ירמיהו, פרק כ׳, פסוק ב׳

A dramatic confrontation unfolds between a true prophet and a false one. Pashhur, who had been feeding the people false promises of peace and assuring them the city would not fall to the enemy, becomes enraged by Jeremiah's warnings of destruction. Driven by this anger, Pashhur strikes Jeremiah and throws him into confinement [חומת אנך].

The exact nature of this confinement is understood in several ways. The primary approach among commentators is that it refers to a general prison or holding cell. However, others explain that it was a physical device designed for public humiliation. According to this view, it might have been a wooden structure that clamped shut around the prisoner's neck [רד״ק], or a cage of disgrace where the captive was locked up for everyone to see [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This imprisonment took place at the Upper Gate of Benjamin. The gate carried this name because the Temple grounds were divided between the territories of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and this particular entrance fell within Benjamin's portion [רד״ק]. It was known as the upper gate because it was situated at a high elevation on the mountain [מצודת דוד].

Eventually, Pashhur decides to release Jeremiah from his imprisonment. He takes this action because, deep down, he knew perfectly well that his own positive predictions were nothing more than lies [חומת אנך].