Jeremiah 37:11-21

Jeremiah is Arrested and Put in Prison

11 {And then}, at the withdrawing of the army of the Chaldeans from Jerusalem {before} the army of Pharaoh,

12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go [to] the land of Benjamin to receive a portion from there in the midst of the people.

13 {And when} he [was] at the Gate of Benjamin, there [was] {a sentry on duty} whose name [was] Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, {saying}, "You [are] deserting to the Chaldeans!"

14 And Jeremiah said, "[That is] a lie! I [am] not deserting to the Chaldeans." But he would not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

15 And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him [in] {prison}, [in] the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the {prison}.

16 So Jeremiah came to the {dungeon}, even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.

17 Then King Zedekiah sent and fetched him. And the king questioned him in secrecy in his house, and he said, "Is there a word from Yahweh?" And Jeremiah said, "There is." And he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon."

18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in {prison}?

19 And where [are] your prophets who prophesied to you, {saying}, 'The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land'?

20 Now then, my lord the king, please let my plea fall {before you}. You must not send me back [to] the house of Jonathan the secretary, so that I will not die there."

21 So King Zedekiah commanded, and they handed Jeremiah over in the courtyard of the guard, and they gave to him a round loaf of bread from the street of the bakers {every day} until the finishing of all the bread from the city. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

Jeremiah 37:11-21 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "And it will happen"
• [b]. Literally "from the face of"
• [c]. Literally "And it was"
• [d]. Literally "an owner of supervision"
• [e]. Literally "to say"
• [f]. Literally "the house of the fetters"
• [g]. Literally "house of the imprisonment"
• [h]. Literally "house of the cistern"
• [i]. Literally "the house of the imprisonment"
• [j]. Literally "to say"
• [k]. Literally "to the face of you"
• [l]. Literally "for the day"