Jeremiah 37 16

Jeremiah 37:16 kjv

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

Jeremiah 37:16 nkjv

When Jeremiah entered the dungeon and the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,

Jeremiah 37:16 niv

Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time.

Jeremiah 37:16 esv

When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days,

Jeremiah 37:16 nlt

Jeremiah was put into a dungeon cell, where he remained for many days.

Jeremiah 37 verses

Jeremiah 37 16 Meaning

Jeremiah 37:16 reveals the profound and concerning lack of spiritual discernment and faith on the part of the officials who had confined Jeremiah. Despite the prophet’s accurate pronouncements of divine judgment, which were increasingly being validated by unfolding events, these leaders failed to grasp the true source of Jeremiah's messages. Their actions demonstrated a stubborn resistance to God’s will, leading them to place their trust in human power and military might rather than in divine intervention and obedience. The verse highlights their misplaced hope and their failure to recognize the prophetic voice amidst the chaos of impending destruction.

Jeremiah 37 16 Context

This verse is situated within a tumultuous period of Jerusalem's history, just before its final destruction by the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar. King Zedekiah is on the throne, a weak and indecisive ruler who has a history of making alliances contrary to God's word through Jeremiah. Jeremiah has been imprisoned multiple times for prophesying Jerusalem's fall and encouraging surrender to Babylon, a message that is deeply unpopular and seen as treasonous by the city's leaders. Specifically, in Jeremiah 37, Jeremiah is moved from a debtors' prison to the courtyard of the guardhouse, a slight improvement in his conditions but still under confinement. The Babylonian army has momentarily withdrawn from their siege of Jerusalem to deal with an approaching Egyptian force. This withdrawal might have fostered a false sense of security and hope among the besieged Judeans. It is within this environment of impending doom, military maneuvers, and continued prophetic pronouncements of doom that Jeremiah utters his message.

Jeremiah 37 16 Word Analysis

• “Now” - (Hebrew: וְעַתָּה - v'ata): Indicates immediacy, linking the action or statement to the present circumstances, emphasizing the relevance of the words at that very moment.
• “when” - (Hebrew: כִּי־ – ki): Functions here as a conjunction, signifying "because" or "when," introducing the reason for the following statement.
• “the army of Pharaoh” - (Hebrew: חֵיל־פַרְעֹה – cheyl-Par'oh): Refers to the Egyptian military forces that had come to the aid of Jerusalem. This highlights the Judahites' misplaced reliance on foreign military support.
• “came forth” - (Hebrew: עָלָה – 'alah): A common Hebrew verb, meaning to go up or to come forth. Here it signifies the movement of the Egyptian army onto the scene.
• “out of Egypt” - (Hebrew: מִמִּצְרַיִם – mimmitzrayim): Specifies the origin of the relief force, emphasizing the Judahites' desperate turning to Egypt, a nation often associated with oppression and a sign of their spiritual failure.
• “that” - (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר – asher): A relative pronoun, connecting the previous clause to the following description.
• “and it was told” - (Hebrew: וַיֻּגַּד – vayuggad): The Niphal (passive) form of the verb nagad, meaning "to tell" or "to inform." It signifies that news or reports were received.
• “to the army of the Chaldeans” - (Hebrew: לְחֵיל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים – lacheyl-hakkasdim): The Babylonian forces besieging Jerusalem.
• “all your messages concerning it” - (Hebrew: כָּל־דְּבָרֶיךָ עָלֶיהָ – kol-dvareykha 'alehah): This is a crucial phrase. It implies that Jeremiah's prophetic pronouncements were indeed heard and reported to the enemy, potentially implying that these messages were understood or at least noted by the Babylonians. The leaders had informed the Chaldeans about Jeremiah's prophecies.
• “so the army of Pharaoh raised the siege” - (Hebrew: וַיָּשָׁב צְבָא־פַרְעֹה מִשַּׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם – vayyashov tzva-Par'oh missha'arei Yerushalayim): Describes the immediate consequence of the Egyptian advance – the Babylonians temporarily retreated from the direct assault on Jerusalem's gates, likely to engage the Egyptians.

Words Group by Words Group Analysis

• “army of Pharaoh came forth out of Egypt”: This phrase establishes the external factor—the Egyptian intervention—that temporarily altered the military situation. It underscores the Judahites' strategy of seeking help from an earthly power, a recurring theme of disobedience in Jeremiah’s ministry. Their hope was placed in political alliances rather than divine deliverance.
• “it was told to the army of the Chaldeans all your messages concerning it”: This highlights the tragic irony. Jeremiah’s accurate prophetic words, intended to guide Judah towards repentance and salvation through surrender, were communicated to the enemy. This communication may have been by the Judean officials who confined Jeremiah, revealing their internal turmoil and perhaps their attempts to undermine Jeremiah or use his prophecies for their own understanding of the geopolitical situation, even if misguided.
• “so the army of Pharaoh raised the siege”: The direct result of this communication and the Egyptian advance was the Babylonians' withdrawal from Jerusalem’s immediate perimeter. This provided a window of opportunity for Jerusalem, a reprieve from the direct threat, yet it also tragically confirmed for the Judean leaders that their hope in Egypt was viable, rather than seeing it as a temporary lull before further judgment, all of which Jeremiah had foretold.

Jeremiah 37 16 Bonus Section

This event highlights the concept of a “false reprieve” or a “respite” that can be misinterpreted as deliverance. It serves as a cautionary example of how temporal relief can strengthen misplaced faith. Jeremiah's unwavering message, even when confined and disbelieved, stands in contrast to the transient hope offered by worldly powers. The prophecy regarding the Egyptian relief force ultimately proving ineffectual against the Babylonians is elaborated in Jeremiah 37:7, "Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to give you help, is surely returning to Egypt her own land." The Chaldeans’ reaction to the news of the Egyptian approach, leading to their temporary withdrawal, is part of the larger divine plan unfolding according to Jeremiah’s pronouncements, emphasizing that even events perceived as hopeful by the people of Judah were woven into God’s judgment.

Jeremiah 37 16 Commentary

Jeremiah 37:16 records the response of the Chaldean army to the approach of the Egyptian forces. This intervention, while seemingly a cause for hope for Jerusalem, was, according to Jeremiah's prophecy, ultimately futile. The verse implies that the Judean authorities, even while holding Jeremiah captive, conveyed his message to the Chaldeans, perhaps seeking to gain an advantage or merely sharing the information received. The fact that the Chaldeans raised the siege momentarily confirms the factual basis of the prophetic reports about the Egyptians. However, the ultimate outcome, as Jeremiah tirelessly warned, was Jerusalem's fall. This verse is a stark illustration of how leaders can be surrounded by divine truth but choose to interpret events through the lens of their own strategies and political expediency, ignoring the core message of repentance and surrender to God’s appointed instrument of judgment. Their hope remained in Egypt, not in the LORD.