Jeremiah 20:2
in Jeremiah 20he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah.
KJV
Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.
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This verse in Jeremiah 20
Commentary
5 notes on this verseon Jeremiah 20:1-2
(Chapter 20 — Verses 1, 2) And Phasur, the son of Emmer, a priest who was appointed as the chief in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words. And Phasur struck the prophet Jeremiah and sent him into the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. For Phasur, the Septuagint translated as Phascor, which means "blackness of the mouth," and for the stocks, which we have mentioned, the Septuagint and Theodotion translated as "cataract," Symmachus as "instrument of torture" or "torture device," both of which signify torment.
This site's exposition
chief governor in the house of the Lord
on Jeremiah 20:1-3
Pashur son of Immer holds a senior post over the temple guard, and when he hears Jeremiah preaching the Tophet sign just delivered in that same courtyard he moves against him directly rather than merely reporting him. Jeremiah is beaten and put in the stocks at the high gate of Benjamin, a public restraint meant to shame him before anyone who passed. Released the next morning, Jeremiah answers not with silence but with a new name for his captor, Magor-missabib, terror on every side, turning Pashur's own violence into the title of what is coming to him.
The record, by era
The Reformation1 voice
(Deuteronomy 17:12.) "Since, then, it was God's will to endue the priests with so much authority and power, why therefore did he not guide them by his grace, that they might faithfully execute the office committed to them?" Nor was Jeremiah alone moved and shaken by this trial, but all who then truly worshipped God.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet,.... Either with his fist, or with a rod, while he was prophesying, to stop his mouth, and hinder him from going on, and to show his resentment, and influence, the people not to believe him; or he ordered him to be smitten and scourged by some inferior officer.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Put him in the stocks - Probably such a place near the gate as we term the lock-up, the coal-hole; or it may mean a sort of dungeon.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּכֶּ֣ה | vaiyakeh | and he struck | H5221 → | 499 times |
| פַשְׁח֔וּר | fashchur | Pashhur | H6583 → | 14 times |
| אֵ֖ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יִרְמְיָ֣הוּ | yirmeyahu | Jeremiah | H3414 → | 147 times |
| הַנָּבִ֑יא | hanavi' | the prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| וַיִּתֵּ֨ן | vaiyiten | and he put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹת֜וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַמַּהְפֶּ֗כֶת | hamahpekhet | the stock[s] | H4115 → | 4 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּשַׁ֤עַר | beshaar | [was] at [the] gate of | H8179 → | 374 times |
| בִּנְיָמִן֙ | binyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| הָֽעֶלְי֔וֹן | haelyon | <the> upper | H5945 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּבֵ֥ית | beveit | [was] in [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיַּכֶּ֣הand he struck
vaiyakehH5221 →499 times
פַשְׁח֔וּרPashhur
fashchurH6583 →14 times
אֵ֖ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
יִרְמְיָ֣הוּJeremiah
yirmeyahuH3414 →147 times
הַנָּבִ֑יאthe prophet
hanavi'H5030 →314 times
וַיִּתֵּ֨ןand he put
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
אֹת֜וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַמַּהְפֶּ֗כֶתthe stock[s]
hamahpekhetH4115 →4 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּשַׁ֤עַר[was] at [the] gate of
beshaarH8179 →374 times
בִּנְיָמִן֙Benjamin
binyaminH1144 →166 times
הָֽעֶלְי֔וֹן<the> upper
haelyonH5945 →
אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּבֵ֥ית[was] in [the] house of
beveitH1004 →2046 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 1:19They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
it leads to
- Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Jeremiah 1:8
Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 20:11
But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting…
- Psalms 129:2
many a time they have persecuted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.
- Jeremiah 29:25–32
this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “In your own name you have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah,…
- Joshua 1:9
Through
Zechariah 14:10All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the…
it leads to
- Joshua 15:32
Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—twenty-nine cities in all, along with their villages.
- Joshua 15:32
Through
Jeremiah 36:26Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well as Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 19:1–3
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
- 1 Kings 19:10
“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am…
- 1 Kings 19:1–3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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About Jeremiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.