D Q 37:1-38:28. Jeremiah. Persecution and deliverance.
R 39:1-9. City taken.
R 39:10-44:30. People taken, and left.
Q 45:1-5. Jeremiah. Prophech to Baruch.
Q S U 37;1-20. Public message.
V 37:21. In the court of prison.
T W 38:1-6. Accusation.
W 38:7-13. Defence.
S U 38:14-27. Private conference.
V 38:28. In the court of the prison.
U X 1,2. Words of Jeremiah. Disobedience.
Y x 3. Message from Zedekiah to Jeremiah.
y 4. Jeremiah: not in prison.
z 5. Departure of Chaldeans.
X 6-10. Words of Jeremiah. Threatening.
Y z 11-14. Departure of Chaldeans.
y 15. Jeremiah in prison.
x 16-20. Message from Jeremiah to Zedekiah.
478 B.C.
Jeremiah 37)
1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Jeconiah (called also Jehoiachin) the son of Jehoiakim, whom (i.e. Zedekiah) Nebuchadnezzar 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 to the prophecies of the LORD, which He spoke 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 (i.e. Pharaoh Hophra's. Cp. 44;30. The Apries of Herodotus, the 4th successor of Psammeticus on the throne of Egypt. He came to help Zedekiah [Ezek. 17:15-17], but was defeated by the Chaldeans, and Egypt subdued. Cp. 2 Kings 24:7. Ezek. 29:1-16, and chs. 30-33. Also Jer. 43:9-13) army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
6 Then came the word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah saying,
7 "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel; 'Thus shall you say to the king of Judah, that sent you to Me to inquire 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 says the LORD; 'Deceive not your own souls, saying, 'The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us:' for they shall not depart.
10 For though you 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.' "
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 (probably to Anathoth), of separate himself there (assign [himself] his portion there [i.e. at Anathoth, in Benjamin, 3 1/2 miles north-east of Jerusalem],where he drew his living) in the midst of the People. (For safety, and to avoid detection.)
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, "You 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. (Named in 38:1; none of whom had been favorable to Jeremiahin the days of Jehoiakim [26:16].)
15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and scourged him, and put him in the house of bonds (note Jeremiah's prison experiences: 1) put in under false charges [37:11-15]; 2) released, but confined in the court of prison; 3)imprisoned again in Malachiah's miry dungeon [38:1-6]; 4) released again as before [38:13-28]; 5) carried away in chains by Nebuchadnezzar, but released at Ramah [40:1-4) in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the house of detention.
16 For Jeremiah [actually] entered into the house of the pit (see Gen. 21:19 "well". Isa. 14:19 "pit"), and into the cells, and Jeremiah had abode there many days;
17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, "Does there exist any word from the LORD?" And Jeremiah said, "There does exist:" for, said he, "you shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon."
18 Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, "What have I offended against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in the house of detention? (See v.16.)
19 Where are now your prophets (not Yehovah's. From the beginning they had prophesied falsely. See 6:14; 27:16; 28:2) which prophesied to you, saying, 'The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?'
20 Therefore hear now, I pray you, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray you, be accepted before you; that you 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 guard hose, and that they should give him daily a cake of bread (cp. 52:6. 3 were reckoned as a meal [Luke 11:5]; a soldier's ration at that time) out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.