Jeremiah 37 · Verse 20

Jeremiah 37:20

Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
Jeremiah 37:20, King James Version

Jeremiah 37:20 in other translations

BSBBut now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
WEBNow please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”
ASVAnd now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented before thee, that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
YLTAnd now, hearken, I pray thee, my lord, O king, let my supplication fall, I pray thee, before thee, and cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I die not there.'
DARBYAnd now hear, I pray thee, my lord, O king: let my supplication, I pray thee, come before thee; and cause me not to return into the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
BBEAnd now be pleased to give ear, O my lord the king; let my prayer for help come before you, and do not make me go back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, for fear that I may come to my death there.
WebsterTherefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

What does Jeremiah 37:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
20. be accepted--rather, "Let my supplication be humbly presented" (see on Jr 36:7), [Henderson]. lest I die there--in the subterranean dungeon (Jr 37:16), from want of proper sustenance (Jr 37:21). The prophet naturally shrank from death, which makes his spiritual firmness the more remarkable; he was ready to die rather than swerve from his duty [Calvin].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 20 Cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan - He had been ill used in this man's custody, so as to endanger his life, the place being cold, and probably unhealthy.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 37:11-21

There are times when it is the wisdom of good men to retire, to enter into their chambers, and to shut the doors, Is. 26:20. Jeremiah was seized as a deserter, and committed to prison. But it is no new thing for the best friends of the church to be belied, as in the interests of her worst enemies. When thus falsely accused, we may deny the charge, and commit our cause to Him who judges righteously. Jeremiah obtained…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 37:11-21 →

Jeremiah 37:20 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְעַתָּ֕הve.'a.Tahand thereforeH6258
שְֽׁמַֽע\־she.ma'-listenH8085
נָ֖אna'pleaseH4994
אֲדֹנִ֣י'a.do.NiO lord myH113
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
תִּפָּל\־ti.pol-may it fallH5307
נָ֤אna'pleaseH4994
תְחִנָּתִי֙te.chi.na.Tisupplication myH8467
לְפָנֶ֔יךָle.fa.Nei.kha<to> before youH6440
וְאַל\־ve.'al-and may notH408
תְּשִׁבֵ֗נִיte.shi.Ve.niyou make go back meH7725
בֵּ֚יתbeit[the] house ofH1004
יְהוֹנָתָ֣ןye.ho.na.TanJonathanH3083
הַסֹּפֵ֔רha.so.Ferthe scribeH5608
וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
אָמ֖וּת'a.MutI will dieH4191
שָֽׁם\׃ShamthereH8033

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 37:20

  • Jeremiah 36:7

    It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced against this people.

  • Jeremiah 26:15

    But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.

  • Jeremiah 38:6-9

    Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. Now when Ebed–melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; Ebed–melech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying, 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.

  • Acts 25:10-11

    Then said Paul, I stand at Cesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Cesar.

  • Acts 28:18-19

    Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Cesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.

  • Acts 23:16-22

    And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? …

  • Jeremiah 38:26

    Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
be accepted before. Heb. fall before.
36:7; *marg:
lest.
26:15; 38:6-9; Ac 23:16-22; 25:10,11; 28:18,19

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 37:19

    Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

  • Jeremiah 37:20

    Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

  • Jeremiah 37:21

    Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Read all of Jeremiah 37

Jeremiah 37:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Ahora pues, oye, te ruego, oh rey mi señor: caiga ahora mi súplica delante de ti, y no me hagas volver á casa de Jonathán escriba, porque no me muera allí.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et maintenant écoute, je te prie, ô roi, mon seigneur: que ma requête soit reçue devant toi, et ne me fais pas retourner dans la maison de Jonathan, le scribe, de peur que je n’y meure.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und nun höre doch, mein Herr König: Laß doch mein Flehen vor dich kommen und bringe mich nicht in das Haus Jonathans, des Schreibers, zurück, damit ich nicht daselbst sterbe.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Præcepit ergo rex Sedecias ut traderetur Jeremias in vestibulo carceris, et daretur ei torta panis quotidie, excepto pulmento, donec consumerentur omnes panes de civitate: et mansit Jeremias in vestibulo carceris.