Pashhur is judged, and Jeremiah laments

20:1 Now Pashhur son of Immer heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. He was the priest who was chief of security in the Lord’s temple. 20:2 When he heard Jeremiah’s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged. Then he put him in the stocks which were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the Lord’s temple. 20:3 But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. When he did, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not ‘Pashhur’ but ‘Terror is Everywhere.’ 20:4 For the Lord says, ‘I will make both you and your friends terrified of what will happen to you. You will see all of them die by the swords of their enemies. I will hand all the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will carry some of them away into exile in Babylon and he will kill others of them with the sword. 20:5 I will hand over all the wealth of this city to their enemies. I will hand over to them all the fruits of the labor of the people of this city and all their prized possessions, as well as all the treasures of the kings of Judah. Their enemies will seize it all as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 20:6 You, Pashhur, and all your household will go into exile in Babylon. You will die there and you will be buried there. The same thing will happen to all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’” Jeremiah Complains about the Reaction to His Ministry 20:7 Lord, you coerced me into being a prophet, and I allowed you to do it. You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me. Now I have become a constant laughingstock. Everyone ridicules me. 20:8 For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, “Violence and destruction are coming!” This message from the Lord has made me an object of continual insults and derision. 20:9 Sometimes I think, “I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak as his messenger any more.” But then his message becomes like a fire locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul. I grow weary of trying to hold it in; I cannot contain it. 20:10 I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me. Those who would cause me terror are everywhere! They are saying, “Come on, let’s publicly denounce him!” All my so-called friends are just watching for something that would lead to my downfall. They say, “Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up, so we can prevail over him and get our revenge on him. 20:11 But the Lord is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior. Therefore those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me. They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed. Their disgrace will never be forgotten. 20:12 O Lord who rules over all, you test and prove the righteous. You see into people’s hearts and minds. Pay them back for what they have done because I trust you to vindicate my cause. 20:13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he rescues the oppressed from the clutches of evildoers. 20:14 Cursed be the day I was born! May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me. 20:15 Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news that a baby boy had been born to him! 20:16 May that man be like the cities that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy. May he hear a cry of distress in the morning and a battle cry at noon. 20:17 For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother’s womb my grave forever. 20:18 Why did I ever come forth from my mother’s womb? All I experience is trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Pashhur punishes Jeremiah for speaking the Lord’s word, but Jeremiah answers with a severe message of coming judgment. Then Jeremiah turns to prayer, grief, and praise, showing the heavy cost of faithful ministry.

Pashhur, a priestly official in the temple, hears Jeremiah’s prophecy and tries to silence him by beating him and putting him in stocks. But Jeremiah says the Lord will give Pashhur a new name: “Terror is Everywhere.” That name fits what is coming. Pashhur and his friends will face fear, exile, and death because they have resisted God’s word. Judah will be handed over to Babylon, and the city’s wealth will be taken away.

After that, the passage turns from public conflict to Jeremiah’s personal grief. Jeremiah says the Lord has overpowered him and made him a laughingstock. He wants to stop speaking, but he cannot. God’s word is like a fire inside him. He also feels surrounded by people who want to bring him down. Yet he still says the Lord is with him like a mighty warrior, and that God sees the heart and will vindicate the righteous.

The passage ends in deep sorrow. Jeremiah curses the day he was born because of the shame and pain his ministry has brought him. This is not a model for casual speech. It is a raw lament from a man who feels overwhelmed. The chapter shows both God’s judgment on those who reject his word and the suffering that can come to a faithful servant who must speak that word.

• God judges those who resist and lie against his word.
• Public shame and punishment do not prove that Jeremiah was false.
• God’s word can be hard to speak, but it cannot be kept down.
• The Lord sees the heart and will vindicate the righteous.
• Faithful ministry can bring real grief and sorrow.
• Jeremiah’s curse on the day of his birth is lament, not a pattern for believers to copy.

• Do not silence unwelcome truth just because it is painful.
• Do not treat Jeremiah’s lament as a license for revenge.
• Trust that the Lord sees, tests, and will judge rightly.
• Be ready for opposition if you speak God’s word faithfully.

This passage belongs to Judah’s covenant judgment. Jeremiah warns that Babylon will be the Lord’s instrument of punishment because the people have rejected his word. At the same time, the passage points ahead to the larger biblical pattern of a righteous servant who is rejected and shamed for speaking truth. That pattern is later fulfilled in Christ, though Jeremiah first speaks in his own setting.

Believers should not be surprised if truth is mocked or resisted. Faithfulness may cost us comfort or reputation. Still, we should keep speaking what God has said, and we may bring our sorrow honestly to him in prayer. God does not overlook injustice, and he will act in his time.

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