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Commentary on Jeremiah 20 verses 1–6
Here is, I. Pashur's unjust displeasure against Jeremiah, and the fruits of that displeasure, Jer 20:1, Jer 20:2. This Pashur was a priest, and therefore, one would think, should have protected Jeremiah, who was of his own order, a priest too, and the more because he was a prophet of the Lord, whose interests the priests, his ministers, ought to consult. But this priest was a persecutor of him whom he should have patronized. He was the son of Immer; that is, he was of the sixteenth course of the priests, of which Immer, when these courses were first settled by David, was father (Ch1 24:14), as Zechariah was of the order of Abiah, Luk 1:5. Thus this Pashur is distinguished from another of the same name mentioned Jer 21:1, who was of the fifth course. This Pashur was chief governor in the temple; perhaps he was only so pro tempore - for a short period, the course he was head of being now in waiting, or he was suffragan to the high priest, or perhaps captain of the temple or of the guards about it. Act 4:1. This was Jeremiah's great enemy. The greatest malignity to God's prophets was found among those that professed sanctity and concern for God and the church. We cannot suppose that Pashur was one of those ancients of the priests that went with Jeremiah to the valley of Tophet to hear him prophesy, unless it were with a malicious design to take advantage against him; but, when he came into the courts of the Lord's house, it is probable that he was himself a witness of what he said, and so it may be read (Jer 20:1), He heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. As we read it, the information was brought to him by others, whose examinations he took: He heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things, and could not bear it, especially that he should dare to preach in the courts of the Lord's house, where he was chief governor, without his leave. When power in the church is abused, it is the most dangerous power that can be employed against it. Being incensed at Jeremiah, 1. He smote him, struck him with his hand or staff of authority. Perhaps it was a blow intended only to disgrace him, like that which the high priest ordered to be given to Paul (Act 23:2), he struck him on the mouth, and bade him hold his prating. Or perhaps he gave him many blows intended to hurt him; he beat him severely, as a malefactor. It is charged upon the husbandmen (Mat 21:35) that they beat the servants. The method of proceeding here was illegal; the high priest, and the rest of the priests, ought to have been consulted, Jeremiah's credentials examined, and the matter enquired into, whether he had an authority to say what he said. But these rules of justice are set aside and despised, as mere formalities; right or wrong, Jeremiah must be run down. The enemies of piety would never suffer themselves to be bound by the laws of equity. 2. He put him in the stocks. Some make it only a place of confinement; he imprisoned him. It rather seems to be an instrument of closer restraint, and intended to put him both to pain and shame. Some think it was a pillory for his neck and arms; others (as we) a pair of stocks for his legs: whatever engine it was, he continued in it all night, and in a public place too, in the high gate of Benjamin, which was in, or by, the house of the Lord, probably a gate through which they passed between the city and the temple. Pashur intended thus to chastise him, that he might deter him from prophesying; and thus to expose him to contempt and render him odious, that he might not be regarded if he did prophesy. Thus have the best men met with the worst treatment from this ungracious ungrateful world; and the greatest blessings of their age have been counted as the off-scouring of all things. Would it not raise a pious indignation to see such a man as Pashur upon the bench and such a man as Jeremiah in the stocks? It is well that there is another life after this, when persons and things will appear with another face.
II. God's just displeasure against Pashur, and the tokens of it. On the morrow Pashur gave Jeremiah his discharge, brought him out of the stocks (Jer 20:3); it is probable that he continued him there, in little-ease, as long as was usual to continue any in that punishment. And now Jeremiah has a message from God to him. We do not find that, when Pashur put Jeremiah in the stocks, the latter gave him any check for which he did; he appears to have quietly and silently submitted to the abuse; when he suffered, he threatened not. But, when he brought him out of the stocks, then God put a word into the prophet's mouth, which would awaken his conscience, if he had any. For, when the prophet of the Lord was bound, the word of the Lord was not. What can we think Pashur aimed at in smiting and abusing Jeremiah? Whatever it is, we shall see by what God says to him that he is disappointed.
1.Did he aim to establish himself, and make himself easy, by silencing one that told him of his faults and would be likely to lessen his reputation with the people? He shall not gain this point; for, (1.) Though the prophet should be silent, his own conscience shall fly in his face and make him always uneasy. To confirm this he shall have a name given him, Magor-missabib - Terror round about, or Fear on every side. God himself shall give him this name, whose calling him so will make him so. It seems to be a proverbial expression, bespeaking a man not only in distress but in despair, not only in danger on every side (that a man may be and yet by faith may be in no terror, as David, Psa 3:6, Psa 27:3), but in fear on every side, and that a man may be when there appears no danger. The wicked flee when no man pursues, are in great gear where no fear is. This shall be Pashur's case (Jer 20:4): "Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself; that is, thou shalt be subject to continual frights, and thy own fancy and imagination shall create thee a constant uneasiness." Note, God can make the most daring sinner a terror to himself, and will find out a way to frighten those that frighten his people from doing their duty. And those that will not hear of their faults from God's prophets, that are reprovers in the gate, shall be made to hear of them from conscience, which is a reprover in their own bosoms that will not be daunted nor silenced. And miserable is the man that is thus made a terror to himself. Yet this is not all; some are very much a terror to themselves, but they conceal it and seem to others to be pleasant; but, "I will make thee a terror to all thy friends; thou shalt, upon all occasions, express thyself with so much horror and amazement that all thy friends shall be afraid of conversing with thee and shall choose to stand aloof from thy torment." Persons in deep melancholy and distraction are a terror to themselves and all about them, which is a good reason why we should be very thankful, so long as God continues to us the use of our reason and the peace of our consciences. (2.) His friends, whom he put a confidence in and perhaps studied to oblige in what he did against Jeremiah, shall all fail him. God does not presently strike him dead for what he did against Jeremiah, but lets him live miserably, like Cain in the land of shaking, in such a continual consternation that wherever he goes he shall be a monument of divine justice; and, when it is asked, "What makes this man in such a continual terror?" it shall be answered, "It is God's hand upon him for putting Jeremiah in the stocks." His friends, who should encourage him, shall all be cut off; they shall fall by the sword of the enemy, and his eyes shall behold it, which dreadful sight shall increase his terror. (3.) He shall find, in the issue, that his terror is not causeless, but that divine vengeance is waiting for him (Jer 20:6); he and his family shall go into captivity, even to Babylon; he shall neither die before the evil comes, as Josiah, nor live to survive it, as some did, but he shall die a captive, and shall in effect be buried in his chains, he and all his friends. Thus far is the doom of Pashur. Let persecutors read it, and tremble; tremble to repentance before they be made to tremble to their ruin.
2.Did he aim to keep the people easy, to prevent the destruction that Jeremiah prophesied of, and by sinking his reputation to make his words fall to the ground? It is probable that he did; for it appears by Jer 20:6 that he did himself set up for a prophet, and told the people that they should have peace. He prophesied lies to them; and because Jeremiah's prophecy contradicted his, and tended to awaken those whom he endeavoured to rock asleep in their sins, therefore he set himself against him. But could he gain his point? No; Jeremiah stands to what he has said against Judah and Jerusalem, and God by his mouth repeats it. Men get nothing by silencing those who reprove and warn them, for the word will have its course; so it had here. (1.) The country shall be ruined (Jer 20:4): I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. It had long been God's own land, but he will now transfer his title to it to Nebuchadnezzar, he shall be master of the country and dispose of the inhabitants some to the sword and some to captivity, as he pleases, but none shall escape him. (2.) The city shall be ruined too, Jer 20:5. The king of Babylon shall spoil that, and carry all that is valuable in it to Babylon. [1.] He shall seize their magazines and military stores (here called the strength of this city) and turn them against them. These they trusted to as their strength; but what stead could they stand them in when they had thrown themselves out of God's protection, and when he who was indeed their strength had departed from them? [2.] He shall carry off all their stock in trade, their wares and merchandises, here called their labours, because it was what they laboured about and got by their labour. [3.] He shall plunder their fine houses, and take away their rich furniture, here called their precious things, because they valued them and set their hearts so much upon them. Happy are those who have secured to themselves precious things in God's precious promises, which are out of the reach of soldiers. [4.] He shall rifle the exchequer, and take away the jewels of the crown and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. This was that instance of the calamity which was first of all threatened to Hezekiah long ago as his punishment for showing his treasures to the king of Babylon's ambassadors, Isa 39:6. The treasury, they thought, was their defence; but that betrayed them, and became an easy prey to the enemy.
(Ver. 3.) And when it dawned on the next day, Phasur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks and Jeremiah said to him: The Lord did not call your name Phasur, but fear from all sides. And here both the name of the high priest and the type of torture are interpreted in the same way as before. However, the name of the high priest is changed, so that it may show the punishment of the future from the name. You will by no means have a blackened face and the unjust rule of power; but you will be led captive to Babylon, for this signifies fear from all sides or all around: that trembling and uncertain of your own safety, you look around here and there, and shrink back at the adversaries coming against you. For fear, which is written in Hebrew as Magur ((Al. Magor)), LXX and Theodotio μέτοικον, that is, a migrant, Aquila's second edition as a foreigner, the first as a watcher, Symmachus as taken away or gathered together.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 20:3 chronicles a pivotal moment in the prophet's ministry, immediately following his first recorded physical persecution. Upon his release from the stocks by Pashur, the chief officer of the temple, Jeremiah, undeterred by suffering, boldly confronts his persecutor with a divinely inspired prophetic declaration. In a dramatic act of judgment, Jeremiah renames Pashur "Magormissabib," a Hebrew phrase signifying "terror on every side," thereby sealing the terrifying judgment God would bring upon Pashur and, by extension, upon Judah for their persistent rebellion and rejection of His prophetic word. This verse powerfully underscores God's unwavering sovereignty over human destiny and the unyielding authority of His messenger, even in the face of severe opposition.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 20:3 is rich with profound Symbolism and functions as a powerful Prophetic Act. The renaming of Pashur to "Magormissabib" is not merely a change of appellation but a deeply symbolic gesture. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, names often signified a person's character, destiny, or even their very essence. By changing Pashur's name, Jeremiah, acting as God's authoritative messenger, symbolically strips him of his former identity and assigns him a new, terrifying destiny. This act is a Prophetic Act, a performative utterance that not only describes a future reality but also, by divine power, helps to bring it about. It is a divine judgment rendered through the prophet's lips, demonstrating God's active involvement in human affairs. Furthermore, significant Irony permeates the passage. Pashur, whose original name may have implied "liberation" or "prosperity," attempts to silence Jeremiah and secure his own position and comfort. Yet, he is "liberated" from the stocks only to be cursed with a name signifying pervasive terror. The one who inflicted terror upon the prophet is now divinely designated as the embodiment of "terror on every side." This also creates a stark Contrast between Jeremiah, who courageously suffers for delivering God's truth, and Pashur, who persecutes the truth-teller and is consequently marked for severe divine judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 20:3 powerfully illustrates the profound theological principle that God's word, once spoken through His anointed messenger, carries inherent authority and will inevitably accomplish its divine purpose, whether for blessing or for judgment. It underscores the severe consequences of resisting divine truth, particularly when such resistance emanates from those entrusted with positions of spiritual leadership. The prophetic renaming of Pashur is a stark and unyielding reminder that God sees and judges all human actions, and that deliberate attempts to suppress or silence His truth will ultimately backfire, bringing about the very judgment one sought to avoid. This dramatic act also points to God's ultimate and unchallengeable sovereignty over human destiny, demonstrating His absolute power to redefine individuals' identities and fates according to His righteous and immutable will.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 20:3 offers profound and enduring lessons for contemporary believers, challenging us to deeply consider our response to God's truth and our posture in the face of opposition. Jeremiah's unwavering courage, manifested immediately after enduring physical abuse and public humiliation, serves as a powerful and inspiring model for standing firm in one's convictions and God's revealed word, regardless of personal cost, social pressure, or popular opinion. It reminds us that while God's justice may not always be immediate in human timescales, it is ultimately certain and inescapable. We are called to cultivate spiritual discernment, recognizing that opposition to God's truth can arise even from within established religious institutions, and to trust implicitly in the inherent power and efficacy of God's word, which cannot be suppressed or thwarted by human resistance. This verse also prompts us to examine our own "names" or identities – are they primarily defined by worldly aspirations, fleeting recognition, or societal approval, or are they fundamentally shaped by God's truth and His eternal purposes for our lives?
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who was Pashur, and why did Jeremiah rename him?
Answer: Pashur was a high-ranking priest in Jerusalem, specifically identified as "the son of Immer the priest, who was chief governor in the house of the LORD" (Jeremiah 20:1). He was a prominent figure within the corrupt religious establishment that vehemently opposed Jeremiah's prophecies of impending judgment and exile. Pashur had Jeremiah beaten and put in the stocks because Jeremiah's divinely inspired message of doom directly contradicted the false assurances of peace and security that Pashur and other religious leaders promoted, thereby undermining their authority and popular standing. Jeremiah renamed him "Magormissabib," meaning "terror on every side," as a direct prophetic act of divine judgment. This new name symbolized the pervasive fear, destruction, and inescapable dread that would engulf Pashur and Judah due to their persistent rebellion and rejection of God's true word, signifying a dramatic reversal of his perceived status and a pronouncement of his grim, inescapable destiny.
What is the significance of a name change in the Bible, particularly in this context?
Answer: In biblical tradition, a change of name often carries profound theological significance, indicating a monumental shift in identity, destiny, or a divine decree that redefines a person's purpose. For example, Abram became Abraham (Genesis 17:5) and Jacob became Israel (Genesis 32:28), signifying new covenantal relationships and expanded purposes. In Jeremiah 20:3, the renaming of Pashur to "Magormissabib" is not a blessing but a severe prophetic curse. It signifies God's sovereign judgment and the complete redefinition of Pashur's fate from one of presumed authority and peace to one of terror and destruction. It underscores that God possesses ultimate authority over human identity and destiny, and that His prophetic word, even when delivered through a persecuted prophet, will ultimately prevail and bring about its intended judgment, regardless of human resistance.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah's suffering, his unwavering courage, and his bold, divinely-empowered declaration against Pashur find their ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Like Jeremiah, Jesus was a prophet who faced intense opposition and relentless persecution from the religious establishment of His day, particularly from those in positions of authority like the chief priests and Pharisees, who sought to silence His truth (Matthew 26:59-66). Jeremiah's physical abuse and public humiliation powerfully foreshadow the far greater suffering of the Suffering Servant, who was "despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isaiah 53:3). Yet, like Jeremiah, Jesus did not cower or compromise His message but spoke with unparalleled divine authority, even in the face of His impending crucifixion (John 18:37). The renaming of Pashur to "Magormissabib" signifies God's ultimate and inescapable judgment on those who defiantly reject His truth. This judgment culminates supremely in Christ, who, though He came into the world to save, will also be the righteous and final judge of all humanity (John 5:22). For those who reject Him and His saving grace, the "terror on every side" will be the terrifying reality of eternal separation from God's glorious presence (Matthew 25:41). Conversely, for those who embrace Christ in faith, their old names and identities, marked by sin, condemnation, and impending judgment, are miraculously replaced with new names and a glorious new identity in Him – they become children of God, heirs of eternal life, marked not by terror but by the profound peace, joy, and righteousness of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 2:17). Thus, Jeremiah's prophetic act points powerfully to the divine authority of Christ not only to pronounce righteous judgment but also to bestow a new, blessed, and eternal identity upon all who believe in Him.