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.
17. asked him secretly ] This shews us that the prophet was as unpopular as ever. It also points to Zedekiah’s moral weakness, as dreading the interference of the princes in the matter. Cp. Jer 38:5; Jer 38:24 ff.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Jer 37:17
Is there any word from the Lord?
. . . There is.
Is there any word from the Lord?
The man who asked this momentous question belonged to the class of solemn triflers. He came with the right question in his mouth, and sometimes to get a right question is to be half-way on to the answer. To get the question rightly stated is ofttimes already the answer half-given. And he came with his question to the right quarter. He had come to the man that had a living connection with God. Yet we know from the way he treated the answer to the question that he came in the wrong spirit. Not that there was any gaiety or carelessness about his manner. He was as solemn as solemn could be when he asked this question of the prophet of God, Is there any word from the Lord? But he went away to show that he had been merely trifling with the question. And what was possible for Zedekiah is possible for you and for me. We may come to the Word of God with the right question in our mouth, we may come with a solemn reverent manner about us, we may pride ourselves that we are not of those who make jokes about the Word of God, or treat the ordinances of Gods house with any levity, we may pride ourselves that we are not of those who turn the house of God into a theatre or place of amusement, we have the conviction that the institution of Gods house is meant to get us into a closer connection with God, we believe that the Word of God which lies before us is a very message from God to man, and we come to the open Bible Sunday after Sunday with this question professedly, Is there any word from Jehovah? any word from Jehovah about my duty for to-day, about my duty for to-morrow–is there any word from Jehovah? We have got the right question, and we come in a reverent manner. God forbid that we should be triflers as Zedekiah was, and mistake solemnity of manner for obedience to the Word of God. By his sword on the field of battle the King of Babylon had won this right–the right to put on the head of whomsoever he would the crown of Judah. He offered it to Mattaniah; he offered it, accompanied by one condition. The King of Babylon could not afford that Judah should form an alliance with Egypt, that great rival power to him. He was in a gracious mood, and though he had conquered Israel, he was willing that an Israelite–one of the seed royal should yet hold the throne of David. And in that gracious mood he offered to Mattaniah the throne of Judah, accompanying his offer with this simple condition: he asked him to swear loyalty to the King of Babylon, and take an oath of allegiance to the King of Babylon. It was meant to keep the King of Judah from forming an alliance with a hostile power, from forming an alliance with Egypt. And Mattaniah had sense to see it was a grand offer that was made him. He knew that this king had power to take him away in chains to Babylon, and to take his people with him. He knew that human nature was frail, he knew that this new-made king had much reason to keep him walking in the path of gratitude. But knowing that human nature was frail, he wanted to fence him in by the continual remembrance of that oath, and he changed his name from Mattaniah, the gift of Jehovah, to Zedekiah, the justice of Jehovah. And ever afterwards when that kings name was mentioned, it would take his mind back to that oath when he sware by the justice of Jehovah that he would be loyal to the king who had so befriended him. At first he felt no inconvenience from his vow, but as the years passed on his gratitude seemed to melt away. The King of Egypt made overtures to him, and his people were inclined to listen. He had prophets in great number, and they urged him to accept the overtures of the King of Egypt. There was one prophet in his city that warned him that he could not do a dishonourable thing and prosper. There was one prophet who reminded him that the man of God was a man who, though he swore to his hurt, would keep his oath. We may suppose that Jeremiah pleaded with Zedekiah even with tears Do the righteous thing. What will the heathen nations say, what will outsiders say, if the people of God break their bargain and lightly hold their oaths? Will not they, blaspheme the God of Israel? An honourable heathen man will keep his oath. So spoke Jeremiah, as he pleaded with his king, but his warning voice fell unheeded on that deaf ear. By and by came the army of the Chaldeans and besieged Jerusalem. They were closely shut up for a while, and still the prophet of God was allowed to remain in the prison. The king had secret hopes that the King of Egypt would come to his help, and so long as he had hope from another quarter he would not trouble the messenger of God. By and by the army of the Chaldeans removed from the city. They went away to fight the army that was coming from Egypt to help the besieged. The general that was at the head of these forces knew well how to conduct a campaign. He had no desire that the army that was coming to help Israel should get the length of Jerusalem. He would rather deal with them separately. He went and met the army and turned it aside the way that it came, and then he came back to the city and closely invested it on every side. Then, when all hope of Egypt was shut off; then, when Zedekiah had proved that they who lean on Egypt lean on a broken reed which enters into the heart of man and pierces him; then it was that the old, old story was told. When death is thundering at the door the scoffer takes down the Bible from the shelf. So was it with Zedekiah. So long as he had one single hope from men, of being himself able to overcome, or of getting help from Egypt–so long he left the prophet of God to pine in the prison cell, and did not feel it necessary to go and seek help from him. But when at last all hope of being saved in any other way was taken away, then he secretly came to the messenger of Jehovah as the scoffer secretly takes out the Bible and tries to find out what the Word of the Lord is. Then he came and asked this question, Is there any word from the Lord? Zedekiah had made God the last shift, and God had a good excuse for withholding any light from the king who had acted so dishonourably. But He is long-suffering, He is patient, even though we make Him the last shift. Even from the bed of death ofttimes He hears the cry for mercy and reveals His will. There is, said Jeremiah, there is word from the Lord to thee. Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon. An honest, kindly, blunt, definite statement. Thou shalt delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon. Ah, sometimes we have seen it in the individual, that deceitful disease consumption has laid hold on him, and the prophets of smooth things say, You will get better; and they feed his hopes upon this; and the prophet of God comes his way and tells him he is a dying man, that there is no escape for him. It is felt to be impend. The prophets of smooth things would not have plainly said, Thou shalt be delivered into the hands of the King of Babylon. They would have hid that. But this is the kinder way of the two. Yet Zedekiah did not act upon the light that he had received. Somehow he had a hope that he would escape. Even though the walls had a breach in them there was that private way of escape. That was his last resource, and so long as he thought there was the least possibility of escape he was scarcely prepared to receive the Word of the Lord, this message that God had sent to him, so that he did not act upon it. He bore no grudge to the prophet for speaking so plainly. He had no unkindly feelings towards him, but the opposite, he had very kindly feelings towards him, and was willing to run a serious risk of difficulty with his cabinet rather than not do kindness to the prophet of Jehovah, the faithful servant of king and country. And thus it came to pass that they were again brought together in friendly conference. He had done an act of kindness to the prophet of the Lord. The cup of cold water that is given to a disciple never loses its reward. After that deed of kindness done there was a fuller revelation of the will of God. At first it had only been, Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon, and the second time Jeremiah pointed to the way of salvation. Escape there is none if you are to trust to your own power to fight or to trust to Egypt. There is no escape; thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon. The simple question is whether you are going just now to give yourself into his hands or are going to wait until you are dragged by force by his servants into his presence. Go forth now. he says, and surrender to him, and though thy sin has been great he will pardon thee. Surrender to him, lay down thine arms, yield to him, and thou shalt live, and thy city shall be saved. It was a double-sided message this. The first part of it was, Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the King of Babylon. That was certain. The second part was, If thou surrender now thou shalt find salvation. This is a message for us to-day. Have not we acted as that ungrateful king acted? Although rebellion was in our blood, has not God treated us with grace and given us this fair earth, and life on such an earth as this is a blessing not to be lightly esteemed. And our King, when this race rebelled, might easily have swept it off. Instead, He gave us another chance also. And though He treated us so kindly, allowed us with rebellion in our very hands to love and enjoy the benefits of life on this fair earth, have not we done just what Zedekiah did, forgotten allegiance to our gracious King and listened to the overtures of His enemy, and gone and done what Satan wanted us to do? And our city, what is it but the city of destruction? We see that death is coming nearer, escape there is none, and we come to the Prophet of God, not to Jeremiah, but to Jesus, who is the Mediator of the new covenant, and we say to Him, Is there any word from Jehovah? And He says, There is. Thou shalt surely die, thou shalt surely be delivered into the hands of God. We cannot escape. We will be delivered into the hands of the King against whom we have rebelled. That is one fact there is no blinking of. And we say, Is that all the message? Thank God it is not all. Jesus says, There is a way of salvation. Dont wait until you are taken and dropped by force into His presence by that servant of His that is called Death. But go forth now and yield to Him, surrender to Him, and all will be well. Let us mark well the penalty that followed Zedekiah for his disobedience to the Word of Jehovah. He went away clinging to that hope that he would yet escape. He did not act upon the light that he had been given. He still had the hope that he would escape by that private path, by the way of the kings garden, and so he had not courage to go out and put himself into the hands of the princes and the King of Babylon, the princes that were at the head of the army. He did not act upon the light he had received when Jeremiah pleaded with him to do it. Obey, said he, the voice of the Lord, and it shall be well with thee and thy house. All that Zedekiah could say was, I am afraid the Jews will mock me if I do–mock me, they will mock me. He had not a doubt that Nebuchadnezzar would pardon. He knew there was pardon awaiting him out there, he knew there was life awaiting him out there, but he knew that he would be mocked if he did it. Many a one has been laughed into hell; I never knew of any one being laughed out of it. Ofttimes the young seeker feels that it has come to a point, and, just when he is taking the step, it is the jeer of the companion that comes in. I am afraid my companion will mock me. A godless companion will mock you. What of that? Are you not manly enough to be laughed at? They will mock me, said poor Zedekiah, and he had not courage to be mocked. That cursed pride had scared him past the gate that led to salvation. And by and by there was a breach in the walls, and the princes of the King of Babylon s army were in the breach, and when Zedekiah saw that, he took the secret way of escape; and by night he made for the hills away down through the ravine that led to Jericho, escaping away to the hills of Palestine. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after him and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, and brought him before the king. Then he saw his two sons put to death before his eyes; then they came to him and put his eyes out–be was only thirty-two years of age; then they loaded him with fetters, and condemned him to this awful imprisonment for life. And the bitterest pang in the torment of all, he had this knowledge, that he might have escaped it if he had only done what the Lord had wanted him to do. Had I only obeyed the voice of Jeremiah I might have had my two sons yet; I would have had my eyesight; I would not have had these chains. It was the sting of the scorpion in his torment, this memory of what might have been, had he only taken the step–a single step of surrender. (James Paterson, M. A.)
.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 17. Is there any word from the Lord?] Is there any farther revelation?
There is: – thou shalt be delivered] What bold faithfulness! And to a king, in whose hands his life now lay.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Is there any word from the Lord? that is, Hath God revealed any thing to thee, concerning what will be the issue of the return of the Chaldean army to the siege of the city? What needed Zedekiah to have asked this, to whom God by this prophet had so often revealed his will in this case? Wicked men are always more curious to know, than careful to believe, observe, and obey the will of God. But God seldom or never speaketh good unto them: Jeremiah tells him there was, but it was a sad word, viz. that God would certainly deliver him into the hand or power of the king of Babylon.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. secretlyZedekiah wasashamed to be seen by his courtiers consulting Jeremiah (Joh 12:43;Joh 5:44; Joh 19:38).
thou shalt be deliveredHadJeremiah consulted his earthly interests, he would have answered verydifferently. Contrast Jer 6:14;Isa 30:10; Eze 13:10.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out,…. After Jeremiah had been in prison for some time; and the Chaldean army being returned, and having renewed their siege, the king is frightened; and knowing the prophet was in prison, sends a messenger to take him out from thence, and bring him to him; which was accordingly done:
and the king asked him secretly in his house; he took him into some private apartment, and there alone conferred with him, for fear of his princes and courtiers; who he knew bore no good will to the prophet, and would be ready to charge him with timidity;
and said unto him,
is there [any] word from the Lord? he means any particular word of prophecy, any late one, and what concerned their present circumstances, showing what would be the issue of the return of the Chaldean army; for prophecy did not come at all times, nor even according to the will of man, but always according to the will of God, and when he thought fit; this the king knew very well, and he wanted a comfortable word, some good news of the failure of the present attempt:
and Jeremiah said, there is; but not such an one as he wanted; it was of the same strain with the former, and confirmed all that the prophet had from time to time told him and his predecessor what would certainly be the case:
for, said he, thou shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon; which was boldly and faithfully said, to be said to the face of the king himself, risking his life in so doing; or, at least, exposing himself to severer treatment, if severer could be used.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
From these words we learn, that King Zedekiah, though he had not obeyed good and wise counsels, nor even God and his truth, was not yet one of the worst, for of his own self he called the Prophet to him, and wished to find out whether he could in any way appease God. There is here, in short, a description given of the character of Zedekiah: he was unwilling to submit to God and his word, and yet he was not so cruel as to become enraged against the Prophet; nor had he wholly cast away all fear of God, all concern for religion, and all regard for prophetic teaching. For he no doubt sent for Jeremiah as God’s true servant, and in some degree honored him, and wished God to be propitious to himself. But this is usually the case with hypocrites: they would willingly be reconciled with God, but at the same time they wish to remain free, that is, to retain their own sinful dispositions; in short, they wish so to live as that God should give place to them, and allow them to sin as they please. Such was Zedekiah, and yet he had not reached to the highest pitch of impiety, for as yet he had some regard for the Prophet; nor was he so savage and cruel as his counsellors. He then called him to himself and asked him privately, that he might not depart, as we shall see in another place, in any measure from his royal dignity: for he simply asked the Prophet not to speak openly, because he would thus lose his own authority.
He then asked him in secret, because he had been perplexed. He wished indeed for some favorable answer, but he hardly dared to hope for it; and therefore he led the Prophet to a secret place, and asked him without any being a witness, Is there, he said, a word from God? Some explain this, as though Zedekiah had asked whether the prophecies of Jeremiah were true, as though he had said, “What thou hast hitherto spoken, has it come from God?” but this is no suitable explanation; on the contrary, he asked, Whether the Prophet had lately received any word from God? He wished then for some new message, and to hear something respecting the future deliverance of the city: for he was no doubt persuaded that Jeremiah had been hitherto discharging the office of a Prophet, as it became him; for he did not ask him as a common man, nor did he regard him as an impostor, but inquired whether there was a word from God. True is what I before stated, that hypocrites always seek God’s favor in a foolish way; for they would have God to gratify their sinful lusts, but God cannot deny himself. Hence Zedekiah, though he shewed apparently some regard for religion, yet foolishly asked, Whether there was a word from Jehovah? that is, Whether any message had been lately made known to Jeremiah? He answered, There is, even this, Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the Chaldeans
Here we may notice the boldness of the Prophet; he had not been broken down by all the evils he had met with, but ever faithfully performed the office committed to him. He therefore answered the king honestly, though not without danger, Thou shalt be delivered, he said, into the hands of the Chaldeans: for he had hardly come out of prison, where he had been buried as in a grave, and we shall see that the prison had been to him like death; and the Prophet was not divested of infirmity and fear, as he will presently shew; yet fear did not prevent him from faithfully performing the office committed to him. Though the Prophet dreaded the sufferings of the prison, though he also feared death, he yet overcame all these feelings, and presented his life as a sacrifice, when he openly and boldly answered the king, that the Chaldeans would shortly be conquerors, and make him a captive. Then follows the expostulation which the Prophet made to the king —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(17) Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out . . .The king seems to have been at once better than his counsellors, and afraid of them. He regrets the severity of the prophets treatment, and hopes that there may yet be a word of the Lord less harsh than before, and with this view summons him to his palace, as before he had sent asking for his intercession. The prophet is, however, true to his calling, and not even the hope of gaining protection against his persecutors will lead him to change one jot or tittle of his message. He answers with a stern abruptness, and adds the new prediction, that the king himself shall be taken prisoner,what is now reported being earlier than Jer. 32:4-5.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17-21. The bearing of Jeremiah in the presence of the king is a model of honesty, dignity, and simplicity. He plainly reaffirms the offensive message without softening it in the least. He then remonstrates with the king because of his treatment, and calls his attention to the fact that others had prophesied falsely in this matter. If, then, any should be punished severely, surely it should not be he who had timely told the truth. This frank appeal was successful, and the king gave command to soften the rigours of his imprisonment.
Piece of bread Rather, loaf of bread.
Bakers’ street Suggesting that in Jerusalem, as is common in modern oriental towns, the different, occupations or trades had come to have their respective quarters.
Court of the prison See Jer 32:2.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17. Secretly in his house The “many days” of the preceding verse had passed, and probably the king of Babylon had been urging his siege. Zedekiah, now in alarm, sends to consult the prophet, but “secretly,” through fear of the princes and court ministers.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 37:17 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.
Ver. 17. Then Zedekiah the king. ] Being now in distress because of the Chaldees come again, and willing to hear from the prophet some word of comfort, which yet might not be, unless he had been better. If comfort be applied to a graceless person, the truth of God is falsified.
Is there any word from the Lord?
And Jeremiah said, There is,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 37:17-21
17Now King Zedekiah sent and took him out; and in his palace the king secretly asked him and said, Is there a word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is! Then he said, You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon! 18Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, In what way have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? 19Where then are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’? 20But now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my petition come before you and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there. 21Then King Zedekiah gave commandment, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guardhouse and gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guardhouse.
Jer 37:17 Is there a word from the LORD The message had not changed! Zedekiah, for all his weakness, still sought YHWH, but he would not act on YHWH’s message! Good intentions do not replace obedient actions!
Jer 37:19 This is a good question. Why have not all those false prophets been put in prison or killed (cf. Deuteronomy 18)? His message was obviously true, why is he being persecuted?
Jer 37:20 This verse has several commands that denote a polite request from Jeremiah to Zedekiah.
1. please listen – BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. please let my petition come before you – BDB 656, KB 709, Qal JUSSIVE
3. do not make me return – BDB 996, KB 1427, Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
Jer 37:21 Zedekiah sent Jeremiah to the court of the guardhouse, which was a much better situation than the dungeon. The king also commanded that he be given bread as long as supplies lasted.
bakers street This shows that merchants of one trade lived in close proximity to one another, usually on one street or in one section of a city.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Is there . . . There is = Does there exist. . . ? . . . There does exist. Hebrew. yesh . . . yesh. See notes on Pro 8:21; Pro 18:24; and Luk 7:25.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
asked: Jer 38:5, Jer 38:14-16, Jer 38:24-27, 1Ki 14:1-4
Is there: Jer 37:3, Jer 21:1, Jer 21:2, 1Ki 22:16, 2Ki 3:11-13, Mar 6:20
thou shalt: Jer 21:7, Jer 24:8, Jer 29:16-18, Jer 32:3-5, Jer 34:21, Jer 34:22, Jer 39:6, Jer 39:7, Eze 12:12, Eze 12:13, Eze 17:19-21, Eze 21:25-27
Reciprocal: Num 23:17 – What 2Ki 22:13 – inquire Isa 21:11 – what Jer 32:4 – General Jer 34:3 – And thou Jer 38:16 – sware Lam 1:14 – delivered Eze 7:26 – then Eze 14:7 – and cometh Eze 20:1 – that certain Act 24:25 – Go
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 37:17. We do not know whether the king had anything to do directly with putting Jeremiah into the prison. However, he certainly knew about it for when he wished to obtain some information he had him brought out. He was given the word from, the Lord which was practically what he had been told before, that he was to be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 37:17. Then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out When the vain hopes with which they had fed themselves, and on the ground of which they had re-enslaved their servants, were all vanished away, then they were in a greater consternation than ever: and then the king sent, in all haste, for the prophet, to see if he could give him any hope of their deliverance. When the Chaldeans were withdrawn, he only sent to desire the prophet to pray for him, but now, the city being again invested, he sent for him to consult him: thus gracious will men be when pangs come upon them! He asked him secretly in his house Being ashamed to be seen in his company: Is there any word from the Lord? That is, Hath God revealed any thing to thee concerning what will be the issue of the return of the Chaldean army to the siege of the city? Canst thou give us any hopes that they will again retire? What need had Zedekiah to make this inquiry, when God, by this prophet, had so often revealed his will to him in this matter? Observe, reader, those that will not hearken to Gods admonitions when they are in prosperity, would be glad of his consolations when they are in adversity; and expect that his ministers should then speak words of peace to them. But how can they expect it? what have they to do with peace? Jeremiah said, There is, for thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon Here we have an instance of that freedom and firmness of mind which belong to them who truly live in the fear of God, and put their trust in him. Jeremiahs life and comfort are in Zedekiahs hands, and he has now an important petition to present to him; and yet, having this opportunity, he tells him plainly that there is a word from the Lord, but no word of comfort to him, or his people; but that destruction awaits them: see the difference between his spirit and that of Zedekiah. Though a king, Zedekiah dares not run the risk of offending his courtiers, who were his subjects and servants, while the prophet dares denounce the kings ruin to himself not knowing but such integrity might cost him his life. If he had consulted with flesh and blood, he would have given the king a plausible answer, and not have told him the worst at this time, especially as he had so often told it him before. But Jeremiah was one that had obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful, and would not, to obtain mercy of man, be unfaithful either to God, or to his prince, or to his people; he therefore tells him the truth, and the whole truth, which to know would be a kindness to the king, in order that, being forewarned of the approaching calamity, he might be the better prepared for it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The consequences of his arrest and imprisonment 37:17-21
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Zedekiah secretly sent for Jeremiah and brought him into the palace. The king feared his nobles who were "hawks" militarily and hostile to Jeremiah. Zedekiah asked the prophet if the Lord had given him any message in response to his previous praying (Jer 37:3). Jeremiah replied that he did have a message from the Lord: that the king would become a prisoner of Nebuchadnezzar. The king was really the one bound in this situation, and the prisoner was the truly free man. [Note: This interview anticipates other similar ones between Jesus and Pilate and Herod, and between Paul and Felix, Festus, and Agrippa.]