To separate himself thence ... - To receive a share thence. When the siege was temporarily raised, the first object would be food, and, accordingly, Jeremiah accompanied by others, who, like himself, had a right to share in the produce of the priests’ lands at Anathoth, started there to see whether any stores remained which might be available for their common use. read more
Jeremiah 37:12. Then Jeremiah went forth, &c., to go into the land of Benjamin Jeremiah, having no further revelation from God to communicate, and knowing the city would soon be taken, resolves to go to his own country to Anathoth. To separate himself thence, &c. The Hebrew, בתוךְ העם לחלק משׁם , is rendered by Houbigant, “That he might have there a possession for himself with the people;” by Dr. Waterland, “To take rents from thence,” &c.; and by Blaney, “To receive a portion... read more
Jeremiah imprisoned (37:1-21)Having dealt with events in the reign of Jehoiakim in the previous two chapters, the story now returns to the reign of Zedekiah. As in the case of Jehoiakim, Zedekiah ignored the warnings of God’s prophets (37:1-2).During Babylon’s final great siege of Jerusalem, Egypt sent an army to help the Jerusalemites. When the Egyptians approached, the Babylonians lifted the siege and went to deal with the new threat elsewhere. Zedekiah sent a message to Jeremiah, asking him... read more
to go, &c. Probably to Anathoth. to separate himself thence = to assign [himself] his portion there (i.e. at Anathoth, in Benjamin, three and a half miles north-east of Jerusalem), where he drew his living. in the midst: for safety, and to avoid detection. read more
"And it came to pass that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou art falling away to the Chaldeans. Then said Jeremiah, It... read more
Jeremiah 37:12. To separate himself, &c.— That he might have there a possession for himself with the people. Houbigant; who understands this with the Chaldee as relating to the possession of Anathoth, which Jeremiah had purchased by the command of God. Others read it variously thus: To withdraw himself from among the midst of the people;—or, thence to take rents among his people. read more
12. Benjamin—to his own town, Anathoth. to separate himself—Margin translates, "to slip away," from a Hebrew root, "to be smooth," so, to slip away as a slippery thing that cannot be held. But it is not likely the prophet of God would flee in a dishonorable way; and "in the midst of the people" rather implies open departure along with others, than clandestine slipping away by mixing with the crowd of departing people. Rather, it means, to separate himself, or to divide his place of residence,... read more
During the lifting of the siege of Jerusalem just described (Jeremiah 37:5), Jeremiah left the city to conduct some personal business concerning the purchase of some property in the territory of Benjamin. This may have been the land in Anathoth that his cousin Hanamel later wanted him to buy (cf. Jeremiah 32:6-15).Since Jeremiah was imprisoned in the court of the guard when Hanamel approached him about buying this property, Jeremiah may have left the city to view the land anticipating that his... read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 37:11
Was broken up for fear of - Or, “had got them up from the face of.” It was simply a strategic movement. read more