ירמיהו, פרק כ׳, פסוק ג׳

Immediately following his release from confinement, the prophet remains entirely undeterred. Rather than retreating, he directly confronts his captor with sharp rebuke and mockery [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The captor had styled himself as a prophet speaking in the name of God, constantly promising peace and security. However, the true message delivered to him shatters this illusion. God has rejected his original identity and the false comfort it represents, instead assigning him a fate of overwhelming terror from every direction as a direct consequence of his false prophecies [רד״ק].

The confrontation revolves around a striking contrast between the captor's original name and his newly decreed destiny. The primary approach among commentators understands his given name as a symbol of greatness, expansion, and freedom. It implies an important person who spreads outward with liberty. His new reality, however, represents the exact opposite. He is condemned to a state of shrinking and retreating inward, consumed by the paralyzing fear and dread of a siege [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. In this view, his future is defined quite literally by intense fear [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Another perspective interprets the original name as signifying an abundance of surrounding forces. Accordingly, his new fate is not merely an internal, emotional state of fear, but rather a physical gathering. The prophecy warns that a massive collection of enemy troops will soon converge and surround him from all sides to bring about his end [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, חומת אנך]. A final interpretation views his given name as a dark omen of what is to come, suggesting that he will ultimately be left shattered and blackened, much like a violently broken tree [רש״י].