Jeremiah 37

Jer 37:1-21.

HISTORICAL

SECTIONS,

THIRTY-SEVENTH THROUGH

FORTY-FOURTH

CHAPTERS.

THE

CHALDEANS

RAISE THE

SIEGE TO

GO AND

MEET

PHARAOH-HOPHRA.

ZEDEKIAH

SENDS TO

JEREMIAH TO

PRAY TO

GOD IN

BEHALF OF THE

JEWS: IN

VAIN,

JEREMIAH

TRIES TO

ESCAPE TO

HIS

NATIVE

PLACE, BUT

IS

ARRESTED.

ZEDEKIAH

ABATES THE

RIGOR OF

HIS

IMPRISONMENT.

1. Coniah--curtailed from Jeconiah by way of reproach.

whom--referring to Zedekiah, not to Coniah

(2Ki 24:17).

2. Amazing stupidity, that they were not admonished by the punishment

of Jeconiah [CALVIN],

(2Ch 36:12, 14)!

3. Zedekiah . . . sent--fearing lest, in the event of

the Chaldeans overcoming Pharaoh-hophra, they should return to besiege

Jerusalem. See on

Jer 21:1;

that chapter chronologically comes in between the thirty-seventh and

thirty-eighth chapter. The message of the king to Jeremiah here in the

thirty-seventh chapter is, however, somewhat earlier than that in the

twenty-first chapter; here it is while the issue between the Chaldeans

and Pharaoh was undecided; there it is when, after the repulse of

Pharaoh, the Chaldeans were again advancing against Jerusalem; hence,

while Zephaniah is named in both embassies, Jehucal accompanies

him here, Pashur there. But, as Pashur and Jehucal are both

mentioned in

Jer 38:1, 2,

as hearing Jeremiah's reply, which is identical with that in

Jer 21:9,

it is probable the two messages followed one another at a short

interval; that in this

Jer 37:3,

and the answer,

Jer 37:7-10,

being the earlier of the two.

Zephaniah--an abettor of rebellion against God

(Jer 29:25),

though less virulent than many

(Jer 29:29),

punished accordingly

(Jer 52:24-27).

4. Jeremiah . . . not put . . . into

prison--He was no longer in the prison court, as he had been

(Jer 32:2; 33:1),

which passages refer to the beginning of the siege, not to the time

when the Chaldeans renewed the siege, after having withdrawn for a time

to meet Pharaoh.

5. After this temporary diversion, caused by Pharaoh in favor of

Jerusalem, the Egyptians returned no more to its help

(2Ki 24:7).

Judea had the misfortune to lie between the two great contending

powers, Babylon and Egypt, and so was exposed to the alternate inroads

of the one or the other. Josiah, taking side with Assyria, fell in

battle with Pharaoh-necho at Megiddo

(2Ki 23:29).

Zedekiah, seeking the Egyptian alliance in violation of his oath, was

now about to be taken by Nebuchadnezzar

(2Ch 36:13;

Eze 17:15, 17).

7. shall return--without accomplishing any deliverance for you.

8.

(Jer 34:22).

9. yourselves--Hebrew, "souls."

10. yet . . . they--Even a few wounded men would suffice for your

destruction.

11. broken up--"gone up."

12. Benjamin--to his own town, Anathoth.

to separate himself--Margin translates, "to slip away," from a

Hebrew root, "to be smooth," so, to slip away as a slippery thing

that cannot be held. But it is not likely the prophet of God would flee

in a dishonorable way; and "in the midst of the people" rather implies

open departure along with others, than clandestine slipping away by

mixing with the crowd of departing people. Rather, it means,

to separate himself, or to divide his place of residence, so as to

live partly here, partly there, without fixed habitation, going to and

fro among the people

[LUDOVICUS

DE

DIEU].

MAURER translates, "to take

his portion thence," to realize the produce of his property in Anathoth

[HENDERSON], or to take possession of the land which he bought from

Hanameel [MAURER].

13. ward--that is, the "guard," or "watch."

Hananiah--whose death Jeremiah predicted

(Jer 28:16).

The grandson in revenge takes Jeremiah into custody on the charge of

deserting ("thou fallest away,"

Jer 38:19; 52:15;

1Sa 29:3)

to the enemy. His prophecies gave color to the charge

(Jer 21:9; 38:4).

15. scribe--one of the court secretaries; often in the East part of

the private house of a public officer serves as a prison.

16. dungeon . . . cabins--The prison consisted of a

pit (the "dungeon") with vaulted cells round the sides of

it. The "cabins," from a root, "to bend one's self."

17. secretly--Zedekiah was ashamed to be seen by his courtiers

consulting Jeremiah

(Joh 12:43; 5:44; 19:38).

thou shalt be delivered--Had Jeremiah consulted his earthly

interests, he would have answered very differently. Contrast

Jer 6:14;

Isa 30:10;

Eze 13:10.

18. What--In what respect have I offended?

19. Where are now your prophets--The event has showed them to be liars;

and, as surely as the king of Babylon has come already, notwithstanding

their prophecy, so surely shall he return.

20. be accepted--rather, "Let my supplication be humbly presented"

(see on

Jer 36:7),

[HENDERSON].

lest I die there--in the subterranean dungeon

(Jer 37:16),

from want of proper sustenance

(Jer 37:21).

The prophet naturally shrank from death, which makes his

spiritual firmness the more remarkable; he was ready to die

rather than swerve from his duty [CALVIN].

21. court of the prison--

(Jer 32:2; 38:13, 28).

bakers' street--Persons in the same business in cities in the East

commonly reside in the same street.

all the bread . . . spent--Jeremiah had bread supplied

to him until he was thrown into the dungeon of Malchiah, at which time

the bread in the city was spent. Compare this verse with

Jer 38:9;

that time must have been very shortly before the capture of the city

(Jer 52:6).

God saith of His children, "In the days of famine they shall be

satisfied"

(Ps 37:19;

Isa 33:16).

Honest reproof

(Jer 37:17),

in the end often gains more favor than flattery

(Pr 28:23).