TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
And I will punish H6485 him and his seed H2233 and his servants H5650 for their iniquity H5771; and I will bring H935 upon them, and upon the inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem H3389, and upon the men H376 of Judah H3063, all the evil H7451 that I have pronounced H1696 against them; but they hearkened H8085 not.
Complete Jewish Bible
Moreover, I will punish him, his offspring and his officials for their wickedness; and I will bring on them, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim and the people of Y'hudah all the disaster I have decreed against them, to which they have paid no attention."'"
Berean Standard Bible
I will punish him and his descendants and servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the calamity about which I warned them but they did not listen.”
American Standard Version
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.
World English Bible Messianic
I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they didn’t listen.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And I will visite him and his seede, and his seruants for their iniquitie, and I will bring vpon them, and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and vpon the men of Iudah all the euil that I haue pronounced against them: but they would not heare.
Young's Literal Translation
and I have charged on him, and on his seed, and on his servants, their iniquity; and I have brought in on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto the men of Judah, all the evil that I have spoken unto them, and they hearkened not.'
See also
In the KJVVerse 19,874 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Jeremiah 36 verses 20–32
20 ¶ And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and 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 Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.
22 Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.
25 Nevertheless 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 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.
27 Then the word of the LORD 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 thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; 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 the LORD of 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.
We have traced the roll to the people, and to the princes, and here we are to follow it to the king; and we find,
I. That, upon notice given him concerning it, he sent for it, and ordered it to be read to him, Jer 36:20, Jer 36:21. He did not desire that Baruch would come and read it himself, who could read it more intelligently and with more authority and affection than any one else; nor did he order one of his princes to do it (though it would have been no disparagement to the greatest of them), much less would he vouchsafe to read it himself; but Jehudi, one of his pages now in waiting, who was sent to fetch it, is bidden to read it, who perhaps scarcely knew how to make sense of it. But those who thus despise the word of God will soon make it to appear, as this king did, that they hate it too, and have not only low, but ill thoughts of it.
II. That he had not patience to hear it read through as the princes had, but, when he had heard three or four leaves read, in a rage he cut it with his penknife, and threw it piece by piece into the fire, that he might be sure to see it all consumed, Jer 36:22, Jer 36:23. This was a piece of as daring impiety as a man could lightly be guilty of, and a most impudent affront to the God of heaven, whose message this was. 1. Thus he showed his impatience of reproof; being resolved to persist in sin, he would by no means bear to be told of his faults. 2. Thus he showed his indignation at Baruch and Jeremiah; he would have cut them in pieces, and burnt them, if he had had them in his reach, when he was in this passion. 3. Thus he expressed an abstinent resolution never to comply with the designs and intentions of the warnings given him; he will do what he will, whatever God by his prophets says to the contrary. 4. Thus he foolishly hoped to defeat the threatenings denounced against him, as if God knew not how to execute the sentence when the roll was gone in which it was written. 5. Thus he thought he had effectually provided that the things contained in this roll should spread no further, which was the care of the chief priests concerning the gospel, Act 4:17. They had told him how this roll had been read to the people and to the princes. "But," says he, "I will take a course that shall prevent its being read any more." See what an enmity there is against God in the carnal mind, and wonder at the patience of God, that he bears with such indignities done to him.
III. That neither the king himself nor any of his princes were at all affected with the word: They were not afraid (Jer 36:24), no, not those princes that trembled at the word when they heard it the first time, Jer 36:16. So soon, so easily, do good impressions wear off. They showed some concern till they saw how light the king made of it, and then they shook off all that concern. They rent not their garments, as Josiah, this Jehoiakim's own father, did when he had the book of the law read to him, though it was not so particular as the contents of this roll were, nor so immediately adapted to the present posture of affairs.
IV. That there were three of the princes who had so much sense and grace left as to interpose for the preventing of the burning of the roll, but in vain, Jer 36:25. If they had from the first shown themselves, as they ought to have done, affected with the word, perhaps they might have brought the king to a better mind and have persuaded him to bear it patiently; but frequently those that will not do the good they should put it out of their own power to do the good they would.
V. That Jehoiakim, when he had thus in effect burnt God's warrant by which he was arrested, as it were in a way of revenge, now that he thought he had got the better, signed a warrant for the apprehending of Jeremiah and Baruch, God's ministers (Jer 36:26): But the Lord hid them. The princes bade them abscond (Jer 36:19), but it was neither the princes' care for them nor theirs for themselves that secured them; it was under the divine protection that they were safe. Note, God will find out a shelter for his people, though their persecutors be ever so industrious to get them into their power, till their hour be come; nay, and then he will himself be their hiding place.
VI. That Jeremiah had orders and instructions to write in another roll the same words that were written in the roll which Jehoiakim had burnt, Jer 36:27, Jer 36:28. Note, Though the attempts of hell against the word of God are very daring, yet not one iota or tittle of it shall fall to the ground, nor shall the unbelief of man make the word of God of no effect. Enemies may prevail to burn many a Bible, but they cannot abolish the word of God, can neither extirpate it nor defeat the accomplishment of it. Though the tables of the law were broken, they were renewed again; and so out of the ashes of the roll that was burnt arose another Phoenix. The word of the Lord endures for ever.
VII. That the king of Judah, though a king, was severely reckoned with by the King of kings for this indignity done to the written word. God noticed what it was in the roll that Jehoiakim took so much offense at. Jehoiakim was angry because it was written therein, saying, Surely the king of Babylon shall come and destroy this land, Jer 36:29. And did not the king of Babylon come two years before this, and go far towards the destroying of this land? He did so (Ch2 36:6, Ch2 36:7) in his third year, Dan 1:1. So that God and his prophets had therefore become his enemies because they told him the truth, told him of the desolation that was coming, but at the same time putting him into a fair way to prevent it. But, if this be the thing he takes so much amiss, let him know, 1. That the wrath of God shall come upon him and his family, in the first place, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. He shall be cut off, and in a few weeks his son shall be dethroned, and exchange his royal robes for prison-garments, so that he shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; the glory of that illustrious house shall be eclipsed, and die in him; his dead body shall lie unburied, or, which comes all to one, he shall be buried with the burial of an ass, that is, thrown into the next ditch; it shall lie exposed to all weathers, heat and frost, which will occasion its putrefying and becoming loathsome the sooner. "Not that his body" (says Mr. Gataker) "could be sensible of such usage, or himself, being deceased, of aught that should befal his body; but that the king's body in such a condition should be a hideous spectacle, and a horrid monument of God's heavy wrath and indignation against him, unto all that should behold it." Even his seed and his servants shall fare the worse for their relation to him (Jer 36:31), for they shall be punished, not for his iniquity, but so much the sooner for their own. 2. That all the evil pronounced against Judah and Jerusalem in that roll shall be brought upon them. Though the copy be burnt, the original remains in the divine counsel, which shall again be copied out after another manner in bloody characters. Note, There is no escaping God's judgments by struggling with them. Who ever hardened his heart against God, and prospered?
VIII. That, when the roll was written anew, there were added to the former many like words (Jer 36:32), many more threatenings of wrath and vengeance; for, since they will yet walk contrary to God, he will heat the furnace seven times hotter. Note, As God is in one mind, and none can turn him, so he has still more arrows in his quiver; and those who contend with God's woes do but prepare for themselves heavier of the same kind.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 20–32. 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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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 36:31 delivers a stark divine pronouncement of comprehensive judgment against King Jehoiakim, his royal lineage, and his officials, extending this severe punishment to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all of Judah. This impending calamity is declared as a direct and just consequence of their collective moral corruption and, most critically, their persistent and defiant refusal to heed the prophetic warnings and divine decrees that God had repeatedly issued through Jeremiah. The verse powerfully underscores the gravity of rejecting God's revealed word and the inevitable, far-reaching repercussions of such profound disobedience on both leadership and the wider populace.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 36:31 is profoundly shaped by Divine Pronouncement, as God Himself is the active subject, repeatedly using the first-person singular ("I will punish," "I will bring," "I have pronounced"). This rhetorical choice emphasizes the direct, absolute, and undeniable nature of the judgment, highlighting God's sovereignty and active involvement in history. The phrase "all the evil that I have pronounced against them" employs Hyperbole or Intensification, underscoring the totality and comprehensiveness of the impending disaster, implying that no aspect of their lives or society would remain untouched by the consequences of their sin. The verse masterfully utilizes Cause and Effect, directly linking their "iniquity" and their failure to "hearken" as the explicit cause, and the divine punishment as the inevitable and just effect. Furthermore, the stark contrast between God's consistent and clear communication of His word ("pronounced") and humanity's willful deafness and rebellion ("hearkened not") creates a powerful Antithesis or Contrast, a recurring and tragic motif throughout Jeremiah's prophetic ministry and the broader biblical narrative of Israel's relationship with God.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 36:31 profoundly illustrates God's unwavering justice and the severe, inescapable consequences of rejecting His authoritative word. It reveals a God who is indeed patient in His warnings, extending opportunities for repentance, but who is equally resolute and just in His judgments when those warnings are persistently and defiantly ignored. The extension of punishment from the king to his descendants, his servants, and ultimately the entire nation underscores the profound principle of corporate responsibility, where the sins and defiance of leaders, coupled with the complicity or apathy of the people, can bring widespread calamity and divine retribution upon an entire community. This passage serves as a stark and timeless reminder that God's covenant relationship demands active obedience, and willful disobedience, especially to revealed truth, will inevitably lead to divine retribution. It highlights the critical importance of hearing, understanding, and actively heeding God's voice, as the failure to do so ultimately leads to destruction and the fulfillment of pronounced judgment.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 36:31 stands as a timeless and sobering reminder of the profound seriousness with which God regards our response to His revealed word. In an age where divine authority is frequently questioned, dismissed, or selectively applied, this passage calls us to adopt a posture of deep humility and earnest attentiveness. It challenges us to honestly examine whether we are truly "hearkening" to God's voice as revealed in Scripture, or if we, like Jehoiakim and the people of Judah, are allowing our own desires, personal pride, cultural currents, or worldly wisdom to harden our hearts and dull our spiritual hearing. The corporate nature of the judgment also prompts us to consider our collective responsibility, both within the community of faith and in society at large. Are we, as a collective, attentive to God's warnings and calls for righteousness, or are we complicit in a broader disregard for divine truth and justice? Ultimately, this verse compels us to embrace genuine repentance and active obedience, recognizing that while God is infinitely rich in mercy and grace, He is also perfectly just, and His word—whether it be a word of promise, warning, or judgment—will never return to Him void.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is Jehoiakim's "seed" (descendants) punished for his iniquity?
Answer: The punishment of Jehoiakim's "seed" and "servants" reflects a deeply embedded ancient Near Eastern and biblical concept of corporate responsibility and dynastic judgment. In this worldview, the king was not merely an individual but the representative head of the nation, and his actions, particularly those related to covenant faithfulness or rebellion, had profound implications for his entire household, his officials, and future generations. God's covenant with Israel often included both blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience that explicitly extended to future generations (e.g., Deuteronomy 5:9). In Jehoiakim's case, his extreme defiance, culminating in the public burning of God's revealed word, was such a grave and public offense that it warranted the termination of his royal line. This ensured that no descendant of his would ever prosper or sit on the throne of David (as specifically prophesied in Jeremiah 22:30), underscoring the severity of the sin and God's absolute sovereignty over kings and nations.
What does "they hearkened not" truly imply beyond a simple lack of hearing?
Answer: The phrase "they hearkened not" (Hebrew: lo sham'u) implies much more than merely not hearing or being unaware of God's word. The Hebrew verb shama' means to hear, but it frequently carries the profound connotation of hearing with attention, understanding, and, crucially, obedience. Therefore, "they hearkened not" signifies a willful, deliberate, and active refusal to listen, to comprehend, and to obey. It points to a hardened heart and a rebellious spirit that consciously chose to disregard God's repeated warnings and commands, despite having full and clear access to them through Jeremiah's consistent prophecies. This active defiance and spiritual resistance, rather than simple ignorance or misunderstanding, is what sealed their fate and justified the severity of the divine judgment. It speaks to a profound spiritual apathy and a determined opposition to the truth, a tragic theme tragically prevalent throughout Israel's history of covenant disobedience (e.g., Isaiah 6:9-10).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 36:31, with its stark portrayal of divine judgment for rejecting God's spoken word, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The "evil" pronounced upon Judah for their persistent refusal to "hearken" to the prophets ultimately points to humanity's universal rebellion against God's truth and His divine authority. While King Jehoiakim defiantly rejected the written word of God, humanity's deepest and most damning sin is the rejection of the living Word, Jesus Christ, who is the full, final, and perfect revelation of God Himself (as majestically declared in John 1:1-14 and Hebrews 1:1-3). The comprehensive judgment pronounced upon Jehoiakim, his lineage, and Judah for their iniquity foreshadows the ultimate and just judgment against all sin. This cosmic judgment, which fallen humanity justly deserves, was miraculously and mercifully borne by Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, on the cross (as described in 2 Corinthians 5:21). He became the recipient of "all the evil" of God's righteous wrath against sin, so that all who believe in Him might be spared and escape the just and eternal punishment. Furthermore, just as Judah tragically "hearkened not" to the prophetic voice of Jeremiah, so too many in every generation have "hearkened not" to the glorious gospel message, choosing instead to remain in their sin and rebellion, thereby incurring the eternal consequences of rejecting the Son of God (as solemnly warned in John 3:18-19). Thus, Jeremiah 36:31 not only highlights the severity of God's justice and the dire consequences of disobedience but also magnifies the incomparable grace and boundless mercy found in Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the demands of God's holy law and absorbed the judgment that was due to us, offering eternal salvation to all who will now truly "hearken" to His divine and life-giving voice.