The oracle of deliverance for Ebed

Melech the cushite An exegetical

theological study of Jer 38 1 13 and 39
15 18 African Theological Studies
Etudes Théologiques Africaines Book
22 Musinguzi
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 Deusdedit Musinguzi

The oracle of deliverance for

Ebed-Melech, the cushite
An exegetical-theological study of Jer 38,1-13 and
39,15-18
Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche
Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available online at
http://dnb.d-nb.de (http://www.dnb.d-nb.de).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of
Congress.

ISSN 2196-0615
ISBN 978-3-631-82800-7 (Print)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-83364-3 (E-PDF)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-83365-0 (EPUB)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-83366-7 (MOBI)
DOI 10.3726/b17494

© Peter Lang GmbH

Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Berlin 2020
All rights reserved.

Peter Lang – Berlin · Bern · Bruxelles · New York ·

Oxford · Warszawa · Wien

All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilisation

outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of
the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in
particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and
processing in electronic retrieval systems.

This publication has been peer reviewed.

www.peterlang.com (http://www.peterlang.com)
About the author

Deusdedit Musinguzi (1977) holds bachelor’s degree in philosophy &

social studies and master’s in religious & theological studies –
Makerere University, Kampala; bachelor’s in theological studies –
Pontifical Urban University; master’s in biblical exegesis – Pontifical
Biblical Institute; and doctorate in biblical theology – Pontifical
Gregorian University, Rome.
About the book

This book examines the oracle of deliverance that Yhwh

communicated to Ebed-melech, the Cushite (Jer 39,15-18). In
order to comprehend this analeptically presented promise,
however, the research also scrutinizes two other related events in
Jeremiah’s mission in the context of Jer 37–39: i) the unpleasant
incident in which the Jerusalem officials maliciously threw the
Lord’s messenger into the muddy cistern (Jer 38,1–6) and ii)
Ebed-melech’s benevolent intervention to rescue the prophet
from the water reservoir (Jer 38,7-13). In this monograph, the
author uses the historical-critical method and rhetorical &
narrative analyses.
Citability of the eBook

This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have

marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word
straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at
exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that
occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.
Preface

Jeremiah and his troubled ministry have aroused great interest

among biblical scholars. They have produced numerous
publications on the so-called «Confessions of Jeremiah», five
autobiographic texts scattered from chapter 11 to chapter 20 of
the book, where Jeremiah complains about the suffering he has
experienced during his prophetic ministry. The same cannot be
said about the passages on Ebed-Melech, the Cushite who saved
Jeremiah from death, and his oracle of salvation (Jer 38:1–13 and
39:15–18). Only a few authors such as Gene Rice, Georg Molin,
Hannelis Schulte, and Tom Parker have deepened our
understanding of the texts concerning the life of this “servant of
the king”, a foreigner from Cush (the present Sudan and the
northern part of Ethiopia). Deusdedit Musinguzi, a young priest
from Uganda, which is directly south of Sudan, has now written
the first full monograph devoted to the life of Ebed-melech.
Musinguzi’s primary interest is to give this remarkable
character the attention that he deserves. The scope of his
investigation – as the author states in the introduction – “is to
analyze exegetically and theologically the intervention of Ebed-
melech in the intricate historical events in Judah and his ability
to thwart the decision of the nobles of the land, despite his status
as a foreigner” (p.26). Ebed-melech played a very momentous
role in the life of Jeremiah and in the history of Judah in the days
shortly before the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Moved by his
passion for justice and by his respect both for human life and for
Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry, he saved Yhwh’s messenger from
suffering and dying in the cistern into which his enemies cast
him. By this act, Ebed-melech challenged the political authorities,
especially the king, to have greater respect for human life and to
recognize that Jeremiah acted in obedience to a divine message
that justified his prophetic mission.
In his fourth chapter, Musinguzi explores the “Theological
significance and socio-political implications” of Ebed-Melech’s
oracle of salvation and its relevance not only in the history of
Judah but also in the world today. He refers particularly to some
African countries where tribalistic and sectarian tendencies still
prevail that call for a prophetic denunciation.
According to Musinguzi, “The Cushite actively and personally
practiced humanness, a way of life akin to Ubuntu, an African
philosophical concept that recognizes and emphasizes the dignity
of the other person and the innate duty to defend him or her,
among other meanings”. May this – at least until now – forgotten
biblical figure become an inspiring model for all who feel called
to stand against injustice!
I hope that Deusdedit Musinguzi may continue his research
and that this first academic publication may be followed by many
other contributions to biblical research for the benefit of
academia, the Church and society in the years to come.
Prof. Nuria Calduch-Benages
Rome, 24th May 2020
Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ
Foreward

The present study, with some modifications, is the majority of a

dissertation that was submitted and defended in May 2019 at the
Pontifical Gregorian University for the award of doctorate in
biblical theology. The author’s interest in Ebed-melech’s life and
oracle, just like general passion for Jeremiah’s mission and
prophetic literature in general, was aroused by Prof. Pietro
Bovati’s lectures on Jer 30–31.
When reading Jeremiah’s life and prophecies, one is impressed
by elements like: The Lord’s promise to deliver and protect him
from his adversaries (Jer 1,19; 15,20–21); The prophet’s insistent
call upon Judah to maintain a faithful relationship with God (Jer
11,1–8; 34,13–16); Yhwh’s promise of restoration to his people,
even by announcing a new and everlasting covenant (Jer 30–33);
His promise of protection to Ebed-melech, a foreigner (Jer
39,15–18), while he announced desolation for Judah (Jer 1,14–
16; 27–29), and the subsequent accomplishment of the latter (Jer
39,1–10), among other themes.
Originally encouraged by Prof. Michael P. Maier and later
reaffirmed by Prof. Nuria Calduch-Benages the author decided to
begin and carry forward a systematic study of the essential
elements of the oracle of deliverance promised to Ebed-melech,
its connotations in biblical faith and its socio-political
implications in the modern world, with reference to some African
nations. The interest in Africa is sparked by two factors: (i) Ebed-
melech was an African, from Cush [Sudan]. (ii) The author hails
from Uganda, a country located south of Sudan.
Acknowledgment

Special gratitude to God the Father for the gift of life, the Son for
his abiding love and the Holy Spirit for his inspiration. Indeed it
is not from chance that our comfort and success spring (Pss 37;1–
21). Profound thankfulness to the Blessed Virgin Mary for her
maternal love, graceful presence in my life, vocation and
academic journey. I am indebted to my dad and mom (Mr.
Bwesigye Gabriel and Mrs. Bwesigye Tumubweine Maria
Goretti); my siblings: Polycarp Twesigye, Alex Ninsiima and
Justus Mubangizi; and Pelagia Kwesiga our adopted sister. Their
sacrifices, support, love and prayers have shaped the person that
I am today.
Heartfelt thankfulness to my Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Callist
Rubaramira (Kabale Diocese – Uganda) for the opportunity he
offered me to deepen my knowledge of the bible, through biblical
sciences and biblical theology and for his constant paternal
support to achieve the same. I am grateful to Msgr. Lazarus
Kabasharira (R.I.P) for his inspirations to me, to my brother
priests and the lay faithful of Kabale diocese for their love and
brotherhood.
Particular recognition to Bishops Francis Aquirinus Kibira and
Joseph Eciru Oliach for having oriented me in the biblical
languages, biblical studies and for their continual encouragement
in this academic journey. Great thanks to the professors at the
Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome) for the good foundation they
offered me in biblical sciences. I am pleased to be associated with
the biblical theology department of the Gregorian University in
Rome. I thank Prof. Michael P. Maier, for having inspired me to
study the theme concerning Ebed-melech, the Cushite. I
recognize with profound thankfulness the contribution and
expertise of Prof. Nuria Calduch-Benages under whose timely
intervention like Deus ex machina, precise and punctual
guidance I concluded this research. I am equally grateful to her
for honoring me with a preface to this monograph and for
motivating me to advance in biblical research. I also thank Prof.
Elzbieta M. Obara for her constructive observations and
recommendations. Thanks to Prof. Luca Mazzinghi who presided
over the panel that assessed this study.
Through the pastoral office, I thank the Archbishop of Milan
Archdiocese, Mons. Mario Delpini, for having welcomed me into
his diocese. I recognize the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana and
the Gregorian University, through their sponsorship schemes, for
their financial help toward the completion of this research.
Exceptional credit to don Adelio Mario Brambilla (Milan
Archdiocese) and signor Eracchio Isella, for their financial,
spiritual and moral support in every step of this academic
journey.
Joyful recognition of my friends from Parrocchia Santo
Spirito, Città studi (Milan); the parish community of
Sant’Antonio Abate (Valmadrera) for financial and moral
support. Thanks to don Isidoro Crepaldi, parish priest of the
latter and don Tommaso Nava his assistant, for having granted
me the right atmosphere that I needed in the final phase of this
research. A lot of thanks to signor Nicola Perego the president of
Fondazione Mons. Giulio Parmigiani, administration, staff and
tutti gli alunni for their support, love and friendship. My services
with you and among you as a volunteer teacher and professor
have enriched my human and professional formation.
Earnest thankfulness to Pastor Thomas Wieners and the
friends of Pfarrgemeinde St. Marien Wassenberg (Diocese of
Aachen) for their support and for facilitating the deepening of my
knowledge of the German language. I recognize the contribution
of don Antonino Savino (parish priest), don Felice Lambardi and
the parish community of Concattedrale di Maria Assunta
(Policastro Bussentino); Don Giosùe Lombardo (parish priest)
and friends from the basilica of Santa Croce (Torre del Greco).
Thanks to the rectors (P. Claudio Sant’Angelo and P. Giuseppe
Guerra) and community of convitto Leoniano (where I stayed
from October 2014 to June 2018) and the priest-students’
community, esp. Frs. James Muriithi Wairi and Isaac Sogli
Chorikawe, for their friendship and moral support.
To all my university colleagues and friends (Fr. Dr. Michael
Kodzo Mensah; Rev. Frs. John Makoni, Gonzalo Martìn
Bartolomé, etc.), thanks for your love, support and prayers. Many
people have notably contributed to the success of this study. It is
impossible to mention everyone by name, but I am sincerely
grateful to all of you my friends and I pray for you.
Heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Matthew Levering, who despite the
heavy schedules, generously and attentively proofread this
publication. I am grateful to signor Roberto Sole and signor
Giuseppe Sole of Libreria Sole (Rome) for their generous
assistance in typesetting this book. Finally, but not least, sincere
appreciation to Peter Lang publishing group, especially the
editors of African Theological Studies for publishing this research
in their esteemed series.

Deusdedit Musinguzi
Rome, 3rd June 2020
Feast of the Uganda Martyrs
Table of contents

Signs and abbreviations

Journals, series and abbreviated titles

Grammatical and other special abbreviations

Introduction
1. Theme and scope of the study
2. Status quaestionis
3. Uniqueness and limits
4. Content and outline
5. Methodology
6. Choice between MT and LXX

Chapter I: Contexts and characters (Jer 37–39)

1. Historical context
1.1 Babylonian siege
1.2 Internal discrepancies
1.3 Social atmosphere
2. Literary context
2.1 Proposed structure
 2.2 Extensive sequence
2.3 Apparent repetitions
3. Characters
3.1 God
3.2 Jeremiah
3.3 Zedekiah
3.4 Nebuchadnezzar
3.5 Zedekiah’s officials
3.6 Nebuchadnezzar’s officials
3.7 Ebed-melech
3.8 Ebed-melech’s aides
Excursus 1: Cush and the Cushites

Chapter II: Jeremiah in and out of the cistern (Jer

38,1–13)
1. Immediate context (Jer 38,1–28)
2. Narrative structure (Jer 38,1–13)
3. Jeremiah thrown into the cistern (Jer 38,1–6): Scene
I
3.1 Delimitation of the text
3.2 Text-criticism and translation
3.3 Rhetoric analysis
3.4 Narrative analysis
4. Jeremiah drawn out of the cistern (Jer 38,7–13):
Scene II
4.1 Delimitation of the text
 4.2 Text-criticism and translation
4.3 Rhetoric analysis
4.4 Narrative analysis
5. Exegetical issues
5.1 Sword, famine and pestilence
5.2 One’s life as booty
5.3 Not seeking peace but evil
5.4 Sitting in the gate
5.5 Significance of thirty men
Excursus 2: Ebed-melech, the Cushite in Judah

Chapter III: God’s promise of deliverance to Ebed-

melech (Jer 39,15–18)
1. Literary genre and form
2. Specific literary context (Jer 39,1–18)
3. Judgment for Zedekiah (Jer 39,1–10): Scene I
3.1 Delimitation of the text
3.2 Text-criticism and translation
3.3 Narrative analysis
3.4 Parallel texts
4. The liberation of Jeremiah (Jer 39,11–14): Scene II
4.1 Delimitation of the text
4.2 Text-criticism and translation
4.3 Narrative analysis
4.4 Parallel text (Jer 40,1–6)
5. Salvation for Ebed-melech (Jer 39,15–18): Scene III
 5.1 Delimitation of the text
5.2 Text-criticism and translation
5.3 Rhetoric analysis
6. Exegetical issues
6.1 Flight to the wilderness
6.2 Darkness and blindness
6.3 Massive slaughter of humans
6.4 Meaning of «on that day»
6.5 To deliver and to give into the hands
6.6 Trust in God or in mortal potency

Chapter IV: Theological significance and socio-political

implications
1. Theological significance
1.1 God’s commitment to his promises
1.2 Trust and deliverance
1.3 Judgment and redemption
1.4 Universality of Jeremiah’s mission
1.5 Rejection of God’s messengers
1.6 Jeremiah’s grief and Jesus’ passion
2. Social and political implications
2.1 Origin and scope of authority
2.2 Contemporary prophets and prophetism
2.3 Religion and politics
2.4 Justice and peace today
2.5 Compassion for the vulnerable
Conclusion
1. Twofold prophetic message
2. Jeremiah’s symbolic life and actions
3. The potency of active faith
4. Divergent points of view
5. Aliens and natives in God’s plan

Appendices
Appendix 1: A cross-section of cisterns
Appendix 2: Sectional drawing of a cistern

Bibliography

Index of the authors

Signs and abbreviations

Journals, series and abbreviated titles

ACODE-PDS Advocates Coalition for Development and

Environment – Policy Dialogue Series
AFER African Ecclesial Review

A.JPAS Africology. The Journal of Pan African Studies

AJT Asian Journal of Theology

AFS American Folklore Society

AKM Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes

AM-TBBB Athenäums Monografien – Theologie Bonner

Biblische Beiträge
AnBib Analecta Biblica

AnBib.S. Analecta Biblica. Studia

AncB Anchor Bible

ANE Ancient Near East

AOTC Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries

AT Antico Testamento

ATD Das Alte Testament Deutsch

ATR Anglican Theological Review

AUSS Andrews University Seminary Studies

BA Biblical Archaeologist

BAR British Archaeological Reports

BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental

Research
BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research

BC Biblioteca Cristiana

BevTh Beiträge zur evangelischen Theologie

Bibi Biblioteca biblica

BibInt Biblical Interpretation

BiLiSe Bible and Literature Series

BIS Biblical Interpretation Series

BN Biblische Notizen

BSac Bibliotheca Sacra

BST The Bible Speaks Today

BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin

BWANT Beiträge zu Wissenschaft vom Altem und Neuen

Testament
BZ Biblische Zeitschrift

BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die

Alttestamentlische Wissenschaft
CBC Cambridge Bible Commentary
CBQ The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CCC The Crossway Classic Commentaries

CBI The Century Bible Illustrated

CHANE Culture and History of the Ancient Near East

CHCB Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible

CMAA Cambridge Monographs in African Archeology

COT Commentary on the Old Testament

DCLY Deuteronomical and Cognate Literature

Yearbook
EAT Estudios del Antiguo Testamento

EBC The Expositor’s Bible Commentary

EdF Erträge der Forschung

AJET Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology

EpwCom Epworth Commentaries

ET The Expository Times

ETL Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses

EvQ The Evangelical Quarterly

EvTh Evangelische Theologie

FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des

Alten und Neuen Testaments
Fs. Festschrift

GKC Kautzsch E. – Cowley S. A.E. (eds.) Gesenius’

Hebrew Grammar, Oxford 19104
GSAT Guide Sprituali all’Antico Testamento

HAT Handbuch zum Alten Testament

HBM Hebrew Bible Monographs

HOS Handbook of Oriental Studies

HSM Harvard Semitic Monographs

HKAT Hand Kommentar zum AltenTestament

HThKAT Herders Theologischer Kommentar zum Alten

Testament
HTR Harvard Theological Review

HTS Hervormde Teologiese Studies

ICC International Critical Commentary

ICJ International Congregational Journal

IntB Interpreter’s Bible

Interp. Interpretation. A Journal of Bible and Theology

ISBL Indiana Studies in Biblical Literature

ISHR International Studies in the History of Rhetoric

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JBQ Jewish Bible Quarterly

JCAS Journal of Contemporary African Studies

JESOT Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old

Testament
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theology Society
JITC Journal of the Inter denominational
Theological Center
JL.Sp Janua Linguarum. Serie practica

JME Journal of Moral Education

Joüon – Joüon P. – Muraoka T., A Grammar of Biblical

Muraoka Hebrew, SB 27 Rome 20062, reprint 2009

JQR The Jewish Quarterly Review

JRA Journal of Religion in Africa

JRT Journal of Religious Thought

JTS The Journal of Theological Studies

JTSA Journal of Theology for Southern Africa

JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

JSOT.S Journal for the Study of the Old Testament.

Supplement Series
KHC Kurzer Hand-Kommentar zum Alten Testament

KJV King James Version

LJK Lust-Eynikel-Hauspie: J. Lust – E. Eynikel –

K. Hauspie, Greek-English Lexicon of the
Septuagint, Revised Edition, Leuven 1996
LA Liber Annuus

LHB Library of Hebrew Bible

MHUC Monographs of the Hebrew Union College

NAC The New American Commentary

NBE Nueva Biblia Española

NColBC – OT New Collegeville Bible Commentary – Old
Testament
NEB Die Neue Echter Bibel: Kommentar zum Alten
Testament mit der Einheitsübersetzung
NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NSBTh New Studies in Biblical Theology

OBT Overtures to Biblical Theology

OTE Old Testament Essays

OTG Old Testament Guides

OTL Old Testament Library

OTS Old Testament Studies

OTSt Oudtestamentische Studiën

OTSSA Old Testament Society in South Africa

OTWSA Ou Testamentiese Werkgemeenskap von Suid

Afrika
PEQ Palestine Exploration Quarterly

RAHLFS Septuaginta edidit Alfred Rahlfs, edition

altera, 2006.
RB Revue Biblique

RFIA The Review of Faith & International Affairs

SAJP South African Journal of Philosophy

SARS South African Review of Sociology

SB Subsidia Biblica
SBLAIL Society of Biblical Literature. Ancient Israel and
its Literature
SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series

SBT Studies in Biblical Theology

SCJ Stone-Campbell Journal

SEÅ Svensk Exegetisk Årsbok

SHBC Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary

Siphrut Literature and Theology of the Hebrew

Scriptures
SOTSM The Society for Old Testament Study
Monographs
StRh Studia Rhetorica

Tel Aviv Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel

Aviv University
THAT Theologisches Handwörterbuch zum Alten
Testament
TR Theological Review of the Near East School of
Theology
ThWAT/TWAT Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Alten
Testament
ThWNT Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen
Testament
ThWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

ThZ Theologische Zeitschrift

TOP Tangaza Occasional Papers

TOTC Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

USQR Union Seminary Quarterly Review

VT.S Vetus Testamentum Supplements

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

WBCo. Westminister Bible Companion

WBG Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft

WC Westminster Commentaries

WMANT Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament

WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen

Testament
ZAW Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft
ZBK.AT Zürcher Bibelkommentare. Altes Testament

Grammatical and other special abbreviations

abs. absolute

A.D anno Domini

B.C. before Christ

C The Cairo Codex of the Hebrew Prophets

c. circa or about

cf. confer

chap. chapter

conj. conjunction

e.g. exempli gratia or for example

etc. et cetera

ed. editor

eds. editors

esp. especially

fem. feminine

Id. Idem

i.e. id est or that is

imp. imperative

impf. imperfect

impl. implication

inf. infinitive

inf.abs. infinitus absolutus

JerLXX Jeremiah’s Septuagint Text

JerMT Jeremiah’s Masoretic Text

juss. jussive

lit. literal

LXX Septuagint

LXXBS Septuagint – codex Vaticanus and codex Sinaiticus

LXXOL Septuagint – textus Graecus ex recensione Origenis and

textus Graecus ex recensione Luciani
masc. masculine

Ms/Mss Manuscript/Manuscripts
MT Masoretic Text

n. note

NT New Testament

obj. object

OT Old Testament

partic. participle

pers. person or personal

pl. plural

prep. Preposition

SA Syriac – codex Ambrosianus

SW Syriac – versio Syriaca secundum polyglottam

Londinensem
sing. singular

subj. subject

suff. suffix

Sym. Symmachus

Syr. Syriac

Targ. Targum

Theod. Theodotion

trans. translation

v./vv. verse/verses

v.form verbal form

Vulg. Vulgate

/ or

// parallel

#/## number/numbers

§/§§ paragraph/paragraphs

+ve positive

−ve negative
Introduction

Jeremiah is often thought of as either the weeping prophet for his

lamentations, or the prophet of doom and gloom for his many
announcements of judgment. But words of hope in the form of
oracles of salvation can be found in the midst of passages of
accusation and destruction1.

Keywords: Oracle, deed, reward, cistern, rhetoric, narrative

1 Theme and scope of the study

In this study, special attention is devoted to the promise of

deliverance that Yhwh (through prophet Jeremiah)
communicated to Ebed-melech, the Cushite (Jer 39,15–18).
However, in order to comprehend this analeptically presented
divine oath, it is vital to examine two other correlated events in
Jeremiah’s life and mission. First, the author cautiously examines
the unpleasant incident in which the Jerusalem officials
maliciously threw the Lord’s messenger into the muddy cistern
(Jer 38,1–6). Second, he carefully scrutinizes Ebed-melech’s
exceptionally benevolent intervention and successful endeavor to
rescue the prophet from the mud-covered water reservoir (Jer
38,7–13)2.
Considering what he said and did, Ebed-melech ought to have
been rewarded for having saved God’s envoy from the cistern (Jer
38,13) in which he had been thrown by Zedekiah’s officials (Jer
38,6). From the human point of view, Henry L. Ellison rightly
concludes that God saved Ebed-melech at the time of the total
destruction of Jerusalem and her inhabitants simply because the
latter had protected Jeremiah the prophet3. Paradoxically, he
received the guarantee of liberation owing to his trust in Yhwh.
This is expressed in the Lord’s explicative statement: ‫ִּכ י־ָב ַט ְח ָּת ִּב י‬
«because you trusted in me» (Jer 39,18). God assured him that
his life would be protected «as a prize of war» (‫ )ְל ָׁש ָלל‬for having
manifested his confidence in him (the Lord). He demonstrated
his reliance in the Lord by his zeal for justice, magnificent
compassion and courage to take action in favor of Jeremiah, the
prophet. On the contrary, the same Yhwh punished Judah, her
king, his officials and nobles for their disobedience as narrated in
Jer 37–39. The narrative points to the fact that He let them face
the awful consequences (39,1–10) of their refusal of his plan of
salvation for them (38,1–3).
The gist of Ebed-melech’s oracle is the promise of personal
salvation, a reward that he did not claim for his heroic speech
and achievement. Moreover, though he was a foreigner, he
apparently behaved more compassionately and righteously than
the officials and all their other Jewish counterparts in Jerusalem.
Through the intervention of Ebed-melech, God once more
confirmed his abiding presence to his faithful minister – the
prophet. At the same time, he proved his supreme care for those
who unconditionally hope in him irrespective of their race, color
and social status. While he assured deliverance to a trustful
foreigner, he chastised the contemporary disloyal and untrusting
king and the entire rebellious house of Judah. Ebed-melech, the
Cushite4 was promised what king Zedekiah and the Jews
forfeited – life as reward for obedience and faith in God. In such
a case, we note that submission and trust are closely related
because both of them consist in unquestioning compliance with
the Lord’s stipulations for humankind.
According to the mode in which the narrator presented it, as
well as its essential components, Ebed-melech’s oracle of
deliverance is extraordinary in prophetic and biblical literature
generally considered. In fact, when prophets gave oracles to
individuals, these communications usually consisted of
judgment. For example Amos cursed Amaziah (Amos 7,14–17);
and Jeremiah pronounced condemnation for Pashhur and
Hananiah, that is, Jer 20,1–6 and 28,12–17 respectively5. Yhwh’s
promise to Ebed-melech is therefore unusual since it was an
assurance of deliverance, proclaimed to an individual, who was
neither a king nor a Jew6.
The proclamation of salvation to the Cushite is parallel to
extra-biblical literature oracles, which were often delivered to
kings as individuals7. However, even then these rulers
represented the people whom they governed. In such a case, the
oracle that the sovereigns received as singular persons
encompassed all the people under their jurisdiction8. This makes
Ebed-melech’s personal oracle of deliverance even more
significant and fascinating than it ordinarily appears. In general
terms, much as it applied to him as an individual who trusted in
God, the parameters of his deed and reward surpass him as an
isolated character, extending even beyond Cush – his nation.
Ebed-melech’s accomplishment and recompense express
widespread and perennial humane, theological, social and
political connotations which this research explores.
 Ebed-melech played a very momentous role in the life of
Jeremiah and in the history of Judah in the days shortly before
the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Moved by his passion for justice,
respect for human life and prophetic ministry, he saved Yhwh’s
messenger from the death intended for him in the cistern. By this
act, he challenged the political authorities, especially the king, on
making rightful choices and decisions concerning respect for
human life, recognition of Jeremiah’s mission and especially
obedience to the divine message from his rightfully
commissioned servant, that is, the prophet Jeremiah.
Unfortunately, the historical existence of Ebed-melech, his
readiness to deliver the prophet at the cost of his own life and the
oracle of salvation that he received thereof, have not captured
due attention from the biblical academic world. In fact, some
scholars have relegated him to an inferior position in the life and
history of Jeremiah and Judah respectively. Others either
completely deny or doubt his possibility of having lived as a real
person in this actual world. We would like to emphasize at this
juncture that the comparison of Ebed-melech as a historical
figure (authoritative) or not historical (not authoritative) is
completely irrelevant for the exegetical analysis and theological
interpretations. The main concern of this study is what he
performed and the subsequent explanation attached to it within
the context of divine intervention in socio-political events. Ebed-
melech’s story, bravery and compassion have not yet been
methodically analyzed and interpreted. This has relatively
impeded the opportunity of savoring the depth of divine
operations in human history through the sincerity of a character
so low in social terms yet so high in his interior and exterior
dispositions. Ebed-melech exhibited his integrity by advocating
for fair treatment for the prophet, in his obedience to the king
and most especially by his trust in the Lord.
Luciano Zappella correctly notes that unless a story is read and
interpreted, its values remain obscure to human history9. In this
study, the primary interest is to give Ebed-melech the attention
that he rightly deserves. Against the background given above, the
scope of the current study is to analyze exegetically and
theologically the intervention of Ebed-melech in the intricate
historical events in Judah and his ability to thwart the decision of
the nobles of the land, despite his status as a foreigner. In a
special way, the study surveys the exegetical and theological
significance of the oracle of deliverance that was promised to
Jeremiah’s rescuer. Attention is also drawn to Ebed-melech’s
status and identity as a Cushite and to the probable
circumstances under which he found his way in Judah.

2. Status quaestionis

Biblical scholars, commentators and researchers across the globe

and throughout centuries have dedicated ample time and
expertise to studying Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry. Indeed
various conclusions have been made concerning Jeremiah – a
person in space and era, his life events, adventures and
contribution in the life of Judah. Remarkably, however, scanty
investigation is devoted to Ebed-melech – the man from Cush.
Little attention has been paid to his presence in Jerusalem, his
deed and the promise of salvation he received thereof. He
appeared in the life of the city at a very crucial moment in the
historic-political as well as socio-religious situation of the nation
and saved the prophet out of the death in the cistern10. This
suggests that Ebed-melech deserves special comment both in
biblical scholarship and in human history. The following
paragraphs present the few available articles concerning
Jeremiah’s rescuer, his deed and the promise of deliverance that
he received11.
Notable authors who have dedicated their research concerning
Ebed-melech include Gene Rice12. The author presents three
characters as contemporaries of prophet Jeremiah. These are:
Ebed-melech, prophet Zephaniah and Yehudi ben Nethaniah ben
Shelemiah ben Cushi. According to him, Ebed-melech is the best
known of the three. G. Rice acknowledges the intervention of
Ebed-melech in the accusation of the princes before the king for
the injustice against Jeremiah. According to him, Ebed-melech is
one of those people who were convinced of the prophet’s words.
He was distinguished from others for he had faith in God. Close
investigation confirms that he manifested his extraordinary trust
in Yhwh by caring for the Lord’s messenger who was at the verge
of death.
Georg Molin13 rightly observes that there is little reference
dedicated to Ebed-melech. He identifies him as an Ethiopian,
specifically from the present-day Sudan. He was apparently
serving in the king’s palace in Judah. According to him, he could
have been a slave or a minister in the house of Zedekiah, the
sovereign. The author further affirms that it was out of trust in
God that Ebed-melech saved the prophet. Consequently, the
prophet thanked him by giving him the oracle of deliverance14.
This conclusion is rather inappropriate since it might imply that
it was the initiative of the prophet to show gratitude to Ebed-
melech. In fact Jeremiah’s textual witness proves that it was
God’s decision to deliver Ebed-melech, for having trusted in him
– the Lord (Jer 39,18).
Like G. Molin, Hannelis Schulte15 confirms that Ebed-melech
was an African from Sudan. According to him, apart from the fact
that he saved the prophet from the cistern, nothing more is
known about him. In addition, his comment that Ebed-melech
sought permission from the king to deliver Jeremiah from the
cistern lacks scriptural evidence. According to the biblical text,
the king commanded him to set the prophet free after the former
had informed the sovereign of the appalling situation of Jeremiah
in the cistern.
H. Schulte further observes that throughout prophetic
literature only Ebed-melech and Baruch received salvation
oracles as individuals. Nonetheless, according to other biblical
occurrences, one may conclude that Jeremiah himself had
received a personal promise of protection directly from the Lord
long before these two (Jer 1,7–8.17–19). The author further
comments that it is only in the case of kings that oracles were
delivered to individuals, and in such case, they represented their
people. This observation indicates that there is something special
and new in the oracles announced to Ebed-melech and Baruch.
The present research exclusively explores the novelty and
exceptionality impressed in Yhwh’s promise of salvation for
Ebed-melech, the Cushite.
According to Christopher R. Seitz16, Ebed-melech and Baruch
received oracles of salvation. However, without precision, he
adds that the fate of Ebed-melech is vague. Unfortunately, he
does not elucidate on what he meant by such an affirmation. The
author compares Ebed-melech and Baruch to Joshua and Caleb,
whose obedience to God secured them outstanding opportunity
to enter and possess the Promised Land. In the message for
Ebed-melech and Baruch, however, the promise does not consist
in any material possession but rather in having life as a booty
(Jer 39,18; 45,5).
Tom Parker17 makes a survey of the positions taken by some
scholars concerning the identity and presence of Ebed-melech in
the Bible. According to him, biblical, political, sociological and
anthropological researchers have approached the Cushite’s story
in three different ways. In the following, we present his
observations.
First, in «Jeremiah, An Archaeological Companion»,
published in 1993, Philip J. King makes no mention of Ebed-
melech and his people at all. According to T. Parker, this
omission is very surprising because he deals at length with many
other Judah’s contemporaries, yet he totally ignores
Cush/Ethiopia. The author comments: «More surprising is the
omission of Cushites/Ethiopians in the prize winning volume
18
“Peoples of the Old Testament”» . This book was edited by A.J.
Hoerth et al., in 1994.
Similar to the aforementioned situation, in the book entitled,
«Peoples of Old Testament Times», which was published in 1973,
Donald J. Wiseman does not identify the Cushites as an
independent people, yet he claims to present all the peoples of
the OT. In such a case, there is no mention of Ebed-melech
either. In the same book, Ronald J. Williams, one of the
contributors, under the title «The Egyptians», mentions Cush or
 19
Ethiopia in passing . Even in a chapter dedicated to «The Arabs
20
and Ethiopians», Arthur K. Irvine , dedicates just a page about
the Ethiopians. Even then, he makes no concrete conclusions
concerning this community, yet Ebed-melech and his people do
not seem to have been so insignificant that they should be
omitted as if they had no existential import.
To the above school of thought also fits Antonio Bonora’s
conclusion that Jer 37–45 deals with issues about the fall of
Jerusalem. In the events of the collapse of Judah’s city, Jeremiah
was prey to unfortunate incidents. He rightly observes that the
prophet was imprisoned, thrown into a cistern and released by
the Babylonians21. Surprisingly, he does not make any mention of
the deliverance made by Ebed-melech, yet we know that before
the intervention of the Chaldeans the Cushite was the first to save
the life of God’s messenger. He does not even refer to Ebed-
melech’s oracle of salvation, yet one may consider this revelation
very important for anyone who makes a serious reference to the
events in the life and mission of Jeremiah.
Second, T. Parker identifies Robert P. Carroll22. This scholar
considers Ebed-melech and the events related to him in Jer 38–
39 as ahistorical. According to him, they are mere literary
fictions, rather than dependable incidents that actually took place
in definite human history. For him and the authors pertinent to
his school of thought, therefore, there is no authenticity in the
Ebed-melech narrative and his claimed intervention in the life of
prophet Jeremiah and in the events of Jerusalem at large.
23
Consequently, as Jack R. Lundbom also notes well , such
24
scholars discard the genuineness and historical value of Yhwh’s
oracle of deliverance to Ebed-melech.
 Third, T. Parker notes that most scholars neither omit nor
dismiss Ebed-melech. They consider him as a historical figure
and treat him as such. He is connected with the salvation of
Jeremiah and he received God’s oracle of deliverance through the
prophet whose life and mission he had zealously defended. For
25 26
instance, Douglas Rawlinson Jones and Tom Parker himself ,
affirm that Ebed-melech existed in space and time in the history
and events of Jerusalem. This affirmation sounds convincing,
especially when one considers Jeremiah’s scriptural evidence in
Jer 38,7–13; 39,15–18.

3. Uniqueness and limits

Ebed-melech’s action by which he accomplished deliverance of

Jeremiah was a very risky but a bold counter reaction to the
malicious decision and deed of the princes or high officials in
Judah. The oracle of salvation that he received was both an extra-
ordinary reward and a contraposition to the fateful destiny of the
indecisive king (Zedekiah), his officials, sons and daughters and
everyone who disobeyed God.
It is important to reaffirm at this time that a number of
researchers have made some comments concerning Ebed-melech
and his involvement in rescuing the prophet Jeremiah from the
cistern. Nonetheless, their discussions have not been exhaustive
enough from the exegetical-theological and the socio-political
points of view. In line with this observation, Gunther Wanke
already noted in 1971, that Jer 39,15–18 is not exhaustively
considered27. While restating his stance, one may also add that
the implications of Ebed-melech’s deed and the reward he
received have not yet been fully explored. In order to savor the
intensity of Ebed-melech’s oracle, however, it is very important to
fully examine its background to which it is totally linked (Jer
38,1–13)28.
This study examines the biblical texts that deal with Ebed-
melech – his identity, his deed and reward. Indeed, as already
noted and as shall be repeated, Ebed-melech appeared on the
scene at an exceptionally critical moment in the history of Judah
and at a very delicate moment in the ministry of Jeremiah. His
contribution to the understanding of the authenticity of the
message preached by Yhwh’s messenger, his affirmation of
Jeremiah as the prophet and accusation of the princes’ act as
unjust ought to be examined.
Despite the centrality of Ebed-melech as a person, and his
accompanying heroic action in favor of the prophet’s life and
mission and in his timely service to the divine word, little credit
has been given to him in social, political and biblical scholarship.
Up to this moment, one finds no monograph on the life, deed and
reward to Ebed-melech. This study provides such thematic
exposition by elaborating on his status, his boldness in
challenging the decision and act of the princes. In an
exceptionally detailed manner, we examine the basis and nature
of the oracle of salvation – God’s prize to the Cushite owing to the
latter’s honest conduct before Yhwh, the Lord’s minister and with
his fellow human beings.
By the academic findings in this research, the author hopes to
contribute to the theological exposition of the relationship
between an act apparently motivated by justice and compassion
and the ensuing recompense – the individual oracle of salvation.
This study endeavors to examine God’s appraisal and
interpretation of Ebed-melech’s heroic enactment of his faith in
Yhwh during Judah’s domestic and external socio-political crisis,
and the religious dilemma of her inhabitants29.

4. Content and outline

The current work is divided into four chapters, which are

preceded by a general introduction. This preamble highlights a
couple of preliminary remarks concerning the research. These
observations comprise of the explanation of the theme,
assessment of the status quaestionis, and the clarification of the
scope of this academic investigation. The author also elucidates
on the contribution that this study is envisioned to furnish to the
biblical, political and social scholarship today. In this preparatory
section, he also briefly explicates the methods that have been
employed for the entire investigation. Subsequently, he spells out
the justification for preferring the MT to the LXX as the basic text
for this research.
In chapter one, the study examines the historical and literary
contexts and presents the general narrative of Jer 37–39. This
exercise also deals with comprehensive characterization of the
persons involved in the story, inspection of Ebed-melech’s
credentials. Finally, there is an excursus concerning Cush and the
Cushites in OT times and in Africa as a continent today. This
aims at inspecting the geographical location (where) of this
kingdom and the people and as much as possible, the historical
period (when) in which they existed.
 Chapter two explores the Jerusalem officials’ proposal and
attempt to put the prophet Jeremiah to death, the bold
intervention of Ebed-melech and his deliverance of Jeremiah
from the cistern (Jer 38,7–13). This underlines the officials’ and
Ebed-melech’s point of view and actions a propos Jeremiah. The
next step considers and expounds some exegetical issues
pertinent to Ebed-melech’s act of saving Yhwh’s messenger. At
the end, there is another excursus that inspects the time (when)
and the probable circumstances (how) under which Ebed-melech
the Cushite went to Judah.
The third chapter analyzes the oracle of salvation
communicated to Ebed-melech (Jer 39,15–18). It is situated in
the context of the narrative account of the capture of Zedekiah,
the fall of Jerusalem and Jeremiah’s protection by the
Babylonians in their final siege of Judah’s city. For this reason it
is important to explore the foresaid sequence of events and
thereafter identify and give further details about the exegetical
issues pertinent to the message of deliverance for Jeremiah’s
rescuer.
The fourth chapter examines the theological implications of
Ebed-melech’s oracle of salvation in Jeremiah’s theology
(extensive context) and particularly in Jeremiah’s prophetic
preaching in the period shortly before the fall of Jerusalem in 587
B.C. (immediate context). In the end, there is the identification of
the practical connotations of Ebed-melech’s involvement in
Judah’s history for political and private life in the modern world
in general and in some African countries in particular. The
interest in some African countries is sparked by two main factors.
First, Ebed-melech was an African, from Cush (Sudan). Second,
the author is from Uganda, a country located south of Sudan.
At the end of the investigation, there is a general conclusion for
the entire study. This part wraps up the salient exegetical and
theological themes that are meticulously treated in the research
body. The approach in this study, however, is not a mere recap of
the issues discussed but a thematic presentation of matters
pertinent to our selected texts, their affinity/relevance (if any) to
other incidents in Jeremiah’s ministry in general and their
relation to other biblical passages. In addition, it has been
deemed appropriate to briefly note the different points of view
prevalent in the Ebed-melech deed and reward.

5. Methodology

There is a mixture of interconnected styles for the presentation of

the historical and theological richness of the events in Jer 38,1–
13 and 39,15–18 in particular, and in Jer 37–39 as extended
literary context. In order to unveil such wealth of data, the
following have been considered to be the most suitable
approaches: The historical-critical method, rhetorical and
narrative analyzes. However, the researcher flexibly lets each text
determine the suitable technique rather than imposing a
30
predetermined procedure . Nonetheless, although each
procedure has its particularities, in the long run the historical-
31
critical, rhetorical and narrative analyzes are all interrelated .
As a matter of practice, the scrutiny begins with the historical-
critical analysis whenever its applicability is deemed appropriate
and very essential for the comprehension of the texts in question.
Another random document with
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solved, for I saw from Doctor Feng’s manner that he knew the truth,
and would at last disclose it.
When at last the hour passed and we returned to the Beau Site,
Thelma took me up in the lift to a comfortable private suite where, in
the sitting-room, Feng was standing before the window which gave a
wide view of the Mediterranean, calm in the amber glow of late
afternoon.
“Let us sit down,” he said, and I noticed how much more marked his
slight American accent had become. “What I have to tell you,
Yelverton, will take some little time. It will surprise you too, for it is a
remarkable and complicated story—an amazing hotchpotch of love,
hate, avarice, and a callous, cruel cunning perfectly devilish. I may
as well begin at the beginning.”
I took an easy chair and the old man went on with his strange
history.
“First of all,” he said, “it is necessary to go back to the days when
Thelma’s father was alive and on the China station. You will
remember I told you he was able to render a very great service to
Sung-tchun, who was one of the leaders of the Thu-tseng. Exactly
what that service was we shall never know—the secret would involve
too many men who are still alive.
“But whatever it was, it was very important—very much more than a
mere matter of organizing the escape of Sung-tchun from Siberia.
That, of course, was important, but, after all, it was only a matter of
one man’s life. There must have been something far greater, of
which we shall probably never learn.
“Do you remember my once saying to you that the arm of the Thu-
tseng was long?”
I nodded. I remembered perfectly the old chap’s grave look as he
spoke the words. I had little suspected their tremendous import.
“Well,” Feng continued, “you and Thelma have to thank the Crystal
Claw for the fact that you are alive today. Had I not been at Mürren
when it arrived, had I not know its significance, the devilish plot
planned by Humphreys must have succeeded.
“I did not know when I arrived at Mürren any of the facts that soon
after came into my possession. That I should have been there was
one of the wonderful instances of the working of Providence.
“The arrival of the Crystal Claw fairly staggered me. Never before
has it been bestowed upon a European. I knew at once that around
Mrs. Audley some tremendous story must hang. I am not unknown in
the Thu-tseng and I determined to get at the truth. What I learned in
reply to my cables both surprised and alarmed me. It showed me
that Mrs. Audley was in terrible danger. It put me at once on my
guard with reference to Hartley Humphreys. From that time forward
he was under almost incessant supervision.
“Now here are the essential facts. Sung-tchun was an extremely
wealthy man—how wealthy no one exactly knew. He made a very
remarkable will, in which he left the whole of his vast fortune to Miss
Thelma Shaylor.”
Thelma started violently. “Left a fortune to me!” she burst out. “Why I
never heard a word about it.”
“No,” said Feng, “there was a proviso in the will that except for some
grave reason, of which the trustees were to be the judges, you were
not to be told until you reached the age of twenty-one. Sung-tchun
was anxious that you should not be exposed to the advances of
mere fortune-hunters until you were old enough to have had a
reasonable experience of the world.
“Now if the will had contained nothing else there would have been no
difficulty: you would have been perfectly safe. Unfortunately Sung-
tchun added a codicil which was, as events proved, to bring you into
terrible peril.
“That codicil provided that if you died childless the vast bulk of Sung-
tchun’s wealth should devolve upon a Chinese named Chi-ho who
was living in New York. Now here is a crucial fact. Chi-ho was
hopelessly in the power of Hartley Humphreys.
“Humphreys learned of the provisions of Sung-tchun’s will. He had
lived in China; he knew the country well and he was very wealthy. By
the treachery of an official of the Thu-tseng he learned of that fatal
codicil. It was an amazing instance of leakage of information for
which the history of the Thu-tseng knows no parallel and the
offender has expiated his crime by the forfeit of his life.
“Chi-ho probably never realized the vastness of the sum to which he
would be entitled if Thelma died childless. Humphreys, no doubt,
only told him part of the truth. Chi-ho, in consideration of getting his
freedom from Humphreys made over to the latter, in strictly legal
form, all his interests under the will of Sung-tchun. That document
was found among Humphreys’ papers after his death, of which
Thelma has already told you.
“Very soon after that document was signed Chi-ho died—stabbed to
death in what was said to be a tong feud in the Chinatown district of
New York. I cannot say with certainty that the whole thing was
arranged by Hartley Humphreys but Chi-ho’s death was very
convenient to him.
“Now you have this interesting position: only Thelma’s life stood
between Hartley Humphreys and the Sung-tchun fortune.
“All these facts came to me by cable—in code, of course, from
Canton. I did not think it necessary or desirable to tell you and of
course I had no permission to reveal the fact that Thelma was a
great heiress. But I was keenly on the watch. My Canton
correspondent warned me very specifically to beware of Hartley
Humphreys, whose secret record in China—outwardly he was of the
highest respectability—was appalling. And the Thu-tseng knew all
there was to know about him.
“That will explain to you, Yelverton, Humphreys’ alarm when he saw
the Crystal Claw. He knew it might mean anything—for instance that
Thelma was being watched over and guarded by the agents of the
most powerful secret society in the world. If that were the case, he
knew, a single false step would mean his certain ruin—perhaps even
his death.”
“You didn’t seem much concerned about his alarm when I told you,” I
interrupted.
“No,” said the doctor with a smile, “it wasn’t necessary. I should not
have been surprised if the sight of the Crystal Claw had frightened
him off his scheme. But his avarice was evidently so unbounded that
he was willing to run any risk for the sake of money.
“Now comes a curious part of the story that I think Mrs. Audley had
better tell herself.” He turned to Thelma. “Please tell Mr. Yelverton
about your marriage,” he said.
“Well,” said Thelma, hesitatingly. “I was introduced to Stanley Audley
at a dance at Harrogate. He was an electrical engineer and was
apparently also possessed of considerable means. We met
frequently. Twice I had tea at his rooms in London and one day at
the Savoy he introduced me to Harold Ruthen who, I understood,
was a newly formed acquaintance of his.
“Mother rather liked Stanley, who always spoke enthusiastically of
his firm, Messrs. Gordon & Austin, the great electrical supply
company, and of his eagerness for advancement. When we became
engaged mother raised no objection, for he was so keen and
enthusiastic in everything. One day he motored me down to a place
called ‘Crowmarsh,’ near Wallingford, where I found he possessed a
fine old-world house, where we were to live when we married. I was
charmed with it and we both spent a glorious day there. Three weeks
later we were, as you know, quietly married at St. James’ church in
Piccadilly, and went at once out to Switzerland for our honeymoon,
where we met you both.
“Then one morning Stanley received a telegram. When he read it he
became both confused and alarmed. He did not show me the
message, but told me that it was imperative that he should return to
London at once. I now recollect that we were in the hall of the
Kürhaus when the concierge handed him the message, and seated
in his invalid chair, near the big stove on the right, was old Mr.
Humphreys, whom I did not then know, but who was no doubt
watching us intently.”
“He had followed you to Mürren with a very definite object,” Feng
went on. “He must have been watching you for some months
beforehand, and I have no doubt your sudden marriage was a
severe blow to his plans.
“I had serious difficulty in making friends with him. Of course he
knew I was a Chinese and I really believe that he suspected at first
that I was an agent of the Thu-tseng. It was only when he found that
I had been at Mürren some time before Thelma and Audley arrived—
and therefore, he thought, could not be specially interested in them
—that I succeeded in getting inside his guard. Of course, by posing
as his friend, I was able much more easily to keep track of his
movements.
“Do you remember your escape from the avalanche?”
“Rather!” said Thelma and I simultaneously.
“Perhaps you will be surprised to learn that that avalanche was not
the unaided work of Nature,” said the doctor. “You did not notice a
man some hundreds of feet above you?”
“No,” I said, “but what do you mean?”
“It’s a very easy thing to start an avalanche,” said Feng with a smile.
“There was a man above you that day and the avalanche was
started deliberately. Your guide John found out the truth afterwards.
But the would-be assassin—I have no doubt he was in the pay of
Humphreys—was never traced and the matter was hushed up. It
would not have done to let Humphreys know that the truth was
suspected. As a matter of fact I did suspect it and implored John to
investigate.
“But with regard to Stanley Audley I confess I was completely misled.
When he received that telegram recalling him to London I believed
that the story he had told you about his profession as electrical
engineer, was a true one. Only when it was proved to be without
foundation did I see that I, like yourself, had been cleverly
bamboozled. Until then I had believed Audley to be what he
represented himself to be. I never dreamed of the truth. Hartley
Humphreys, a crook to his finger tips, possessed a master-mind,
obsessed by criminality, and having no idea of my actual purpose he
acted with such amazing cunning and forethought that he must be
placed among the list of the master-criminals of the world.”
“Of course I had no suspicion,” said Thelma. “I didn’t even know that
I was an heiress.”
“And I was fool enough to think that Humphreys was my friend and
you were my enemy, Doctor,” I said with some shame as I thought of
how completely I had been deceived.
“Well,” laughed Feng, “that’s all over now. But I’m glad I was able to
deceive you because it helped me to deceive Humphreys. He was
quite aware of your feeling towards me. You are fairly transparent,
Yelverton, if you don’t mind my saying so!”
“The position was very extraordinary. Humphreys got Audley out of
the way—I will explain that later—and that, he thought, would leave
Thelma unprotected. But he never expected your interest in the
bride. You became a very unwelcome bit of grit in a very well-oiled
machine. You were constantly with Thelma, she was never left alone
for a moment—and you were in the way.”
And the shrewd old man smiled mysteriously.
 CHAPTER XXII
THE SECRET DISCLOSED

“But what was the mystery of Audley’s disappearance?” I asked

Feng, in breathless eagerness, now that the enigma was in course of
solution.
“Well, Humphreys at first did his level best to prevent the marriage,
but finding that impossible he went very cleverly to work. Audley,
who was a young man of means—though he pretended that his
profession was that of electrical engineer—had, Humphreys
discovered, fallen into the hands of a man named Graydon, a friend
of his, who lived in the same house as Audley and who was one of a
gang of note forgers.
“By clever means this gang had used Audley for their own purposes,
even to the extent of sometimes inducing him to assume Graydon’s
identity. Harold Ruthen was one of Graydon’s accomplices in
passing spurious notes, hence old Humphreys knew of Audley’s
connection with the forgers. After Thelma’s marriage which he had
tried in vain to prevent, it was highly necessary for the furtherance of
Humphreys’ sinister plan, to get her husband away. He therefore
caused to be sent to him at Mürren a veiled message that the police
were making inquiries in London and that he had better at once
efface himself, even from his wife. This he did, leaving Thelma in
your care.”
“But was Stanley really a forger?” I asked.
“At first I thought so, but later I found that the poor fellow had acted
in all innocence. He was being blackmailed by the gang and thus
forced to assist them, until he received that warning and fled,” replied
Feng. “I was all the time watching the very deep game played by the
wily old crook who posed as an invalid. With Audley out of the way
he expected that it would be easy to complete his plans. Instead, to
his great chagrin, you came forward as the bride’s companion and
protector. It was then that he determined, if you still continued to
watch over the girl, from whose husband he had contrived to part
her, that your activities should be suppressed. It then became my
active duty to keep guard over both of you, which I did to the best of
my ability.
“It was, of course, a difficult task. Had he been in New York you
would both have been watched night and day by men of the Thu-
tseng. The Chinese make the finest ‘shadowers’ in the world and in
New York they are so very numerous that I could employ them with
impunity. In London they are too conspicuous. It was really through
this that Humphreys nearly beat me at the finish.
“But I will give you an instance of how narrowly you escaped. Do you
remember one night when we all had supper with Humphreys at a
Chinese restaurant near Piccadilly Circus?”
“Yes,” I nodded.
“And you remember that I signalled to you not to eat the cold soup
that was served?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I thought you meant it was something I should not
like.”
“You would have been dead in five days if you had eaten it,” said
Feng grimly. “It was by a miracle of luck that I saw Humphreys drop
into it a tiny pellet as he reached his hand out for some bread. The
Chinese waiter took your soup away. Humphreys did not notice the
Chinese remark I made to the waiter, but that soup was preserved
and analyzed. It contained a virulent culture of the germs of typhoid
fever. The Chinese waiter, of course, was an agent of the Thu-tseng.
I daresay you will meet him some day. He happens to be a doctor
and a great friend of mine. He analyzed the soup for me. If you had
taken a spoonful of it while Humphreys was telling the funny stories
at which you were laughing, you would have been dead in five days
—of perfectly natural causes.”
“But, Thelma. Did you know anything of all this?” I asked turning to
her, astounded and muddled.
“Some of the facts I knew, but not all,” she replied. “I hope you will
forgive me, but I acted all along upon Doctor Feng’s instructions. At
Mürren I knew nothing, and was entirely unsuspicious of the plot
against us both.”
“Humphreys had degenerated into perhaps the cleverest financial
crook in Eastern Europe,” said Feng. “The way in which he held
Audley aloof from his wife while his friends Graydon and Ruthen
were at the same time terrorizing him and compelling him to assist in
passing their spurious notes, was a most remarkable feature of the
case. He acted with such caution and pre-arranged things so
cunningly, that I confess I was more than once misled and befogged.
“It was he who sent you those warnings from Hammersmith and
North London in an endeavor to frighten you off. He certainly had a
sort of superstitious fear of you. My chief fear for Thelma was that
she might be secretly poisoned in a similar manner to the attempt
upon yourself. Therefore I insisted that she should never take her
meals in a restaurant alone.”
“And I was in ignorance,” I exclaimed.
“I deemed it best. I did not wish to alarm either of you, and indeed it
is only since the narrow escape you both had at Heathermoor
Gardens that I revealed to Thelma the motive of the plot. I did not
suspect that terrible death-trap, but as soon as Thelma was missing I
naturally felt that she must have fallen into the hands of one or other
of the gang. Judge my surprise when I discovered that she
surreptitiously, at Audley’s request, rejoined him in hiding at a small
private hotel in Gloucester Road, Kensington. Audley was in
constant dread of the police, an apprehension kept alive by Ruthen
and Graydon, and for that reason he destroyed his clothes and some
false notes before escaping from the room at Lancaster Gate. He
turned the key from the outside, in order further to mystify those
whom he believed to be his pursuers.”
“I was his pursuer,” I remarked.
“True. But he was avoiding you, as well as the police,” Feng said.
“He was told that you were making inquiries concerning him on his
wife’s behalf and would, if you gained the truth, reveal it to her.
Naturally, he had no desire that Thelma should know that the police
were wanting him upon grave charges of forgery.”
“But why did he not openly defy those men into whose hands he fell
before his marriage?” I asked. “Surely, he could have cleared himself
and have given information to the police.”
“Ah! Humphreys, the criminal with the master-mind took very good
care that he was so deeply implicated that he dare not utter a word,”
my friend pointed out. “Recollect his determination was that Thelma,
alone and without friends except her mother, should meet with an
untimely end in order that the Sung-tchun fortune should pass to
him.
“First, however, she married unexpectedly, and, secondly, you came
upon the scene as her protector. It was for that reason an attempt
was first made to poison you, and then that clever plot at Stamford
whereby you were drugged by that final cigarette given you by the
supposed commercial traveler, who afterwards entered your room,
forced against your lips a bottle containing a deadly drug, and made
it appear as though you had committed suicide. Humphreys believed
that you knew too much, so he intended that you should die before
the girl over whom you were so carefully watching. He had no idea,
however, of the part I was playing—until the police went to arrest
him.”
“But could you not have told me the truth long ago—and given me
warning?” I asked.
“That was impossible,” he replied. “Remember I warned you
repeatedly. You would only have laughed had I told you Humphreys
was your enemy: you were already deeply prejudiced against me.
Thelma, too, tried to induce you to give the whole thing up, but you
refused. Had Humphreys known that you suspected him he would
have had you both murdered out of hand and chanced detection. But
as things were he elected to wait until he could devise a plot that
would be absolutely safe. So long as Stanley Audley was out of the
way there was no need for him to do anything rash. And by his
patience he nearly won in the end.”
“But he very nearly lost,” I said. “Suppose Thelma and I had been
burnt to death. We could never have been identified and Humphreys
could not have proved Thelma’s death. That meant he could not
have inherited her fortune at any rate until sufficient time had
elapsed for the Courts to presume her death.”
“You are a lawyer, Yelverton, and of course that point would occur to
you. But it also occurred to Humphreys—another instance of his
amazing foresight—and he took steps accordingly. Thelma, show Mr.
Yelverton your locket.”
With a smile Thelma took from her pocket a heavy locket attached to
a chain and handed it to me. I was astonished at its massiveness
and weight, until I saw both locket and chain were of platinum. On
the front of the locket was deeply engraved the inscription, “Thelma
Audley—from Stanley.”
“Platinum; you see, Yelverton!” said old Feng.
I gasped in astonishment at the realization of Humphreys’
cleverness.
“Of course,” I said, “it would resist the fire, the locket would be found
in the débris and Thelma’s disappearance would be explained, in
part at any rate.”
“Yes,” rejoined Feng, “the locket would account for Thelma and what
more natural than the conclusion that the remains of the man found
with her were those of her husband?”
“But what has become of Stanley?” I asked, wondering why Thelma
was here without him.
“Stanley Audley is dead,” said Feng very gently, and I noticed the
slow tears begin to trickle down Thelma’s face. “He died like a hero.
It was he who rescued Thelma from the blazing room. By some
extraordinary chance the fire seems to have spread mainly in your
direction and Thelma escaped with the loss of most of her clothing
and her hair which was almost burnt off. But poor Stanley was so
terribly burned that he died three days later in the hospital. There is
no doubt he loved Thelma deeply and utterly regretted the trouble he
had brought upon her.”
Stanley Audley dead! I held my breath! Then Thelma was free! Such
was my involuntary reflection.
Thelma was weeping softly. I hardly dared look at her. But I put out
my hand and clasped hers. She turned her head away and gazed in
silence at the golden glow in the west across the sea. But she did
not withdraw her hand and a great wave of joy flooded through me.
“But how did we escape?” I asked Feng.
“We were only in the nick of time,” he replied. “When Thelma
disappeared from her husband in Gloucester Road I felt certain that
she had been decoyed away. She was—by a message purporting to
come from her husband asking her to call at Heathermoor Gardens.
She did so and fell into the hands of the man who intended she
should die. Yet so clever was old Humphreys, that, though I kept him
under close observation, I could not discern that he was acting at all
suspiciously. I did not know of course, of his plot to burn you alive.
But we were watching him very closely. That night Stanley and I
tracked him to the house at Hampstead. We saw you arrive later, but
we little dreamed that Thelma was held there a drugged and
helpless prisoner. She screamed twice, apparently, and you heard
her, but some accomplice of Humphreys’ gave her a hypodermic
injection—we found the mark afterwards on her arm.
“We watched until the first man-servant came out and later
Humphreys himself left the place and walking in some distance away
concealed himself in full view of the house. Then I knew you were
left in there, and I became seriously alarmed.
“Fortunately a constable was near, and unseen by the old villain I
approached him, told him of my suspicions, and we all three
approached the house together. To our rings and knocks there was
no answer, therefore we forced the door and rushed in. As we
opened the door of the room where you were, we saw the air-ball
burst and in a second the room was a furnace.
“Then came a desperate fight for life. Audley dashed to Thelma and
succeeded in getting her out into the street at the cost of his own life,
while I and the constable cut the rope which secured your wrists, and
carried you out terribly burned and insensible. Both the constable
and I were also burned, but not very seriously. Before the fire
brigade arrived the house had been seriously damaged: but for our
early warning it must have been utterly destroyed, as Humphreys
intended.
“Meanwhile, Humphreys, who had seen the failure of his plot, made
himself scarce and it was not until three days later that Inspector
Cayley of Scotland Yard, with two sergeants traced him to a room in
Earl’s Court Road, where he was hiding. But the old criminal had
locked himself in and before they could break open the door he had
put a bullet through his brain. A week ago both Ruthen and Graydon
were arrested at the Pavilion Hotel in Boulogne on charges of
passing spurious notes in various towns in France. They will, no
doubt, go to hard labor for some years.”
“Well, Yelverton,” the old man concluded, “I think you know
everything now. You have both had a very narrow escape from a
terrible fate. Only a devil in human form could have devised such an
atrocity. But now I’ll leave you alone for a bit: you will have plenty to
talk about.”
And with a cheery smile and a loving look at Thelma, the sturdy,
bearded old man, to whose watchfulness we both owed our lives,
turned on his heel and left the room.

The calm Riviera sunset had deepened into twilight, swiftly as it

always does, and the night clouds rising over the pine-clad Esterels
cast their long grey shadows across the calm sea. Beneath our
window twinkling lights shone and from among the orange graves
below came voices and merry laughter.
I had been speaking earnestly to Thelma—pleading with her all the
fervor of the love I had so long held in restraint but which, now she
was free, poured out with violence that overwhelmed me. She heard
me without comment or response. But she made no protest, she
allowed me to hold her hand, even when I pressed it tenderly to my
lips she did not withdraw it.
The hope that had never quite died rose again in my heart. I felt
Thelma trembling; a beautiful warmth that I had never seen before
glowed upon her cheeks, her eyes were lustrous with the brilliancy of
tears which welled up into them but did not fall. She stood looking
out across the broad Mediterranean towards the African coast which
the colors of the sunset paled into the faint splendor of the afterglow.
The light was nearly gone, and still she made no sign. But presently
words failed me and I simply stood and held out my arms in a last
despairing appeal.
Then my darling came to me, slowly and sweetly, her great grey
eyes aflame with a light I had never seen before. And our lips met at
last.

We were married in October and spent our honeymoon in Seville

and Malaga. Christmas found us at the Hotel Regina at Wengen, a
little below Mürren, where we both went skiing daily. We visited
Mürren, of course, hallowed to us for all time as the place of that
strange first meeting from which all our troubles and all our
happiness had sprung.
We are rich, of course, Sung-tchun’s fortune was enormous. But we
live very quietly in my old home—my father’s quaint, old-world
cottage on the Salisbury road a few miles from Andover. Most of our
income, apart from our own modest wants, goes to help the slum
children of London. Thelma never tires of them and every summer
forms a big camp to which hundreds come down for a few days’
glorious holiday. They all seem to worship her and over even the
roughest of them she seems to exercise a magical fascination.
Old Doctor Feng, to whom we owe so much, is our chief friend. He
comes and goes as he pleases. There is a room reserved for him
and always ready. Devoted to Thelma, he spends much of his time
with us. He never tires of talking of the Crystal Claw, the magic
talisman that saved us for each other. And every now and again, with
his inimitable chuckle, he croaks out, “Yelverton, I told you the arm of
the Thu-tseng was long!”
It was long indeed. It stretched half across the world to give us—two
tiny units caught in a cruel trap—a helping hand in our dire distress.
We owe our wealth, our radiant happiness, our very lives to the
magical influence of the Crystal Claw.
THE END
 TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been
standardized.
Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CRYSTAL
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