For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;

JEREMIAH 32:3KJV
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Jeremiah 32:3 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 32:3 mean?

Jeremiah 32:3 explains that King Zedekiah of Judah had imprisoned the prophet Jeremiah because Jeremiah was prophesying that the LORD would hand Jerusalem over to the king of Babylon, who would capture it. The verse shows Zedekiah questioning why Jeremiah keeps delivering this message of coming defeat.

Jeremiah 32:3 is set during the final days before Jerusalem fell to Babylon. Zedekiah, the king, is frustrated and alarmed by Jeremiah’s repeated prophecies of disaster, so he locks Jeremiah up to try to stop the message. The verse highlights the tension between the king’s desire for hope and Jeremiah’s faithfulness to speak what he believes God has revealed, even when it is unwelcome.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 32:3

  • "Shut him up" uses the Hebrew word כָּלָא (kala’), which means to confine or imprison. This detail shows that Jeremiah’s message was not just unpopular, but seen as dangerous enough to warrant imprisonment.
  • "Prophesy" comes from נָבָא (nava’), meaning to speak as a prophet. The word emphasizes that Jeremiah’s message is not just his opinion, but presented as a divine revelation.
  • "Give" is נָתַן (natan), which means to hand over or deliver. This word underlines the idea that Jerusalem’s fate is ultimately in God’s hands, not just Babylon’s power.
  • "Take" is לָכַד (lakad), meaning to capture or seize. This word makes clear that the prophecy is about a real, physical conquest, not just a symbolic warning.

Why Jeremiah 32:3 matters

  • Jeremiah 32:3 clarifies why Jeremiah was imprisoned: not for a crime, but for faithfully delivering a message the king did not want to hear.
  • The verse highlights the conflict between political power and prophetic truth, showing how leaders may try to silence uncomfortable warnings.
  • This verse sets up the context for the rest of the chapter, where Jeremiah’s actions and words under arrest become even more significant as signs of hope and faith in God’s plan, despite immediate disaster.

Where else these words appear

“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.

“Zedekiah” Hebrew H6667 · used in 62 verses

  • 1 Kings 22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
  • Jeremiah 27:12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
  • Jeremiah 38:14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

“prophesy” Hebrew H5012 · used in 102 verses

  • Numbers 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
  • Jeremiah 20:1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
  • Ezekiel 13:16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.

“take” Hebrew H3920 · used in 112 verses

  • Numbers 21:32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
  • Judges 9:45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
  • Psalms 59:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.