Jeremiah20

Pashur, a chief governor, smote Jeremiah and put him in stocks for his prophecies. Upon release, Jeremiah prophesied that Pashur and his household would die in Babylonian captivity, renaming him "Magor-missabib." Overwhelmed by persecution and mockery, Jeremiah lamented his birth, yet acknowledged the irresistible call of God's word within him.
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Pashur Punishes Jeremiah

1
When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer and the chief official in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, ​
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he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD. ​
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The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib. ​
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For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away to Babylon and put them to the sword. ​
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I will give away all the wealth of this city—all its products and valuables, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah—to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon.
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And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and there you will die and be buried—you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied these lies.’” ​

Jeremiah's Lament: Deceived and Mocked

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You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. ​
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For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long. ​
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If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail. ​
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For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.” ​
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But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten. ​
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O LORD of Hosts, who examines the righteous, who sees the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause. ​
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Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers. ​

Jeremiah Curses the Day of His Birth

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Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed. ​
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Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy.
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May that man be like the cities that the LORD overthrew without compassion. May he hear an outcry in the morning and a battle cry at noon, ​
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because he did not kill me in the womb so that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb forever enlarged.
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Why did I come out of the womb to see only trouble and sorrow, and to end my days in shame? ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 20

Verse 1

Pashur was a chief temple official (priest) responsible for security and order within the Temple complex, representing the official religious establishment that opposed Jeremiah’s message of impending doom.

Verse 2

To be placed in stocks, especially near a major thoroughfare like the Gate of Benjamin, was an act of public humiliation designed to silence and discredit the prophet.

Verse 3

Jeremiah renames the official, a prophetic act symbolizing a change in destiny. 'Magormissabib' means 'Terror on Every Side,' the exact fate Pashur will soon experience (cf. v. 10).

Verse 4

This prophecy confirms that Pashur will personally witness the destruction of his friends and the captivity of Judah before facing his own judgment.

Verse 6

Pashur is condemned to die in Babylon, emphasizing that those who suppress the prophetic word and speak lies will not escape the judgment meant for the nation.

Verse 7

This is the fifth of Jeremiah’s 'Confessions.' The prophet feels overwhelmed, using the strong term *pātâ* ('deceived' or 'seduced') to express his feeling that God's irresistible call led him into a ministry that only brought him suffering and mockery.

Verse 8

Jeremiah clarifies that the core of his message—prophesying 'Violence and Spoil' (the invasion)—is exactly what makes him a daily object of reproach among his own people.

Verse 9

This is a classic description of the irresistible nature of God’s calling. Though Jeremiah tries to quit his ministry due to pain, the divine word acts as a consuming, internal fire (*ēsh*) that he cannot hold back.

Verse 10

The phrase 'fear on every side' (*magor missabib*) is repeated (cf. v. 3), highlighting the constant psychological terror Jeremiah faces. His closest 'familiars' (friends or neighbors) are actively plotting his downfall.

Verse 11

Despite the threats, Jeremiah shifts immediately to an affirmation of faith, viewing God as a 'mighty terrible one' (a terrifying warrior) who fights on his behalf against his persecutors.

Verse 12

Jeremiah appeals to God as the one who tests the righteous and sees the deepest intentions of humanity ('reins and the heart'), asking for God to execute the promised justice against his enemies.

Verse 13

This sudden doxological outburst of praise interrupts the lament, showing the prophet’s confidence that, even in the midst of his suffering, God will ultimately deliver him.

Verse 14

The lament takes a drastic, highly personal turn. Moving beyond complaining about his ministry, Jeremiah expresses extreme despair by cursing the day of his birth, echoing the intense suffering found in the Book of Job (Job 3:3).

Verse 16

The cursed messenger is wished the fate of the cities of the Plain (Sodom and Gomorrah), symbolizing utter, irreversible destruction.

Verse 18

This rhetorical question summarizes the prophet’s despair: his life has been consumed by the unwelcome burden of the prophetic office, resulting only in 'labor and sorrow' and 'shame.'

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