Jeremiah 20:10 - Exposition

For I heard , etc.; rather, For I have heard the whispering of many ; there is terror on every side . Inform ( say they ), and let us inform against him . This gives us the reason for Ms momentary inclinations to silence. He was surrounded by bitter enemies, who were no longer content with malicious words, but urged each other on to lay an information against him with the authorities as a public criminal. The first clause agrees verbatim with part of Psalms 31:13 (this is one of the psalms attributed, by a too bold conjecture, to Jeremiah). "There is terror on every side" (see above, Psalms 31:3 , and also note on Jeremiah 6:25 ) means "everything about me inspires me with terror." All my familiars is , literally, all the men of my peace ; i.e. all those with whom I have been on terms of friendship (same phrase, Jeremiah 38:22 ). Watched for my halting ; i.e. either laid traps for me or waited for me to commit some error for them to take advantage of. The phrase, "my halting," is borrowed (?) from Psalms 35:15 ; Psalms 38:18 (Hebrew). He will be enticed ; viz. to say something on which a charge of treason can be based.