Jeremiah 37:1-10

Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah

1 ¹Zedekiah the son of Josiah, ²whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of ³Coniah the son of Jehoiakim.

2 ⁴But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.

3 King Zedekiah sent ⁵Jehucal the son of ⁶Shelemiah, and ⁷Zephaniah the priest, the son of ⁸Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please ⁹pray for us to the Lord our God. ”

4 ¹⁰Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people, ¹¹for he had not yet been put in prison.

5 ¹²The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when ¹³the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news about them, ¹⁴they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:

7 “Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who ¹⁵sent you to me to inquire of me, ‘Behold, ¹⁶Pharaoh’s army that came to help you is about to ¹⁷return to Egypt, to its own land.

8 And ¹⁸the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. ¹⁹They shall capture it and burn it with fire.

9 Thus says the Lord, Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us, ” for they will not go away.

10 ²⁰For even if you should defeat the whole army of Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there remained of them only wounded men, every man in his tent, they would rise up and ²¹burn this city with fire. ’”

Jeremiah 37:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 37

This chapter makes mention of the reign of Zedekiah, and what happened in it; of his message to Jeremiah, to pray for the kingdom; of the king of Babylonian's raising the siege of Jerusalem, on hearing the king of Egypt was coming to its relief; of the assurance the prophet gave that the Chaldean army would return again, and destroy the city; of the prophet's attempt to depart the city, his imprisonment, conversation with Zedekiah, and his clemency to him. A short account is given of Zedekiah, and of the disobedience of him and his people to the word of the Lord, Jer 37:1,2; of the message sent by him to the prophet to pray for them, Jer 37:3; the time, when Jeremiah was at liberty, and the siege of Jerusalem was raised, Jer 37:4,5; the prophet's answer to them from the Lord, assuring them the Chaldeans would return and burn the city, Jer 37:6-10; the prophet attempting to go out of the city is stopped, and charged as a deserter to the Chaldeans; is had before the princes, and beat and imprisoned, Jer 37:11-15; but the king sending for him out of prison, and having some private discourse with him, upon the prophet's expostulation and intercession, his confinement was mitigated, and bread allowed him, Jer 37:16-21.

Cross References

• 1. 37:1 2 Kgs. 24:17; 2 Chr. 36:10
• 2. 37:1 [Ezek. 17:13]
• 3. 37:1 ch. 22:24
• 4. 37:2 See 2 Chr. 36:12-14
• 5. 37:3 [ch. 38:1]
• 6. 37:3 ver. 13; ch. 38:1
• 7. 37:3 See ch. 21:1
• 8. 37:3 See ch. 35:4
• 9. 37:3 [ch. 21:2]
• 10. 37:4 [Num. 27:17]
• 11. 37:4 [ch. 32:2; 33:1]
• 12. 37:5 [Ezek. 17:15]
• 13. 37:5 ch. 32:2
• 14. 37:5 ver. 11; ch. 34:21
• 15. 37:7 [ch. 21:2]
• 16. 37:7 [Ezek. 29:2, 6]
• 17. 37:7 [ch. 46:17; 2 Kgs. 24:7; Lam. 4:17]
• 18. 37:8 ch. 34:22
• 19. 37:8 ch. 34:22
• 20. 37:10 [ch. 21:4]
• 21. 37:10 [See ver. 8 above]