Jeremiah 20:2
Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's striking here is the location: the stocks weren't hidden away, but placed at the "upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD." This wasn't just a punishment; it was a public spectacle designed to humiliate God's prophet right at the heart of worship, turning the sacred space into a stage for shame.
The prophet Jeremiah has just delivered a harsh message of judgment against Jerusalem and the temple, which angered Pashur, a temple official. In response to Jeremiah's prophecy, Pashur publicly beats and imprisons Jeremiah in a painful, humiliating device at a prominent gate of the temple. This act sets the stage for a dramatic confrontation where God declares He will turn Pashur into a terror to himself and to all his friends.
Imagine the shock: a spiritual leader, beaten and locked in a public punishment device. This wasn't just a personal attack; it was a calculated display.
Jeremiah's arrest and punishment were designed to silence him and discredit his message. Pashur, a priest and chief officer in the Temple, physically assaulted Jeremiah and placed him in stocks. This wasn't a private matter; the punishment occurred at the 'upper Benjamin Gate,' a prominent location by the Temple. The purpose was to publicly shame Jeremiah and deter others from listening to his warnings about Jerusalem's impending destruction. This act highlights the intense opposition God's prophets faced when delivering unpopular truths.
What exactly were these 'stocks' that Jeremiah was put into? The word itself suggests a twisted, uncomfortable reality.
The Hebrew word translated as 'stocks' (hamapheketh) implies an instrument that contorts or twists the body into an unnatural and painful position. It wasn't simply a lock-up but a device designed for severe discomfort and humiliation. Commentators suggest it could be similar to a pillory or stocks, holding the neck and limbs. The fact that it was located at a prominent Temple gate suggests a public spectacle, designed to inflict maximum shame and suffering on the prophet for delivering God's message.
Understand the original words
nābî’ · Hebrew Noun
In a biblical context, a prophet is a spokesperson for God, chosen and empowered by the Holy Spirit to communicate His divine message, warn of judgment, call for repentance, or foretell future events. A prophet's authority rests entirely on the inspiration of God's Word.
Jeremiah's prophetic ministry occurred during a tumultuous period of looming Babylonian invasion and exile. Pashur's violent reaction and imprisonment of Jeremiah highlight the intense opposition prophets faced when delivering God's message of judgment, especially within the religious establishment itself.
c. 626 BC
Jeremiah begins prophetic ministry
Jeremiah is called by God to prophesy during the reign of King Josiah, a time of religious reform but also of growing political instability.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Jerusalem, taking members of the royal family and elite into exile, including the prophet Daniel.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following another rebellion, Babylon deports King Jehoiachin and more of Jerusalem's nobility and skilled workers. The prophet Ezekiel is among this group.
c. 597-586 BC— this verse
Pashur's Actions Against Jeremiah
Pashur, chief officer in the temple, physically assaults Jeremiah and imprisons him in stocks for his prophecies of judgment, specifically the destruction of the Temple. This marks a severe backlash against Jeremiah's message.
This passage describes Paul and Silas being thrown into prison and their feet fastened in the stocks, highlighting the severe and painful nature of this form of punishment.
2 Chronicles 16:10This verse shows King Asa imprisoning the prophet Hanani for speaking out against him, mirroring Pashur's reaction to Jeremiah's prophecy and the abuse of prophetic speech.
Jeremiah 29:26Here, Jeremiah himself describes a similar punishment where people are put into the stocks and a prison-house, showing this was a recognized, albeit harsh, form of dealing with those considered disruptive.
1 Kings 22:24-28This narrative shows the prophet Micaiah being struck by a priest and ordered to be put in prison for his unpopular prophecy, demonstrating a recurring pattern of opposition and physical punishment against prophets.
clarkeJeremiah 20:2: "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."
Put him in the stocks - Probably such a place near the gate as we term the lock-up, the coal-hole; or it may mean a sort of dungeon.
pulpitJeremiah 20:2: "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."
Verse 2. - Pashur, being charged with the police of the temple, smites Jeremiah, i.e. causes stripes to be given him (a legal punishment, Deuteronomy 25:3; comp. 2 Corinthians 11:24), and then orders him to be put into the stocks; literally, that which distorts - some instrument of punishment which held the body in a bent or crooked posit…
What's striking here is the location: the stocks weren't hidden away, but placed at the "upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD." This wasn't just a punishment; it was a public spectacle designed to humiliate God's prophet right at the heart of worship, turning the sacred space into a stage for shame.
The prophet Jeremiah has just delivered a harsh message of judgment against Jerusalem and the temple, which angered Pashur, a temple official. In response to Jeremiah's prophecy, Pashur publicly beats and imprisons Jeremiah in a painful, humiliating device at a prominent gate of the temple. This act sets the stage for a dramatic confrontation where God declares He will turn Pashur into a terror to himself and to all his friends.
The prophet Jeremiah has just delivered a harsh message of judgment against Jerusalem and the temple, which angered Pashur, a temple official. In response to Jeremiah's prophecy, Pashur publicly beats and imprisons Jeremiah in a painful, humiliating device at a prominent gate of the temple. This act sets the stage for a dramatic confrontation where God declares He will turn Pashur into a terror to himself and to all his friends.
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586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
After a prolonged siege, Babylon destroys Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, fulfilling Jeremiah's dire warnings and leading to a further, larger deportation of the population.
"Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD." — What's striking here is the location: the stocks weren't hidden away, but placed at the "upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD." This wasn't just a punishment; it was a public spectacle design…
