Jeremiah 37

Jerusalem is under threat from Babylon, and King Zedekiah wants Jeremiah’s prayers but not his message. When Egypt’s army briefly draws the Babylonians away, Jeremiah warns that they will come back. He is then falsely accused, beaten, and jailed, yet he still tells the king the truth.

Jeremiah 37:1

Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah on David’s throne in place of Coniah, who had been carried off to Babylon. Zedekiah was a king by a foreign power’s choice. His name means ‘Jehovah is righteous,’ which sits sadly beside his record.

BSA: in place of (“underneath, instead of”): Zedekiah sat under Babylon’s authority; his throne was never truly his own.

Jeremiah 37:2

The problem was not a lack of warning. King, officials, and common people alike all refused to listen to what the LORD said through Jeremiah. Hearing God’s word is not enough; it has to be heeded.

BSA: obey (“to hear and heed”): Biblical hearing includes doing; refusing to obey is the same as refusing to listen.

Hebrew: שָׁמַע (shāmaʿ, H8085) — “to hear, listen, obey.” The Hebrew uses one word for hearing and obeying. To refuse to ‘obey’ is literally to refuse to hear.

See also: James 1:22.

Jeremiah 37:3

Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to pray for the nation, yet he will not obey the God he asks him to pray to. People often want God’s help without wanting God’s word. Still, the request shows that the king knew where the real power lay.

BSA: pray (“to intercede, to make petition”): Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to stand between the nation and God on its behalf.

See also: Jeremiah 21:1-2.

Jeremiah 37:4

This is a short pause in the story before Jeremiah’s arrest. He was still free to move about among the people, speaking God’s word openly. The verse prepares us for how quickly things will change.

BSA: free (“at liberty, unrestricted”): His freedom is about to end, so the word marks a calm before trouble.

Jeremiah 37:5

Egypt’s army marched out, and the Babylonians lifted the siege to deal with it. To the people of Jerusalem this looked like rescue. It was only a pause.

BSA: withdrew (“departed, went up”): The enemy only stepped back; they had not been defeated.

Jeremiah 37:6-7

God answers the king’s request through Jeremiah, but not with the comfort the king hoped for. Egypt came to help, yet it will simply go home. Human allies cannot rescue people who are resisting God.

BSA: help (“assist, provide aid”): Egypt’s help was real but would prove useless against what God had decided.

See also: Isaiah 30:1-3; Psalm 146:3.

Jeremiah 37:8

The Babylonians will come back, take the city, and burn it. What looked like a release was only a delay. God’s word is not cancelled by a change in circumstances.

BSA: return (“to turn back, come again”): The enemy’s retreat was temporary; they would turn around and come again.

Jeremiah 37:9

God warns the people not to deceive themselves. It is easy to read a lucky break as a sign that all is well. Their wishful thinking is called what it is: self-deception.

BSA: deceive (“lead astray, mislead”): The people were misleading themselves, not merely being misled by others.

See also: James 1:22.

Jeremiah 37:10

This is a vivid way of saying that Babylon’s victory is certain. Even a camp of wounded men would rise up and finish the job, because God has decreed it. No human strength can stand against what God has determined.

BSA: wounded men (“those who are pierced, injured”): Even the barely-living soldiers would be enough, which shows that the outcome rests on God’s decree and not on military strength.

Jeremiah 37:11-12

With the siege lifted, Jeremiah tries to leave the city to collect his family inheritance in Benjamin’s territory, probably to settle a property matter. It was a normal errand in a brief window of calm, and it was misread.

BSA: portion (“inheritance, share”): He went to claim a family share of land, an ordinary and innocent reason for the journey.

See also: Jeremiah 32:6-9.

Jeremiah 37:13

At the Gate of Benjamin the guard captain accuses Jeremiah of going over to the enemy. Because Jeremiah had long said Babylon would win, the charge sounded believable. Faithful speech can be twisted into a charge of treason.

BSA: deserting (“falling away, fleeing”): The accusation was that Jeremiah was defecting and switching sides in the war.

Jeremiah 37:14

Jeremiah plainly denies it, but Irijah will not listen. The man who had spent years telling people to hear God is now himself unheard. Jeremiah is handed over to the officials without a fair hearing.

BSA: lie (“falsehood, deception”): Jeremiah calls the charge a falsehood, since he was no traitor.

Jeremiah 37:15

The angry officials beat Jeremiah and lock him up in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which had been turned into a prison. God’s messenger is punished while the lying prophets go free.

See also: Matthew 5:11-12.

Jeremiah 37:16

Jeremiah is put in a cell in the dungeon and stays there a long time. It was a dark underground place. Yet his sufferings have not changed his message, and God has not left him.

BSA: dungeon (“pit, cistern, or prison”): The word suggests a pit or cistern-like hole in the ground, which was damp, dark, and dangerous.

Jeremiah 37:17

The king secretly sends for Jeremiah and asks if there is a word from the LORD. He wants the truth, but only in private. Jeremiah answers without softening it: Zedekiah will be handed over to the king of Babylon.

BSA: privately (“in secret, without others present”): Zedekiah wanted God’s word but feared being seen to listen to it.

Jeremiah 37:18-19

Jeremiah asks what crime he has committed. Then he turns the question on the king’s comfortable prophets, who promised that Babylon would never come. Events had proved them wrong. Time shows who has spoken for God.

BSA: sinned (“missed the mark, gone wrong, incurred guilt”): Jeremiah asks what wrong he could possibly have done to deserve prison.

See also: Deuteronomy 18:21-22.

Jeremiah 37:20

Jeremiah humbly asks the king for mercy. A return to the house of Jonathan would mean death. Even a prophet may ask honestly for protection, and there is no shame in that.

BSA: petition (“humble request, supplication”): Jeremiah speaks as a humble petitioner, not as an accuser.

Jeremiah 37:21

Zedekiah moves Jeremiah to the courtyard of the guard and sees that he gets a daily loaf of bread until the city’s bread runs out. It is a small mercy from a weak king. God preserves his servant, day by day, even in a siege.

BSA: loaf of bread (“food, especially grain or bread”): Jeremiah’s provision came as a daily ration, one day at a time.

See also: Matthew 6:11.