Jeremiah 37:14

14 And Jeremy answered, It is false; I flee not to [the] Chaldees. And he heard not Jeremy, but Irijah took Jeremy, and brought him to the princes. (And Jeremiah answered, That is false; I do not flee to the Chaldeans. But Irijah would not listen to him, and he took Jeremiah, and brought him to the officers.)

Jeremiah 37:14 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 37:14

Then said Jeremiah, [it is] false
Or a "falsehood" ^F11; as undoubtedly it was; I fall not away to the Chaldeans;
for the Chaldean army was gone from the city; nor did Jeremiah like so well to be with an idolatrous people; for after the city was taken, when Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard gave him his choice, either to go with him to Babylon, where he promised to take care of him; or to go to Gedaliah, who was made governor of Judah; he chose rather to be with him, and his poor company: but he hearkened not to him;
would not hear his defence, or however would not give any credit to it, being unwilling to let slip this opportunity of doing him ill will: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes;
the princes of Zedekiah's court, or the princes of the people, the civil magistrates; or it may be the great sanhedrim, who he knew had no good disposition towards the prophet.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F11 (rqv) "mendacium est", Vatablus; "falsitas, calumnia", Schmidt.

Jeremiah 37:14 In-Context

12 Jeremy went out of Jerusalem, to go into the land of Benjamin, and to part there the possession in the sight of [the] citizens. (Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem, to go to the land of Benjamin, and to take possession of his portion of the family property before the citizens there.)

13 And when he was come to the gate of Benjamin, there was a keeper of the gate by whiles (the guard, or the gate-keeper, was there), Irijah by name, the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah; and he took (hold of) Jeremy, the prophet, and said, Thou fleest to [the] Chaldees.

14 And Jeremy answered, It is false; I flee not to [the] Chaldees. And he heard not Jeremy, but Irijah took Jeremy, and brought him to the princes. (And Jeremiah answered, That is false; I do not flee to the Chaldeans. But Irijah would not listen to him, and he took Jeremiah, and brought him to the officers.)

15 Wherefore the princes were wroth against Jeremy, and beat him, and sent him into the prison, that was in the house of Jonathan, the scribe; for he was sovereign on the prison (for he was the ruler of the prison).

16 Therefore Jeremy entered into the house of the pit, and into the prison of travail; and Jeremy sat there many days (and Jeremiah sat there for many days).