For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.

JEREMIAH 32:2KJV
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Jeremiah 32:2 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 32:2 mean?

Jeremiah 32:2 describes how, while the Babylonian army was attacking Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guard, which was located within the palace of the king of Judah. The verse sets the scene for the events that follow by showing Jeremiah as a prisoner during a time of crisis for Jerusalem.

This verse is part of a historical account in the book of Jeremiah, where the prophet is not free to move about because he has been imprisoned by the authorities of Judah. The Babylonian army, led by their king, is besieging Jerusalem, which means the city is surrounded and under attack. Jeremiah’s imprisonment in the king’s house shows both the seriousness of the situation and the opposition he faced from his own people.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 32:2

  • "Besieged" (צָר H6696, tsar): This word means to lay siege or surround a city with hostile intent. Its use here emphasizes the intensity and danger of the Babylonian army’s actions against Jerusalem.
  • "Court" (חָצֵר H2691, chatser): This refers to an enclosed area, often a courtyard within a larger building. Jeremiah being in the "court of the prison" means he was not in a dungeon but in a more open, guarded space within the palace.
  • "Prison" (מַטָּרָה H4307, mattarah): This word can mean a guardhouse or place of confinement. The phrase suggests Jeremiah was kept under watch, but not in the harshest conditions.

Why Jeremiah 32:2 matters

  • The verse clarifies that Jeremiah was imprisoned by his own people, not by the Babylonians, which highlights the tension between the prophet and the leaders of Judah.
  • By mentioning the Babylonian siege and Jeremiah’s confinement at the same time, the verse sets up a contrast between the external threat to Jerusalem and the internal conflict over Jeremiah’s message.
  • This context helps readers understand the challenges Jeremiah faced as a prophet: he was faithful to his calling even when it led to personal suffering and rejection by his community.

Where else these words appear

“prison” Hebrew H4307 · used in 15 verses

  • 1 Samuel 20:20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
  • Jeremiah 32:8 So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
  • Jeremiah 38:13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

“up” Hebrew H3607 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
  • 1 Samuel 25:33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
  • Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

“besieged” Hebrew H6696 · used in 38 verses

  • Exodus 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
  • 1 Kings 15:27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:20 And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

“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 28:15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
  • 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.