Jeremiah 37

Chapter context

What is happening in Jeremiah 37?

judgmenttearsnew covenantfalse worship

Jeremiah 37 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as book of consolation and new covenant. Jeremiah combines fierce warning, autobiographical anguish, symbolic action, the promise of a new covenant, and the trauma of Jerusalem’s fall. Read this chapter with the wider themes of judgment, tears, and new covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. ² But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. ³ And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us. ⁴ Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. ⁵ Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. ⁶ Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ⁷ Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. ⁸ And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. ⁹ Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. ¹⁰ For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. ¹¹ And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, ¹² Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. ¹³ And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. ¹⁴ Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. ¹⁵ Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison. ¹⁶ When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; ¹⁷ Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. ¹⁸ Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? ²⁰ Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. ²¹ Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Study helps

Glossary

Babylon Place v. 1, 17, 19: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Babylon.
Jehoiakim Person v. 1: He whom Jehovah has set up, the second son of Josiah, and eighteenth king of Judah, which he ruled over for eleven years (B. C. 610-599). His original name was Eliakim (q. v. ).
Josiah Person v. 1: Healed by Jehovah, or Jehovah will support. The son of Amon, and his successor on the throne of Judah ( 2 Kings 22:1 ; 2 Chr. 34:1 ). His history is contained in 2 Kings 22, 23.
Zedekiah Person v. 1, 3, 17-18, 21: Righteousness of Jehovah. (1. ) The last king of Judah.
Jeremiah Person v. 2-4, 6, 12-18, 21: Raised up or appointed by Jehovah. (1. ) A Gadite who joined David in the wilderness ( 1 Chr. 12:10 ). (2. ) A Gadite warrior ( 1 Chr. 12:13 ). (3. ) A Benjamite slinger who joined David at Ziklag ( 1 Chr. 12:4 ).
Jehucal Person v. 3: Able, the son of Shelemiah. He is also called Jucal ( Jer. 38:1 ). He was one of the two persons whom Zedekiah sent to request the prophet Jeremiah to pray for the kingdom.
Shelemiah Person v. 3, 13: Whom Jehovah repays. (1. ) Ezra 10:39 . (2. ) The father of Hananiah ( Neh. 3:30 ). (3. ) A priest in the time of Nehemiah (13:13). (4. ) Father of one of those who accused Jeremiah to Zedekiah ( Jer. 37:3 ; 38:1 ).
Zephaniah Person v. 3: Jehovah has concealed, or Jehovah of darkness. (1. ) The son of Cushi, and great-grandson of Hezekiah, and the ninth in the order of the minor prophets. He prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah.
Chaldea Place v. 5, 8-10, 13-14: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell el Muqayyar.
Egypt Place v. 5, 7: The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture. Modern identification: Ain Shams.
Jerusalem Place v. 5, 11-12: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
City People v. 8, 10, 21: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
Benjamin Person v. 12-13: Son of my right hand. (1. ) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel ( Gen. 35:18 ). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place.
Benjamin Gate Place v. 13: Biblical gate. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Hananiah Tribe v. 13: Jehovah has given. (1. ) A chief of the tribe of Benjamin ( 1 Chr. 8:24 ). (2. ) One of the sons of Heman ( 1 Chr. 25:4 , 23). (3. ) One of Uzziah’s military officers ( 2 Chr. 26:11 ).
Jonathan Person v. 15, 20: Whom Jehovah gave, the name of fifteen or more persons that are mentioned in Scripture. The chief of these are, (1. ) A Levite descended from Gershom ( Judg. 18:30 ). His history is recorded in 17:7-13 and 18:30.