And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib.

JEREMIAH 20:3KJV
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Jeremiah 20:3 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 20:3 mean?

Jeremiah 20:3 describes how, the day after Jeremiah had been put in the stocks, Pashur released him, and Jeremiah told Pashur that the LORD had given him a new name: Magormissabib. This new name, given by Jeremiah, signals a message from God about Pashur’s future.

In this verse, Jeremiah is speaking directly to Pashur, a temple official who had punished him for prophesying. The scene takes place right after Jeremiah’s release from public humiliation. By renaming Pashur as "Magormissabib," which means something like "terror on every side," Jeremiah is declaring that Pashur will face fear and trouble all around him, as a sign of God’s judgment.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 20:3

  • פשחור (Pashur, transliterated "Pashur"): This is the original name of the temple official who opposed Jeremiah. The name itself does not carry a negative meaning, but Jeremiah’s renaming of him is significant.
  • מגור מסביב (Magormissabib, transliterated "Magor-missabib"): This phrase means "terror on every side." Jeremiah uses it as a prophetic name, showing that Pashur will be surrounded by fear and disaster, not safety or honor.
  • מוציא (forth, transliterated "yatsa’"): This word means "to bring out" or "to release." It highlights that Pashur had the authority to release Jeremiah from the stocks, but not from God’s message.

Why Jeremiah 20:3 matters

  • Jeremiah 20:3 shows that even after being punished, Jeremiah remains bold and faithful to his calling, delivering God’s message directly to his persecutor.
  • The renaming of Pashur to Magormissabib is a turning point, marking Pashur not as a respected leader but as someone who will experience fear and judgment, which sets up the following verses.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme in Jeremiah of God’s prophets facing opposition, yet still speaking truth, and it signals that those who oppose God’s message cannot escape accountability.

Where else these words appear

“stocks” Hebrew H4115 · used in 4 verses

  • 2 Chronicles 16:10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.
  • Jeremiah 20:2 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.
  • Jeremiah 29:26 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

“Pashur” Hebrew H6583 · used in 12 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 9:12 And Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah, and Maasiai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer;
  • Nehemiah 7:41 The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
  • Jeremiah 20:2 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.

“morrow” Hebrew H4283 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 19:34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
  • Numbers 11:32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
  • 1 Samuel 5:4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

“Jeremiah” Hebrew H3414 · used in 133 verses

  • 2 Kings 23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
  • Jeremiah 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
  • Jeremiah 38:9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.