3 And it came to pass on the morrow, H4283 that Pashur H6583 brought forth H3318 Jeremiah H3414 out of the stocks. H4115 Then said H559 Jeremiah H3414 unto him, The LORD H3068 hath not called H7121 thy name H8034 Pashur, H6583 but Magormissabib. H4036
And G1161 it came to pass G1096 on G1909 the morrow, G839 that their G846 rulers, G758 and G2532 elders, G4245 and G2532 scribes, G1122 And G2532 Annas G452 the high priest, G749 and G2532 Caiaphas, G2533 and G2532 John, G2491 and G2532 Alexander, G223 and G2532 as many as G3745 were G2258 of G1537 the kindred G1085 of the high priest, G748 were gathered together G4863 at G1519 Jerusalem. G2419 And G2532 when they had set G2476 them G846 in G1722 the midst, G3319 they asked, G4441 By G1722 what G4169 power, G1411 or G2228 by G1722 what G4169 name, G3686 have G4160 ye G5210 done G4160 this? G5124
And G1161 when it was G1096 day, G2250 the magistrates G4755 sent G649 the serjeants, G4465 saying, G3004 Let G630 those G1565 men G444 go. G630 And G1161 the keeper of the prison G1200 told G518 this G5128 saying G3056 to G4314 Paul, G3972 G3754 The magistrates G4755 have sent G649 to G2443 let you go: G630 now G3568 therefore G3767 depart, G1831 and go G4198 in G1722 peace. G1515 But G1161 Paul G3972 said G5346 unto G4314 them, G846 They have beaten G1194 us G2248 openly G1219 uncondemned, G178 being G5225 Romans, G4514 G444 and have cast G906 us into G1519 prison; G5438 and G2532 now G3568 do they thrust G1544 us G2248 out G1544 privily? G2977 nay G3756 verily; G1063 but G235 let them come G2064 themselves G846 and fetch G1806 us G2248 out. G1806 And G1161 the serjeants G4465 told G312 these G5023 words G4487 unto the magistrates: G4755 and G2532 they feared, G5399 when they heard G191 that G3754 they were G1526 Romans. G4514 And G2532 they came G2064 and besought G3870 them, G846 and G2532 brought them out, G1806 and desired G2065 them to depart out G1831 of the city. G4172
And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto him, Call H7121 his name H8034 Jezreel; H3157 for yet a little H4592 while, and I will avenge H6485 the blood H1818 of Jezreel H3157 upon the house H1004 of Jehu, H3058 and will cause to cease H7673 the kingdom H4468 of the house H1004 of Israel. H3478 And it shall come to pass at that day, H3117 that I will break H7665 the bow H7198 of Israel H3478 in the valley H6010 of Jezreel. H3157 And she conceived again, H2029 and bare H3205 a daughter. H1323 And God said H559 unto him, Call H7121 her name H8034 Loruhamah: H3819 for I will no more H3254 have mercy H7355 upon the house H1004 of Israel; H3478 but I will utterly H5375 take them away. H5375 But I will have mercy H7355 upon the house H1004 of Judah, H3063 and will save H3467 them by the LORD H3068 their God, H430 and will not save H3467 them by bow, H7198 nor by sword, H2719 nor by battle, H4421 by horses, H5483 nor by horsemen. H6571 Now when she had weaned H1580 Loruhamah, H3819 she conceived, H2029 and bare H3205 a son. H1121 Then said H559 God, Call H7121 his name H8034 Loammi: H3818 for ye are not my people, H5971 and I will not be your God.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Jeremiah 20
Commentary on Jeremiah 20 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 20
Jer 20:1-18. Jeremiah's Incarceration by Pashur, the Principal Officer of the Temple, for Prophesying within Its Precincts; His Renewed Predictions against the City, &c., ON His Liberation.
1. son—descendant.
of Immer—one of the original "governors of the sanctuary and of the house of God," twenty-four in all, that is, sixteen of the sons of Eleazar and eight of the sons of Ithamar (1Ch 24:14). This Pashur is distinct from Pashur, son of Melchiah (Jer 21:1). The "captains" (Lu 22:4) seem to have been over the twenty-four guards of the temple, and had only the right of apprehending any who were guilty of delinquency within it; but the Sanhedrim had the judicial power over such delinquents [Grotius] (Jer 26:8, 10, 16).
2. The fact that Pashur was of the same order and of the same family as Jeremiah aggravates the indignity of the blow (1Ki 22:24; Mt 26:67).
stocks—an instrument of torture with five holes, in which the neck, two hands, and two feet were thrust, the body being kept in a crooked posture (Jer 29:26). From a Hebrew root, to "turn," or "rack." This marks Pashur's cruelty.
high—that is, the upper gate (2Ki 15:35).
gate of Benjamin—a gate in the temple wall, corresponding to the gate of Benjamin, properly so called, in the city wall, in the direction of the territory of Benjamin (Jer 7:2; 37:13; 38:7). The temple gate of Benjamin, being on a lofty position, was called "the high gate," to distinguish it from the city wall gate of Benjamin.
3. Pashur—compounded of two roots, meaning "largeness (and so 'security') on every side"; in antithesis to Magor-missabib, "terror round about" (Jer 20:10; Jer 6:25; 46:5; 49:29; Ps 31:13).
4. terror … to all thy friends—who have believed thy false promises (Jer 20:6). The sense must be in order to accord with "fear round about" (Jer 20:3). I will bring terror on thee and on all thy friends, that terror arising from thyself, namely, thy false prophecies. Thou and thy prophecies will be seen, to the dismay both of thee and thy dupes, to have caused their ruin and thine. Maurer's translation is therefore not needed, "I will give up thee and all thy friends to terror."
5. strength—that is, resources.
labours—fruits of labor, gain, wealth.
6. prophesied lies—namely, that God cannot possibly leave this land without prophets, priests, and teachers ("the wise") (Jer 18:18; compare Jer 5:31).
7. Jeremiah's complaint, not unlike that of Job, breathing somewhat of human infirmity in consequence of his imprisonment. Thou didst promise never to give me up to the will of mine enemies, and yet Thou hast done so. But Jeremiah misunderstood God's promise, which was not that he should have nothing to suffer, but that God would deliver him out of sufferings (Jer 1:19).
deceived—Others translate as Margin, "Thou hast enticed" or "persuaded me," namely, to undertake the prophetic office, "and I was persuaded," that is, suffered myself to be persuaded to undertake what I find too hard for me. So the Hebrew word is used in a good sense (Ge 9:27, Margin; Pr 25:15; Ho 2:14).
stronger than I—Thou whose strength I could not resist hast laid this burden on me, and hast prevailed (hast made me prophesy, in spite of my reluctance) (Jer 1:5-7); yet, when I exercise my office, I am treated with derision (La 3:14).
8. Rather, "Whenever I speak, I cry out. Concerning violence and spoil, I (am compelled to) cry out," that is, complain [Maurer]. English Version in the last clause is more graphic, "I cried violence and spoil" (Jer 6:7)! I could not speak in a calm tone; their desperate wickedness compelled me to "cry out."
because—rather, "therefore," the apodosis of the previous sentence; because in discharging my prophetic functions, I not merely spake, but cried; and cried, violence … ; therefore the word of the Lord was made a reproach to me (Jer 20:7).
9. his word was—or literally, "there was in my heart, as it were, a burning fire," that is, the divine afflatus or impulse to speak was as … (Job 32:18, 19; Ps 39:3).
weary with forbearing, and I could not—"I labored to contain myself, but I could not" (Ac 18:5; compare Jer 23:9; 1Co 9:16, 17).
10. For—not referring to the words immediately preceding, but to "I will not make mention of Him." The "defaming" or detraction of the enemy on every side (see Ps 31:13) tempted him to think of prophesying no more.
Report … we will report—The words of his adversaries one to the other; give any information against him (true or false) which will give color for accusing him; and "we will report it," namely, to the Sanhedrim, in order to crush him.
familiars—literally, "men of my peace"; those who pretended to be on peaceable terms with me (Ps 41:9). Jeremiah is a type of Messiah, referred to in that Psalm. (See Jer 38:22; Job 19:19; Ps 55:13, 14; Lu 11:53, 54).
watched for my halting—(Ps 35:15, Margin, "halting"; Ps 38:17; 71:10, Margin). Gesenius not so well translates, according to Arabic idiom, "those guarding my side" (that is, my most intimate friends always at my side), in apposition to "familiars," and the subject of "say" (instead of "saying"). The Hebrew means properly "side," then "halting," as the halt bend on one side.
enticed—to commit some sin.
11. not prevail—as they hoped to do (Jer 20:10; Jer 15:20).
prosper—in their plot.
12. triest the righteous—in latent contrast to the hasty judgments of men (Jer 11:20; 17:10).
opened—that is, committed (compare 2Ki 19:14; Ps 35:1).
13. delivered … soul—This deliverance took place when Zedekiah succeeded Jeconiah.
14-18. The contrast between the spirit of this passage and the preceding thanksgiving is to be explained thus: to show how great was the deliverance (Jer 20:13), he subjoins a picture of what his wounded spirit had been previous to his deliverance; I had said in the time of my imprisonment, "Cursed be the day"; my feeling was that of Job (Job 3:3, 10, 11, whose words Jeremiah therefore copies). Though Jeremiah's zeal had been stirred up, not so much for self as for God's honor trampled on by the rejection of the prophet's words, yet it was intemperate when he made his birth a subject for cursing, which was really a ground for thanksgiving.
15. A man child—The birth of a son is in the East a special subject of joy; whereas that of a daughter is often not so.
16. the cities—Sodom and Gomorrah.
cry … morning … noontide—that is, Let him be kept in alarm the whole day (not merely at night when terrors ordinarily prevail, but in daytime when it is something extraordinary) with terrifying war shouts, as those in a besieged city (Jer 18:22).
17. he—"that man" (Jer 20:15, 16).
from the womb—that is, at that time while I was still in the womb.