Jeremias 37:21

Into the court of the prison... — This was obviously a concession to Jeremiah’s request, and here he remained (see Jeremias 32:2; Jeremias 33:1), with one brief exception (Jeremias 38:6), till the capture of the city. It was “in the king’s house,” above ground, with free access for light and air, and it was therefore in his power to see that the prophet was treated with respect, and not left to starve.

A piece of bread out of the bakers’ street. — The locality is not mentioned elsewhere, but Jerusalem, like other Eastern cities, seems to have had distinct localities assigned as bazaars to special trades. Thus, one of the broad streets running through the city was known, in New Testament times, as the valley of Tyropceon (= cheesemakers). Merchants and goldsmiths appear in Neemias 3:32 as having their separate quarters, and apothecaries in Neemias 3:8. The “street of the bakers” was probably connected with “the tower of the furnaces” in Neemias 3:11. The order given by the king indicates that the city was already blockaded, and that the supply of provisions was falling short.