Jeremiah 37 20

Jeremiah 37:20 kjv

Therefore 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.

Jeremiah 37:20 nkjv

Therefore please hear now, O my lord the king. Please, let my petition be accepted before you, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there."

Jeremiah 37:20 niv

But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there."

Jeremiah 37:20 esv

Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there."

Jeremiah 37:20 nlt

Listen, my lord the king, I beg you. Don't send me back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for I will die there."

Jeremiah 37 verses

Jeremiah 37 20 meaning

Jeremiah 37:20 records the prophet Jeremiah's earnest appeal to King Zedekiah of Judah during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Jeremiah, having been previously imprisoned in the "house of Jonathan the scribe" on false charges of desertion, pleads desperately with the king. His primary request is for his plea to be heard and, more specifically, that he not be returned to the former place of confinement due to the severe and life-threatening conditions there. The verse vividly portrays Jeremiah's extreme suffering and his conviction that such a return would result in his death.

Jeremiah 37 20 Context

Jeremiah 37:20 takes place during a critical juncture in Judah's history, around 588 BCE, amidst the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. King Zedekiah, installed by the Babylonians, was a weak and indecisive ruler caught between powerful pro-Egyptian and pro-Babylonian factions among his officials and the people. Jeremiah consistently prophesied the city's destruction and Judah's submission to Babylon as God's judgment for their apostasy, urging them to surrender. This message was deeply unpopular and seen as treasonous.

Immediately prior to this verse (37:1-15), the Babylonian siege had been temporarily lifted as an Egyptian army advanced. Jeremiah attempted to leave Jerusalem to go to his hometown of Anathoth to attend to a property matter. He was then arrested by a guard named Irijah, falsely accused of defecting to the Babylonians (37:13), and beaten. Despite Jeremiah's vehement denial (37:14), he was brought before the princes, who were enraged and beat him again. He was then confined "in the house of Jonathan the scribe" (37:15) – likely a state building or official residence converted into a harsh prison, characterized by "vaults" or "cells" (37:16). After "many days" there, Zedekiah secretly summoned Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord. Jeremiah faithfully delivered God's unchanging message: Jerusalem would fall. It is after delivering this message, likely realizing he faces renewed severe punishment, that Jeremiah makes this desperate personal plea to the king recorded in verse 20. His request is for a change of prison, specifically away from Jonathan's house, because the conditions there are so dire as to be fatal.

Jeremiah 37 20 Word analysis

• Therefore (וְעַתָּה wĕʿattâ): This serves as a consequential or transitional conjunction. It links Jeremiah's immediate, faithful pronouncement of God's word (that the city would be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, v.17) with his personal, desperate plea for his own life. It signifies that despite delivering the grim, unchangeable divine message, Jeremiah is now appealing to the king for mercy based on his current circumstances.
• please (נָא nāʾ): This is a particle of entreaty, an urgent or polite request. It expresses the depth of Jeremiah's plea and his respect for the king's authority, even as he faces potential death because of the king's officials. It softens the command and imbues the request with humility and earnestness.
• let my plea come before you (תְהִי נָא תְחִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ tĕhî nāʾ tĕḥinnātî lĕfāneykā):
  • plea (תְחִנָּה tĕḥinnāh): More specifically "supplication" or "request for favor/mercy." It refers to an entreaty made from an inferior to a superior, appealing for grace and compassion rather than justice or right. Jeremiah isn't demanding release but appealing for mercy in his current predicament.
  • come before you (לְפָנֶיךָ lĕfāneykā): Literally "to your face" or "in your presence." It means the king should directly consider and give audience to his petition, acknowledging its weight and urgency.
• and do not send me back (וְאַל־תְּשִׁיבֵנִי wĕʾal-tĕšîḇēnî): A strong negative command: "and do not make me return." This clearly indicates Jeremiah had already been held in the place mentioned next and wished not to revisit its harshness. It implies a previous experience of suffering there.
• to the house of Jonathan the scribe (אֶל־בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר ʾel-bêṯ yĕhônāṯān hassōfēr):
  • house (בֵּית bêṯ): While literally "house," in this context, as confirmed by 37:15-16, it functioned as a holding prison. It was a place of extreme discomfort, possibly with pits or cramped "cells" (חֲנֻיּוֹת ḥănūyyōt – sometimes translated "vaults" or "dungeons"). This was not a pleasant residential dwelling.
  • Jonathan the scribe (יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר yĕhônāṯān hassōfēr): Jonathan, whose name means "Yahweh has given," was an official, a "scribe." In ancient Judah, scribes were often high-ranking state administrators, potentially overseeing financial affairs, public records, or judicial matters. His house was evidently requisitioned for use as a state detention facility, highlighting the informal and severe nature of such prisons.
• lest I die there (פֶּן־אָמוּת שָׁם pen-ʾāmûṯ šām): This expresses Jeremiah's dire apprehension and the ultimate stakes of his plea. It means "for fear that I die there" or "otherwise I will die there." The conditions in Jonathan's house were so dire – likely due to lack of food, water, light, ventilation, and physical abuse – that Jeremiah believed it was a death sentence.

• "let my plea come before you, and do not send me back": This pairing reveals Jeremiah's vulnerability and his direct appeal to the king's compassion. Despite his role as God's spokesman, he faces the real threat of mortal physical suffering. His request for mercy is directed at the only person who can intervene and shows his full humanity in the face of imminent danger.
• "the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there": This phrase group links a specific, official place of detention directly to the threat of death. It implies a brutal environment sanctioned or utilized by state authorities, where life was held cheaply for those out of favor. It underscores the oppressive power wielded by Zedekiah's officials against dissenting voices, even a true prophet of God.

Jeremiah 37 20 Bonus section

Jeremiah's personal appeal here, alongside his unwavering prophetic pronouncements, paints a complex picture of a prophet who is both supernaturally empowered and intensely human. It contrasts the power of God's word, which Jeremiah faithfully declared, with the physical frailty and existential fear of God's messenger. This situation underscores the fact that God does not always exempt His faithful servants from suffering; rather, their suffering often serves to authenticate their message and reveal the cost of true faith in a hostile world. Jeremiah's willingness to humble himself and plead for his life before an indecisive king demonstrates his reliance on any means necessary, short of compromising God's word, for survival, and highlights the king's divided loyalties—respecting Jeremiah but fearing his officials.

Jeremiah 37 20 Commentary

Jeremiah 37:20 captures a poignant moment where divine prophecy intersects with human vulnerability. Despite faithfully delivering a severe message of judgment to King Zedekiah, Jeremiah makes a deeply personal, urgent plea for his life. This isn't an abandonment of his prophetic duty, but an acknowledgment of his own suffering humanity. His desperate appeal reveals the horrendous conditions of his previous imprisonment in "the house of Jonathan the scribe," which was evidently more like a death trap than a holding cell. It highlights the brutal reality of imprisonment for dissenters in ancient Judah and the extreme cost of obedience to God for His prophets. Zedekiah, despite acknowledging Jeremiah as a man of God, was caught between his conscience and his fear of his powerful officials. Jeremiah's plea tests Zedekiah's character, pushing him to exercise compassion and justice, demonstrating that even those who speak God's truth are subject to human oppression and must sometimes appeal for mercy to worldly powers.