Chapter Twenty-Six

1–6. Summary of the content of Jeremiah’s temple speech. 7–19. The persecutions to which Jeremiah was subjected for this speech. 20–24. The death of the prophet Uriah.

Jer 26:1-6. Here is briefly set forth the speech spoken by Jeremiah at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign in the courtyard of the Jerusalem temple, which is contained in Jer 7:3-15. This speech proclaimed to Jerusalem the same fate that Shiloh experienced; Jerusalem could avoid this fate only in the case of sincere turning back to Jehovah.

Jer 26:7-19. The priests and prophets together with a crowd of people were angered by this speech and wanted to put Jeremiah to death, but the princes, having come at the noise, allowed Jeremiah to make his defense. The prophet declared with firmness that he was sent by God, and the princes, taking into account that King Hezekiah had not persecuted the prophet Micah for a similar speech, released Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 26:10. When the princes of Judah heard this, they came up from the house of the king to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the house of the Lord. “The New Gate” of the Lord – as is clear from Jer 36:10 led to the inner vestibule or to the upper court of the temple.

Jeremiah 26:18. “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah: Thus the Lord of hosts has said: Zion will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house will become a wooded hill. The speech concerning the destruction of Jerusalem is in the 3rd chapter of the book of the prophet Micah (Mic 3:12). Jer 26:20-24. To show how great was the danger threatening the prophet, here it is reported that another prophet who spoke a similar speech, Uriah, was executed by King Jehoiakim.

Jeremiah 26:22. But King Jehoiakim sent people to Egypt: Elnathan, son of Achbor, and others with him. Jehoiakim was on good terms with Egypt and therefore the Pharaoh delivered to him Uriah, who had fled to Egypt. – “Elnathan, son of Achbor” was probably the father-in-law of Jehoiakim (2 Sam 24:8).

Jeremiah 26:24. But the hand of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, was with Jeremiah, to give him into the hands of the people for death. Ahikam was the father of Gedaliah, the governor of Judah (Jer 39:14). Special note. Most commentators believe that the account contained in chapter 26 was composed by Jeremiah’s disciple Baruch, which is why the prophet Jeremiah is spoken of in the third person.