Jeremiah 37:11

"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 is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. And the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonothan the scribe; for they had made that the prison."

"Jeremiah went forth ... to go into the land of Benjamin ..." (Jeremiah 37:12) Jeremiah's home was in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin, only a short distance from Jerusalem; and there were many excellent reasons which might have prompted Jeremiah to make that short trip. It is impossible for men to know exactly why he attempted to do so, for God's Word does not tell us.

"To receive his portion there ..." (Jeremiah 37:12) This is ambiguous and has been variously understood as a reference to his seeking a supply of bread, or attending to that business about buying a field, or (following the KJV) merely seeking to find a place of retirement. Able scholars have supported all of these suppositions.

"In the midst of the people ..." (Jeremiah 37:12). Does this refer to the people in the midst of whom Jeremiah would "receive his portion," or to the throng of people in the gate of Benjamin rushing out into the country during the intermission in the siege of the city in order to procure supplies to last through the siege? Again, no one can be sure of the meaning; but Dummelow's comment seems to be fully justified. "There was naturally a rush to get out of the city on account of the confinement as well as the scarcity of provisions."[7]

"Thou art falling away to the Chaldeans ..." (Jeremiah 37:13). This charge of Irijah was a fabrication of his own evil mind, there being no evidence whatever to support his false allegation. "The charge was vicious and nonsensical; and some have suggested that Irijah's charge was motivated by his desire for revenge against Jeremiah for predicting the death of his grandfather Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:16)."[8]

"Irijah... brought him to the princes ..." (Jeremiah 37:14). And what a dishonorable reprobate gang of "princes" these proved to be! Without mercy, reason, or honor, they scourged and imprisoned the man of God! They were a different group altogether from those princes who, at an earlier time, had treated Jeremiah with favor upon the occasion of Jehoiachim's having the scroll read to him and then cutting it in pieces and burning it.