Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 26:20

"And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:" — Jeremiah 26:20 (ASV)

And there was also a man that prophesied ... — The verses that follow, since they state a fact which points in the opposite direction, cannot be considered part of the argument of the “elders” (Jeremiah 26:17).

Nor is there any sufficient reason for assuming, in the absence of any statement to that effect, that the case of Urijah was presented in a counter-argument by the priests and prophets.

Jeremiah 26:24 shows instead that Jeremiah, or the compiler of the book, wanted to record the fact that he did not stand absolutely alone. It highlights that at least one prophet had been, like an Abdiel—“faithful found among the faithless”—who had the courage to follow his example.

This Urijah echoed the message of Jeremiah and reproduced it. We know nothing about him beyond what is recorded here.

It is, perhaps, worth noting that the history of his native place may have, to some extent, influenced his thoughts. Like Shiloh, it presented the history of a sacred place that had lost its sanctity (1 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 6:2). Furthermore, its position on the border of the tribe of Benjamin may have brought him into contact with the prophet of Anathoth, as the distance between the two towns was only a short day’s journey.