Jeremiah transforms Pashhur's name from "fruitful" to "Magor-missabib" (terror on every side), creating a prophetic wordplay that embodies the priest's future fate.
Jeremiah 20
Pashhur's Opposition
1Now Pashhur, the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer in the LORD’s house, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
2Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the LORD’s house.
3On the next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD has not called your name Pashhur, but Magormissabib.
4For the LORD says, ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive to Babylon, and will kill them with the sword.
5Moreover I will give all the riches of this city, and all its gains, and all its precious things, yes, I will give all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies. They will make them captives, take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6You, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house will go into captivity. You will come to Babylon, and there you will die, and there you will be buried, you, and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.’”
Jeremiah's Complaint and Curse
7LORD, you have persuaded me, and I was persuaded. You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day. Everyone mocks me.
8For as often as I speak, I cry out; I cry, “Violence and destruction!” because the LORD’s word has been made a reproach to me, and a derision, all day.
9If I say that I will not make mention of him, or speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones. I am weary with holding it in. I can’t.
10For I have heard the defaming of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce, and we will denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, those who watch for my fall. “Perhaps he will be persuaded, and we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him.”
11But the LORD is with me as an awesome mighty one. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they won’t prevail. They will be utterly disappointed because they have not dealt wisely, even with an everlasting dishonor which will never be forgotten.
12But the LORD of Armies, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for I have revealed my cause to you.
13Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD, for he has delivered the soul of the needy from the hand of evildoers.
14Cursed is the day in which I was born. Don’t let the day in which my mother bore me be blessed.
15Cursed is the man who brought news to my father, saying, “A boy is born to you,” making him very glad.
16Let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and didn’t repent. Let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at noontime,
17because he didn’t kill me from the womb. So my mother would have been my grave, and her womb always great.
18Why did I come out of the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
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Theme
Jeremiah faces severe persecution when Pashhur, a temple priest and chief officer, strikes him and puts him in stocks for his prophetic warnings. Upon release, Jeremiah pronounces God's judgment on Pashhur, renaming him 'Terror on Every Side' and prophesying his exile to Babylon. The chapter then shifts to one of Jeremiah's most anguished personal laments, where he wrestles with the burden of his calling, expressing both confidence in God's protection and deep despair over his suffering, culminating in a bitter curse upon the day of his birth.
Context
This chapter follows Jeremiah's temple sermon and symbolic acts in chapters 18-19, showing the escalating opposition to his ministry as Jerusalem's judgment approaches.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-2 Pashhur's Persecution of Jeremiah The temple priest Pashhur strikes Jeremiah and imprisons him in stocks for his prophetic ministry.
- 3-6 Judgment Oracle Against Pashhur Jeremiah renames Pashhur 'Terror on Every Side' and prophesies his exile and death in Babylon.
- 7-10 Jeremiah's Complaint About His Calling The prophet laments being compelled by God to deliver unpopular messages that bring him mockery and opposition.
- 11-13 Declaration of Trust in God Jeremiah expresses confidence that God will vindicate him against his persecutors and calls for praise.
- 14-18 Curse Upon His Birth In deep anguish, Jeremiah curses the day he was born and questions why he came into existence.
Pashhur's Opposition
20:1–20:6 prophecy narration defiant
Pashhur the priest strikes and imprisons Jeremiah for his prophecies, but Jeremiah prophesies that Pashhur will be renamed 'Terror' and will go into Babylonian captivity. This demonstrates the cost of opposing God's messenger.
person_contrast
Jeremiah transforms Pashhur's name from "fruitful" to "Magor-missabib" (terror on every side), creating a prophetic wordplay that embodies the priest's future fate.
Jeremiah's Complaint and Curse
20:7–20:18 prophecy lament anguished
Jeremiah laments his prophetic calling, feeling overwhelmed by mockery and persecution, yet unable to stop speaking God's word. He alternates between cursing the day of his birth and praising God for deliverance from enemies.
person_contrast
Jeremiah's violent oscillation between cursing his birth (v.14-18) and praising God's deliverance (v.13) creates the Bible's most psychologically raw prophetic lament.
Insights
Jeremiah's violent oscillation between cursing his birth (v.14-18) and praising God's deliverance (v.13) creates the Bible's most psychologically raw prophetic lament.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Jeremiah 20:1 1 reference
Jeremiah 20:2 3 references
Lexicals 3
Jeremiah 37:13 Lexical
When he was in Benjamin’s gate, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son o…
Jeremiah 36:10 Lexical
Then Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the book in the LORD’s house, in the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the…
Jeremiah 38:7 Lexical
Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeo…
Jeremiah 20:4 1 reference
Jeremiah 20:5 1 reference
Jeremiah 20:6 4 references
Lexicals 4
Jeremiah 5:31 Lexical
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will…
Jeremiah 27:14 Lexical
Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon;’ for they…
Jeremiah 29:21 Lexical
The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maase…
Jeremiah 27:16 Lexical
Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, the LORD says, “Don’t listen to the words of your prophets w…
Jeremiah 20:8 1 reference
Jeremiah 20:9 1 reference
Jeremiah 20:11 1 reference
Jeremiah 20:12 1 reference
Jeremiah 20:14 1 reference
Interlinear
Word-by-word original language
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v. 17
v. 18
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