Jeremiah 26

Early in Jehoiakim’s reign, God sends Jeremiah to the temple courtyard with a warning: repent, or the temple will become like Shiloh. The priests, prophets and people seize him and demand his death, but the officials listen and let him go. The chapter shows the cost of speaking God’s word faithfully and how God preserves His servant.

Jeremiah 26:1-3

God tells Jeremiah to stand in the temple courtyard and give the whole message to worshipers from every town of Judah. He must leave nothing out. The warning is meant to lead to repentance, so that God may relent of the judgment He is planning.

BSA: omit (“diminish, leave out”): Jeremiah may not soften or trim the message to make it easier to hear. relent (“be sorry, comfort”): God’s judgment is not fixed; He truly holds out the chance to turn back and find mercy.

Hebrew: אוּלַי (ulai, H194) — “perhaps, it may be.” The word shows that God’s warning is a real invitation. It is spoken in hope that the people will hear and turn.

See also: Ezekiel 18:31-32.

Jeremiah 26:4-6

The warning is plain. If the people will not walk in God’s law and keep refusing the prophets He has sent again and again, the temple will become like Shiloh, and Jerusalem will be a curse among the nations. Shiloh was where the tabernacle once stood, and it was left ruined.

BSA: again and again (“repeatedly, persistently”): God had patiently sent His messengers over many years; judgment comes after long mercy. cursing (“a curse word, a byword for evil”): Jerusalem’s name would become a phrase people use when they speak of disaster.

See also: 1 Samuel 4:10-11; Psalm 78:60.

Jeremiah 26:7-9

The religious leaders and the crowd grab Jeremiah the moment he finishes. They are outraged that anyone would say God’s own house could fall. They treat the message as a crime and call for his death, when it was really a call to turn back.

BSA: seized (“captured, took hold of”): The hearers answer God’s word with violence, not with repentance.

Jeremiah 26:10-11

The royal officials hear the uproar and come up from the palace to sit in judgment at the New Gate. The priests and prophets then make their case: Jeremiah has spoken against the city, and the officials themselves have heard it. They want him executed.

BSA: officials (“rulers, princes”): These were the king’s leading men, who acted as a court to decide the matter.

Jeremiah 26:12-15

Jeremiah does not defend himself or take back a word. He says God sent him, then pleads once more for repentance. He is willing to be in their hands, but he warns that killing an innocent man would bring guilt on them and on the city.

BSA: correct (“amend, make right”): Real repentance means changing how one lives, not just feeling sorry. innocent (“guiltless, morally clean”): Jeremiah tells them he has done no wrong, so shedding his blood would be a grave sin.

Hebrew: הֵיטִיבוּ (hêṭîbû, H3190) — “make good, improve.” The word means to make something good again. Jeremiah asks them to repair their lives, not only to change their words.

See also: Jeremiah 7:3; Deuteronomy 19:10.

Jeremiah 26:16

The officials and people side with Jeremiah. They see that a man who speaks in the name of the LORD their God should not be put to death for it. The mood of the crowd turns around.

BSA: name (“identity, character, authority”): Speaking in God’s name means speaking with His authority, so the officials dared not treat it lightly.

Jeremiah 26:17-19

Some elders recall Micah, who warned in Hezekiah’s day that Zion would be plowed like a field. Hezekiah did not kill him. He feared the LORD and sought His favor, and God relented. The elders see that killing Jeremiah would bring harm on themselves.

BSA: relent (“change His mind, show compassion”): Hezekiah’s humble response shows that God answers repentance with mercy. favor (“mercy, kindness”): Hezekiah pleaded for God’s kindness instead of silencing the warning.

See also: Micah 3:12; 2 Kings 19:1.

Jeremiah 26:20-23

Another prophet, Uriah, gave the same message. King Jehoiakim wanted him dead. Uriah fled to Egypt, but the king sent men after him, brought him back, and had him killed. The story shows how dangerous it was to speak for God in those days.

BSA: fled (“ran away, escaped”): Even a true prophet could be overcome by fear; yet Egypt did not prove a safe refuge.

Jeremiah 26:24

Jeremiah was spared because Ahikam son of Shaphan stood by him. Ahikam’s family later protected Jeremiah again. God often keeps His servants safe through the courage of ordinary people willing to stand with them.

BSA: supported (“gave help, took the side of”): Ahikam used his influence to take Jeremiah’s side when it was costly to do so.

See also: 2 Kings 22:12.