Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

JEREMIAH 37:15KJV
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Jeremiah 37:15 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 37:15 mean?

Jeremiah 37:15 describes how the leaders of Judah became angry with Jeremiah, struck him, and threw him into prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which they had turned into a jail. The verse shows Jeremiah being mistreated and imprisoned by those in power because of his message.

The setting is Jerusalem during a time of political turmoil, with Jeremiah delivering unpopular prophecies about the coming Babylonian invasion. The "princes" (leaders) are upset by Jeremiah’s warnings and respond with violence and imprisonment. The house of Jonathan, originally a private residence, is used as a makeshift prison, highlighting the seriousness of Jeremiah’s situation and the hostility he faced.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 37:15

  • "Princes" (שָׂרִים, sarim): This word refers to the ruling officials or leaders in Judah, not just generic "princes" but those with real political power. Their anger carries the weight of authority.
  • "Wroth" (קָצַף, qatsaf): This word means to be enraged or furious, showing that their reaction to Jeremiah was not mild annoyance but intense anger.
  • "Prison" (בֵּית הַכֶּלֶא, beit hakkele): The word for "prison" here refers to a place of confinement, but in this context, it was not a formal jail but a house repurposed for imprisonment, underscoring the ad hoc and harsh treatment Jeremiah received.

Why Jeremiah 37:15 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Jeremiah’s suffering was not just social rejection but included physical violence and unjust imprisonment by the nation’s leaders.
  • The use of a scribe’s house as a prison shows the breakdown of normal legal processes and the desperation of the authorities to silence Jeremiah.
  • Jeremiah 37:15 connects to the wider theme of the prophet’s faithfulness under persecution, setting the stage for the events that follow in the chapter and highlighting the cost of speaking God’s message in a hostile environment.

Where else these words appear

“prison” Hebrew H612 · used in 3 verses

  • Judges 15:14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
  • Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

“prison” Hebrew H3608 · used in 10 verses

  • 1 Kings 22:27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
  • 2 Kings 25:29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.
  • Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

“wroth” Hebrew H7107 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 40:2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
  • Deuteronomy 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
  • Isaiah 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

“Jonathan” Hebrew H3083 · used in 73 verses

  • Judges 18:30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
  • 1 Samuel 20:28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:
  • 2 Samuel 9:3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.