רֶגֶל (regel, H7272), and "sunk" is טָבַע (tava, H2883), with "mire" being טִיט (tit, H1206). This phrase gives a strong image of helplessness, as if the king is trapped and unable to escape, deepening the sense of despair.
  • The phrase "turned away back" uses סוּג (sug, H5472) and אָחוֹר (achor, H268), meaning to retreat or turn away, showing that those who once stood with the king have now abandoned him.

Why Jeremiah 38:22 matters

  • Jeremiah 38:22 clarifies that the king’s downfall is not just due to outside enemies but also because of betrayal by those he trusted most, making his defeat more personal and painful.
  • The verse highlights the humiliation that will come upon the royal family, especially the women, showing the total collapse of the king’s household and the consequences of ignoring prophetic warnings.
  • This verse connects to the wider message of Jeremiah, where trusting in unreliable allies and refusing to heed God’s word leads to disaster, reinforcing the prophet’s warnings to Zedekiah and Jerusalem.

Where else these words appear

“sunk” Hebrew H2883 · used in 10 verses

  • Exodus 15:4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
  • Psalms 9:15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
  • Proverbs 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

“away” Hebrew H5472 · used in 14 verses

  • Psalms 35:4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
  • Psalms 70:2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
  • Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

“on” Hebrew H5496 · used in 18 verses

  • Deuteronomy 13:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
  • 1 Kings 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

“back” Hebrew H268 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
  • Psalms 44:10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
  • Isaiah 41:23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.