Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
All this was subsequent to his imprisonment in Jonathan's house, and his release on his interview with Zedekiah (Jeremiah 37:15; Jeremiah 37:21). The latter occurred before the return of the Chaldeans to the siege; the similar events in this chapter occurred after it.
Jucal - Jehucal (Jeremiah 37:3).
Pashur - (Jeremiah 21:1: cf. Jeremiah 21:9 with Jeremiah 38:2); the deputation in Jeremiah 21:1, to whom Jeremiah gave this reply, if not identical with the hearers of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 38:1, must have been sent just before the latter "heard" him speaking the same words. Zephaniah is not mentioned here as in Jeremiah 21:1, but is so in Jeremiah 37:3. Jucal is mentioned here and in the previous deputation (Jeremiah 37:3), but not in Jeremiah 21:1. Shephatiah and Gedaliah here do not occur either in Jeremiah 21:1 or Jeremiah 37:3. The identity of his words in both cases is natural, when uttered at a very short interval, and one of the hearers (Pashur) being present on both occasions.
Unto all the people. They had free access to him in the court of the prison (Jeremiah 32:12).