Person Old Testament
Ebed-melech
Also known as Ebed-melech =ESV, KJV; Ebed-Melek =NIV
Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch in King Zedekiah's service, rescued the prophet Jeremiah from a cistern and was promised safety by God for his faith. Mentioned in 6 verses across 1 book, first at Jeremiah 38:7.
Why it matters. Ethiopian eunuch who rescued Jeremiah from a cistern
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ebed-melech
Ebed-melech was an Ethiopian eunuch who served in the court of King Zedekiah during the final days of the kingdom of Judah. He played a significant role in rescuing the prophet Jeremiah from a life-threatening situation.
When Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern by the officials who opposed his prophetic message, Ebed-melech learned of the prophet's plight (Jer.38.7). Recognizing the injustice of the situation, Ebed-melech courageously went to King Zedekiah and interceded on Jeremiah's behalf (Jer.38.8-9).
The king granted Ebed-melech permission to rescue Jeremiah, and the Ethiopian eunuch took thirty men with him to the cistern (Jer.38.10). Ebed-melech showed compassion and resourcefulness by lowering old rags and worn-out clothes for Jeremiah to use as padding under the ropes.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 6 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.