Jeremiah 36:2

Translation
King James Version
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.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Take H3947 thee a roll H4039 of a book H5612, and write H3789 therein all the words H1697 that I have spoken H1696 unto thee against Israel H3478, and against Judah H3063, and against all the nations H1471, from the day H3117 I spake H1696 unto thee, from the days H3117 of Josiah H2977, even unto this day H3117.
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Complete Jewish Bible
"Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you against Isra'el, Y'hudah and all the other nations, from the day I started speaking to you, back in the time of Yoshiyahu, until today.
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Berean Standard Bible
“Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today.
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American Standard Version
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.
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World English Bible Messianic
Take a scroll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Take thee a roule or booke, and write therein all the wordes that I haue spoken to thee against Israel, and against Iudah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spake vnto thee, euen from the dayes of Iosiah vnto this day.
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Young's Literal Translation
`Take to thee a roll of a book, and thou hast written on it all the words that I have spoken unto thee concerning Israel, and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day;
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See also
Jeremiah 30:2Exodus 17:14Jeremiah 25:3Jeremiah 1:10Jeremiah 36:6Jeremiah 51:60Jeremiah 25:9
In the KJVVerse 19,845 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Jeremiah 36:2 records a direct divine imperative given to the prophet Jeremiah, instructing him to transcribe all the messages God had delivered to him since the inception of his prophetic ministry during the reign of King Josiah, extending up to the current day under King Jehoiakim. This command highlights the critical importance of preserving God's authoritative word in a tangible, accessible form, serving as a comprehensive and final warning to the rebellious kingdoms of Israel and Judah, as well as the surrounding nations, urging them to repentance before the impending judgment.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Jeremiah 36 opens with a precise chronological marker, placing this event in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim's reign, approximately 605 BC. This command to write down the prophecies follows a long period of Jeremiah's spoken ministry, which had largely been met with indifference or hostility. The act of writing marks a significant shift in God's strategy for delivering His message, transforming transient spoken words into a permanent, public record. The immediate subsequent verses detail Baruch's role as scribe and the public reading of the scroll, setting the stage for Jehoiakim's defiant act of burning the scroll, which then leads to the re-writing and expansion of the prophecies, emphasizing the futility of resisting God's word and the unwavering nature of divine truth, as seen in Jeremiah 36:3 and the subsequent events of Jeremiah 36.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The period described in Jeremiah 36 was one of immense political instability and spiritual decline in Judah. King Josiah, a righteous reformer, had died in 609 BC, and his successors, Jehoahaz and then Jehoiakim, reversed many of his reforms, leading Judah back into idolatry and moral corruption. The geopolitical landscape was dominated by the declining Assyrian Empire, the rising power of Babylon (which had just defeated Egypt at Carchemish in 605 BC, solidifying its regional dominance), and a weakened Egypt. Judah was caught between these superpowers, often making ill-advised alliances. In this volatile environment, God's word, delivered through Jeremiah, served as a consistent warning against trusting in human alliances or false gods, calling the nation to return to covenant faithfulness. The act of writing on a scroll was a common method of recording important documents, laws, and prophecies in the ancient Near East, lending authority and permanence to the message.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully underscores several overarching themes within the book of Jeremiah and broader biblical theology. Foremost is the Authority and Preservation of God's Word, emphasizing that divine revelation is not fleeting but intended to endure, as seen in the command to record "all the words" God had spoken. This act also highlights the theme of Divine Patience and Persistent Warning, as God, despite Judah's persistent rebellion, offers one final, comprehensive opportunity for repentance before judgment. The scope of the prophecies, directed "against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations," reveals God's Sovereignty Over All Peoples, demonstrating that His judgment and salvation extend beyond His covenant people to encompass the entire world, a theme echoed in the universal scope of God's redemptive plan (e.g., Genesis 12:3 or Isaiah 49:6). The ultimate purpose of this written word, as revealed in Jeremiah 36:3, is a Call to Repentance and Forgiveness, demonstrating God's desire for His people to turn from their evil ways and receive His mercy.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • roll (Hebrew, mᵉgillâh', H4039): From the root gâlal (to roll), this term (H4039) specifically denotes a "roll" or "volume"—the standard form of ancient books, typically made of papyrus or parchment sheets sewn together and rolled up. The command to take a "roll of a book" emphasizes the physical medium, signifying that God's message was to be given a tangible, permanent, and authoritative form, suitable for public reading and long-term preservation, unlike transient oral proclamations.
  • write (Hebrew, kâthab', H3789): This primitive root (H3789) means "to grave, by implication, to write (describe, inscribe, prescribe, subscribe)." The divine command to "write therein" underscores the deliberate and intentional act of committing God's spoken words to a durable medium. This act transforms the prophetic utterances from ephemeral sounds into a fixed, unalterable record, ensuring their accurate transmission and emphasizing the gravity and permanence of God's pronouncements and warnings.
  • words (Hebrew, dâbâr', H1696): From דָבַר (H1696, dâbar), a primitive root meaning "to speak," this noun (H1697) signifies "a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing." In this context, "all the words" refers to the totality of God's divine messages, pronouncements, commands, and prophecies delivered through Jeremiah. The comprehensive nature of this command ("all the words") highlights the completeness and sufficiency of God's revelation, leaving no ambiguity about the extent of Judah's sin or the certainty of God's impending judgment if repentance did not occur.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee": This opening clause is a direct, imperative command from Yahweh to Jeremiah. It instructs the prophet to acquire the necessary writing material—a scroll—and to meticulously record every single word that God had previously communicated to him. This emphasizes the divine origin and authoritative nature of the message, ensuring its precise and comprehensive preservation.
  • "against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations": This specifies the broad scope and targets of God's prophetic messages. "Israel" refers to the northern kingdom, already in exile, whose history served as a cautionary tale. "Judah" is the southern kingdom, Jeremiah's immediate audience, facing imminent judgment. "All the nations" demonstrates God's universal sovereignty, indicating that His divine decrees and judgments extend beyond His covenant people to encompass all humanity, highlighting the global implications of His righteousness and justice.
  • "from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day": This final clause provides the temporal scope of the compilation. It mandates that Jeremiah record all prophecies from the very beginning of his ministry, which commenced in the thirteenth year of King Josiah's reign (c. 627 BC), up to the present moment in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim (c. 605 BC). This period spans over two decades, signifying a comprehensive collection of God's persistent warnings and calls to repentance over a significant historical duration.

Literary Devices

Jeremiah 36:2 employs several potent literary devices. The most prominent is Divine Command, expressed through the imperative verbs "Take" and "write." This direct address from God to Jeremiah immediately establishes the absolute authority and urgency of the message. The phrase "all the words that I have spoken unto thee" functions as Hyperbole or Emphasis, stressing the comprehensive nature of God's revelation and ensuring that no part of His message is omitted. The use of Parallelism in "against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations" highlights the universal scope of God's judgment, encompassing both His covenant people and the Gentile world. Finally, the Temporal Framing ("from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day") serves to underscore the long-suffering patience of God and the consistent nature of His warnings over an extended period, emphasizing the cumulative weight of Judah's disobedience.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Jeremiah 36:2 profoundly underscores the enduring nature and critical importance of divine revelation. God's command to Jeremiah to commit His spoken words to a permanent scroll reveals His intention for His message to be preserved, studied, and heeded across generations. This act is a testament to God's faithfulness in communicating His will and His desire for humanity to know and respond to His truth. It highlights the principle that God's word is not ephemeral but possesses an inherent authority and permanence, serving as a reliable guide for life, a source of warning, and a pathway to repentance and restoration. The comprehensive scope of the message—against Israel, Judah, and all nations—further emphasizes God's universal sovereignty and His righteous governance over all creation.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Jeremiah 36:2 serves as a powerful reminder of the immense value and enduring relevance of God's written Word. In an age of fleeting information and transient communication, this ancient command calls us to recognize the divine intentionality behind the preservation of Scripture. Just as God ensured His messages to Jeremiah were meticulously recorded for a rebellious generation, so too has He provided us with the Bible—a comprehensive, authoritative, and unchanging revelation of His character, His will, and His redemptive plan. This verse challenges us to approach the Bible not as a mere historical document, but as the living, active, and inspired voice of God, intended to shape our lives, correct our paths, and draw us into deeper relationship with Him. Our response to God's written word should mirror His earnest desire for us to hear, understand, and obey, leading to genuine repentance and a life transformed by His truth.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the divine command to "write therein all the words" impact your understanding of the Bible's authority and permanence?
  • Considering God's persistent warnings through Jeremiah, what areas in your own life might God be calling you to greater repentance and obedience?
  • In what practical ways can you demonstrate a deeper value for God's written Word in your daily life?

FAQ

Why was it necessary for Jeremiah to write down the prophecies, especially since he had already been speaking them for years?

Answer: The act of writing God's prophecies down, rather than solely relying on oral proclamation, served several crucial purposes. Firstly, it provided a permanent and authoritative record of God's words, ensuring their precise preservation and preventing distortion or forgetfulness over time. Oral traditions could be altered or lost, but a written scroll offered a tangible, immutable witness to divine truth. Secondly, it allowed for wider dissemination and public reading, making the message accessible to a larger audience, including those who might not have heard Jeremiah directly. As seen in Jeremiah 36:6, the scroll was intended for public reading in the temple. Thirdly, the written word carried a greater weight of legal and prophetic authority in ancient cultures, signifying a formal and final declaration. It underscored the gravity of God's warnings and His persistent call to repentance, leaving Judah without excuse for their disobedience. Finally, it ensured the message would endure for future generations, even after Jeremiah's death, serving as a perpetual testimony to God's faithfulness and justice.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Jeremiah 36:2, with its emphasis on the comprehensive and enduring nature of God's spoken word being committed to a written scroll, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God. Just as Jeremiah was commanded to record "all the words" God had spoken, so too is Jesus the perfect and complete revelation of God's character and will, embodying the very essence of divine communication (John 1:1 and John 1:14). The prophecies written by Jeremiah and other prophets, warning of judgment and promising restoration, ultimately point to Christ, who perfectly fulfills the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). The warnings against Israel, Judah, and the nations find their resolution in Christ's universal offer of salvation, extending God's grace to all who believe, Jew and Gentile alike (Romans 10:12). The purpose of Jeremiah's scroll was to bring about repentance and forgiveness; similarly, Jesus, through His atoning sacrifice, provides the ultimate means for humanity to turn from sin and receive complete forgiveness (Acts 5:31). Thus, the written word of Jeremiah, preserved for generations, ultimately directs our gaze to the incarnate Word, Jesus, who not only embodies God's message but also accomplishes His redemptive purpose for all time.

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Commentary on Jeremiah 36 verses 1–8

In the beginning of Ezekiel's prophecy we meet with a roll written in vision, for discovery of the things therein contained to the prophet himself, who was to receive and digest them, Eze 2:9, Eze 2:10; Eze 3:1. Here, in the latter end of Jeremiah's prophecy, we meet with a roll written in fact, for discovery of the things contained therein to the people, who were to hear and give heed to them; for the written word and other good books are of great use both to ministers and people. We have here,

I. The command which God gave to Jeremiah to write a summary of his sermons, of all the reproofs and all the warnings he had given in God's name to his people, ever since he first began to be a preacher, in the thirteenth year of Josiah, to this day, which was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Jer 36:2, Jer 36:3. What had been only spoken must now be written, that it might be reviewed, and that it might spread the further and last the longer. What had been spoken at large, with frequent repetitions of the same things, perhaps in the same words (which has its advantage one way), must now be contracted and put into less compass, that the several parts of it might be better compared together, which has its advantage another way. What they had heard once must be recapitulated, and rehearsed to them again, that what was forgotten might be called to mind again and what made no impression upon them at the first hearing might take hold of them when they heard it the second time. And what was perhaps already written, and published in single sermons, must be collected into one volume, that none might be lost. Note, The writing of the scripture is by divine appointment. And observe the reason here given for the writing of this roll (Jer 36:3): It may be the house of Judah will hear. Not that the divine prescience was at any uncertainty concerning the event: with that there is no peradventure; God knew certainly that they would deal very treacherously, Isa 48:8. But the divine wisdom directed to this as a proper means for attaining the desired end: and, if it failed, they would be the more inexcusable. And, though God foresaw that they would not hear, he did not tell the prophet so, but prescribed this method to him as a probably one to be used, in the hopes that they would hear, that is, heed and regard what they heard, take notice of it and mix faith with it: for otherwise our hearing the word, though an angel from heaven were to read or preach it to us, would stand us in no stead. Now observe here, 1. What it is hoped they will thus hear: All that evil which I purpose to do unto them. Note, The serious consideration of the certain fatal consequences of sin will be of great use to us to bring us to God. 2. What it is hoped will be produced thereby: They will hear, that they may return every man from his evil way. Note, The conversion of sinners from their evil courses is that which ministers should aim at in preaching; and people hear the word in vain if that point be not gained with them. To what purpose do we hear of the evil God will bring upon us for sin if we continue, notwithstanding, to do evil against him? 3. Of what vast advantage their consideration and conversion will be to them: That I may forgive their iniquity. This plainly implies the honour of God's justice, with which it is not consistent that he should forgive the sin unless the sinner repent of it and turn from it; but it plainly expresses the honour of his mercy, that he is very ready to forgive sin and only waits till the sinner be qualified to receive forgiveness, and therefore uses various means to bring us to repentance, that he may forgive.

II. The instructions which Jeremiah gave to Baruch his scribe, pursuant to the command he had received from God, and the writing of the roll accordingly, Jer 36:4. God bade Jeremiah write, but, it should seem, he had not the pen of a ready writer, he could not write fast, or fair, so as Baruch could, and therefore he made use of him as his amanuensis. St. Paul wrote but few of his epistles with his own hand, Gal 6:11; Rom 16:22. God dispenses his gifts variously; some have a good faculty at speaking, others at writing, and neither can say to the other, We have no need of you, Co1 12:21. The Spirit of God dictated to Jeremiah, and he to Baruch, who had been employed by Jeremiah as trustee for him in his purchase of the field (Jer 32:12) and now was advanced to be his scribe and substitute in his prophetical office; and, if we may credit the apocryphal book that bears his name, he was afterwards himself a prophet to the captives in Babylon. Those that begin low are likely to rise high, and it is good for those that are designed for prophets to have their education under prophets and to be serviceable to them. Baruch wrote what Jeremiah dictated in a roll of a book on pieces of parchment, or vellum, which were joined together, the top of one to the bottom of the other, so making one long scroll, which was rolled perhaps upon a staff.

III. The orders which Jeremiah gave to Baruch to read what he had written to the people. Jeremiah, it seems was shut up, and could not go to the house of the Lord himself, Jer 36:5. Though he was not a close prisoner, for then there would have been no occasion to send officers to seize him (Jer 36:26), yet he was forbidden by the king to appear in the temple, was shut out thence where he might be serving God and doing good, which was as bad to him as if he had been shut up in a dungeon. Jehoiakim was ripening apace for ruin when he thus silenced God's faithful messengers. But, when Jeremiah could not go to the temple himself, he sent one that was deputed by him to read to the people what he would himself have said. Thus St. Paul wrote epistles to the churches which he could not visit in person. Nay, it was what he himself had often said to them. Note, The writing and repeating of the sermons that have been preached may contribute very much towards the answering of the great ends of preaching. what we have heard and known it is good for us to hear again, that we may know it better. To preach and write the same thing is safe and profitable, and many times very necessary (Phi 3:1), and we must be glad to hear a good word from God, though we have it, as here, at second hand. Both ministers and people must do what they can when they cannot do what they would. Observe, When God ordered the reading of the roll he said, It may be they will hear and return from their evil ways, Jer 36:3. When Jeremiah orders it, he says, It may be they will pray (they will present their supplications before the Lord) and will return from their evil way. Note, Prayer to God for grace to turn us is necessary in order to our turning; and those that are convinced by the word of God of the necessity of returning to him will present their supplications to him for that grace. And the consideration of this, that great is the anger which God has pronounced against us for sin, should quicken both our prayers and our endeavours. Now, according to these orders, Baruch did read out of the book the words of the Lord, whenever there was a holy convocation, Jer 36:8.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–8. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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