Jeremiah asks to confront Zedekiah with his established pattern of seeking but refusing divine counsel. The question exposes the futility of prophecy to a disobedient king, challenging whether Zedekiah truly wants guidance or merely wants to avoid guilt for not consulting God. By asking rather than refusing outright, Jeremiah leaves room for repentance while making clear that past performance predicts future response.

Rather than answer the question about listening, Zedekiah instead swore an oath addressing only the first concern about death: “As the LORD lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life” (Jeremiah 38:16). The king’s silence on the listening question proves Jeremiah’s point.

This second question shifts from Jeremiah’s safety to Zedekiah’s character. The prophet has already experienced the king’s pattern: Zedekiah consults prophets privately but follows his princes publicly. The question uses לֹא with the imperfect verb תִשְׁמַע (“you will not listen”) to express expected refusal rather than mere possibility. Jeremiah asks rather than states because the interrogative form forces Zedekiah to confront his own track record before requesting new prophecy. Barnes notes that Jeremiah “had proof already” of the king’s unwillingness to follow divine counsel. The question functions prophetically, predicting that even if Zedekiah promises safety, he won’t ultimately obey the word delivered. Indeed, after receiving Jeremiah’s counsel to surrender, Zedekiah attempts exactly that but loses courage and tries to flee instead, leading to his capture and blinding. The tragic irony is that Jeremiah asks whether Zedekiah will listen when Zedekiah has just summoned him precisely to hear; yet hearing is not heeding.