Who was Pashhur in the Bible?

Pashhur was a priest and the son of Immer, who served as the chief officer in the temple of the Lord during the reign of King Zedekiah. He is best known for opposing the prophet Jeremiah by having him beaten and put in stocks (Jeremiah 20:1-2).

What did Pashhur do to the prophet Jeremiah?

Pashhur had the prophet Jeremiah beaten and placed in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate of the temple because he was angered by Jeremiah's prophecies of judgment against Judah. After releasing him, Jeremiah delivered a prophecy of judgment against Pashhur and his household (Jeremiah 20:3-6).

Why is Pashhur significant in the Old Testament?

Pashhur represents the religious establishment that rejected God's message through His prophets. His confrontation with Jeremiah highlights the conflict between true and false prophecy and serves as a warning against opposing God's word (Jeremiah 20:6).

Pashhur

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMalePriest

Pashhur, a priest King Zedekiah sent to inquire of Jeremiah.

Pashhur

Biography

Pashhur son of Malchijah was a prominent priest serving in Jerusalem during the final years of the kingdom of Judah under King Zedekiah. When Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army besieged Jerusalem, Zedekiah dispatched Pashhur along with Zephaniah the priest to consult the prophet Jeremiah, hoping for a word of deliverance from the LORD (Jeremiah 21:1-2). Jeremiah's response was devastating: God Himself would fight against Judah, and the city would fall to Babylon. Pashhur also appears among the officials who later sought to have Jeremiah put to death for his prophecies of surrender, accusing the prophet of weakening the morale of the soldiers and people (Jeremiah 38:1-4). His actions reflect the tension between institutional religion and prophetic truth during Judah's darkest hour.

Significance

Pashhur son of Malchijah exemplifies the failure of religious leadership when it prioritizes political expediency over divine truth. Sent by King Zedekiah to seek a favorable oracle, he instead received an uncompromising word of judgment. His subsequent effort to silence Jeremiah reveals how established religious authorities can become instruments of persecution against God's authentic messengers. Pashhur's story warns that proximity to sacred office does not guarantee alignment with God's purposes. His opposition to Jeremiah stands as a cautionary example of how institutional power can be wielded against prophetic voices, a pattern that recurs throughout Scripture and culminates in the religious establishment's rejection of Jesus Christ.

Verse Appearances (4)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 20:1 Jeremiah 20:2 Jeremiah 20:3 Jeremiah 20:6

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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