Jeremiah 20

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008). Some fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e., 4QJer^a (4Q70; 225-175 BCE) with extant verses 14‑18, and 4QJer^c (4Q72; 1st century BC) with extant verses 2‑9, 13‑15 (similar to Masoretic Text).

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century).

Verse 1

Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.

• "Pashhur, the son of Immer", leader of the "Temple police", publicly struck Jeremiah (verse 2; KJV: "smote"), earning a prophecy of doom with the new name "magor-misabib" (Jeremiah 20:3). Pottery shards with the name Pashhur written on it were unearthed at Tel Arad in the 1970s, and this so-called "Tel Arad Ostraca" may refer to the same individual mentioned in this verse.
• "Chief governor" (from Hebrew: פקיד נגיד, pā-qîḏ nā-ḡîḏ): or "deputy governor", that is, a person overseeing "the temple, temple guards, entry into the court and so on" and must be a priest. The nagid, or "governor", of the temple was the high priest (1 Chronicles 9:11), the office held at that time by Seraiah the high priest, the grandson of Hilkiah (1 Chronicles 6:14; or possibly still his father, Azariah, Hilkiah's son and Jeremiah's brother, 1 Chronicles 6:13; Ezra 7:1), and Pashhur was his paqid (or pakid; "deputy"; cf. Jeremiah 1:10: God appointed Jeremiah, "set thee over" - literally, "have made thee Paqid"). Zephaniah held the office of paqid in Jeremiah 29:26, and his relation to the high priest is exactly defined (2 Kings 25:18; Jeremiah 52:24).

Verse 2

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.

The Jerusalem Bible treats Jeremiah's altercation with Passhur as part of the narrative of the broken jug in chapter 19.

Verse 3

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib.

• "Magormisabib": transliterated from Hebrew: מגור מסביב (mā-ḡōr mi-sā-ḇîḇ; "terror on every side" or "fear on every side"; in this verse; Jeremiah 6:25; Psalm 31:13), is a new name given to Pashhur, the son of Immer, after he struck Jeremiah the prophet, as prophecy that Pashhur would share the fate of Jerusalem's inhabitants who were taken into the exile (Jeremiah 20:6, Jeremiah 25:8–11).

Verse 7

You seduced me, LORD, and I let myself be seduced; you were too strong for me, and you prevailed. All day long I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.

The prophet "accuses God of attracting him like a man who attracts a woman and then dominates her"; many other translations refer to Jeremiah being "deceived" rather than "seduced".

Jewish

• Jeremiah 20 Hebrew with Parallel English

Christian

• Jeremiah 20 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate