jeremiah 37

Read Jeremiah 37 at Bible Gateway.

Hebrew paragraph divisions

Jer 37:1-5 {p} King Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah as the Chaldeans were besieging Jerusalem, but they drew away
Jer 37:6-8 {p} Pharaoh’s army will return to Egypt + the Chaldeans shall return to take Jerusalem
Jer 37:9-11 {s} Do not deceive yourselves into thinking the Chaldeans shall leave off, they will return
Jer 37:12-38:2 {s} Jeremiah imprisoned on false charges/his enemies heard the word he prophesied from YHVH

Jer 37:3-38:6 chiastic structure

1a) Jer 37:3-5 {p} King Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah for the fate of the city/ Jeremiah free among the people;

1b) Jer 37:6-11 {p+s} The word of YHVH: This city shall be taken by the Chaldeans, who will burn it with fire;

1a) Jer 37:6-7 The word of YHVH: Pharaoh’s army which has come to help you shall return to their own land;
1b) Jer 37:8 {p} The Chaldeans shall come back + fight against this city + take it and burn it with fire;
central axis) Jer 37:9a Thus says YHVH: ‘Do not deceive yourselves that the Chaldeans have departed from you;
2b) Jer 37:9b-10 For they will not depart; they will rise up and burn this city with fire;
2a) Jer 37:11 {s} When the Chaldean army left the siege of Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army;

1c) Jer 37:12-14 Jeremiah departed the city, but was accused of defecting to the Chaldeans because of YHVH’s word;

1d) Jer 37:15-16 The princes were angry + consigned Jeremiah to the prison dungeon;

1e) Jer 37:17a King Zedekiah sent + took him out/ his petition to Jeremiah for the word of YHVH;

1f) Jer 37:17b YHVH’s word: “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon;”

central axis) Jer 37:18 “Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, ‘What offense have I committed against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?’”

2f) Jer 37:19 Where are your prophets who prophesied to you: the king of Babylon would not come against you;

2e) Jer 37:20 Jeremiah’s petition to King Zedekiah for redress from his prison confinement;

2d) Jer 37:21 King Zedekiah commanded Jeremiah kept in the court of the prison (rather than the dungeon);

2c) Jer 38:1-2 {s} The men heard the word Jeremiah had spoken, that he who defected shall ransom his life;

2b) Jer 38:3 That the city shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it;

2a) Jer 38:4-6 {s} The princes sent to Zedekiah for the fate of Jeremiah/ Jeremiah cast into a miry pit.