Jeremiah 37:18
in Jeremiah 37Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
KJV
Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
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This verse in Jeremiah 37
Commentary
5 notes on this verseIt was not in Jeremiah's power to reverse the sentence God had passed upon Zedekiah, but it was in Zedekiah's power to reverse the sentence which the princes had given against him; and therefore, since he thought him fit to be used as a prophet, he would not think him fit to be abused as the worst of malefactors.
This site's exposition
So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon
on Jeremiah 37:16-21
Jeremiah stays in the dungeon “a long time” until Zedekiah sends for him. The answer is unchanged: “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah pleads not to be returned to Jonathan’s house, and the king moves him to “the courtyard of the guard.”
This site's exposition
How have I sinned against you
Having given the hard word, Jeremiah turns to his own case. Matthew Henry sets out the logic: Jeremiah had no power to reverse God's sentence, yet the king had power to reverse the officials' sentence. The king consulted him as a prophet and held him as a criminal.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. 5 Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
Moreover, Jeremiah said unto King Zedekiah,....
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ | yirmeyahu | Jeremiah | H3414 → | 147 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| צִדְקִיָּ֑הוּ | tzidkiyahu | Zedekiah | H6667 → | 63 times |
| מֶה֩ | meh | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| חָטָ֨אתִֽי | chatati | have I sinned | H2398 → | 238 times |
| לְךָ֤ | lekha | to you | ||
| וְלַעֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙ | velaavadeikha | and to servants your | H5650 → | 799 times |
| וְלָעָ֣ם | velaam | and to the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| הַזֶּ֔ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נְתַתֶּ֥ם | netatem | you have put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אוֹתִ֖י | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הַכֶּֽלֶא׃ | hakele' | <the> imprisonment | H3608 → | 10 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
יִרְמְיָ֔הוּJeremiah
yirmeyahuH3414 →147 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
צִדְקִיָּ֑הוּZedekiah
tzidkiyahuH6667 →63 times
מֶה֩what?
mehH4100 →752 times
חָטָ֨אתִֽיhave I sinned
chatatiH2398 →238 times
לְךָ֤to you
lekha
וְלַעֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙and to servants your
velaavadeikhaH5650 →799 times
וְלָעָ֣םand to the people
velaamH5971 →1873 times
הַזֶּ֔ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
נְתַתֶּ֥םyou have put
netatemH5414 →2011 times
אוֹתִ֖י<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בֵּ֥ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
הַכֶּֽלֶא׃<the> imprisonment
hakele'H3608 →10 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
Daniel 6:22My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O…
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 4:17
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of…
- Hebrews 11:33
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
- Acts 12:11
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
- Psalms 91:11–13
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
- Psalms 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- 2 Timothy 4:17
Through
Acts 25:8Then Paul made his defense: “I have committed no offense against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”
it leads to
- Acts 24:12
Yet my accusers did not find me debating with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city.
- Acts 28:17
After three days, he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers,…
- Acts 24:12
Through
Acts 25:11If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand…
it leads to
- Acts 28:19
But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, even though I have no charge to bring against my nation.
- Acts 28:19
About Jeremiah

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonLate monarchy / ExileJeremiahPriest of Anathoth called before birth to uproot and to plant; the weeping prophet of Jerusalem's fall who bought a field in the s…
- PersonExileZedekiahJudah's last king, who broke his oath to Babylon against Jeremiah's word; his sons slain before his eyes at Riblah, and the city a…
This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
