Jeremiah 37:13-14

37:13 But he only got as far as the Benjamin Gate. ¹  There an officer in charge of the guards named Irijah, ²  who was the son of Shelemiah and the grandson of Hananiah, stopped him. He seized Jeremiah and said, ³  “You are deserting to the Babylonians!” ⁴  37:14 Jeremiah answered, “That’s a lie! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” ⁵  But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah put Jeremiah under arrest and took him to the officials.

¹ sn The Benjamin Gate would have been a gate in the northern wall leading out toward the territory of Benjamin. It is mentioned only here and in Jer 38:7 and Zech 14:10.

² sn Nothing further is known about Irijah. It is generally agreed that the Hananiah mentioned here is not the same as the false prophet of the same name whom Jeremiah confronted approximately six years earlier (28:1, 5, 10, 15).

³ tn Heb “And he was in the gate of Benjamin and there was an officer of the guard whose name [more literally, and his name] was Irijah…and he seized the prophet Jeremiah, saying.” The sentence has been broken down and simplified to better conform with contemporary English style.

⁴ tn Heb “the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.

⁵ tn Heb “the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.