Bible Strands
Jeremiah 20:2
he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Pashhur, the chief official in the house of the LORD, has Jeremiah the prophet beaten and confined at the Upper Gate of Benjamin immediately after hearing Jeremiah's prophetic declarations. The action occurs at the moment of institutional retaliation against the prophet's temple warnings.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יַּכֶּ֣ה (va/i.ya.Keh) literally means "and he struck," describing the physical assault, while וַ/יִּתֵּ֨ן (va/i.yi.Ten) means "and he put," indicating the confinement. These terms emphasize the deliberate, two-stage nature of the punishment.
The thread — The Upper Gate of Benjamin appears again in Jeremiah 37:13 when Irijah confronts Jeremiah at the same location. The motif of prophetic confinement echoes the imprisonment of Asa's seer in 2 Chronicles 16:10, while Jeremiah 1:19 provides the counter-promise that such opposition will never ultimately prevail.
Why it lands — The text records a historical act of institutional violence against a prophet, establishing a pattern of religious authority suppressing divine warning. It requires the reader to acknowledge that prophetic messages provoke tangible resistance before any promised deliverance unfolds.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 37:13 But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”
- 2 Chronicles 16:10 Asa was angry with the seer and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.
- Jeremiah 1:19 They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Zechariah 14:10 All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.
- 1 Kings 22:27 and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’”
- 2 Chronicles 24:21 But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.
- Jeremiah 29:26 ‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
- Jeremiah 36:26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well as Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.
- Amos 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words,
- Job 13:27 You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet.