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.
3. And Zedekiah the king sent ] This mission took place later than that related in ch. Jer 21:1, which was sent when Nebuchadnezzar’s army was approaching Jerusalem. In this case on the contrary the siege had begun and had been raised, and the hopes of the people were excited in consequence.
Jehucal ] In ch. Jer 38:4 he (“Jucal”) proposes that Jeremiah should be put to death.
Zephaniah ] See chs. Jer 21:1, Jer 29:25.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
This embassy is not to be confounded with that Jer 21:1 which took place when Nebuchadnezzar was just marching upon Jerusalem; this was in the brief interval of hope occasioned by the approach of an Egyptian army to raise the siege. The Jews were elated by this temporary relief, and miserably abused it Jer 34:11. Zedekiah seems to some extent to have shared their hopes, and to have expected that the prophet would intercede for the city as successfully as Isaiah had done Isa 37:6. Jehucal was a member of the warlike party Jer 38:1, as also was the deputy high priest Zephaniah, but otherwise he was well affected to Jeremiah.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. Zedekiah – to the prophet Jeremiah] He was willing to hear a message from the Lord, provided it were according to his own mind. He did not fully trust in his own prophets.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This was apparently in the time of the siege; for, Jer 37:5, we read of Pharaohs army being come to relieve the besieged, whether it was before the Babylonians were departed, or no, is uncertain; but it is plain, if they were departed, the king was afraid they would come back again. That which is most observable for us from hence is this, that wicked men of all ranks are desirous of the prayers of those ministers in their distresses, whose counsels and admonitions they never regard while they are in a time of prosperity; which is an evidence of their acting contrary to the convictions of their consciences, in obedience to their lusts, in their contempt of their instructions and admonitions. When affliction hath cooled their lusts, then their consciences can be heard in dictating their duty to them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. Zedekiah . . . sentfearinglest, in the event of the Chaldeans overcoming Pharaoh-hophra, theyshould return to besiege Jerusalem. See on Jer21:1; that chapter chronologically comes in between thethirty-seventh and thirty-eighth chapter. The message of the king toJeremiah here in the thirty-seventh chapter is, however, somewhatearlier than that in the twenty-first chapter; here it is while theissue between the Chaldeans and Pharaoh was undecided; there it iswhen, after the repulse of Pharaoh, the Chaldeans were againadvancing against Jerusalem; hence, while Zephaniah is named in bothembassies, Jehucal accompanies him here, Pashur there.But, as Pashur and Jehucal are both mentioned in Jer 38:1;Jer 38:2, as hearing Jeremiah’sreply, which is identical with that in Jer21:9, it is probable the two messages followed one another at ashort interval; that in this Jer37:3, and the answer, Jer37:7-10, being the earlier of the two.
Zephaniahan abettor ofrebellion against God (Jer 29:25),though less virulent than many (Jer29:29), punished accordingly (Jer52:24-27).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest,…. That is, Zephaniah the priest, as the accents shaw; though his father Maaseiah was doubtless a priest too; according to the Syriac version, both Jehucal, called Jucal, Jer 38:1; and Zephaniah, were priests; since it reads in the plural number, “priests”: these the king sent as messengers
to the Prophet Jeremiah, saying, pray now unto the Lord our God for us. This message was sent either upon the rumour of the Chaldeans coming against Jerusalem, as some think; or rather when it had departed from the city, and was gone to meet the army of the king of Egypt; so that this petition to the prophet was to pray that the king of Egypt alight get the victory over the Chaldean army, and that that might not return unto them. Thus wicked men will desire the prayers of good men in times of distress, when their words, their cautions, admonitions, exhortations, and prayers too, are despised by them at another time.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Jeremiah had briefly explained what was the state of the city and the land, that though they had been already severely chastised by God’s scourges, they yet remained obstinate in their wickedness. He now adds, that messengers were sent to him by King Zedekiah, when danger arose from the Chaldeans; and it is probable that this message came to Jeremiah when the siege was raised, or if the siege still continued, it was at a time when the Jews, no doubt, flattered themselves with the hope of receiving some aid, while yet they saw that the power of the king of Babylon was very great. For though they hoped for some help from the Egyptians, they were yet perplexed, and fear constrained the king to send messengers to the Prophet Jeremiah. But it appears from the answer that the Egyptians were already in arms, and had also come out for the purpose of raising the siege, and driving the Chaldeans from Judea. We hence see that the king was, in a measure, elated with vain confidence, seeing that the Egyptians were coming with a strong army to assist him, and yet he was full of anxiety, as the ungodly must ever be: while they seek to confirm themselves in a state of security, they are still tossed here and there, for God’s judgment is upon them. They are fearful, though they try to shake off fear. Hence Zedekiah, though he thought that he should soon be freed from all danger, yet could not wholly divest himself of anxiety, and therefore sent to Jeremiah: for the ungodly are wont to seek God, but not in earnest; they wish to discharge the outward duty, but they bring neither faith nor repentance, by which alone access to God is opened.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
I. THE PROPHET CONSULTED Jer. 37:3-10
In 589 B.C. Zedekiah foolishly rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar his overlord. Jerusalem had to pay the inevitable consequences. In 588 B.C. the armies of Babylon besieged the city (Jer. 32:1-2). Things looked very bleak for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. As for Jeremiah, he had been arrested and confined during that first part of the siege (Jer. 32:1-5). In the summer of 588 B.C. things took a turn for the better. Pharaoh Hophra came marching northward with a relief expedition. The Chaldeans were forced temporarily to suspend siege conditions to deal with this new development. This withdrawal of Chaldean troops afforded Jerusalem a breathing spell of a few weeks.
A. Zedekiahs Request Jer. 37:3-5
TRANSLATION
(3) And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Pray please on our behalf unto the LORD our God. (4) Now Jeremiah came and went among the people for they had not yet put him in prison. (5) Meanwhile the army of Pharaoh had gone out from Egypt. When the Chaldeans who were besieging the city heard this report they lifted the siege of the city.
COMMENTS
When the Chaldeans shifted their forces to counter the invasion of Pharaoh Hophra (Jer. 37:5) new hope was kindled in the hearts of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. For nine months they had been shut up in the city watching the strangle-hold slowly doing its deadly work. But now the enemy was gone! Perhaps the Egyptian allies would be able to defeat the accursed Chaldeans! Seeking prophetic confirmation of the prevailing optimism, king Zedekiah sent a delegation to Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord. The two-man delegation consisted of Zephaniah the deputy high priest[324] and a prince by the name of Jehucal (or Jucal). The latter would shortly join other princes in demanding the death penalty for Jeremiah (Jer. 38:4). But at the moment no animosity is apparent. Though the princes were violently resentful of the threats and warnings which Jeremiah had been uttering, yet the prophet was a powerful figure. They coveted his support for the national leadership. Let bygones be bygones. After all the Chaldeans had withdrawn from the city. Surely Jeremiah would jump on the bandwagon with all the nationalistic prophets now that circumstances had proven his earlier predictions to be inaccurate. As Hezekiah many years earlier had sent an embassy to Isaiah requesting prayer for besieged Jerusalem (Isa. 37:6), so now they come and ask Jeremiah to pray unto the Lord for us (Jer. 37:3). Perhaps they hoped that God would miraculously intervene and overthrow the invading Chaldeans even as He had done many years earlier in the time of the invasion of Sennacherib (2Ki. 19:35).
[324] See Jer. 21:1; Jer. 29:25; Jer. 52:24; Jer. 52:26-27; 2Ki. 25:18; 2Ki. 25:20-21.
Jer. 37:4 is a somewhat parenthetical note indicating the personal circumstances of Jeremiah at the time the deputation from Zedekiah arrived. The prophet was still free i.e., he had not suffered arrest. This verse is not to be interpreted in the absolute sense that Jeremiah had never yet been arrested for most certainly he had been (see chapter 26). Nor should this verse be pressed to mean that Jeremiah had not yet been arrested during the reign of Zedekiah. On the basis of this verse most all commentators place the episode in chapter 32 after the events of chapter 37. While this is not an impossible arrangement, it certainly is unnecessary. Jeremiah might well have been in custody during the initial phase of the Chaldean siege and then have been released once the attacking armies withdrew. In this case the present verse would mean only that Jeremiah had not yet experienced the final arrest which was to keep him in custody until after the fall of the city. This arrest is recorded in Jer. 37:11 ff.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(3) And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal . . .The time and, probably, occasion of the mission is given in Jer. 37:5. The Chaldans had raised the siege of Jerusalem on hearing of the approach of the Egyptian army under Pharaoh-Hophra, the Apries of Herodotus (Herod. ii. 161-169. Eze. 17:15, Eze. 29:1-16, Ezekiel 30-32.), and the king seems to have thought that an opportunity presented itself for asserting his independence, and wished to gain the sanction and the prayers of the prophet for this policy. Of the two officers who are here named, Jehucal appears as accusing the prophets in Jer. 38:1, Zephaniah in Jer. 21:1; Jer. 29:25. They clearly belonged to the anti-Chaldan party, and were therefore, for the most part, openly hostile to the prophet. Their application to him was either simply an official act in obedience to the kings commands, or sprang from the hope, as before in Jer. 21:1, that they might, by a show of religious zeal for Jehovah, win him over to their cause. The stress which they lay on his praying to the Lord our God indicates the latter alternative as probable.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Zedekiah sent This is not the same incident that is given in chap.
Jer 21:9. That took place when the Chaldeans were first approaching Jerusalem this in the interval of hope produced by the approach of the Egyptian army to raise the siege. But this was before Jeremiah was imprisoned.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Reader! is it not strange, that the ungodly should willfully persist in their transgressions, and yet seek an interest in the prayers of the faithful. Is not this a testimony to God’s truth. Precious Jesus! how blessed is it, that the unworthiness of the redeemed, do not put a stop to thine unceasing intercession!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 37:3 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.
Ver. 3. Pray now unto the Lord our God for us. ] This king would seem to have some more goodness in him than his brother and predecessor Jehoiakim; but he played the hypocrite exceedingly, as in other things, so in this, that he begged the prophet’s prayers, but would not obey his preaching. The like did Pharaoh, Saul, Simon Magus, &c. Hezekiah sent to the prophet Isaiah for prayers, but withal he humbled himself and lived holily, which Zedekiah did not.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 37:3-5
Jer 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 Jehovah our God for us. Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. And Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans that were besieging Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they brake up from Jerusalem.
Pharaoh…
(Jer 37:5). This was Pharaoh-Hophra, the Apries of Herodotus; his intervention availed nothing. Feinberg stated that the Babylonians defeated the Egyptian army; but Harrison was of the opinion that the Egyptians withdrew without a battle. History has no record of any battle having been fought; and the opinion of Harrison seems more likely to be correct.
The reason for Zedekiah’s request for Jeremiah to pray for the city seems to have been grounded in the hope that God would again spare the city from destruction as he had done by a miraculous intervention in the death of the entire army of Sennacherib in 701 B.C. Indeed, such a thing might have happened, if Zedekiah had been the kind of man that Hezekiah was; but Jer 37:2, above, indicates that Zedekiah and all the people were solidly committed to wickedness and rebellion against God.
THE PROPHET CONSULTED Jer 37:3-10
In 589 B.C. Zedekiah foolishly rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar his overlord. Jerusalem had to pay the inevitable consequences. In 588 B.C. the armies of Babylon besieged the city (Jer 32:1-2). Things looked very bleak for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. As for Jeremiah, he had been arrested and confined during that first part of the siege (Jer 32:1-5). In the summer of 588 B.C. things took a turn for the better. Pharaoh Hophra came marching northward with a relief expedition. The Chaldeans were forced temporarily to suspend siege conditions to deal with this new development. This withdrawal of Chaldean troops afforded Jerusalem a breathing spell of a few weeks.
Zedekiahs Request Jer 37:3-5
When the Chaldeans shifted their forces to counter the invasion of Pharaoh Hophra (Jer 37:5) new hope was kindled in the hearts of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. For nine months they had been shut up in the city watching the strangle-hold slowly doing its deadly work. But now the enemy was gone! Perhaps the Egyptian allies would be able to defeat the accursed Chaldeans! Seeking prophetic confirmation of the prevailing optimism, king Zedekiah sent a delegation to Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord. The two-man delegation consisted of Zephaniah the deputy high priest and a prince by the name of Jehucal (or Jucal). See Jer 21:1; Jer 29:25; Jer 52:24; Jer 52:26-27; 2Ki 25:18; 2Ki 25:20-21. The latter would shortly join other princes in demanding the death penalty for Jeremiah (Jer 38:4). But at the moment no animosity is apparent. Though the princes were violently resentful of the threats and warnings which Jeremiah had been uttering, yet the prophet was a powerful figure. They coveted his support for the national leadership. Let bygones be bygones. After all the Chaldeans had withdrawn from the city. Surely Jeremiah would jump on the bandwagon with all the nationalistic prophets now that circumstances had proven his earlier predictions to be inaccurate. As Hezekiah many years earlier had sent an embassy to Isaiah requesting prayer for besieged Jerusalem (Isa 37:6), so now they come and ask Jeremiah to pray unto the Lord for us (Jer 37:3). Perhaps they hoped that God would miraculously intervene and overthrow the invading Chaldeans even as He had done many years earlier in the time of the invasion of Sennacherib (2Ki 19:35).
Jer 37:4 is a somewhat parenthetical note indicating the personal circumstances of Jeremiah at the time the deputation from Zedekiah arrived. The prophet was still free i.e., he had not suffered arrest. This verse is not to be interpreted in the absolute sense that Jeremiah had never yet been arrested for most certainly he had been (see chapter 26). Nor should this verse be pressed to mean that Jeremiah had not yet been arrested during the reign of Zedekiah. On the basis of this verse most all commentators place the episode in chapter 32 after the events of chapter 37. While this is not an impossible arrangement, it certainly is unnecessary. Jeremiah might well have been in custody during the initial phase of the Chaldean siege and then have been released once the attacking armies withdrew. In this case the present verse would mean only that Jeremiah had not yet experienced the final arrest which was to keep him in custody until after the fall of the city. This arrest is recorded in Jer 37:11 ff.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Zephaniah: Jer 21:1, Jer 21:2, Jer 29:21, Jer 29:25, Jer 52:24
Pray: Jer 2:27, Jer 21:1, Jer 21:2, Jer 42:2-4, Jer 42:20, Exo 8:8, Exo 8:28, Exo 9:28, Exo 10:17, Num 21:7, 1Sa 12:19, 1Ki 13:6, Act 8:24
Reciprocal: Num 11:2 – cried Jer 37:7 – Thus Jer 37:17 – Is there
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 37:3. Notwithstanding his rebellious attitude Zedekiah had the boldness to send men to Jeremiah to ask for his prayers.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 37:3-5. Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah This man came in the place of Pashur, who, together with Zephaniah, brought the former message from Zedekiah; saying, Pray now unto the Lord our God for us Wicked men of all ranks are desirous, in their distresses, of the prayers of those whose counsels and admonitions they never regard while they are in prosperity, which is a plain evidence of their acting contrary to the convictions of their own consciences. Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people That is, he was not yet put in prison as he afterward was: see Jer 37:15; Jer 32:2. Jerusalem also, for the present, was at liberty, for Pharaohs army was come forth out of Egypt, &c. Zedekiah, contrary to the oath that he had given to Nebuchadnezzar, made an alliance with the king of Egypt, and contracted with him for assistance against the king of Babylon; whereupon the king of Egypt sent an army to his relief: see Eze 17:15; which obliged the Chaldeans to raise the siege of Jerusalem, that they might go and fight this army. Lowth. During this time, it seems, it was that Zedekiah sent to desire the prophet to pray for them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
37:3 And Zedekiah the king {c} 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.
(c) Because he was afraid of the Chaldeans who came against him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
However, Zedekiah sent two messengers to Jeremiah requesting the prophet’s prayers on the nation’s behalf. This was the second time that the king asked Jeremiah for information about the outcome of the invasion (cf. ch. 21). It is always easier to pray than to repent (cf. Isa 1:10-20). Perhaps Zedekiah was hoping for a last-minute deliverance such as God granted Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s days (2Ki 19:32-37). But Jeremiah had already predicted the fates of this king and the city at the commencement of the siege (Jer 34:1-7).
Zephaniah the priest was a member of the delegation that Zedekiah had sent to Jeremiah at the beginning of the siege (Jer 21:1-10). He was also the recipient of a letter from the false prophet Shemaiah, who was already in Babylonian exile, demanding Jeremiah’s imprisonment (Jer 29:24-32). Jehucal (also called Jucal) appears later as Jeremiah’s enemy (Jer 38:1).