Jeremiah37

King Zedekiah and the people of Judah disregarded the LORD's words through Jeremiah, yet Zedekiah sought Jeremiah's prayer when the Chaldean siege was temporarily lifted by Pharaoh's army. Jeremiah prophesied the Chaldeans' inevitable return and Jerusalem's destruction, warning against false hope. Subsequently, Jeremiah was falsely accused of defection, beaten, and imprisoned by the princes, though Zedekiah later moved him to a less severe confinement in the prison court.

Zedekiah Seeks Jeremiah's Counsel

1
Tzidkiyahu the son of Yoshiyahu became king, succeeding Koniyahu the son of Y'hoyakim, whom N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel had made king over the land of Y'hudah. ​
2
But neither he, his servants nor the people of the land paid attention to the words of ADONAI, which he spoke through the prophet Yirmeyahu. ​
3
Tzidkiyahu the king sent Y'hukhal the son of Shelemyahu and Tz'fanyahu the son of Ma'aseiyah, the cohen, to the prophet Yirmeyahu with the message, "Please pray to ADONAI our God for us." ​
4
At that time Yirmeyahu was mixing freely with the people, because they had not yet put him in prison.
5
At the same time Pharaoh's army marched out of Egypt; and when the Kasdim besieging Yerushalayim heard about them, they lifted the siege from Yerushalayim. ​

The Prophecy of Babylon's Return

6
Then this word of ADONAI came to the prophet Yirmeyahu:
7
"ADONAI the God of Isra'el says to tell the king of Y'hudah, who sent you to me to consult me: 'Pharaoh's army has marched out to assist you; but they will return to Egypt, to their own country. ​
8
The Kasdim will return, attack this city, capture it and burn it to the ground.' ​
9
Here is what ADONAI says: 'Don't deceive yourselves by thinking that the Kasdim must withdraw from you, because they will not withdraw.
10
Even if you were to strike the entire army of the Kasdim fighting against you, to the degree that only their wounded were left, they would still rise up every man from his tent and burn this city to the ground.'" ​

Jeremiah Arrested as a Deserter

11
Then, at the time when the army of the Kasdim had lifted the siege of Yerushalayim out of fear of Pharaoh's army,
12
Yirmeyahu left Yerushalayim to go to the territory of Binyamin to receive his share of an inheritance there. He was passing through the crowds ​
13
and had reached the gate leading toward Binyamin when a guard commander there named Yir'iyah the son of Shelemyah, the son of Hananyah, seized Yirmeyahu the prophet, shouting, "You're deserting to the Kasdim!" ​
14
Yirmeyahu answered, "That is a lie! I am not deserting to the Kasdim"; but Yir'iyah wouldn't listen to him. So he arrested Yirmeyahu and brought him to the officials.
15
The officials, furious with Yirmeyahu, had him beaten and jailed in the house of Y'honatan the secretary, which had been made over into a prison. ​
16
The cistern had been made into a dungeon, and Yirmeyahu was put in one of its cells; there he remained for a long time. ​

Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah Secretly

17
Then Tzidkiyahu the king sent and had him brought; and the king asked him secretly, in his palace, "Is there any word from ADONAI?" "There is," Yirmeyahu said. "You will be handed over to the king of Bavel." ​
18
Yirmeyahu asked King Tzidkiyahu, "In what way have I sinned against you or against your officials or against this people, that has caused you to put me in prison?
19
Where are your prophets now, the ones who prophesied to you that the king of Bavel wouldn't attack you or this land? ​
20
So now, please listen, my lord king! I beg you, approve my request - don't make me return to the house of Y'honatan the secretary, or I will die there."
21
At that, Tzidkiyahu the king gave the order, at which they committed Yirmeyahu to the guards' quarters and gave him daily a loaf of bread from the Bakers' Street, until all the bread in the city had been used up. Thus Yirmeyahu remained in the guards' quarters. ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 37

Verse 1

Zedekiah (originally Mattaniah) was Jehoiachin's uncle, installed as a puppet king by Nebuchadnezzar after the first deportation in 597 BC. This chapter begins the final narrative section detailing Jerusalem’s fall (chapters 37–44).

Verse 2

This verse establishes the central spiritual failure of Zedekiah's reign: neither the ruling class nor the common people obeyed God’s consistent message delivered through Jeremiah.

Verse 3

The king's request for prayer shows a superficial, crisis-driven piety. Zedekiah repeatedly sought Jeremiah's intercession or advice (cf. 21:1–2) but refused to heed his calls for repentance or surrender.

Verse 5

The arrival of Pharaoh Hophra’s army from Egypt provided temporary relief for Jerusalem, as the Chaldeans (Babylonians) lifted the siege to meet the Egyptian threat. This event led the people to believe the judgment was averted.

Verse 7

God immediately addresses and refutes the false hope generated by the Egyptian intervention. The help from Egypt, upon which Judah relied, will prove useless and temporary.

Verse 8

This prophecy confirms that the temporary withdrawal of Babylon is merely a delay; God’s decree for the city’s capture and destruction remains fixed.

Verse 10

This hyperbole emphasizes the absolute certainty of the divine judgment. Even if Judah miraculously defeated the main Babylonian force, God would ensure the city's destruction through the remaining wounded soldiers.

Verse 12

Jeremiah sought to leave Jerusalem, likely to attend to personal business in Anathoth, his hometown in the territory of Benjamin (see the land purchase in chapter 32), or to escape the turmoil of the city.

Verse 13

Jeremiah is arrested on suspicion of defecting to the Chaldeans. This accusation was ironic, stemming from his consistent, God-given message that surrender to Babylon was the only path to survival.

Verse 15

The princes, angered by Jeremiah’s message of doom and his apparent attempt to leave the city, had him beaten and imprisoned in a house converted for use as a dungeon.

Verse 16

The 'dungeon' refers to a cistern or pit, a common form of severe confinement. 'Cabins' likely refers to cells or niches carved into the walls where prisoners were kept.

Verse 17

Zedekiah’s secret consultation reveals his fear of his own officials and his desperate, yet half-hearted, need for the truth. Jeremiah’s message remains unchanged: the king will be captured.

Verse 19

Jeremiah contrasts his truthful, painful prophecy with the false comfort offered by other prophets, who had promised that Babylon would not return. Their failed prophecies justified Jeremiah’s release.

Verse 21

Zedekiah shows a limited amount of mercy, moving Jeremiah from the life-threatening dungeon to the less severe 'court of the prison.' This allowed Jeremiah to survive the siege and continue to receive visitors (cf. 38:13).

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