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

Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to the LORD’s words, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to the LORD our God for us.

Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison.

Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt; and when the Kasdim who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem.

The Prophecy of Babylon's Return

Then came the LORD’s word to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

The Kasdim shall come again, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire.

Thus says the LORD, Don’t deceive yourselves, saying, The Kasdim shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart.

For though you had struck the whole army of the Kasdim who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yes would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

Jeremiah Arrested as a Deserter

When the army of the Kasdim had broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people.

When he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, You are falling away to the Kasdim.

Then Jeremiah said, It is false; I am not falling away to the Kasdim. But he didn’t listen to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah Secretly

Then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? Jeremiah said, There is. He said also, You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

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).

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

Jeremiah37

Zedekiah Seeks Jeremiah's Counsel

The Prophecy of Babylon's Return

Jeremiah Arrested as a Deserter

Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah Secretly

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options