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.
Wherefore the princes {H8269} were wroth {H7107} with Jeremiah {H3414}, and smote {H5221} him, and put {H5414} him in prison {H612} in the house {H1004} of Jonathan {H3083} the scribe {H5608}: for they had made {H6213} that the prison {H3608}.
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.
The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.
And 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.
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Jeremiah 38:26
Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there. -
2 Chronicles 16:10
Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for [he was] in a rage with him because of this [thing]. And Asa oppressed [some] of the people the same time. -
2 Chronicles 18:26
And say, Thus saith the king, Put this [fellow] in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace. -
Acts 5:18
And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. -
Jeremiah 20:1
¶ Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who [was] also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. -
Jeremiah 20:3
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib. -
Genesis 39:20
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners [were] bound: and he was there in the prison.
Context of Jeremiah 37:15
Jeremiah 37:15 finds the prophet Jeremiah in a highly volatile and dangerous period for the Kingdom of Judah. The city of Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar. During a temporary withdrawal of the Babylonian army due to the approach of Pharaoh's army from Egypt (mentioned in Jeremiah 37:5), Jeremiah attempted to leave Jerusalem to go to his hometown, Anathoth, in the territory of Benjamin. He was intercepted at the Benjamin Gate by a captain named Irijah, who falsely accused him of deserting to the Chaldeans (Babylonians).
Despite Jeremiah's vehement denial, the princes, who were highly influential and often opposed to Jeremiah's unpopular prophetic messages of surrender to Babylon, seized this opportunity. They were already "wroth" (furious) with Jeremiah because he consistently prophesied the city's downfall and urged submission to God's judgment through Babylon, a message that contradicted their hopes of Egyptian aid and nationalistic pride. This verse marks a significant escalation in Jeremiah's persecution, moving from verbal opposition to physical assault and imprisonment.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insight
The KJV phrase "were wroth" translates the Hebrew word charah (חָרָה), which conveys a strong, burning anger, often implying fury or rage. This emphasizes the intense emotional hostility the princes harbored towards Jeremiah. The word "smote" comes from the Hebrew nakah (נָכָה), meaning to strike, beat, or inflict a blow. This indicates not merely a push or a shove, but a deliberate act of physical violence, underscoring the severity of the ill-treatment Jeremiah endured.
Practical Application
Jeremiah 37:15 serves as a powerful reminder that speaking truth, especially God's truth, can often provoke opposition and even persecution. For believers today, this verse offers: