Bible Strands
Jeremiah 37:11
When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator reports the Chaldean army's retreat from Jerusalem upon hearing that Pharaoh’s forces had departed Egypt. This moment interrupts Jeremiah’s attempt to leave the city for his allotted portion in Benjamin.
The words — The verb בְּהֵעָלוֹת (be.he'elot) literally means "when taken itself up" or "when withdrew," marking a military withdrawal. The noun חֵיל (cheil) appears twice in the verse to denote "army" for both the Chaldean and Pharaonic forces.
The thread — This retreat is first noted in Jeremiah 37:5 when the Chaldean commanders receive the report of Pharaoh’s advance. The narrative resumes in Jeremiah 37:12 as Jeremiah proceeds to Benjamin, showing the siege's temporary suspension.
Why it lands — The text records a geopolitical shift that pauses the Chaldean siege without ending the divine judgment sequence. It asks the reader to track how temporary military withdrawals function within a fixed prophetic timeline.
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
And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 37:5 Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.