ירמיהו, פרק כ״ו, פסוק כ״ב

King Jehoiakim’s relentless pursuit of a fleeing prophet reveals a harsh and lawless reality. Rather than letting the man escape, the king sends a special delegation to chase him all the way to Egypt and force his return. This mission across borders is led by Elnatan, who is accompanied by senior government ministers [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The sheer effort to travel to another country and drag the prophet back highlights the brutal and deeply personal nature of the king's intentions.

Despite the long journey back, which gives the king plenty of time to consider his actions, the prophet's death is not the result of a legal court ruling. He is never officially judged as a false prophet. This is clear from the method of his death: the king strikes him down with a sword, whereas a court-mandated death penalty for a false prophet requires strangulation. Furthermore, the disrespect continues after death. The prophet's body is tossed into the common graves of the ordinary people, rather than the specific burial grounds reserved for those executed by a legal court.

This extreme reaction—hunting a man across foreign borders and executing him without a trial—serves as a chilling historical backdrop. It vividly shows the very real and immediate danger that Jeremiah himself faced from the government at that exact same time [מלבי״ם].