Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 37:16

Vs. 16-21: SECRETLY VISITED BY ZEDEKIAH

1. After Jeremiah had spent several days in an underground dungeon, he was summoned to the palace for a secret interview with king Zedekiah, (vs. 16-17; Jer 38:5; Jer 38:14-16; Jer 38:24-28).

a. Zedekiah wanted to know whether Jeremiah had ANY WORD FROM JEHOVAH, (vs. 17b; Jer 15:11; Jer 21:1-2).

b. Jeremiah responded that there surely was a message from Jehovah, though it was NOT what the king wanted to hear: Zedekiah will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, (vs. 17c; Jer 21:7; Jer 24:8; Eze 12:12-14; Eze 17:19-21).

2. Then Jeremiah challenged the king:

a. For what sin – against the king, his servants, or the people of Judah – have you imprisoned me? (vs. 18; comp. 1Sa 24:9; 1Sa 26:18; Joh 10:32).

b. Where are those false prophets who had constantly repudiated the words of Jeremiah – assuring the king that there was nothing to fear from Babylon? (vs. 19; comp. Deu 32:37-38; Jer 2:28; Jer 28:1-4; Jer 28:10-17).

3. Jeremiah pleads with the king not to send him back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the scribe, LEST HE DIE THERE! (vs. 20)

4. It was then that Zedekiah commanded the transfer of Jeremiah to the court of the guard, (vs. 21; Jer 32:2-3).

a. A loaf of bread was also provided for his sustenance so long as the city stood, (Psa 33:18-19; Isa 33:14-16).

b. But Zedekiah remained weak and vacillating to the very end – tempted to believe Jeremiah, and to follow his counsel; yet, lacking the courage to challenge the wisdom of his official advisors.

c. Thus, there was no way that Jerusalem could be spared from utter ruin!

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

The particle כי, ki, is to be taken here as an adverb of time, as I think, though interpreters have not observed this, When Jeremiah, he says, came into the house of the pit or dungeon, or of the prison. The word בור means also sometimes the grave, but is to be taken here for a pit or a deep place: he means that it was a dark and filthy prison. And he adds, and to the dwellings I know not why some have rendered it, “victualling houses;” for the word החניות , echeniot, means narrow prisons, which we call at this day cachots: (108) he was therefore cast into a dungeon, where there were narrow places, that, the holy man had no space either freely to rise or to stand or to sit down, or to he down. Then the Prophet shews that he was so confined by the straitness of the place, that he could hardly sit or lay down or stand erect.; and he says that he was there many days. (109)

We must notice the circumstances of the case: It was a thing cruel enough in itself, that an innocent man, after having been beaten, should be thrust into prison: but when a dark and deep prison was chosen, and when he was confined to a narrow place, as though he was in fetters, it was a great addition to the indignity offered to him. Since then the holy Prophet was so atrociously treated, let us not think it strange, when the same thing at this day is endured by God’s children, and for the same cause, even for bearing testimony to celestial truth. When the length of time is added, it increased the evil; for he was not retained in prison for a few days or for a month, but until the city was taken; not indeed in that prison, for the king, as we shall presently see, removed him into the ccurt of the prison. He was, however, the second time cast into a filthy prison, as though he was destined to die; thence he was afterwards removed also by the order of the king. But the Prophet says, that he was in that dungeon many days. It now follows —

(108) The versions and the Targ. render the word differently; its meaning was not evidently understood. Blaney gives the best explanation, who renders it “cells.” “The dungeon,” he says, was a deep pit like a well, and near the bottom were scooped niches, or cells, for the lodgement of the prisoners. The word comes from, הנה, to fix, to settle, to lodge; hence the plural noun here means places for prisoners to settle or lodge on, where they could fix themselves, without sinking in the mire at the bottom of the pit, as the case was with Jeremiah on another occasion. See Jer 38:6. That pit, it seems, had no cells. — Ed

(109) This paragraph is intermingled in the original with the text; but it has been thought better to introduce it separately. — Ed.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

B. Summoned by the King Jer. 37:16-21

TRANSLATION

(16) When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon vaults and had remained there several days, (17) Zedekiah the king sent and had him brought; and the king questioned him secretly in his house and said, Is there a word from the LORD? And Jeremiah responded: There is! Then he said further, you have been given into the hands of the king of Babylon! (18) Jeremiah also said unto the King Zedekiah, what sin have I committed against you, your servants, or this people, that you have put me in prison? (19) Where are your prophets who prophesied to you that the king of Babylon would not come against you or this land? (20) And now hear, O my lord the king; let my supplication be presented before you. Do not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe lest I die there. (21) And Zedekiah the king commanded that they commit Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And he gave him a loaf of bread each day from the street of the bakers until all the bread of the city was gone. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

COMMENTS

It is impossible to know how much time elapsed between the confinement of Jeremiah in the subterranean prison and the summons of Zedekiah recorded in Jer. 37:17. The text says many days Jeremiah remained in the prison of Jonathans house. During that interval the Babylonian troops returned to besiege Jerusalem anew. Zedekiah, hoping that there might be some positive word from the Lord, sent secretly for Jeremiah and had him brought to the royal palace. This is the fourth recorded interview between Jeremiah and king Zedekiah as the following chart indicates.

INTERVIEWS BETWEEN JEREMIAH AND KING ZEDEKIAH

Passage

Date

Situation

Jer. 21:1-14

Early in 588

Attack on Jerusalem has begun

Jer. 34:2-7

Early in 588

Most of the military outposts of Judah have been captured.

Jer. 37:3-10

Early summer 588

Siege of Jerusalem temporarily lifted.

Jer. 37:16-21

Fall of 588

After Jeremiahs arrest.

Jer. 38:14-28

Early 587

After Jeremiahs release from the dungeon.

In pathetic desperation Zedekiah asked, Is there any word from the Lord? (Jer. 37:17). Maybe God had changed His mind. Maybe now that Jerusalem was so close to destruction God would intervene as He had done on other occasions. Zedekiah had been reared in a godly home and though he had strayed quite a ways from the teachings of his father Josiah yet now in this hour of desperation he falls back upon the religion of his youth. Is there any word from the Lord? Indeed there was. But it was a message of doom and not deliverance as far as Zedekiah was concerned. you will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon (Jer. 37:17). Many days in a dark dungeon had not softened the message of the prophet. He was still standing as tall and straight as an iron pillar.

Jeremiah took the opportunity while standing before the king to plead his own case. What wrong have I done against you, your servants or this people that you have put me in prison? (Jer. 37:18). Zedekiah was as guilty as the wicked princes who had cast Jeremiah into the dungeon because he had failed to exercise his power to prevent this injustice. Jeremiah had only faithfully carried out his mission as a prophet of God. And had Jeremiah not been vindicated by the events of the past months? Where were the prophets who had so confidently asserted that Nebuchadnezzar would never come against Jerusalem? (Jer. 37:19). Those prophets were the ones who ought to be in jail for so completely deceiving the nation. Humbly Jeremiah pleaded with the king not to allow him to return to the prison at the house of Jonathan. Evidently Jeremiah was near death at the time of the interview. Jeremiah knew that if he spent many more days in that wretched and foul hole he would surely die (Jer. 37:20). This prophet was no self-appointed martyr. He does not ask to be released from prison; he asks only for humane treatment.

Zedekiah did not set Jeremiah free. But he did order that Jeremiah be transferred to the court of the guard. Perhaps Zedekiah was actually keeping Jeremiah in protective custody. Knowing the hatred of the princes for this man of God, he chose to keep him where the palace guard could watch out for his safety. As long as bread was to be found in the city Jeremiah was to receive his daily ration.[329]

[329] Various tradesmen seem to have had special streets either chosen by them or assigned to them. See 1Ki. 20:34. Hence the reference here to the street of the baker.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

JEREMIAH’S INTERVIEW WITH THE KING, Jer 37:16-21.

16. Cabins Vaults. The mention of them indicates that Jeremiah’s imprisonment began with the extreme rigour of cruelty. The word is found nowhere else.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

After Having Spent Some Time In Prison Jeremiah Was Summoned To Appear Before King Zedekiah Who Secretly Sought His Counsel, Giving Jeremiah The Opportunity To Appeal Against His Situation. As A Result He Was Transferred To The Prison In The Palace-Complex Which Was For Important State Prisoners Where He Was Better Treated ( Jer 37:16-21 ).

Having been put in prison under unpleasant circumstances it appears that Jeremiah was badly treated, for he would later speak to the king of the possibility that he might have died under his ill-treatment. Common prisons were at their best very unpleasant and unwholesome places, and as an enemy of the state he was probably put in the part where conditions were at their worst and the warders least sympathetic. Furthermore one of YHWH’s charges against the people had been the way in which they treated each others and their tendency to violence. Thus we may assume that Jeremiah discovered this aspect of their behaviour to the full.

Fortunately for his wellbeing, however, Zedekiah eventually decided to consult him secretly, and called for him, no doubt under the pretence of examining his case. By this time the siege had probably been renewed, and it is probable that Zedekiah was desperately seeking a way out, and wanted to know if YHWH had any word for him. YHWH had, and it was simple. ‘You will be delivered into the hands of the Babylonians’.

Jeremiah then appealed against the conditions under which he was being held and Zedekiah had him moved to the prison for important state prisoners, where he was treated as befitted such prisoners.

Jer 37:16-17

‘When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days, then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him. And the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, “Is there any word from YHWH?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” He also said, “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

Jeremiah was placed in a dungeon (house of a pit) which was seemingly separated into separate pits or cells (the word is used only here). The aim was both to prevent him being able to speak to the people, and in order to vent their spite on him for his pro-Babylonian views. And he was held there for some weeks. It would appear that he received little food (prisoners were rarely fed, it was left to relatives to bring them food) but much rough treatment. Eventually he was summoned before the king, purportedly in order to be examined. But the real reason was because Zedekiah wanted to consult him privately. He therefore got him alone in his palace and asked him whether there was any word from YHWH. The siege may well by now have been recommenced, and he possibly hoped that he would hear something comforting.

Jeremiah assured him that not only had he received a word from YHWH, but that that word had not changed. It was that ‘you’ (the king and his people) would be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon. We should not that even his desire to escape from the awful conditions under which he was being held did not dissuade Jeremiah from proclaiming the true word of YHWH.

Jer 37:18

‘Moreover 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?”

But recognising the king’s sympathy he then asked him why he was being kept under such awful conditions. How, he asked, had he sinned against the king and his council, or indeed against the people, in telling them the truth? Had not what he said come about?

Jer 37:19

“Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you, nor against this land?’ ”

Why, he was asking, are you consulting me when you have your own prophets? Was it not clear from Zedekiah’s own words that he had little confidence that they had any word from YHWH. And no wonder, for their prophecies had proved false. Surely it was the prophets who had misinformed them by declaring that the king of Babylon would never come against the city who should have been being punished, rather than him. Why then was he suffering because he had prophesied what had actually happened?

Jer 37:20

“And now hear, I pray you, O my lord the king, let my supplication, I pray you, be presented before you, that you do not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.’

So he asked Zedekiah to prevent him from being sent back to the prison in the house of Jonathan the Scribe lest he die there. The conditions in that prison were clearly very bad.

Jer 37:21

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

Zedekiah responded to his plea and commanded that he be committed to the court of the guard, which was adjacent to the palace (Jer 32:12; Neh 3:25) and was where the high level prisoners would be kept, watched over by elite troops. And there, while rations held out, he received a daily allowance of food, a loaf of bread from the court bakers. The city had been able to renew its resources somewhat, but it was still on strict rations. Note the ominous ‘until all the bread in the city was spent’. Things would by then be getting to starvation level.

‘The baker’s street.’ Like many large cities, in Jerusalem different occupations had their own streets and local markets (compare Neh 3:8; Neh 3:32). This was the street of the bakers.

‘Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.’ Note the repetition of this idea in Jer 38:6; Jer 38:13; Jer 38:28. What follows therefore is a description of what occurred to him in the court of the guard once rations had run out.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Jer 37:16. When Jeremiah was entered, &c. But Jeremiah was brought into a deep and secret dungeon. Houbigant. From comparing this place with ch. Jer 38:6 it seems likely that the dungeon was a deep pit, sunk perpendicularly like a well, in the middle of the open court or quadrangle, around which the great houses were built; and that in the sides of it, near the bottom, were scooped niches, like the cabins of a ship, for the separate lodgment of the unfortunate persons who were let down there. Hence also it may be, that the same word bor, is frequently put for the grave; the ancient repositories of the dead being often constructed with niches in the same manner, in which the bodies were placed separately. Accordingly we read, Isa 14:15. But thou shalt be brought down to the grave, to the sides of the pit. See the Hebrew.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

We have here a most interesting relation, in which Jeremiah appears most delightful indeed. Neither stripes, nor prisons, can make the faithful servants of the Lord less faithful: yea the exercises of a prison are always found to give a greater dignity and strength to their preaching. Witness the Apostles Paul and Silas, Act 16 . And what a rich savour do those Psalms of David afford, which were composed in the wilderness; and Paul’s Epistles from prison? Psa 63 Epistle Phi 1 ; Phi 2 ; Phi 3 ; Phi 4 throughout.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Jer 37:16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

Ver. 16. When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon. ] a Heb., Into a place or house of the pit or hole, where the prophet could neither walk nor handsomely lie down, when worse men a great deal had what liberty they listed.

And into the cabins. ] Or, Cells, where they scarce put any but traitors, and similar foul offenders. Such they had at Athens, called barathrum, the infernal region, at Rome, tullianum, underground execution chamber, or profundum maris, &c., deep sea into which whosoever was put could hardly be put to more misery.

And Jeremiah had remained there many days. ] Till the return of the Chaldees likely. Canes lingunt ulcera Lazari. Dogs licked the sores of Lazarus.

a In domum cisternae.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

When, &c. = For Jeremiah [actually] entered, &c,

dungeon = house of the pit. Hebrew. bor. See notes on Gen 21:19 (“well”). Isa 14:19 (“pit”).

cabins = cells.

remained = abode. Note the Figure of speech Cyeloides, marking the refrain, which is repeated in Jer 37:21, and in Jer 38:13, Jer 38:28; as shown in the Structure.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Jer 37:16-21

Jer 37:16-19

When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; Then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Jehovah? And Jeremiah said, There is. He said also, Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? Where now are your prophets that prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

The dungeon-house, and the cells…

(Jer 37:16). The prison mentioned here was a huge cistern-like excavation beneath the house of Jonathan, with cells excavated into the side of it, having no light or ventilation. Inmates were expected to die from such treatment; and yet Jeremiah survived it many days.

The king asked him secretly in his house…

(Jer 37:17). Zedekiah’s secrecy was due to his fear of his ministers who hated Jeremiah and who urgently desired to murder him; but the king’s conscience no doubt drove him to arrange this secret interview. Also, the conceited arrogance of the whole Jewish nation continued right down to the very day the city fell and Nebuchadnezzar removed the survivors to Babylon. Despite their consummate wickedness, they still believed Jerusalem and the temple were invulnerable and that God would yet spare them. Therefore Zedekiah asked, Is there any word from Jehovah?

Wherein have I sinned against thee, etc….

(Jer 37:18). It should be noted that Jeremiah here accused the king of being responsible for his imprisonment, pressing, at the same time, his plea of innocence from any wrong-doing.

Where now are your prophets that prophesied, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you…

(Jer 37:19)? What a powerful argument is this! The implication is, ‘Why should a truth-teller be in jail, and the tellers of lies be free’? Having laid such a foundation for it, Jeremiah skillfully presented his plea for mercy.

Jer 37:20-21

And now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented 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, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Lest I die there…

(Jer 37:20). This was no remote possibility but a practical certainty if Jeremiah had been returned to that evil dungeon in the house of Jonathan.

The king commanded…

(Jer 37:21). Jeremiah had not asked to be released, recognizing the practical impossibility of it, due to the murderous hatred of Zedekiah’s ministers and advisers; and to the credit of the king he honored Jeremiah’s request for a less intolerable confinement.

The bakers’ street…

(Jer 37:21). This is the only place in Scripture where the name of a street in Jerusalem appears. It was a Near Eastern custom to name streets after those who worked in them. We see the same phenomenon in New York City and other large cities where industries and professions tend to proliferate on certain streets. The garment district, the floral district, and the millinery streets, and the financial district are the result.

This change for Jeremiah, placing him in the house of the guard, was fortunate indeed for mankind, because, as Payne Smith pointed out, “That was the place and the time during which Jeremiah wrote the cheerful prophecies contained in Jer. 30–33.” These included the magnificent prophecy of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31.

Summoned by the King Jer 37:16-21

It is impossible to know how much time elapsed between the confinement of Jeremiah in the subterranean prison and the summons of Zedekiah recorded in Jer 37:17. The text says many days Jeremiah remained in the prison of Jonathans house. During that interval the Babylonian troops returned to besiege Jerusalem anew. Zedekiah, hoping that there might be some positive word from the Lord, sent secretly for Jeremiah and had him brought to the royal palace. This is the fourth recorded interview between Jeremiah and king Zedekiah as the following chart indicates.

INTERVIEWS BETWEEN JEREMIAH AND KING ZEDEKIAH

PassageDateSituation

Jer 21:1-14Early in 588Attack on Jerusalem has begun

Jer 34:2-7Early in 588Most of the military outposts of Judah have been captured.

Jer 37:3-10Early summer 588Siege of Jerusalem temporarily lifted.

Jer 37:16-21Fall of 588After Jeremiahs arrest.

Jer 38:14-28Early 587After Jeremiahs release from the dungeon.

In pathetic desperation Zedekiah asked, Is there any word from the Lord? (Jer 37:17). Maybe God had changed His mind. Maybe now that Jerusalem was so close to destruction God would intervene as He had done on other occasions. Zedekiah had been reared in a godly home and though he had strayed quite a ways from the teachings of his father Josiah yet now in this hour of desperation he falls back upon the religion of his youth. Is there any word from the Lord? Indeed there was. But it was a message of doom and not deliverance as far as Zedekiah was concerned. you will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon (Jer 37:17). Many days in a dark dungeon had not softened the message of the prophet. He was still standing as tall and straight as an iron pillar.

Jeremiah took the opportunity while standing before the king to plead his own case. What wrong have I done against you, your servants or this people that you have put me in prison? (Jer 37:18). Zedekiah was as guilty as the wicked princes who had cast Jeremiah into the dungeon because he had failed to exercise his power to prevent this injustice. Jeremiah had only faithfully carried out his mission as a prophet of God. And had Jeremiah not been vindicated by the events of the past months? Where were the prophets who had so confidently asserted that Nebuchadnezzar would never come against Jerusalem? (Jer 37:19). Those prophets were the ones who ought to be in jail for so completely deceiving the nation. Humbly Jeremiah pleaded with the king not to allow him to return to the prison at the house of Jonathan. Evidently Jeremiah was near death at the time of the interview. Jeremiah knew that if he spent many more days in that wretched and foul hole he would surely die (Jer 37:20). This prophet was no self-appointed martyr. He does not ask to be released from prison; he asks only for humane treatment.

Zedekiah did not set Jeremiah free. But he did order that Jeremiah be transferred to the court of the guard. Perhaps Zedekiah was actually keeping Jeremiah in protective custody. Knowing the hatred of the princes for this man of God, he chose to keep him where the palace guard could watch out for his safety. As long as bread was to be found in the city Jeremiah was to receive his daily ration. Various tradesmen seem to have had special streets either chosen by them or assigned to them. See 1Ki 20:34. Hence the reference here to the street of the baker.

Jeremiah in Prison – Jer 37:1 to Jer 38:28

Open It

1. What story of a dramatic rescue has stayed in your mind? Why?

2. How have you coped with news that wasnt what you wanted to hear?

Explore It

3. How did Zedekiah become king of Judah? (Jer 37:1)

4. What request did Zedekiah make of Jeremiah? (Jer 37:2-3)

5. What is revealed about the city of Jerusalem at the beginning of this story? (Jer 37:5)

6. Despite the fact that the situation seemed to be looking up, what bad news did Jeremiah tell the king? (Jer 37:6-8)

7. Why was Jeremiah put in prison? (Jer 37:11-15)

8. What question did the king ask Jeremiah in secret? (Jer 37:17)

9. How did Jeremiah answer the king? (Jer 37:17)

10. On what basis did Jeremiah plead his case with King Zedekiah? (Jer 37:18-20)

11. Where did the king order that Jeremiah be held instead of the dungeon in Jonathans house? (Jer 37:21)

12. What did some of the officials find out that Jeremiah was telling the people? (Jer 38:1-3)

13. What punishment did the officials propose to the king? (Jer 38:4)

14. How did the king respond to the officials demand? (Jer 38:5)

15. Where was Jeremiahs place of imprisonment? (Jer 38:6)

16. Who appealed to the king on behalf of Jeremiah? (Jer 38:7-9)

17. What happened in response to Ebed-Melechs appeal? (Jer 38:7-13)

18. Where did Jeremiah stay after his rescue? (Jer 38:11-13)

19. Why was Jeremiah hesitant to answer the kings request to give him a straightforward answer? (Jer 38:14-15)

20. After Zedekiah had sworn not to harm him, what did Jeremiah reveal about Gods plans? (Jer 38:16-18)

21. Why was Zedekiah afraid to obey God and surrender to the Babylonians? (Jer 38:19)

22. What specifics did Jeremiah tell the king about what would happen if he did, or didnt, obey God? (Jer 38:20-23)

23. Because it was dangerous for them to have talked, what did Zedekiah tell Jeremiah to say when he was questioned about his conversation with the king? (Jer 38:24-26)

24. Where was Jeremiah when the city of Jerusalem was captured? (Jer 38:28)

Get It

25. Where were the people of Jerusalem looking for help against the Babylonian siege?

26. Why was Jeremiah so unpopular with the officials of Jerusalem and the temple?

27. How was Jeremiah taking action on his own prophecy about the future when he was apprehended by his enemies?

28. When has obedience to God required you to make a decision you knew would be unpopular with others?

29. What contributes to a climate in which God-respecting people are harassed, mocked, ridiculed, or even harmed?

30. What are people acknowledging when they turn to God in times of confusion or trouble?

Apply It

31. How might you be able to plead the case of a helpless person in the weeks to come?

32. What step can you take this week toward developing the faith to obey God even when His will is not necessarily what you want?

Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Thirty Seven

By Brent Kercheville

1 What is the sin of King Zedekiah, his attendants, and the people of the land (Jer 37:1-3)?

2 What is ironic about what Zedekiah then does? What is the message to the reader?

3 What is Gods message through Jeremiah (Jer 37:4-10)?

4 What happens to Jeremiah (Jer 37:11-21)? Who helps Jeremiah?

TRANSFORMATION:

How does this relationship change your relationship with God?

What did you learn about him?

What will you do differently in your life?

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

am 3415, bc 589

into the dungeon: Jer 38:6, Jer 38:10-13, Gen 40:15, Lam 3:53, Lam 3:55

cabins: or, cells

Reciprocal: 2Ki 6:31 – if the head Isa 51:14 – die Jer 20:2 – smote Lam 3:52 – chased Mar 12:3 – they Luk 4:28 – were Luk 20:10 – beat Act 16:24 – the inner 2Co 6:5 – imprisonments

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jer 37:16. Dungeon is from BOWS and is defined by Strong, A pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or prison) The word therefore does not necessarily mean a place of darkness but only a place dug out for various uses. The original for cabins really means a vault or cell, and here means the departments dug In the pit.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jer 37:16. When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon Hebrew , into the house of the pit, ditch, or lake; and into the cabins Or, cells, as signifies. From comparing this place with chap. Jer 38:6, it seems likely that this dungeon was a deep pit, sunk perpendicularly like a well, in the middle court or quadrangle, around which the great houses were built; and that in the sides of it, near the bottom, were scooped niches, like the cabins of a ship, for the separate lodgment of the unfortunate persons who were let down there. Hence also it may be, that the same word here rendered dungeon is frequently put for the grave; the ancient repositories of the dead being often constructed with niches, in the same manner in which the bodies were placed, separately. Accordingly we read, Isa 14:15, Yet thou shalt be brought down to the grave, to the sides of the pit, . How long Jeremiah was forced to remain in this miserable place is not said, but it seems from Jer 37:19. that it was until the Chaldean army was returned to the siege.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments