Jeremiah 37

Zedekiah's Inquiry and Warning

¹Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

²But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to the LORD’s words, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

³Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to the LORD our God for us.”

⁴Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison.

⁵Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

⁶Then the LORD’s word came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

⁷“The LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, will return to Egypt into their own land.

⁸The Chaldeans will come again, and fight against this city. They will take it and burn it with fire.”’

⁹“The LORD says, ‘Don’t deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely depart from us;” for they will not depart.

¹⁰For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and only wounded men remained among them, they would each rise up in his tent and burn this city with fire.’”

Jeremiah Imprisoned

¹¹When the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

¹²then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the middle of the people.

¹³When he was in Benjamin’s gate, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans!”

¹⁴Then Jeremiah said, “That is false! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.” But he didn’t listen to him; so Irijah seized Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

¹⁵The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

¹⁶When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,

¹⁷then Zedekiah the king sent and had him brought out. The king asked him secretly in his house, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” He also said, “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁸Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

¹⁹Now where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you, nor against this land’?

²⁰Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”

²¹Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard. They gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Previous Jeremiah 36

Next Jeremiah 38

King Zedekiah seeks Jeremiah's prayers and prophecy as Egyptian forces temporarily lift Babylon's siege of Jerusalem. Despite this apparent reprieve, Jeremiah delivers God's unwavering message that the Babylonians will return to capture and destroy the city. When Jeremiah attempts to leave Jerusalem on personal business, he is falsely accused of defecting to the enemy and imprisoned, though Zedekiah secretly continues to seek his prophetic counsel.

Context

This chapter occurs during the final siege of Jerusalem, building on previous warnings while showing the tragic irony of leaders seeking God's word while rejecting His messenger.

Key Themes

Outline

1-2
Zedekiah's Disobedient Reign Introduction of King Zedekiah and the nation's continued rejection of Jeremiah's prophetic warnings.
3-5
Request for Prayer During Siege Relief Zedekiah sends messengers asking Jeremiah to pray as Egyptian forces cause the Babylonians to temporarily withdraw.
6-10
God's Unchanging Judgment The Lord declares through Jeremiah that Egypt will retreat and Babylon will return to destroy Jerusalem.
11-16
Jeremiah's False Accusation and Imprisonment Jeremiah is wrongly accused of defecting to the Chaldeans and beaten and imprisoned by the officials.
17-21
Secret Royal Consultation Zedekiah privately seeks Jeremiah's counsel, receives the same judgment message, and grants the prophet's request for better prison conditions.

Zedekiah's Inquiry and Warning

37:1–37:10

narrative narration warning

King Zedekiah seeks Jeremiah's prayers while ignoring God's words. God warns through Jeremiah that Egypt's temporary relief will not save Jerusalem from Babylonian conquest and destruction.

person_contrast

Zedekiah's lineage from righteous Josiah creates bitter irony—the grandson of Judah's greatest reformer becomes the king who definitively rejects prophetic warnings and seals Jerusalem's doom.

Jeremiah Imprisoned

37:11–37:21

narrative narration anguished

Jeremiah is falsely accused of desertion and imprisoned by the princes. King Zedekiah secretly consults him and receives confirmation of Babylon's victory, leading to Jeremiah's transfer to better prison conditions.

person_contrast

Jeremiah's imprisonment for alleged desertion ironically fulfills his own prophecies about Jerusalem's fate, making him both herald and victim of divine judgment.

Insight Character Study

Zedekiah's lineage from righteous Josiah creates bitter irony—the grandson of Judah's greatest reformer becomes the king who definitively rejects prophetic warnings and seals Jerusalem's doom.

Insight Character Study

Jeremiah's imprisonment for alleged desertion ironically fulfills his own prophecies about Jerusalem's fate, making him both herald and victim of divine judgment.