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.
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Zedekiah Seeks Jeremiah's Counsel

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. ​

The Prophecy of Babylon's Return

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Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
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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. ​

Jeremiah Arrested as a Deserter

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; ​

Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah Secretly

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 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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