Jeremiah 37

Jeremiah · Chapter 37

Jeremiah 37:20

1And 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.2But 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.3And 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.4Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.5Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.6Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,7Thus 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.8And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.9Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.10For 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.11And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,12Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.13And 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.14Then 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.15Wherefore 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.16When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;17Then 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.18Moreover 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?19Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?20Therefore 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.21Then 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
20Therefore 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.But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”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.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and thereforeוְעַתָּ֕הve-'a-TAHH6258
now

עַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) 1) now 1a) now 1b) in phrases

listenשְֽׁמַֽע־she-ma'-H8085G
to hear: hear

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) : hear v 1) to hear, listen to, obey 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to hear (perceive by ear) 1a2) to hear of or concerning 1a3) to hear (have power to hear) 1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to 1a5) to understand (language) 1a6) to hear (of judicial cases) 1a7) to listen, give heed 1a7a) to consent, agree 1a7b) to grant request 1a8) to listen to, yield to 1a9) to obey, be obedient 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound) 1b2) to be heard of 1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed 1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound …

pleaseנָ֖אna'H4994
please

נָא (na) 1) I (we) pray, now, please 1a) used in entreaty or exhortation

O lord myאֲדֹנִ֣י'a-do-NIH0113
lord

אָדוֹן (a.don) 1) firm, strong, lord, master 1a) lord, master 1a1) reference to men 1a1a) superintendent of household, of affairs 1a1b) master 1a1c) king 1a2) reference to God 1a2a) the Lord God 1a2b) Lord of the whole earth 1b) lords, kings 1b1) reference to men 1b1a) proprietor of hill of Samaria 1b1b) master 1b1c) husband 1b1d) prophet 1b1e) governor 1b1f) prince 1b1g) king 1b2) reference to God 1b2a) Lord of lords (probably = "thy husband, Yahweh") 1c) my lord, my master 1c1) reference to men 1c1a) master 1c1b) husband 1c1c) prophet 1c1d) prince 1c1e) king 1c1f) father 1c1g) Moses 1c1h) priest …

the kingהַמֶּ֑לֶךְha-ME-lekhH4428G
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

may it fallתִּפָּל־ti-pol-H5307G
to fall: fall

נָפַל (na.phal) : fall/drop/fail 1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to fall 1a2) to fall (of violent death) 1a3) to fall prostrate, prostrate oneself before 1a4) to fall upon, attack, desert, fall away to, go away to, fall into the hand of 1a5) to fall short, fail, fall out, turn out, result 1a6) to settle, waste away, be offered, be inferior to 1a7) to lie, lie prostrate 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to cause to fall, fell, throw down, knock out, lay prostrate 1b2) to overthrow 1b3) to make the lot fall, assign by lot, apportion by lot 1b4) to let drop, cause to fail (fig.) 1b5) to cause to fall …

pleaseנָ֤אna'H4994
please

נָא (na) 1) I (we) pray, now, please 1a) used in entreaty or exhortation

supplication myתְחִנָּתִי֙te-chi-na-TIH8467
supplication

תְּחִנָּה (te.chin.nah) 1) favour, supplication, supplication for favour 1a) favour 1b) supplication for favour

to before youלְפָנֶ֔יךָle-fa-NEI-khaH6440G
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

and may notוְאַל־ve-'al-H0408
not

אַל (al) 1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference) 1a) do not, let not (with a verb) 1b) let there not be (with a verb understood) 1c) not, no (with substantive) 1d) nothing (as substantive) Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

you make go back meתְּשִׁבֵ֗נִיte-shi-VE-niH7725G
to return: return

שׁוּב (shuv) : return 1) to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a) to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (fig) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things 1a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) …

[the] house ofבֵּ֚יתbeitH1004MNo entry
Jonathanיְהוֹנָתָ֣ןye-ho-na-TANH3083N
Jonathan

יְהוֹנָתָן (ye.ho.na.tan) A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.37.15 § Jonathan or Jehonathan = "Jehovah has given" 1) a son of king Saul and a friend of David 2) a son of the high priest Abiathar and the last descendant of Eli of whom we hear 3) a nephew of David who like David slew a giant of Gath 4) an uncle of David 5) one of David's mighty warriors 6) one of David's treasurers 7) a scribe in the time of Jeremiah 8) a Levite and father of Zechariah, a priest who blew the trumpet at the dedication of the wall …

the scribeהַסֹּפֵ֔רha-so-FERH5608B
secretary

סֹפֵר (so.pher) 1) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe 1a) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary 1b) learned man, scribe Aramaic equivalent: sa.pher (סָפִר "scribe" H5613)

and notוְלֹ֥אve-LO'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

I will dieאָמ֖וּת'a-MUTH4191
to die

מוּת (mut) 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely

thereשָֽׁם׃ShamH8033G
there

שָׁם (sham) 1) there, thither 1a) there 1b) thither (after verbs of motion) 1c) from there, thence 1d) then (as an adverb of time) Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.