Jeremiah 20:1-6 Meaning: The Day the Temple Guard Struck the Prophet
1Now Pashhur, the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer in Yahweh’s house, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
2Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in Yahweh’s house.
3On the next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “Yahweh has not called your name Pashhur, but Magormissabib.
4For Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive to Babylon, and will kill them with the sword.
5Moreover I will give all the riches of this city, and all its gains, and all its precious things, yes, I will give all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies. They will make them captives, take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6You, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house will go into captivity. You will come to Babylon, and there you will die, and there you will be buried, you, and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.’”
1Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
2Then 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.
3And 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 Magor–missabib.
4For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
5Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.
1Now Pashhur, the son of Immer the priest, who was chief officer in the house of Jehovah, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
2Then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah.
3And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashhur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, Jehovah hath not called thy name Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.
4For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it; and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
5Moreover I will give all the riches of this city, and all the gains thereof, and all the precious things thereof, yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies; and they shall make them a prey, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6And thou, Pashhur, and all that dwell in thy house shall go into captivity; and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and there shalt thou be buried, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied falsely.
1And Pashhur son of Immer the priest--who also is overseer, leader in the house of Jehovah--heareth Jeremiah prophesying these things,
2and Pashhur smiteth Jeremiah the prophet, and putteth him unto the stocks, that are by the high gate of Benjamin, that is by the house of Jehovah.
3and it cometh to pass on the morrow, that Pashhur bringeth out Jeremiah from the stocks, and Jeremiah saith unto him, `Not Pashhur hath Jehovah called thy name, but--Magor-Missabib.
4For thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am making thee for a fear to thyself, And to all loving thee, And they have fallen by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes are beholding, And all Judah I give into the hand of the king of Babylon, And he hath removed them to Babylon, And he hath smitten them with the sword.
5And I have given all the strength of this city, And all its labour, and all its precious things, Yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah I do give into the hand of their enemies, And they have spoiled them, and taken them, And have brought them into Babylon.
6And thou, Pashhur, and all dwelling in thy house, Do go into captivity. and Babylon thou dost enter, And there thou diest, and there thou art buried, Thou and all loving thee, To whom thou hast prophesied falsely.'
1And Pashur the son of Immer, the priest — and he was chief officer in the house of Jehovah — heard Jeremiah prophesy these things.
2And Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of Jehovah.
3And it came to pass the next day, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks; and Jeremiah said unto him, Jehovah hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib.
4For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall see [it]; and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall smite them with the sword.
5And, I will give all the wealth of this city, and all its gains, and all its precious things, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah, will I give into the hand of their enemies; and they shall make them a prey, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thy house shall go into captivity; and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and there thou shalt be buried, thou and all thy friends to whom thou hast prophesied falsehood.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did the temple officer Pashhur strike Jeremiah?
Context
The broken flask lay shattered in the valley. Jeremiah had just pronounced God's judgment on Judah in the most vivid terms possible. He walked back to the temple, and that is where Pashhur heard him. Pashhur was no minor figure, he was chief officer in the house of the Lord, a priest from the family of Immer. His job was to keep order in the temple. To him, Jeremiah's words sounded like treason against God, the city, and the peace he was paid to maintain. So he struck the prophet, then locked him overnight in stocks at the upper Benjamin gate. The next morning, when he released him, Jeremiah did not back down. He gave Pashhur a new name: Magor-missabib, Terror on Every Side. And he spelled out what that would mean, siege, exile, and death for the man who claimed to speak for God but instead prophesied lies.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words carry the weight of this passage. First, Pashhur's name itself probably meant something like 'prosperity' or 'freedom', a comfortable name for a comfortable man. Jeremiah undoes that comfort by renaming him Magor-missabib, 'terror on every side.' The same phrase appears in Psalm 31:13, where David felt surrounded by whispered plots. Now it becomes Pashhur's identity: the man who brought fear on others will himself be wrapped in it. Second, the word behind 'stocks' (mahpeket) shares a root with 'overturn' or 'distort', it was an instrument that twisted the body into a painful, humiliating position. Jeremiah spent the night in that crooked shape. Third, the accusation at the end lands hard: Pashhur had prophesied 'falsehood' (sheqer). Not just mistaken guesses, but deliberate lies meant to keep people calm while they drifted toward disaster. A name, a punishment, a crime, each word exposes something deeper about trusting our own comforts over God's hard truth.
How Christians Read This Verse
Historic Christian teaching sees in Pashhur a warning that religious office does not guarantee spiritual discernment. Calvin observed how bitter a trial it must have been for God's servant to be treated cruelly by a priest, the very person who should have protected him. Matthew Henry noted the irony: one who governed in God's house used his authority to oppose God's word. The Cambridge Bible points out that Pashhur himself apparently claimed prophetic insight, telling people what they wanted to hear. Across traditions, this passage calls readers to examine who they trust. A comfortable message that avoids judgment may sound spiritual, but it can be a lie. Meanwhile, a hard word that costs the messenger may be the truest of all. Christians hold no single answer on how exactly to discern true from false prophecy today, but they agree: it matters deeply.
A common misunderstanding
Some read this as simply an angry priest lashing out on a bad day. In fact, Pashhur was not just a temple officer, he also functioned as a false prophet, reassuring the people that Jerusalem was safe. His violence against Jeremiah was a calculated attempt to silence the truth that threatened his false peace. The issue was not merely temper; it was a clash between two visions of God's future.
Living This Out
The passage asks a searching question: when someone brings a word from God that unsettles your plans, what do you do? Pashhur's reflex was violence, a closed fist against a God he thought he represented. Most of us will never strike a prophet, but we have subtler ways to silence uncomfortable truth. We change the subject. We dismiss the messenger. We retreat into the safety of people who tell us what we want to hear. This week, notice where a hard truth is pressing on you. Before you push it away, pause. Ask whether that truth might be a gift you need. And if you are on the receiving end of opposition, as Jeremiah was, remember: the stocks did not stop the word. The night passed. And the message came out again, stronger than before.
Main takeaway: God's word will not be silenced by human force, and a false peace built on lies will not survive the day of reckoning.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Pashhur was a priest who hurt Jeremiah because he didn't like what Jeremiah said. But God's words are stronger than any hurt. God always wins in the end.
For ages 9, 12
Pashhur had a job in God's temple, but he was telling people lies, he said everything was fine when it wasn't. When Jeremiah told the truth, Pashhur had him beaten and locked up. It's very hard to hear that we might be wrong, especially from someone we disagree with. But God's truth is meant to save us, not hurt us. This story challenges us to check our hearts: do we really want God's truth, even when it's hard to hear?
Questions People Ask
Why did Pashhur strike Jeremiah?
Pashhur was the chief officer in the temple and a priest. Jeremiah's prophecy announced judgment on Judah and the temple itself, which threatened Pashhur's authority and his message of peace. He struck Jeremiah to silence him, using physical force to enforce a false sense of security.
What does Magor-missabib mean?
It means 'terror on every side.' Jeremiah renamed Pashhur to show that instead of the security his own name ('Pashhur') seemed to promise, he would experience fear from every direction. His friends would fall by the sword, and he himself would go into exile in Babylon and die there.
Was Pashhur a false prophet?
The passage indicates yes. Jeremiah accuses him of having 'prophesied falsehood' to his friends (v. 6). Commentators note that Pashhur likely belonged to the party that insisted Judah could resist Babylon, promising peace despite Jeremiah's warnings. His false prophecy directly opposed God's true word through Jeremiah.
What does this passage teach about suffering for God?
It shows that even God's faithful servants may suffer at the hands of religious authorities. Jeremiah was beaten and put in stocks, a painful, humiliating punishment. Yet he did not stop speaking God's message. The passage encourages believers that physical opposition cannot nullify God's word, and that eventual vindication belongs to God alone.
How does this story relate to other parts of the Bible?
The theme of a prophet suffering for truth runs throughout Scripture. Compare Jeremiah's experience with Paul and Silas in the stocks (Acts 16), or Jesus' own treatment at the hands of temple officials. The phrase 'Magor-missabib' appears earlier in Psalm 31:13, and Jeremiah uses it multiple times (Jer 6:25; 20:10; 46:5) as a watchword of judgment.
For pastors & researchers
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