TRV
Translation
King James Version
And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
Complete Jewish Bible
They brought Uriyahu back from Egypt and took him to Y'hoyakim the king, who put him to the sword and threw his corpse into the burial-ground of the common people.
Berean Standard Bible
They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.
American Standard Version
and they fetched forth Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
World English Bible Messianic
and they fetched Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And they fet Vriiah out of Egypt, and brought him vnto Iehoiakim the King, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead bodie into the graues of the children of the people.
Young's Literal Translation
And they bring out Urijah from Egypt, and bring him in unto the king Jehoiakim, and he smiteth him with a sword, and casteth his corpse unto the graves of the sons of the people.'
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Commentary on Jeremiah 26 verses 16–24
16 ¶ Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.
17 Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.
20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:
21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
23 And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
Here is, I. The acquitting of Jeremiah from the charge exhibited against him. He had indeed spoken the words as they were laid in the indictment, but they are not looked upon to be seditious or treasonable, ill-intended or of any bad tendency, and therefore the court and country agree to find him not guilty. The priests and prophets, notwithstanding his rational plea for himself, continued to demand judgment against him; but the princes, and all the people, are clear in it that this man is not worthy to die (Jer 26:16); for (say they) he hath spoken to us, not of himself, but in the name of the Lord our God. And are they willing to own that he did indeed speak to them in the name of the Lord and that that Lord is their God? Why then did they not amend their ways and doings, and take the method he prescribed to prevent the ruin of their country? If they say, His prophecy is from heaven, it may justly be asked, Why did you not then believe him? Mat 21:25. Note, It is a pity that those who are so far convinced of the divine original of gospel preaching as to protect it from the malice of others do not submit to the power and influence of it themselves.
II. A precedent quoted to justify them in acquitting Jeremiah. Some of the elders of the land, either the princes before mentioned or the more intelligent men of the people, stood up, and put the assembly in mind of a former case, as is usual with us in giving judgment; for the wisdom of our predecessors is a direction to us. The case referred to is that of Micah. We have extant the book of his prophecy among the minor prophets. 1. Was it thought strange that Jeremiah prophesied against this city and the temple? Micah did so before him, even in the reign of Hezekiah, that reign of reformation, Jer 26:18. Micah said it as publicly as Jeremiah had now spoken to the same purport, Zion shall be ploughed like a field, the building shall be all destroyed, so that nothing shall hinder but it may be ploughed; Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house on which the temple is built shall be as the high places of the forest, overrun with briers and thorns. That prophet not only spoke this, but wrote it, and left it on record; we find it, Mic 3:12. By this it appears that a man may be, as Micah was, a true prophet of the Lord, and yet may prophesy the destruction of Zion and Jerusalem. When we threaten secure sinners with the taking away of the Spirit of God and the kingdom of God from them, and declining churches with the removal of the candlestick, we say no more than what has been said many a time, and what we have warrant from the word of God to say. 2. Was it thought fit by the princes to justify Jeremiah in what he had done? It was what Hezekiah did before them in a like case. Did Hezekiah, and the people of Judah (that is, the representatives of the people, the commons in parliament), did they complain of Micah the prophet? Did they impeach him, or make an act to silence him and put him to death? No; on the contrary, they took the warning he gave them. Hezekiah, that renowned prince, of blessed memory, set a good example before his successors, for he feared the Lord (Jer 26:19), as Noah, who, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, was moved with fear. Micah's preaching drove him to his knees; he besought the Lord to turn away the judgment threatened and to be reconciled to them, and he found it was not in vain to do so, for the Lord repented him of the evil and returned in mercy to them; he sent an angel, who routed the army of the Assyrians, that threatened to plough Zion like a field. Hezekiah got good by the preaching, and then you may be sure he would do no harm to the preacher. These elders conclude that it would be of dangerous consequence to the state if they should gratify the importunity of the priests and prophets in putting Jeremiah to death: Thus might we procure great evil against our souls. Note, It is good to deter ourselves from sin with the consideration of the mischief we shall certainly do to ourselves by it and the irreparable damage it will be to our own souls.
III. Here is an instance of another prophet that was put to death by Jehoiakim for prophesying as Jeremiah had done, Jer 26:20, etc. Some make this to be urged by the prosecutors, as a case that favoured the prosecution, a modern case, in which speaking such words as Jeremiah had spoken was adjudged treason. Others think that the elders, who were advocates for Jeremiah, alleged this to show that thus they might procure great evil against their souls, for it would be adding sin to sin. Jehoiakim, the present king, had slain one prophet already; let them not fill up the measure by slaying another. Hezekiah, who protected Micah, prospered; but did Jehoiakim prosper who slew Urijah? No; they all saw the contrary. As good examples, and the good consequences of them, should encourage us in that which is good, so the examples of bad men, and the bad consequences of them, should deter us from that which is evil. But some good interpreters take this narrative from the historian that penned the book, Jeremiah himself, or Baruch, who, to make Jeremiah's deliverance by means of the princes the more wonderful, takes notice of this that happened about the same time; for both were in the reign of Jehoiakim, and this in the beginning of his reign, Jer 26:1. Observe, 1. Urijah's prophecy. It was against this city, and this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah. The prophets of the Lord agreed in their testimony, and one would have thought that out of the mouth of so many witnesses the word would be regarded. 2. The prosecution of him for it, Jer 26:21. Jehoiakim and his courtiers were exasperated against him, and sought to put him to death; in this wicked design the king himself was principally concerned. 3. His absconding thereupon: When he heard that the king had become his enemy, and sought his life, he was afraid, and fled, and went in to Egypt. This was certainly his fault, and an effect of the weakness of his faith, and it sped accordingly. He distrusted God, and his power to protect him and bear him out; he was too much under the power of that fear of man which brings a snare. It looked as if he durst not stand to what he had said or was ashamed of his Master. It was especially unbecoming him to flee into Egypt, and so in effect to abandon the land of Israel and to throw himself quite out of the way of being useful. Note, There are many that have much grace, but they have little courage, that are very honest, but withal very timorous. 4. His execution notwithstanding. Jehoiakim's malice, one would think, might have contented itself with his banishment, and it might suffice to have driven him out of the country; but those are bloodthirsty that hate the upright, Pro 29:10. It was the life, that precious life, that he hunted after, and nothing else would satisfy him. So implacable is his revenge that he sends a party of soldiers into Egypt, some hundreds of miles, and they bring him back by force of arms. It would not sufficiently gratify him to have him slain in Egypt, but he must feed his eyes with the bloody spectacle. They brought him to Jehoiakim, and he slew him with the sword, for aught I know with his own hands. Yet neither did this satisfy his insatiable malice, but he loads the dead body of the good man with infamy, would not allow it the decent respects usually and justly paid to the remains of men of distinction, but cast it into the graves of the common people, as if he had not been a prophet of the Lord; thus was the shield of Saul vilely cast away, as though he had not been anointed with oil. Thus Jehoiakim hoped both to ruin his reputation with the people, that no heed might be given to his predictions, and to deter others from prophesying in like manner; but in vain; Jeremiah says the same. There is no contending with the word of God. Herod thought he had gained his point when he had cut off John Baptist's head, but found himself deceived when, soon after, he heard of Jesus Christ, and said, in a fright, This is John the Baptist.
IV. Here is Jeremiah's deliverance. Though Urijah was lately put to death, and persecutors, when they have tasted the blood of saints, are apt to thirst after more (as Herod, Act 12:2, Act 12:3), yet God wonderfully preserved Jeremiah, though he did not flee, as Urijah did, but stood his ground. Ordinary ministers may use ordinary means, provided they be lawful ones, for their own preservation; but those that had an extraordinary protection. God raised up a friend for Jeremiah, whose hand was with him; he took him by the hand in a friendly way, encouraged him, assisted him, appeared for him. It was Ahikam the son of Shaphan, one that was a minister of state in Josiah's time; we read of him, Kg2 22:12. Some think Gedaliah was the son of this Ahikam. He had a great interest, it should seem, among the princes, and he used it in favour of Jeremiah, to prevent the further designs of the priests and prophets against him, who would have had him turned over into the hand of the people, not those people (Jer 26:16) that had adjudged him innocent, but the rude and insolent mob, whom they could persuade by their cursed insinuations not only to cry, Crucify him, crucify him, but to stone him to death in a popular tumult; for perhaps Jehoiakim had been so reproached by his own conscience for slaying Urijah that they despaired of making him the tool of their malice. Note, God can, when he pleases, raise up great men to patronize good men; and it is an encouragement to us to trust him in the way of duty that he has all men's hearts in his hands.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 16–24. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 20 onwards) There was also a prophet man in the name of the Lord, Uriah, the son of Shemai from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah. And King Jehoiakim and all his powerful men and officials heard these words, and the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and was afraid, so he fled and went to Egypt. And what follows: King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, and his men with him, but it is not found in the Septuagint. Your question: And they brought Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to King Joakim, and he struck him with a sword, and cast his body in the graves of the common people. However, the great Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he would not be handed over to the people to be killed. It is asked why Uriah the son of Shimei from the town of Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied the same things as Jeremiah, was terrified and fled to Egypt, and when he returned, he was killed; and yet Jeremiah was able to escape, even though he certainly did not flee, but boldly persisted in his previous judgment, and was freed from the judgment of both the common people and the rulers, as well as the advice of the elders, against the accusers, the priests, and the false prophets. To briefly respond to this: it is not at all possible to know the judgment of God, since the same cause and the same opinion result in one person being punished and another being set free. Unless, perhaps, we can respond by saying that Uriah was condemned and killed by the accusers and the people, while Jeremiah was reserved for the judgment of God in order to preach to the rest of the unfortunate people and bring them to repentance. This is indeed also read in the Acts of the Apostles, where we learn that the Apostle James (Acts 12) immediately endured the sentence of Herod and was rewarded with martyrdom, while blessed Peter and the other Apostles were reserved for the teaching of the Lord. And the steadfastness of the prophet Uriah is worth noting, as he did not change his opinion even when he was brought back from Egypt, but rather, seeing that death was being planned against him, he still spoke the words that the Lord had commanded. And his fear and flight and entry into Egypt are not signs of unfaithfulness, but rather of prudence: so that we do not offer ourselves to dangers in vain. Otherwise, we also read of the Lord and Savior falling into the hands of those who pursued him (Luke 4, John 8); and he commanded the Apostles: 'When they persecute you in this city, flee to another' (Matthew 10, 23). It is also asked how Joacim, the king of Judah, of small and weakened empire, and already on the verge of perishing, had the power to send to Egypt and bring back Uriah. This is easily solved if we consider that he was appointed a ruler by the king of Egypt, Nechao, and this prophecy was made at the beginning of his reign. Although Jeremiah was freed by the help of the Lord, it is also attributed to Uriah as the one through whom the Lord freed his prophet. This Uriah is, of course, the son of Stephan, as we will read later, when Jeremiah is freed from the danger of death by the advice and assistance of Abdelech the Ethiopian eunuch (Jeremiah 38).
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 26:23 tragically recounts the brutal execution of the prophet Urijah, son of Shemaiah, by King Jehoiakim. Having prophesied against Jerusalem and Judah in terms similar to Jeremiah, Urijah fled to Egypt for safety. However, Jehoiakim's agents pursued him, brought him back to Judah, and the king himself ordered his death by the sword. The final act of contempt was the casting of Urijah's dead body into the graves of the common people, a deliberate act of dishonor and a stark demonstration of Jehoiakim's ruthless opposition to God's prophetic word. This verse serves as a chilling parallel to the threats faced by Jeremiah and underscores the perilous cost of faithfulness in a rebellious age.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 26:23 is rich in literary devices that amplify its tragic message. The narrative employs stark Contrast between the prophet's divine calling and his ignominious end, highlighting the profound spiritual darkness of Jehoiakim's reign. The king's relentless pursuit and personal execution of Urijah, followed by the dishonorable disposal of his body, serves as powerful Foreshadowing of the judgment awaiting Judah and its wicked king; just as Urijah's body was cast out, so too would Judah be cast out into exile, and Jehoiakim himself would receive a shameful burial (Jeremiah 22:19). The entire Urijah episode functions as a Parallelism to Jeremiah's own trial and near-execution in the same chapter, intensifying the reader's understanding of the danger Jeremiah faced and underscoring the divine protection that ultimately preserved him. Finally, the phrase "graves of the common people" is a potent Symbolism of utter contempt and dishonor, signifying the king's desire to erase Urijah's prophetic voice and legacy, reducing him to anonymity in death.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The martyrdom of Urijah in Jeremiah 26:23 resonates deeply with the broader biblical narrative concerning the reception of God's messengers. It underscores the consistent pattern of human resistance to divine truth, particularly when that truth exposes sin and calls for repentance. Throughout salvation history, prophets have often faced persecution, rejection, and even death for faithfully delivering God's word, serving as a testament to the spiritual warfare inherent in proclaiming righteousness in a fallen world. This verse highlights the profound cost of prophetic faithfulness and the moral depravity of those who would rather silence God's voice than heed His warnings. Yet, even in such tragic circumstances, God's ultimate purposes are not thwarted, as His word, though rejected by some, continues to move towards its fulfillment.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The tragic account of Urijah serves as a sobering reminder that faithfulness to God's truth can come at a significant personal cost, even in the face of intense opposition and persecution. In a world that often prefers comfort over conviction, and popularity over prophetic witness, Urijah's story challenges believers to cultivate unwavering courage and integrity. It calls us to consider whether we are willing to speak uncomfortable truths, advocate for justice, and stand for righteousness, even when it is unpopular, dangerous, or threatens our personal security. Furthermore, it encourages us to persevere in our witness, trusting that God's word, though it may be rejected or seemingly silenced, will ultimately accomplish His purposes. Urijah's death, while tragic, did not invalidate his message; rather, it underscored the urgency and truth of the warnings he delivered, which were ultimately fulfilled in Judah's downfall. We are called to be faithful, leaving the outcome to God.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who was Urijah, and why was he killed by King Jehoiakim?
Answer: Urijah, son of Shemaiah from Kirjath-jearim, was a prophet of God who, like Jeremiah, prophesied against Jerusalem and Judah, warning them of impending destruction due to their sin. His message was similar to Jeremiah's, proclaiming that the city and Temple would become a desolation. King Jehoiakim, a wicked and tyrannical ruler who despised God's word, became enraged by Urijah's prophecy. Fearing for his life, Urijah fled to Egypt. However, Jehoiakim sent a delegation, led by Elnathan, to retrieve him. Upon Urijah's return to Judah, King Jehoiakim personally ordered his execution by the sword, demonstrating his ruthless determination to silence any prophetic voice that challenged his authority or exposed the nation's sin (Jeremiah 26:20-22).
What was the significance of Urijah's body being cast "into the graves of the common people"?
Answer: In ancient Israelite culture, the manner of burial carried significant social and spiritual implications. An honorable burial, typically within a family tomb, was a sign of respect and a proper transition into the afterlife. To be denied such a burial, or to have one's body cast into the "graves of the common people" (a public, often dishonorable, burial ground), was a profound act of contempt and humiliation. For Urijah, this was King Jehoiakim's final insult, a deliberate attempt to strip the prophet of any dignity, erase his memory, and publicly declare his message illegitimate and his person unworthy of honor, even in death. It was a stark visual representation of the king's utter disdain for God's prophet and His word, aiming to nullify Urijah's prophetic legacy.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The tragic fate of Urijah, a prophet martyred for faithfully proclaiming God's word, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Urijah's suffering foreshadows the ultimate prophet, Jesus, who also came proclaiming a message of judgment and repentance, and who was similarly rejected and put to death by the authorities of His time. Just as Urijah was hunted down and executed for speaking truth, so too was Jesus persecuted for His unwavering obedience to the Father's will, ultimately culminating in His crucifixion outside the city gates (Hebrews 13:12). The rejection of Urijah by King Jehoiakim mirrors the rejection of Christ by His own people, as lamented by Jesus in Matthew 23:37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you!" However, unlike Urijah whose body was dishonorably cast away, Jesus, though dying a shameful death, was laid in a new tomb (Matthew 27:59-60), and His death was not the end. His resurrection three days later utterly vindicated His prophetic message and divine identity, demonstrating that God's word, though seemingly silenced by human wickedness, ultimately triumphs over death and sin (Romans 1:4). Urijah's martyrdom, therefore, serves as a poignant Old Testament shadow of the greater suffering and ultimate victory of the Lamb of God, whose blood speaks a better word than that of Abel (Hebrews 12:24).