Jeremiah 37:13

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.

Jeremiah 37:13 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 37:13

And when he was in the gate of Benjamin
One of the gates of the city so called, either because it stood in the tribe of Benjamin, as part of Jerusalem did; or because it led to the land of Benjamin, whither the prophet was going: and just as he had got to that gate, and was going through it, he was stopped by a captain of the ward there;
who was placed at this gate, that none should go out to the Chaldeans, according to Kimchi; but rather he was the keeper of the gate, not at this time only, but always; Josephus

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 calls him one of the rulers: whose name [was] Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah:
the grandson as some think, of that Hananiah the false prophet, of whose death Jeremiah the prophet prophesied, ( Jeremiah 28:16 ) ; and the Jews have a tradition that Hananiah ordered his son Shelemiah, that if he ever had an opportunity to bring Jeremiah to ruin, to do it; and the same charge Shelemiah gave to his son Irijah, who, having this opportunity, laid hold on him; Jarchi, Kimchi, and Abarbinel, make mention of it: and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, thou fallest away to the
Chaldeans;
it looks as if, though he might not have a family grudge against him, as the Jews suggest, yet had a hatred of him for his prophecies, and therefore fixes this calumny on him; for otherwise, why did he suffer the people to pass in great numbers without any such charge?
F9 Antiqu. l. 10. c. 7. sect. 3.

Jeremiah 37:13 In-Context

11 Therefore when the host of Chaldees had gone away from Jerusalem, for (fear of) the host of Pharaoh, (And so when the Chaldean army had gone away from Jerusalem, for fear of Pharaoh's army,)

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).