JeremiahChapter 36

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In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

"Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you in the days of Josiah until now.

Perhaps when the house of Judah hears of all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will each turn from their evil way, and I will forgive their guilt and their sin."

So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on the scroll all the words the LORD had spoken to him.

Then Jeremiah instructed Baruch: "I am restricted; I cannot go to the house of the LORD.

So you go, and on a day of fasting read aloud from the scroll the words of the LORD that you wrote at my dictation. Read them in the hearing of the people at the house of the LORD, and in the hearing of all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.

Perhaps their plea for mercy will come before the LORD, and each of them will turn from their evil way, for great is the anger and wrath the LORD has pronounced against this people."

Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him, reading the words of the LORD from the scroll at the house of the LORD.

In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, a fast before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people of Jerusalem and for all who came in to Jerusalem from the towns of Judah.

Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read Jeremiah's words from the scroll at the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD's house.

When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD read from the scroll,

he went down to the king's palace, to the chamber of the scribe, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.

Micaiah reported to them everything he had heard when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people.

So all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, "Bring the scroll you read in the hearing of the people, and come." So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.

They said to him, "Sit down, please, and read it to us." So Baruch read it to them.

When they had heard all the words, they turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch, "We must report all this to the king."

Then they asked Baruch, "Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Did they come from his own mouth?"

Baruch answered, "He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll."

Then the officials said to Baruch, "Go and hide, you and Jeremiah. Let no one know where you are."

After storing the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him.

The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he brought it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe and read it to the king and to all the officials standing beside him.

It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in his winter quarters with a fire burning in the brazier before him.

Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a scribe's knife and throw them into the fire in the brazier, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire.

Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did any of them tear their clothes.

Even when Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

Instead the king ordered Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.

After the king had burned the scroll containing the words Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

"Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned.

And say concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: This is what the LORD says: You burned that scroll and said, 'Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would surely come and destroy this land and wipe out both people and animals from it?'

Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: "He will have no one to sit on David's throne; his body will be thrown out, exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night.

I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their guilt, and I will bring on them, on the people of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they would not listen."

So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe, and as Jeremiah dictated, he wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

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Summary2

Chapter 36

Main Theme: God's word cannot be destroyed—even when King Jehoiakim burns the scroll, the message is rewritten with additions.

Content: God commands Jeremiah to write down all his prophecies on a scroll, hoping that the people will repent. Since Jeremiah is prevented from going to the temple, he sends his scribe Baruch to read the scroll aloud on a fast day. When King Jehoiakim hears its contents, he cuts the scroll into pieces and burns it on the hearth. God then commands that a new scroll be written with the same content plus additional words, and He announces judgment against Jehoiakim and his descendants.

Key Words/Images:

Scroll (מְגִלָּה): God's word in written form, preserved and continued despite human opposition.
Hearth (הָאָח): Symbolizes the king's contempt for God's word, yet also demonstrates the word's invincibility.
Baruch: Jeremiah's faithful scribe who delivers the message when the prophet himself is hindered.
Repentance: The purpose of reading the scroll was to give the people an opportunity to turn from their evil ways.

Historical context

People

The chapter introduces several historical figures who can be confirmed through other sources. Baruch son of Neriah was Jeremiah’s scribe and close associate. His existence is confirmed by an archaeological discovery of a seal impression (bulla) with the inscription "Belonging to Berechiah, son of Neriah, the scribe." Gemariah son of Shaphan was a high-ranking court official whose father Shaphan had served as scribe under King Josiah. The family was known for supporting Jeremiah. Elnathan son of Achbor is also mentioned in Jeremiah 26:22 in another context—here we see him urging the king not to burn the scroll (v. 25).

King Jehoiakim is the reigning monarch who receives and burns the scroll. His reaction—cutting up and burning the scroll without fear or tearing his clothes (vv. 23–24)—stands in sharp contrast to how his father Josiah reacted when the Book of the Law was found (2 Kings 22:11).

Jehudi son of Nethaniah serves as a messenger between the court officials and Baruch (v. 14) and later reads the scroll aloud before the king (vv. 21, 23). Micaiah son of Gemariah hears Baruch reading in the temple and brings the message to the court officials (vv. 11–13).

Places

The scribe’s chamber in the upper courtyard near the new temple gate was an administrative room within the temple complex. Such chambers were used by the court scribes and officials and were strategically located where many people passed. The winter house (בֵּית הַחֹרֶף) was the part of the palace used during the cold season, equipped with a hearth (אָח) for heating. The ninth month (Kislev, November/December) was a winter month in Judah, which explains the use of fire for warmth.

Events and Customs

The fast day mentioned in verse 9 was likely proclaimed in response to the Babylonian threat following the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. Such public fasts were declared during times of crisis to seek the Lord’s favor (cf. Joel 1:14; 2:15). The fact that the fast was proclaimed "in the fifth year" (604/603 BC) may be connected to Babylonian forces operating in the region at that time.

Writing on a scroll (מְגִלַּת־סֵפֶר) was the standard format for longer texts in the ancient Near East. The scroll was made of sewn-together sheets of papyrus or leather. Verse 23 describes how Jehudi read "three or four columns" (דְּלָתוֹת, literally "doors/columns") at a time, and the king cut them off with a "scribe’s knife" and threw them into the fire.

Key Terms

The Hebrew word דְּיוֹ (verse 18) means "ink" and occurs only here in the Old Testament. The term תַּעַר הַסֹּפֵר ("scribe’s knife") was a tool used to sharpen reed pens, scrape away errors, and, as here, cut papyrus or leather.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The seal impression bearing the name Baruch son of Neriah was discovered in the 1970s and is now housed in the Israel Museum. Another seal impression from the same context bears the name "Jerahmeel, the king’s son"—possibly the same Jerahmeel who received orders in verse 26 to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. These findings provide remarkable confirmation that the persons mentioned in this chapter were real historical figures.

People26

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Key words7

Jeremiah — A prophet in the Old Testament who received God's word and delivered it to the people.
Scroll — A written text rolled up on a rod, often made of papyrus or parchment. In Jeremiah 36, the scroll is used to record God's message.
Baruch — A scribe and friend of Jeremiah who wrote down God's words on the scroll at Jeremiah's dictation.
Jehoiakim — The king of Judah at the time Jeremiah received God's message. Jehoiakim rejected God's warnings and burned the scroll.
God's wrath — An expression of God's strong displeasure with human sin and evil. In Jeremiah 36, God warns of His wrath against Judah and Jerusalem because of their disobedience.
Judgment — God's righteous punishment for human sin and disobedience. In Jeremiah 36, it is prophesied that God will bring destruction upon Judah and Jerusalem.
Upheaval — A dramatic change or event, often linked to God's intervention in history. In Jeremiah 36, the upheaval is connected to God's judgment on Judah and Jerusalem.