Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
Then Pashur smote Jeremiah. The fact that Pashur was of the same order and of the same family as Jeremiah aggravates the indignity of the blow. So Zedekiah smote the prophet Micaiah before King Ahab (1 Kings 22:24); and the antitype, Jesus, was "buffeted" and smitten "with the palms of the hands" (Matthew 26:67).
Stocks - an instrument of torture with five holes, in which the neck, two hands, and two feet were thrust, the body being kept in a crooked posture (Jeremiah 29:26). From a Hebrew root х haapak (H2015)], 'to turn,' or 'rack.' This marks Pashur's cruelty.
High - i:e., the upper gate (2 Kings 15:35), built by King Jotham, son of Uzziah.
Gate of Benjamin - a gate in the temple wall, corresponding to the gate of Benjamin, properly so called, in the city wall, in the direction of the territory of Benjamin (Jeremiah 7:2; Jeremiah 37:13; Jeremiah 38:7). The temple gate of Benjamin, being on a lofty position, was called "the high gate," to distinguish it from the city wall gate of Benjamin.