Jeremiah 37

Jeremiah 37 belongs to the latter part of the book of Jeremiah and opens the narrative section (chapters 37–39) that recounts events immediately before the fall of Jerusalem. The preceding chapter, Jeremiah 36, dealt with King Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll; this chapter skips ahead in time to the reign of King Zedekiah.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Nebuchadnezzar makes Zedekiah king of Judah in place of Coniah. The king, his servants, and the people do not listen to the word of the LORD.
• Verses 3–5 Zedekiah sends Jehucal and Zephaniah the priest to ask Jeremiah to pray. At this time Pharaoh's army comes out of Egypt, and the Chaldeans who had besieged Jerusalem withdraw.
• Verses 6–10 The LORD declares that Pharaoh's army will return to Egypt and that the Chaldeans will come back and burn the city. Even if only wounded men remained, they would burn the city.
• Verses 11–16 As Jeremiah sets out for the land of Benjamin to receive his portion, he is arrested at the Gate of Benjamin by Irijah, the captain of the ward. The princes beat him and imprison him in the house of Jonathan the scribe.
• Verses 17–21 Zedekiah secretly summons Jeremiah and asks for a word from the LORD. Jeremiah answers that the king will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he pleads not to be sent back to Jonathan's house. The king commits him to the court of the guard and orders that he be given a piece of bread daily.

Key Verses

• Jeremiah 37:9 "Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us." The verse warns against false hope based on a temporary change in circumstances.
• Jeremiah 37:17 "Is there any word from the LORD? … There is." Even while imprisoned, Jeremiah delivers an unwelcome word to the king without softening it.

People and Places

• Jeremiah: the prophet of this book.
• Zedekiah: the last king of Judah and a son of Josiah.
• Coniah: the son of Jehoiakim, also called Jehoiachin.
• Jehucal and Zephaniah: the men the king sent to Jeremiah; Zephaniah was a priest.
• Irijah: the captain of the ward stationed at the Gate of Benjamin.
• Jonathan: a scribe whose house was used as a prison.
• Places: Jerusalem, Egypt, the land of Benjamin and the Gate of Benjamin, and the court of the guard. The court of the guard was the courtyard of the guard attached to the royal palace.

Points for Reflection

• Jeremiah had already prophesied that those who surrendered to the Chaldeans would live (Jeremiah 21:9). This is commonly read as the reason he was suspected of desertion.
• The meaning of the Hebrew expression rendered "to receive his portion" in verse 12 is uncertain, so translations render it differently.
• The chapter continues into the account of Jeremiah's confinement in Jeremiah 38. In 38:26 his plea not to be sent back to Jonathan's house is mentioned again.
• In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:33–38 speaks of the faithful of earlier generations who endured the trial of imprisonment. This passage is often read alongside the sufferings of prophets such as Jeremiah.