And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah;
The elders defending Jeremiah had just reminded the crowd about Micah. He foretold Jerusalem's ruin under a good king, and no one harmed him. Now they raise a second name — a man who said the same things Jeremiah was saying, under a different king, and did not survive it.
Urijah's story appears nowhere else in the Bible, and he is easy to pass over. One writer points him out for that reason, and explains his name:
Another true prophet, even if a timid one, is often overlooked among those who let their light shine before others at this time. Jeremiah alone records his story in Jeremiah 26:20-23. His name is Urijah, which means "Light of the Lord." He spoke as Jeremiah had done, but he was afraid and fled into Egypt. Jehoiakim had him brought back and killed him.
The Micah case helped Jeremiah. The Urijah case cut the other way. Commentators differ on why the elders named him. One reads it as an argument against Jeremiah:
The princes favoured the prophet, and certain elders quoted earlier cases — Micah (v. 18) and Urijah (v. 20). The first case argued for Jeremiah, the second rather against him.
Another writer says plainly that we are not told why. He points to the contrast between the two kings:
They also mentioned the case of the prophet Urijah, who had also prophesied, as Jeremiah did. He had fled to Egypt, but men brought him back, and Jehoiakim killed him. We do not know why the elders mention his case here, unless it is to show the difference between good Hezekiah and wicked Jehoiakim.
Urijah took the careful route and fled abroad. It gave him no protection:
But a counter case is added. If holy boldness was protected, caution was a weak and short-lived defence — even when the timid prophet took refuge in a foreign land… Micah and Urijah each taught something, though from a different angle.
Jeremiah faced the same threat and stayed. One writer traces the difference between the two men to what each one trusted:
He kills Urijah, a prophet who prophesied against Jerusalem and against Judah. But Urijah lacked faith when faced with the king's murderous plans, and he fled to Egypt. Jeremiah runs the same dangers too. This man of God trusts in the word of the Lord: "And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land… They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you."
Jehoiakim did not stop at killing Urijah. He attacked the dead body as well, and his own burial answered for it:
His bitter hatred of God and His truth poured out even on the body of His murdered servant. He denied the body burial among the tombs of the prophets… In just retribution God repaid him in kind for his murder and insult. "Thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah… With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem."
Jeremiah came through alive. Urijah did not. One writer weighs the two endings:
Jeremiah was in the greatest danger of dying as a martyr, just as Urijah had. But the Lord watched over him. It was an honour to Urijah to die, but it was a mercy to Judah that Jeremiah was not put to death.
Urijah spoke in the Lord's name, yet not one line of what he said survives. One writer uses that to correct a common assumption about the Bible:
It is a mistake to think that the Bible contains every inspired message the Spirit of God gave to man. We have all that we needed to know and to have. We do not have everything that God gave to others through the prophets at different times.
- Same message. Urijah preached what Jeremiah preached, in the Lord's name. The message was true, and so was the man.
- Same danger. The same king wanted both men dead. The danger was real, and Jeremiah faced it in full.
- Different response. Urijah ran to Egypt in fear. Jeremiah stayed, resting on the promise that they would fight him but not prevail.
- Different outcome. Flight gave no shelter, because the king's reach crossed the border. The Lord kept Jeremiah safe at home. Dying was Urijah's honour; Jeremiah's living was Judah's mercy.
- Same God. We lost His words through Urijah, but not His judgment on Jehoiakim. We have everything we need. The king who despised the message got back what he gave.
and Jehoiakim the king, and all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, and the king sought to put him to death; but Urijah heard it, and he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt.
Jeremiah is on trial for his life, and his defenders point to a prophet who said the same thing and lived. Verse 21 names a second prophet, Urijah, whom the king wanted dead.
The elders name two prophets who said the same thing, and two kings who answered very differently.
They remembered the prophet Micah, who lived at the same time as Isaiah. He spoke similar words in the days of Hezekiah (Micah 3:12). Hezekiah did not have Micah killed. They warned against such a rash deed. They also mentioned the case of the prophet Urijah, who had also prophesied, as Jeremiah did. He had fled to Egypt, but was brought back, then Jehoiakim killed him. We do not know why his case is mentioned in this connection, unless it is to show the difference between good Hezekiah and wicked Jehoiakim.
Urijah is easy to miss. His whole story fits into four verses.
Another true prophet, even if a timid one, is often overlooked among those who let their light shine before men at this period. Jeremiah alone records his story in Jeremiah 26:20-23. His name is Urijah, which means "Light of the Lord." He spoke as Jeremiah had done, but was afraid and fled into Egypt. He was brought back, and Jehoiakim killed him.
Both men faced a king who wanted them dead. They differed in what each one trusted.
Jehoiakim kills Urijah, a prophet who prophesied against Jerusalem and against Judah. But Urijah lacked faith when he faced the king's murderous plans, and he fled to Egypt (Jer. 26:20-23). Jeremiah also runs the same dangers, but this man of God trusts in the word of the Lord: "They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you" (Jer. 1:19). The Lord watches over him according to this word.
Urijah did the prudent thing and crossed a border. William Kelly weighs that prudence against boldness.
A counter case, however, is added. If holy boldness was protected, prudence would be a feeble, short-lived defence, even if the timid prophet took refuge in a foreign land.
Jehoiakim hunted Urijah down, and his hatred did not stop at the killing.
He also tried to put Urijah the prophet to death, because Urijah prophesied against Jerusalem and the land. The prophet fled to Egypt. Jehoiakim sent men and brought him back, and "struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people." His bitter hatred of God and His truth vented itself even on the body of His slaughtered servant. It denied that body the right of burial among the tombs of the prophets. In just retribution God repaid him in kind for his murder and insult. "With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem" (Jer. 22:18-19). And so it happened to him.
His hatred of God's word showed itself again later:
He did another shocking thing. With a knife he cut up the scroll on which Jeremiah had written the Word of God, and threw it into the fire (Jer. 36).
Urijah and Jeremiah stood in the same danger, and the outcomes differed. Neither outcome was an accident.
Jeremiah was in the greatest danger of dying as a martyr, as Urijah had done. Yet the Lord watched over him. It was an honour to Urijah to die, but a mercy to Judah that Jeremiah was not killed.
- Message. Urijah's name means "Light of the Lord." He spoke as Jeremiah had spoken — a true prophet, even if a timid one, whose story only Jeremiah records.
- Fear. He lacked faith when he faced the king's murderous plans, so he fled. Jeremiah faced the same danger and trusted the word of the Lord.
- Flight. Caution made a feeble, short-lived defence. Even a foreign country could not shelter him.
- Fury. Jehoiakim's hatred of God did not stop at the killing. He later cut up God's written word and burned it. God repaid him in kind: the burial of a donkey.
- Outcome. Urijah's death was an honour to him, and Jeremiah's life was a mercy to Judah. The two cases show the difference between good Hezekiah and wicked Jehoiakim.
And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and men with him, into Egypt;
The elders have just recalled Micah, who said the same things Jeremiah says and was not killed. Now they add a second case, and verse 22 is its turning point. A king sends men across a border to fetch back a prophet who thought he had escaped.
Two prophets, two kings, two outcomes. One writer finds the point in the contrast between the kings:
The elders also mentioned the case of the prophet Urijah, who had also prophesied, as Jeremiah did. We do not know why the elders mention his case here, unless it is to show the difference between good Hezekiah and wicked Jehoiakim.
Commentators differ. Another puts the weight on the two prophets and the paths they took:
A counter case, however, follows. If holy boldness found protection, caution would prove a weak, short-lived defence, even when the timid prophet took refuge in a foreign land.
The man Elnathan went to fetch was no false prophet. He had said what Jeremiah said, and paid for it — yet he is easy to miss:
Another true prophet, even if a timid one, often goes unnoticed among those who let their light shine before people at this time. Jeremiah alone records his story in Jeremiah 26:20-23. His name is Urijah, which means "Light of the Lord." He spoke as Jeremiah had done, but was afraid and fled into Egypt. Jehoiakim had him fetched back and killed.
Urijah ran to Egypt for safety. Later the people left in the land chose the same escape:
Going down into Egypt for safety did not come naturally to these people. They had only ever bowed to Babylon unwillingly, and they dreaded the anger of the Babylonian king over the murder of the governor and the others. But it became a fatal step once the prophet gave them the word of Jehovah. He assured them of safety in the land under Nebuchadnezzar, and of destruction in Egypt. Egypt was where their impulse — yes, their determination — pushed them to run for shelter, as a matter of caution. God loves to be the Saviour of those who bear His name; if they desert Him for another, woe to them! It cannot but be to their shame, sorrow and ruin.
Jehoiakim's messengers were not the end of it. What he did once the men brought Urijah back shows how far the hatred went — and how God answered it:
The prophet fled to Egypt. Jehoiakim sent there and fetched him, and "struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people." His bitter hatred of God and His truth vented itself even on the body of His slaughtered servant, denying it the right of burial among the tombs of the prophets. See Jer. 26:20-24. In just retribution God repaid him in kind for his murder and insult. "Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah: They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah my sister!" … "With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem" (Jer. 22:18-19). And so it happened to him. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho, Jehoiakim's master, and drove him out of Asia.
Urijah's fate hung over Jeremiah's own trial as a real threat. Yet the chapter ends the other way:
There was the greatest danger that Jeremiah would suffer martyrdom as Urijah had done, but the Lord watched over him. It was an honour to Urijah to die, but it was a mercy to Judah that Jeremiah was not put to death.
One man in the court stood with him:
Then Ahikam — the father of Gedaliah, who later served as governor under Nebuchadnezzar — stood by him, and Jeremiah was delivered.
- Sent. Elnathan's errand to Egypt is the hinge of the story. Egypt was no refuge: its own king, Necho, was Jehoiakim's master, and running bought Urijah nothing.
- Spoke. Urijah was a true prophet. His name means "Light of the Lord." He said what Jeremiah said, then grew afraid and fled.
- Sheltered. Egypt was the wrong shelter. God loves to save those who bear His name; when they look elsewhere, it ends in shame, sorrow and ruin.
- Slain — and repaid. Jehoiakim's hatred pursued even the prophet's dead body. God repaid him in kind: the king who denied Urijah a prophet's grave got a donkey's burial.
- Spared. Jeremiah faced the same sword and lived. Dying was an honour to Urijah; Jeremiah's survival was a mercy to Judah. The Lord's watch, not the prophet's caution, made the difference.
and they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him to Jehoiakim the king; and he slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the children of the people.
Jeremiah 26 reads like a trial. The prophet faces death for announcing the ruin of the temple, and the elders defend him by pointing to two older cases. Verse 23 is the darker case: a prophet preached Jeremiah's message, ran for his life, and the king's men still found him.
One writer pauses on this man's name. The ESV spells it Uriah; the writers quoted here spell it Urijah.
One more true prophet of this time is often overlooked, timid though he was, among those who let their light shine before others. Jeremiah alone records his story, in Jeremiah 26:20-23. His name is Urijah, which means "Light of the Lord." He spoke as Jeremiah had done, but he grew afraid and fled to Egypt. Jehoiakim's men brought him back, and the king killed him.
Urijah's escape raises a question. Does caution keep a servant of God safe?
Here a second case is added, and it cuts the other way. Bold faith was kept safe. Caution would be a weak, short-lived defence, even though the timid prophet escaped to a foreign land… So Micah and Urijah were each instructive, but from a different angle.
Later in the book, a whole group of Judeans flees to Egypt in fear. The same writer's verdict on that habit is blunt.
Fear proves unbelief as surely as bold or treacherous rebellion does, even if it is not as ugly. The prophet had warned them to submit to the king of Babylon and not to run to Egypt… How good it is for the believer that he may trample on his fears and rest without anxiety in the word of the Lord!
The king did not stop at killing. He chose where the body went, and God answered that choice.
Jehoiakim's bitter hatred of God and His truth vented itself even on the body of God's murdered servant. He refused it the right of burial among the tombs of the prophets… God justly paid him back in kind for his murder and his insult. "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah, my brother!' or 'Ah, sister!'" That is family mourning. "They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah, lord!' or 'Ah, his majesty!'" That is public mourning. "With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem" (Jer. 22:18-19). And so it happened to him.
Another writer counts this killing as one of three sins charged against Jehoiakim.
Jehoiakim not only oppressed the people. He also put to death those who spoke out against his deeds. He chased the faithful prophet Urijah into Egypt, fetched him back with an armed force, and killed him… He would have done the same to Jeremiah, but the princes stood in his way. "For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted" (Ps. 9:12).
Commentators differ on why the elders raised this second case. One takes it as telling against Jeremiah.
The princes favoured the prophet, and certain elders quoted earlier cases: Micah in verse 18 and Urijah in verse 20. The first case argued for Jeremiah; the second told somewhat against him.
Another admits he does not know, and suggests a comparison of two kings:
We do not know why his case comes up here, unless it is to show the difference between good Hezekiah and wicked Jehoiakim.
So why did one faithful prophet die while the other lived?
Jeremiah was in the greatest danger of dying as a martyr, just as Urijah had. Yet the Lord watched over him. It was an honour to Urijah to die, but it was a mercy to Judah that Jeremiah was not put to death.
Jeremiah's rescue came from a quarter no one would expect.
When the priests and those thought to be nearest to God, who should therefore know His mind best, became the greatest enemies of the truth, the Lord used others to deliver His servant. Sometimes He uses the most unlikely people, as He used the princes here. Even the name of one of them, Ahikam, means "of the enemy." This teaches those who serve Him to trust in the Lord at all times.
- Light — Urijah's name means "Light of the Lord." He preached Jeremiah's message, and his one recorded failure was fear, not falsehood.
- Flight — Running to Egypt was caution, not faith. Caution proved "a weak, short-lived defence" against a king set on killing.
- Fury — Jehoiakim's hatred chased even the dead body, refusing it a prophet's grave. God answered with "the burial of a donkey" for the king.
- Precedent — The elders paired Micah with Urijah. Commentators differ on whether the second case told against Jeremiah or showed the gap between Hezekiah and Jehoiakim.
- Verdict — Urijah's death was an honour, and Jeremiah's rescue was a mercy to Judah. God guarded one servant through unlikely helpers and honoured the other in death.