Jeremiah Chapter 37
Jeremiah 37
The King Asks for Prayer and for a Secret Word
Jeremiah 37:1-2, The New King Zedekiah Fails in the Same Way as the Previous King
Jeremiah 37:1-2, “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. 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.”
Jeremiah 37 opens with Zedekiah reigning in the place of Coniah, also called Jeconiah or Jehoiachin. Zedekiah was not placed on the throne because Judah was strong or independent. Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made him king. This means Zedekiah’s throne was politically dependent on Babylon, even though his covenant responsibility was still before the LORD.
The central failure is immediately stated, “neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD.” This was not only Zedekiah’s private weakness. The king, the officials, and the people all refused the word spoken by Jeremiah.
The problem in Judah was not lack of revelation. God had spoken clearly through Jeremiah for decades. The problem was refusal to hear. Zedekiah had more outward softness than Jehoiakim, but he did not obey. He wanted help from God, but not surrender to God. He wanted Jeremiah’s prayers, but not Jeremiah’s preaching.
This is one of the great themes of the chapter. A man may desire the benefits of God’s word while refusing the authority of God’s word. Zedekiah wanted divine assistance without divine submission.
Jeremiah 37:3-5, Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah to Pray, and Jerusalem Seems to Be Rescued
Jeremiah 37:3-5, “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. Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison. Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.”
Zedekiah sends Jehucal and Zephaniah to Jeremiah with the request, “Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.” This is a remarkable request because Zedekiah and his people had not listened to Jeremiah’s message. Yet in crisis, the king wants Jeremiah’s intercession.
This shows the contradiction in Zedekiah’s soul. He knows Jeremiah has some real connection to the LORD. He knows enough to ask for prayer. But he does not have enough faith or courage to obey the word of the LORD.
Jeremiah is still moving among the people at this point, because he has not yet been imprisoned. That will soon change. The pressure of war, politics, fear, and false accusation will lead to his arrest.
Then Pharaoh’s army comes out of Egypt. When the Chaldeans hear of it, they depart from Jerusalem. To Zedekiah and the people, this likely looked like deliverance. The siege seemed broken. Egypt appeared to be the answer. The danger appeared to pass.
But temporary relief is not the same as salvation. Judah had long been tempted to trust Egypt instead of the LORD. Now Egypt’s movement creates false hope. The people may have thought Jeremiah’s prophecies had failed, but the LORD’s word had not changed.
Jeremiah 37:6-10, The Certainty That the Babylonians Will Conquer Jerusalem
Jeremiah 37:6-10, “Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us, for they shall not depart. 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.”
The word of the LORD comes to Jeremiah, and God directly answers the king’s hope in Egypt. Pharaoh’s army will return to Egypt. Egypt will not save Jerusalem. The Chaldeans will come again, fight against the city, take it, and burn it with fire.
God warns them, “Deceive not yourselves.” This is one of the most important statements in the chapter. The people were interpreting temporary circumstances as final deliverance. They saw the Chaldeans withdraw and assumed the threat was gone. God says that interpretation is self deception.
The withdrawal of Babylon was only temporary. The Chaldeans would return. Judah’s false confidence would collapse.
God then states the certainty in extreme terms. Even if Judah had defeated the whole Chaldean army and only wounded men remained, those wounded men would rise from their tents and burn Jerusalem with fire. The point is not military probability. The point is divine certainty. Since God has decreed Jerusalem’s fall, no human calculation can prevent it.
This is not fatalism. Judah had been called to repentance for years. They had refused. Now judgment is determined. Their hope in Egypt is empty, and their hope in circumstances is deception.
Jeremiah 37:11-15, Jeremiah Is Seized and Imprisoned as a Supposed Defector
Jeremiah 37:11-15, “And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. 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. 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. 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.”
When the Chaldean army withdraws temporarily, Jeremiah leaves Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin. The wording suggests some family or property matter, likely connected to his inheritance or the property concerns seen in Jeremiah 32. He is not fleeing to Babylon. He is moving during a brief opening in the siege.
At the gate of Benjamin, Irijah, a captain of the ward, seizes him and accuses him, “Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.” The accusation seems plausible only because Jeremiah had long preached that resisting Babylon was futile and that surrender was the path of survival. But the accusation is false.
Jeremiah plainly denies it, “It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah does not listen. This mirrors Judah’s wider problem. They do not hear the word of the LORD, and now they do not hear the truth from Jeremiah’s own mouth.
The princes are angry with Jeremiah. They strike him and imprison him in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which had been made into a prison. Jeremiah suffers physically for speaking truth. He is beaten without justice and confined without guilt.
There is irony here. Jeremiah is accused of betrayal, but he is the one who has faithfully served Judah by telling the truth. The leaders who reject him are the real traitors, because they have betrayed the LORD and led the nation toward destruction.
Jeremiah 37:16-17, Delivered from Prison, Jeremiah Delivers a Message to King Zedekiah
Jeremiah 37:16-17, “When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; 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.”
Jeremiah remains many days in the dungeon and cabins. The conditions are severe. This is not the more open court of the prison. This is a place of suffering, isolation, and likely danger to his life.
After many days, Zedekiah secretly sends for him. The king asks, “Is there any word from the LORD?” This question reveals Zedekiah’s fear. Publicly, he cannot bring himself to obey Jeremiah. Privately, he still wants to know whether God has spoken.
The secrecy is important. Zedekiah wants a word from God without the cost of public repentance. He wants revelation without humiliation. He wants information without obedience.
Jeremiah answers, “There is.” Then he gives the same message as before, “thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” The private word is not different from the public word. God does not give Zedekiah a secret message that contradicts the word already preached.
This is a major principle. A man should not seek a secret word from God while rejecting the clear word God has already given. Zedekiah’s problem was not that he lacked a word. His problem was that he refused to obey the word he already had.
Jeremiah 37:18-21, Jeremiah Appeals to King Zedekiah
Jeremiah 37:18-21, “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? Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 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. 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.”
Jeremiah now appeals to Zedekiah. He asks what offense he has committed against the king, his servants, or the people. The question exposes the injustice of his imprisonment. Jeremiah has committed no crime. He has only spoken the word of the LORD.
He then asks, “Where are now your prophets?” The false prophets had said Babylon would not come against the king or the land. Their words had failed. Jeremiah’s words were being fulfilled before their eyes. Yet the false prophets were not in prison. The true prophet was.
Jeremiah asks not to be returned to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest he die there. This is not cowardice. It is a lawful appeal for mercy and justice. Faithfulness does not require a man to seek the worst possible suffering when a righteous appeal may relieve it.
Zedekiah grants the request in part. Jeremiah is moved to the court of the prison and given daily a piece of bread from the bakers’ street until all the bread in the city is spent. This is mercy, but limited mercy. Zedekiah improves Jeremiah’s condition, but he does not obey Jeremiah’s message.
The chapter ends with Jeremiah in the court of the prison. He is not free, but he is preserved. He has bread while bread remains. God keeps His prophet alive in the middle of siege, political cowardice, false accusation, and national collapse.
Doctrinal and Practical Notes
Jeremiah 37 teaches that asking for prayer is not a substitute for obedience. Zedekiah asked Jeremiah to pray, but neither he nor his servants nor the people listened to the LORD.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that temporary relief can become dangerous if it produces false confidence. Egypt’s movement caused Babylon to withdraw for a time, but Jerusalem was not delivered.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that God’s word is not overturned by changing circumstances. The Chaldeans left temporarily, but God said they would return.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that self deception is a deadly spiritual danger. Judah wanted to believe Babylon would not return, but God said, “Deceive not yourselves.”
Jeremiah 37 teaches that faithful servants may be falsely accused. Jeremiah was accused of defecting to the Chaldeans even though the accusation was false.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that truth is often treated as treason by rebellious powers. Jeremiah’s warning was for Judah’s good, but the rulers treated him as an enemy.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that private spiritual curiosity does not equal repentance. Zedekiah secretly asked for a word from the LORD but still lacked courage to obey.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that God’s private word will not contradict His public word. Jeremiah’s secret answer to Zedekiah was the same message he had preached openly.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that faithful believers may rightly appeal against unjust suffering. Jeremiah asked not to be sent back to the deadly prison of Jonathan’s house.
Jeremiah 37 teaches that God can preserve His servants in hard places. Jeremiah remained imprisoned, but God moved him to the court of the prison and provided bread while bread remained.
Summary
Jeremiah 37 begins with Zedekiah reigning in place of Coniah after Nebuchadrezzar made him king in Judah. Yet Zedekiah, his servants, and the people did not listen to the words of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah.
Zedekiah sends Jehucal and Zephaniah to Jeremiah, asking him to pray to the LORD for them. At this time Jeremiah is still moving freely among the people. Pharaoh’s army comes out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans hear of it, they temporarily withdraw from Jerusalem. The people likely think deliverance has come.
But the word of the LORD comes to Jeremiah declaring that Pharaoh’s army will return to Egypt and the Chaldeans will come back, fight against Jerusalem, take it, and burn it with fire. God warns them not to deceive themselves. Even if only wounded Chaldean soldiers remained, they would rise and burn the city.
When the Chaldeans withdraw temporarily, Jeremiah leaves Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin. At the gate of Benjamin, Irijah accuses him of defecting to the Chaldeans. Jeremiah denies the accusation, but Irijah does not listen. He brings Jeremiah to the princes, who beat him and imprison him in the house of Jonathan the scribe.
After Jeremiah remains many days in the dungeon and cabins, Zedekiah secretly sends for him and asks, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Jeremiah answers that there is, and the word is that Zedekiah will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah then appeals to Zedekiah, asking what offense he has committed and pointing out that the false prophets who denied Babylon’s coming have been proven wrong. He asks not to be returned to the house of Jonathan lest he die there. Zedekiah grants the request, commits Jeremiah to the court of the prison, and gives him daily bread from the bakers’ street until all the bread in the city is gone. Jeremiah remains in the court of the prison.
