Yirmeyah 37:14

14 Then said Yirmeyah, Sheker; I fall not away as a deserter to the Kasdim (Chaldeans). But he paid heed not to him; so Yiriyah arrested Yirmeyah, and brought him to the sarim.

Yirmeyah 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Yirmeyah 37:14 In-Context

12 Then Yirmeyah went forth out of Yerushalayim to go into the Eretz Binyamin, to get [his] chelek from there among HaAm.

13 And when he was in the Sha’ar Binyamin, a ba’al pekidut (captain of the guard) was there, shmo Yiriyah Ben Shelemyah Ben Chananyah; and he arrested Yirmeyah HaNavi, saying, Thou fallest away as a deserter to the Kasdim (Chaldeans).

14 Then said Yirmeyah, Sheker; I fall not away as a deserter to the Kasdim (Chaldeans). But he paid heed not to him; so Yiriyah arrested Yirmeyah, and brought him to the sarim.

15 Therefore the sarim were enraged with Yirmeyah, and had him beaten, and put him in house arrest in the Bais Yohonatan the Sofer; for they had made that the bais hakeleh (prison).

16 When Yirmeyah was entered into the bais habor (dungeon), and into the cells, and Yirmeyah had remained there yamim rabbim;