Chapter Thirty-Six

1–8. The writing of the book of Jeremiah’s prophecies in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. 9–26. Its destruction by the king in the following year. 27–32. The rewriting of the book and the prophecy concerning Jehoiakim and his people.

Jer 36:1-8. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the prophet receives from God a command to write down all the prophetic speeches he has made up to that time for reading to the people. Jeremiah dictates his speeches to his disciple Baruch, and then commands him to read the scroll of speeches in the temple, where many people gathered because of a fast, and Baruch carries out Jeremiah’s command.

Jeremiah 36:1. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, such a word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Jeremiah 36:2. Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you concerning Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I began speaking to you in the days of Josiah until today; Jeremiah had certainly recorded some of his speeches even before. But now he writes all these speeches, almost exclusively threatening in character, into one book. Why this was necessary at the present time can be said as follows. First, many of the speeches he made over nearly twenty years apparently were now coming to fulfillment, if they had not already been fulfilled, and this circumstance had to make a particularly strong impression on those for whom these speeches were intended. Second, Jeremiah himself could not openly appear before the people at that time (verse 5), and thus the reading of his speeches by Baruch was to replace the prophet’s oral preaching.

Jeremiah 36:4. And Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. If Jeremiah uses the services of Baruch for writing his speeches on this occasion, it is not because he himself could not write (cf. Jer 30:2), but because, as he dictated his speeches to Baruch, the prophet was in a heightened state of emotion, which made it impossible for him to engage in the painstaking work of writing.

Jeremiah 36:5. And Jeremiah said to Baruch, “I am confined and cannot go into the house of the Lord; “I am confined.” From verse 19 it is clear that Jeremiah was not locked in a prison. By this expression he means only that he is forbidden to appear before the people.

Jeremiah 36:6. so you go and read from the scroll that you have written from my mouth – the words of the Lord – to the ears of the people in the house of the Lord on the day of fasting, and also to the ears of all Judah who come in from their cities, read it to them; “The day of fasting.” It is unknown what fast this was. In those difficult times special fasts were sometimes appointed or days of repentance to appease the anger of Yehova. Jer 36:9-26. Immediately word of the contents of the scroll read by Baruch was brought to the notice of the king’s counselors. They themselves heard the prophecy of Jeremiah and were seized with fear. After advising Baruch to hide together with Jeremiah, the counselors reported the scroll to the king, who in turn demanded it for himself. When the king heard the scroll read, he took it in sections in his hands and burned it on a brazier, thereby showing contempt for Jeremiah, and then ordered the arrest of Jeremiah and Baruch, who, however, with God’s help, managed to hide in time.

Jeremiah 36:10. And Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan, the scribe, on the upper court, at the entrance to the New Gate of the house of the Lord, to all the people. The scribe Gemariah, son of the former chief of the royal chancellery Shaphan (2 Sam 22:3), brother of Ahikam mentioned in chapter XXVI (Jer 26:24), the defender of Jeremiah. Now in the place of Shaphan was Elishama (verse 12). – “New Gate” – see Jer 26:10.

Jeremiah 36:22. Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, and there was a fire burning before him. Braziers are still used in Jerusalem today for heating rooms in the winter time (the ninth month corresponds to our December).

Jeremiah 36:24. And neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were frightened, nor did they tear their garments. By servants here are meant not those scribes who were frightened by the predictions of Jeremiah (verse 16), but probably merely the courtiers.

Jeremiah 36:26. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son and Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them. The king’s son is a prince from the royal house of David, not the son of Jehoiakim, who at that time was no more than thirty years old. Jer 36:27-32. Jeremiah receives from God a command to rewrite his prophecies and announce to Jehoiakim that for his daring attitude toward God’s word, the Lord will not give his descendants to sit on the throne of David, but will deprive the king himself of an honorable burial.

Jeremiah 36:30. For this reason thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim, king of Judah: none of his offspring will sit on the throne of David, and his dead body will be thrown out in the heat of the day and in the cold of the night; Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, reigned for only three months, and then his uncle Zedekiah ascended the throne. – Concerning the burial of Jehoiakim – see Jer 22:19.

Jeremiah 36:32. Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them. Jeremiah not only writes the former prophecies in the new book, but also adds new ones, especially those spoken later.