Jeremiah 37:5

3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and ^aZephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^b“Pray now to the Lord our God for us.”

4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.

5 Then ^aPharaoh’s army came up from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

7 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Thus you shall say to the king of Judah, ^awho sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come up to help you will return to Egypt, to their own land.

8 ^aAnd the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city, and take it and burn it with fire.” ’

9 Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely depart from us,” for they will not depart.

10 ^aFor though you had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained only wounded men among them, they would rise up, every man in his tent, and burn the city with fire.’ ”

Jeremiah Imprisoned

11 And it happened, when the army of the Chaldeans left the siege of Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

12 that Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin to claim his property there among the people.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Jeremiah 37:5 Mean?

Jeremiah 37:4-5

Jerusalem enjoys a brief respite from siege while the Babylonians engage an Egyptian army hired by Judah. Jeremiah may have sought to use this occasion to escape, for verse 12 tells us that he "went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin to claim his property there among the people." He could hide in anonymity among the general populace.

God, however, acts to keep him in Jerusalem, the center of the action. The authorities arrest him as he leaves the city, accusing him of "defecting to the Chaldeans" (verse 13). Since the Babylonians have already left the area, the accusation of defection is clearly a ruse, an excuse to imprison him (verse 15). After "many days" in a dungeon (verse 16), Zedekiah, solicitous of one empowered to tell the future, orders him transferred to the "court of the prison" (verse 21)—a real upgrade.

Charles Whitaker
Servant of God, Act One: Going Around, Coming Around

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Jeremiah Imprisoned

What Does Jeremiah 37:5 Mean?

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