Study notes

Jeremiah 37

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

34:1–45:5 Section

These chapters are a collection of stories from Jeremiah’s life. They include events from Jehoiakim’s rule through the time after Jerusalem was destroyed.

These stories show something about the people and leaders of the southern kingdom. They didn’t pay any attention to what the Lord had said through Jeremiah. This was true before the Babylonian government took control of the southern kingdom and after.

The story about Rekab’s family line gave an example of faithfully obeying. Rekab’s family line faithfully obeyed the instructions of Rekab’s son Jehonadab. God used their ability to obey as an example. Compared to Rekab’s family, it was clear that God’s people refused to obey him.

Another example of this was what King Jehoiakim did after hearing God’s messages. Baruch was a secretary. He wrote down on scrolls the messages that Jeremiah had spoken for many years. Jehoiakim burnt the scrolls and tried to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch. Baruch wrote them down again with even more messages.

Later, other officials arrested Jeremiah. Some tried to kill him so that he would stop speaking God’s messages. King Zedekiah asked Jeremiah for advice. He asked Jeremiah to pray for him. Jeremiah gave him instructions about being humble and serving the king of Babylon. But Zedekiah and his officials didn’t follow those instructions. Nor did they obey the instructions in the Law of Moses about slaves and servants. They had promised to free their slaves but then changed their mind.

Because of these things, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to fully destroy Jerusalem. The Babylonians treated Jeremiah well and set him free. Gedaliah was a leader who paid attention to God’s messages. He understood that the southern kingdom was supposed to serve Babylon. As governor of Judah that is what he led the people to do. But an officer from David’s family line killed Gedaliah. Then a large group of those left in the southern kingdom ran away to Egypt. They thought that they would be safe from Babylon’s armies there.

Jeremiah warned them not to do this. But this group forced Jeremiah and Baruch to go with them to Egypt. In Egypt this group of Jews worshipped a false god called the Queen of Heaven. They believed that Jerusalem had been destroyed because for a time they had stopped worshipping her. This showed that they hadn’t listened to Jeremiah or understood God’s messages at all. God had promised that Baruch wouldn’t be killed when trouble came to Jerusalem. It isn’t known what happened to Jeremiah and Baruch in Egypt.

37:1–2

These verses summarize Zedekiah's rule and how he responded to the Lord's messages through Jeremiah.

37:1–38:28

The focus now returns to Zedekiah, who became king of Judah after his nephew Jehoiachin. These chapters describe meetings between Zedekiah and Jeremiah, highlighting Zedekiah’s struggle to fully commit to God's word (compare Deuteronomy 10:12–13). Zedekiah is a classic example of a person with divided loyalty (James 1:6–8).

37:5

The Babylonians started their siege of Jerusalem in 588 BC. However, they left because Pharaoh Hophra's army was coming to help Judah. The Babylonians aimed to stop and defeat the Egyptians, and they succeeded.

37:6–10

The Lord answered Jeremiah’s prayer (Jeremiah 37:3) with a warning for Zedekiah. The Egyptians would not offer lasting help, and the Babylonians would return to destroy Jerusalem. This prophecy came true in 586 BC.

37:11–12

When the Babylonians went to face the Egyptians, Jeremiah walked three miles north to his hometown, Anathoth. He wanted to claim his share of the property among his relatives and see his newly purchased land (Jeremiah 32:1–25).

37:13–16

The guards and other officials of Judah misunderstood Jeremiah's actions and thought he was deserting.

37:17

The king asked Jeremiah about other messages from the Lord, showing his fear of the future. He still hoped the Lord would defeat the Babylonians. Jeremiah quickly and firmly said there was no hope for divine intervention like the one that destroyed the Assyrian army during Hezekiah’s reign (2 Kings 19:8–37).

37:18–20

Jeremiah likely thought Zedekiah was behind his arrest and imprisonment. The prophet was probably in poor health after being whipped and held without medical care and with little food.

37:21

The king went against his officials and told the guards to keep Jeremiah in the palace courtyard under protective watch. During the long siege, food was scarce, so a fresh loaf of bread each day was a generous amount.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources