Jeremiah 37:3

“And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, etc.] That is, Zephaniah the priest, as the accents shaw; though his father Maaseiah was doubtless a priest too; according to the Syriac version, both Jehucal, called Jucal, (<243801>Jeremiah 38:1); and Zephaniah, were priests; since it reads in the plural number, “priests”: these the king sent as messengers to the Prophet Jeremiah, saying, pray now unto the Lord our God for us. This message was sent either upon the rumour of the Chaldeans coming against Jerusalem, as some think; or rather when it had departed from the city, and was gone to meet the army of the king of Egypt; so that this…”

“Zedekiah . . . sent--fearing lest, in the event of the Chaldeans overcoming Pharaoh-hophra, they should return to besiege Jerusalem. See on Jer 21:1; that chapter chronologically comes in between the thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth chapter. The message of the king to Jeremiah here in the thirty-seventh chapter is, however, somewhat earlier than that in the twenty-first chapter; here it is while the issue between the Chaldeans and Pharaoh was undecided; there it is when, after the repulse of Pharaoh, the Chaldeans were again advancing against Jerusalem; hence, while Zephaniah is named in both embassies, Jehucal accompanies him here, Pashur there. But, as Pashur and Jehucal are both mentioned…”

“This embassy is not to be confounded with that Jeremiah 21:1 which took place when Nebuchadnezzar was just marching upon Jerusalem; this was in the brief interval of hope occasioned by the approach of an Egyptian army to raise the siege. The Jews were elated by this temporary relief, and miserably abused it Jeremiah 34:11. Zedekiah seems to some extent to have shared their hopes, and to have expected that the prophet would intercede for the city as successfully as Isaiah had done Isaiah 37:6. Jehucal was a member of the warlike party Jeremiah 38:1, as also was the deputy high priest Zephaniah, but otherwise he was well affected to Jeremiah. return to 'Top of Page'”

“37:3-4 In asking for prayer, Zedekiah apparently hoped that Jeremiah’s petitions would magically defeat the enemy (see 14:7-9 and corresponding study note).”

“Zephaniah: Jer 21:1, Jer 21:2, Jer 29:21, Jer 29:25, Jer 52:24 Pray: Jer 2:27, Jer 21:1, Jer 21:2, Jer 42:2-4, Jer 42:20; Exo 8:8, Exo 8:28, Exo 9:28, Exo 10:17; Num 21:7; Sa1 12:19; Kg1 13:6; Act 8:24 Jeremiah 37:4”