Jeremiah 37:20
in Jeremiah 37But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented before thee, that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
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.
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This verse in Jeremiah 37
Commentary
9 notes on this verseJeremiah said, "Now that matters have proven the truthfulness of my prophecy and the falsehood of your prophets, you must now judge rightly and punish those who lied, not him who warned you of the truth beforehand." Then he asked to be released from the …
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
Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe
Jeremiah pleads for his life without softening the word he has just given the king. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, following Calvin, say his fear of death makes his firmness the more remarkable. Clarke says the cell in the house of Jonathan was cold.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Zedekiah ought to have released him, to have made him a privy-counsellor, as Joseph was taken from prison to be the second man in the kingdom. But he had not courage to do that; it was well he did as he did, and it is an instance of the care God takes of his suffering servants that are faithful to him.
It 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.
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
Therefore hear now, one pray thee, O my lord the king,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan - He had been ill used in this man’s custody, so as to endanger his life, the place being cold, and probably unhealthy.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
be accepted--rather, "Let my supplication be humbly presented" (see on Jer 36:7), [HENDERSON]. lest I die there--in the subterranean dungeon (Jer 37:16), from want of proper sustenance (Jer 37:21). The prophet naturally shrank from death, which makes his spiritual firmness the more remarkable; he was ready to die rather than swerve from his duty [CALVIN].
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְעַתָּ֕ה | veatah | and therefore | H6258 → | 433 times |
| שְֽׁמַֽע־ | shema'- | listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| נָ֖א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| אֲדֹנִ֣י | ʾadoni | O lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| תִּפָּל־ | tipol- | may it fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| נָ֤א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| תְחִנָּתִי֙ | techinati | supplication my | H8467 → | 25 times |
| לְפָנֶ֔יךָ | lefaneikha | <to> before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וְאַל־ | veal- | and may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תְּשִׁבֵ֗נִי | teshiveni | you make go back me | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| בֵּ֚ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יְהוֹנָתָ֣ן | yehonatan | Jonathan | H3083 → | 81 times |
| הַסֹּפֵ֔ר | hasofer | the scribe | H5608 → | 159 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אָמ֖וּת | ʾamut | I will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| שָֽׁם׃ | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
וְעַתָּ֕הand therefore
veatahH6258 →433 times
שְֽׁמַֽע־listen
shema'-H8085 →1159 times
נָ֖אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
אֲדֹנִ֣יO lord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
תִּפָּל־may it fall
tipol-H5307 →435 times
נָ֤אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
תְחִנָּתִי֙supplication my
techinatiH8467 →25 times
לְפָנֶ֔יךָ<to> before you
lefaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
וְאַל־and may not
veal-H408 →724 times
תְּשִׁבֵ֗נִיyou make go back me
teshiveniH7725 →1056 times
בֵּ֚ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יְהוֹנָתָ֣ןJonathan
yehonatanH3083 →81 times
הַסֹּפֵ֔רthe scribe
hasoferH5608 →159 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
אָמ֖וּתI will die
ʾamutH4191 →839 times
שָֽׁם׃there
shamH8033 →834 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 36:7Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD, and each one will turn from his wicked way; for great are the anger and fury that the LORD has pronounced against this people.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 36:3
Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the calamity I plan to bring upon them, each of them will turn from his wicked way. Then I will forgive their iniquity and their…
- 2 Kings 22:17
because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place and…
- Jeremiah 21:5
And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with anger, fury, and great wrath.
- Hosea 5:15
Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
- Lamentations 4:11
The LORD has exhausted His wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger; He has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations.
- Jeremiah 36:3
Through
Jeremiah 38:26then tell them, ‘I was presenting to the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 37:15
The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.
- Jeremiah 42:2
Jeremiah the prophet and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the LORD your God on behalf of this entire remnant. For few of us remain of the many, as you can…
- Esther 4:8
Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews, to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king, implore his favor,…
- Jeremiah 37:15
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; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, ON JEREMIAH 8:37.