Here is the first one-on-one announcement of the coming catastrophe (20:1–6). Pashhur might well have been among the religious leaders taken by Jeremiah on a tour to see Topheth (19:1–15). Magor-Missabib (20:3), which means “terror on every side,” catches the emotional dimension of the coming disaster. The name is a reversal of Pashhur, which, though Egyptian, in Aramaic might mean “fruitful on every side.” Babylon, now named for the first time in the book (20:4), will be Pashhur’s destiny, not because he arrested Jeremiah, but because he collaborated in the big lie of announcing continued safety (Jer. 8:10–11). In keeping with the principle of corporate personality or social solidarity, Pashhur’s household will share his fate.

The lament in 20:7–13 follows the classical lament pattern: …