Jeremiah 29:26

26 ‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.

Jeremiah 29:26 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 29:26

The Lord hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the
priest
The same with Seraiah, who might have more names than one, and Jehoiada be one of them, who either was removed, or carried captive; and this Zephaniah, his sagan of deputy, succeeded him. Some think he refers to the famous Jehoiada in the times of Joash, a great reformer; and that this man was another such an one for his zeal, or at least ought to be, which he would have him exert against Jeremiah; but the former seems most probable: that ye should be officers in the house of the Lord;
or "visitors", or "overseers" ^F9 there; that is, Zephaniah, and the rest of the priests; or that he should see to it, that there were proper officers set there, to take care of it, and suffer none to come in and prophesy there, to the hurt of the people, as he would insinuate: for every man [that is] mad, and maketh himself a prophet;
or, "against every man" ^F11; to prevent all enthusiastic persons, and such as are troubled with a frenzy in their brain, and set up themselves for prophets, from speaking in the name of the Lord; so the true prophets of old, and the apostles of Christ, and faithful ministers of the word, have always been represented as beside themselves, and as taking upon them an office that did not belong to them; and therefore should be restrained and persecuted by the higher powers: that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks;
the former of these words, according to the Hebrew, signifies an engine or instrument, in which the neck was put, like our pillory; and the latter an iron instrument for the hands, a manacle, or handcuff, as Kimchi; see ( Jeremiah 20:2 ) ; though this rather better agrees with the pillory, being a strait narrow place, in which the hands, feet, and neck, were put ^F12.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Mydyqp) "inspectores", Cocceius, Gataker.
F11 (vya lkl) "adversus omnem virum", Calvin; "contra omnem virum", Schmidt.
F12 Vid. Hottinger. Smegma Orientale, l. 1. c. 7. p. 190.

Jeremiah 29:26 In-Context

24 You are to tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite that

25 this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “In your own name you have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. You said to Zephaniah:

26 ‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.

27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you?

28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, claiming: Since the exile will be lengthy, build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat their produce.’”