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Jeremiah 36

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God Commands the Writing of the Scroll 1–8

1
And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, ​
2
Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. ​
3
It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. ​
4
Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Jehovah, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. ​
5
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of Jehovah: ​
6
therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of Jehovah in the ears of the people in Jehovah’s house upon the fast-day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.
7
It may be they will present their supplication before Jehovah, and will return every one from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Jehovah hath pronounced against this people.
8
And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of Jehovah in Jehovah’s house.

Baruch Reads the Prophecy Publicly 9–19

9
Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Jehovah. ​
10
Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Jehovah’s house, in the ears of all the people. ​
11
And when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of Jehovah,
12
he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes were sitting there, to wit, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. ​
13
Then Micaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
14
Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thy hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.
15
And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.
16
Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. ​
17
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?
18
Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.
19
Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye are. ​

King Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll 20–26

20
And they went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words in the ears of the king. ​
21
So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes that stood beside the king.
22
Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month: and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him. ​
23
And it came to pass, when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. ​
24
And they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. ​
25
Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll; but he would not hear them. ​
26
And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Jehovah hid them. ​

Judgment on Jehoiakim and the Rewritten Scroll 27–32

27
Then the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
28
Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. ​
29
And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah thou shalt say, Thus saith Jehovah: Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?
30
Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. ​
31
And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they hearkened not.
32
Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides unto them many like words. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 36

Verse 1

the fourth year of Jehoiakim — Jer 25:1 dates the same year as 'the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon'. The word (dabar) that comes from the LORD is to be spoken and also to be set down in a book (v.2), and Jeremiah 45:1 places Baruch's writing in this same fourth year.

Verse 2

a roll of a book — Megillah, a scroll, the word of the roll Ezekiel was given to eat (Ezek 3:1); in Jeremiah it occurs only in this chapter. It is to hold 'all the words' against Israel, Judah and the nations since 'the thirteenth year' of Josiah (Jer 1:2), 'the three and twentieth year' of speaking (Jer 25:3).

Verse 3

return every man from his evil way — Shub, to turn back, the verb of repentance, and the verse's hope is that Judah will 'hear' (shama) and so be forgiven (salach), 'their iniquity and their sin'. The same appeal stands in Jer 26:3 and Jer 18:8, 'turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil'.

Verse 4

Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah — The prophet speaks and the scribe writes; Baruch later tells the princes, 'He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book' (v.18). The same arrangement is used again when the roll is rewritten (v.32).

Verse 5

I am shut up — Atsar, to restrain or hold back. The verse gives no reason. The same verb marks Jeremiah's later confinement, 'shut up in the court of the prison' (Jer 33:1). He 'commanded' (tsavah) Baruch instead, and the errand follows in v.6.

Verse 9

proclaimed a fast — This falls in the year after the command of v.1, in 'the ninth month' (Chisleu, Zech 7:1), the same month as the king's fire in v.22. A fast (tsom) is proclaimed 'before the LORD' for all Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, as Jehoshaphat did (2 Chr 20:3) and Nineveh (Jonah 3:5).

Verse 10

in the chamber of Gemariah — Gemariah's father Shaphan the scribe had read the found book of the law to Josiah (2 Kgs 22:10). The 'new gate of the LORD'S house' is where the princes sat in Jer 26:10. Baruch reads 'in the ears of all the people' (ozen), the phrase repeated for the king in v.20.

Verse 12

Elishama the scribe — The princes sit in the scribe's chamber of the king's house. Elnathan the son of Achbor is the man Jehoiakim sent to Egypt to fetch Urijah (Jer 26:22–23). He, Delaiah and Gemariah are the three who later plead with the king (v.25).

Verse 16

they were afraid — Pachad, to tremble, and one turns to his neighbour. The verb is denied in v.24, where the king and his servants 'were not afraid'. 'We will surely tell the king' (nagad, to report) is carried out in v.20, 'told all the words in the ears of the king'.

Verse 19

Go, hide thee — Sathar, to hide, the verb of v.26, 'the LORD hid them'. The princes counsel concealment, and 'let no man know where ye be'; the hiding is finally the LORD's. Elijah was likewise told 'hide thyself by the brook Cherith' (1 Kgs 17:3), with the same verb.

Verse 20

told all the words in the ears of the king — The roll is left 'in the chamber of Elishama the scribe', and the king hears it by report, then has Jehudi fetch it (v.21). 'In the ears' (ozen) is the phrase of v.10, where the words were read to all the people.

Verse 22

the winterhouse — Beyt-choreph, the cold-season house, as in Amos 3:15, 'the winter house with the summer house'. It is 'the ninth month', the month of the fast (v.9). The fire is on the 'hearth' (ach), a fire-pot or brazier, 'burning before him'.

Verse 23

cast it into the fire — Jehudi reads 'three or four leaves' (deleth, elsewhere a door), then the king cuts them off with a knife (ta'ar) and burns them until the roll is 'consumed' (tamam, finished). The verb 'cut' is qara, to tear, the word for rending garments in v.24.

Verse 24

nor rent their garments — Qara, the verb of v.23. The king tears the roll, and no one tears his clothes. His father Josiah 'rent his clothes' on hearing the book of the law (2 Kgs 22:11), and Hezekiah when he heard the report (2 Kgs 19:1). 'Afraid' is the pachad of v.16.

Verse 25

made intercession — Paga', to meet with an entreaty. Elnathan (v.12), Delaiah and Gemariah (the host of the reading, v.10) ask that the roll be spared, 'but he would not hear them'. The verb shama, 'hear', is the aim of v.3: that Judah would hear and turn.

Verse 26

the LORD hid them — Sathar, the verb of v.19. The king commands three men to seize Baruch and Jeremiah; the princes had advised hiding, but the text credits it to the LORD. Of Baruch he says elsewhere, 'thy life will I give unto thee for a prey' (Jer 45:5).

Verse 28

Take thee again another roll — The command is to write again 'all the former words' (rishon). 'Again' is shub, the verb of return in v.3. The burning of the roll leaves the word unchanged, as Isa 40:8 says: 'the word of our God shall stand for ever'.

Verse 30

cast out in the day to the heat — The body is left in the 'heat' (chorev, drought) by day and the 'frost' (qerach) by night, the pair of Gen 31:40. Jer 22:19 speaks of 'the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates'. His son Jehoiachin reigned only 'three months' (2 Kgs 24:8).

Verse 32

many like words — Jeremiah again gives the roll to Baruch the scribe, who writes 'from the mouth of Jeremiah' (v.4) all that was burned. 'Added besides' are 'many like words' (rab, many). Zech 1:6 asks of the prophets' words, 'did they not take hold of your fathers?'