The Meaning of Jeremiah 37:21 Explained

Jeremiah 37:21

KJV: Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

YLT: And the king Zedekiah commandeth, and they commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, also to give to him a cake of bread daily from the bakers' street, till the consumption of all the bread of the city, and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison.

Darby: Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard, and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. And Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard.

ASV: Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers'street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then Zedekiah  the king  commanded  that they should commit  Jeremiah  into the court  of the prison,  and that they should give  him daily  a piece  of bread  out of the bakers'  street,  until all the bread  in the city  were spent.  Thus Jeremiah  remained  in the court  of the prison. 

What does Jeremiah 37:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Zedekiah conceded and sent him to a better place of confinement, the court of the guard (cf. Jeremiah 32:2; Nehemiah 3:25). It was in this place that his cousin Hanamel visited Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 34:1-15). The king also ordered that the prophet receive bread regularly as long as there was bread in the city (cf. Romans 8:28). This is the only place in Scripture where the name of a street in Jerusalem appears: Baker Street. Had Zedekiah not feared his nobles, this vacillating king might have given Jeremiah his freedom (cf, e.g, some other vacillators: Pharaoh with Moses; Herod with John the Baptist; Pilate and Herod with Jesus; Felix, Festus, and Agrippa with Paul).
"In many ways, Zedekiah is a tragic figure. It seems that he is attracted to Jeremiah and his message like iron filings to a magnet, yet he is never able to summon enough resolve to act in response to that message. While such conclusions are speculative, it is possible that Zedekiah presents a paradigm of persons whose rejection of the purposes of God through their weakness of character is every bit as damaging and damning as the aggressive rebellion of Jehoiakim." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 37

1  The Egyptians having raised the siege of the Chaldeans,
3  king Zedekiah sends to Jeremiah to pray for the people
6  Jeremiah prophesies the Chaldeans' certain return and victory
11  He is taken for a fugitive, beaten, and put in prison
16  He assures Zedekiah of the captivity
18  Entreating for his liberty, he obtains some favor

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 37:21 mean?

And commanded the king Zedekiah that they should commit - Jeremiah to the court of the prison that they should give him a piece of bread daily from street the bakers' until was gone All the bread in the city thus remained Jeremiah in the court of the prison
וַיְצַוֶּ֞ה הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּ֗הוּ וַיַּפְקִ֣דוּ אֶֽת־ יִרְמְיָהוּ֮ בַּחֲצַ֣ר הַמַּטָּרָה֒ וְנָתֹן֩ ל֨וֹ כִכַּר־ לֶ֤חֶם לַיּוֹם֙ מִח֣וּץ הָאֹפִ֔ים עַד־ תֹּ֥ם כָּל־ הַלֶּ֖חֶם מִן־ הָעִ֑יר וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ בַּחֲצַ֖ר הַמַּטָּרָֽה

וַיְצַוֶּ֞ה  And  commanded 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
צִדְקִיָּ֗הוּ  Zedekiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִדְקִיָּה 
Sense: the last king of Judah renamed from ‘Mattaniah’ by Nebuchadnezzar; son of Josiah by wife Hamutal; placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar when he carried his nephew Jehoiakim in captivity.
וַיַּפְקִ֣דוּ  that  they  should  commit 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
אֶֽת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יִרְמְיָהוּ֮  Jeremiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִרְמְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Hilkiah of the priestly family in Anathoth; author of the prophetic book bearing his name.
בַּחֲצַ֣ר  to  the  court 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct
Root: חָצֵר 
Sense: court, enclosure.
הַמַּטָּרָה֒  of  the  prison 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַטָּרָה  
Sense: guard, ward, prison, mark, target.
וְנָתֹן֩  that  they  should  give 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
כִכַּר־  a  piece 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כִּכָּר  
Sense: round.
לֶ֤חֶם  of  bread 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
לַיּוֹם֙  daily 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מִח֣וּץ  from  street 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
הָאֹפִ֔ים  the  bakers' 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָפָה 
Sense: to bake.
עַד־  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
תֹּ֥ם  was  gone 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: תָּמַם  
Sense: to be complete, be finished, be at an end.
הַלֶּ֖חֶם  the  bread 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
הָעִ֑יר  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב  thus  remained 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ  Jeremiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִרְמְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Hilkiah of the priestly family in Anathoth; author of the prophetic book bearing his name.
בַּחֲצַ֖ר  in  the  court 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct
Root: חָצֵר 
Sense: court, enclosure.
הַמַּטָּרָֽה  of  the  prison 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַטָּרָה  
Sense: guard, ward, prison, mark, target.