1.
And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
Coniah: i.e. Jeconiah, called also Jehoiachin. whom: i.e. Zedekiah.
2.
But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.
words = prophecies.
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 Pharoah's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
Pharaoh's: i.e. Pharaoh Hophra's. Compare Jeremiah 44:30 . The Apries of Herodotus, and fourth successor of Psammeticus on the throne of Egypt. He came to help Zedekiah (Ezekiel 17:15-17 ), but was defeated by the Chaldeans, and Egypt subdued. Compare 2 Kings 24:7 . Ezekiel 29:1-16 and chs. 30-33. Also Jeremiah 43:9-13 .
6.
Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
7.
Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
The Thirty-Fourth Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
the LORD, the God of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 11:3 .
Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.
8.
And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
9.
Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
yourselves = your own souls. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .
10.
For though ye 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.
every man. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 .
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, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.
to go, &c. Probably to Anathoth.
to separate himself thence = to assign [himself] his portion there (i.e. at Anathoth, in Benjamin, three and a half miles north-east of Jerusalem), where he drew his living.
in the midst: 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, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.
the gate of Benjamin: i.e. the northern gate, called also "the gate of Ephraim" (2 Kings 14:13 .Nehemiah 8:16; Nehemiah 8:16 ), leading to Anathoth.
Hananiah. Perhaps the false prophet mentioned in Jeremiah 28:1-17 .
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.
princes. Named in Jeremiah 38:1 ; none of whom had been favourable to Jeremiah in the days of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 26:16 ).
15.
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.
smote = scourged.
put him in prison. Note Jeremiah ' s prison experiences:. (1) put in on false charge (Jeremiah 37:11-15 ); (2) released, but confined in the court of the prison; (3) imprisoned again in Malchiah's miry dungeon (Jeremiah 38:1-6 ); (4) released again as before (Jeremiah 38:13-28 ); (5) carried away in chains by Nebuchadnezzar, but released at Ramah (Jeremiah 40:1-4 ).
in prison = in the house of bonds.
the prison = the house of detention.
16.
When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
When, &c. = For Jeremiah [actually] entered, &c,
dungeon = house of the pit. Hebrew. bor. See notes on Genesis 21:19 ("well"). Isaiah 14:19 ("pit").
cabins = cells.
remained = abode. Note the Figure of speech Cyeloides , marking the refrain, which is repeated in Jeremiah 37:21 , and in Jeremiah 38:13 , Jeremiah 38:28 ; as shown in the Structure.
17.
Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
Is there . . . There is = Does there exist. . . ? . . . There does exist. Hebrew. yesh . . . yesh . See notes on Proverbs 8:21 ; Proverbs 18:24 ; and Luke 7:25 .
18.
Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
offended = sinned.
prison = the house of detention. See Jeremiah 37:16 .
19.
Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?
your prophets. Not Jehovah's. From the beginning they had prophesied falsely. See Jeremiah 6:14 ; Jeremiah 27:16 ; Jeremiah 28:2 .
20.
Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou 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 prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
prison = guard-house. Not the same word as in Jeremiah 37:15 .
piece = a cake. Compare Jeremiah 52:6 . Three were reckoned as a meal (Luke 11:5 ); a soldier's ration at that time.