About Jeremiah

Jeremiah warned Judah of coming judgment for 40 years, yet proclaimed the hope of a new covenant.

Author: JeremiahWritten: c. 627-580 BCReading time: ~4 minVerses: 32
JudgmentNew CovenantRepentanceSufferingFaithfulnessHope

King James Version

Jeremiah 36

32 verses with commentary

The Scroll Read in the Temple

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 the LORD, saying,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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 the LORD, saying,</strong> This chronological marker places the event in 605 BCE, a pivotal year when Babylon defeated Egypt at Carchemish, establishing Nebuchadnezzar's Neo-Babylonian Empire as the dominant world power. The dating formula emphasizes divine sovereignt...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

XXXVI. (1) **The fourth year of Jehoiakim . . .**—The prophetic message that follows is brought by the date thus given into close contact with Jeremiah 25, and it is a reasonable inference that we have in that chapter the substance of part, at least, of what was written by Baruch from the prophet’s dictation in Jeremiah 36:4. The contents exactly agree with the description of the prophecy given he...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

9. (Jr 5:29; Jr 9:9; 44:22).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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 Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The Hebrew <em>megillat-sefer</em> ("roll of a book") refers to a leather or papyrus scroll, the standard writing medium of antiquity. God's command to w...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Take thee a roll of a book.**—The same phrase meets us in Psalm 40:7 (ascribed by some critics to Jeremiah), but does not occur in any earlier prophet or historical book. It is found in later prophets (Ezekiel 2:9; Ezekiel 3:1; Zechariah 5:1-2). It probably followed on the introduction of parchment as a material for writing on, and the consequent substitution of the roll for the papyrus book...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10. Abrupt apostrophe to the Babylonians, to take Jerusalem, but not to destroy the nation utterly (see on Jr 4:27). **battlements--**rather, tendrils [Maurer]: the state being compared to a vine (Jr 12:10), the stem of which was to be spared, while the tendrils (the chief men) were to be removed.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> This verse reveals God's redemptive heart even in pronouncing judgment. The phrase "it may be" (<em>ulay</em>, אוּלַי) doesn't indicate divine uncertainty but rather expresses God's genuine desi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **It may be that the house of Judah will hear . . .**—Better, *hearken to, *as implying more than the physical act of listening. Here again, in the expression of the hope that Israel would “return every man from his evil way,” we have a distinct echo from Jeremiah 25:5.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11. (Jr 3:20).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD.</strong> This verse introduces Baruch ben Neriah, Jeremiah's faithful scribe and companion. The name <em>Baruch</em> (בָּרוּךְ) means 'blessed,' while <em>Neriah</em> (נֵרִיָּה) means 'lamp of Yahweh.' Baruch was from a distinguished family—his brother Seraiah served as qua...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah.**—See Note on Jeremiah 32:12. The prophet was, as the next verse shows, in some way hindered, though apparently not by imprisonment, as he and Baruch could hide themselves (Jeremiah 36:19): Baruch therefore had to act not only as the prophet’s amanuensis, but as the preacher of his sermon. It will be noted that an interval of some months elapsed...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. belied--**denied. **It is not he--**rather, "(Jehovah) is not He," that is, the true and only God (Jr 14:22; De 32:39; Is 43:10, 13). By their idolatry they virtually denied Him. Or, referring to what follows, and to Jr 5:9, "(Jehovah) is not," namely, about to be the punisher of our sins (Jr 14:13; Is 28:15).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD.</strong> The phrase <em>I am shut up</em> translates <em>'atsur</em> (עָצוּר), meaning detained, restrained, or confined. Scholars debate whether this indicates literal imprisonment, house arrest, or ritual impurity barring temple access. More likely, Jeremiah faced official prohibition from public...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13. Continuation of the unbelieving language of the Jews. **the prophets--**who prophesy punishment coming on us. **the word--**the Holy Spirit, who speaks through true prophets, is not in them [Maurer]. Or else, "There is no word (divine communication) in them" (Ho 1:2) [Rosenmuller]. **thus, &amp;c.--**Their ill-omened prophecies shall fall on themselves.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day.</strong> Jeremiah commissions Baruch for public ministry despite his own restriction. The phrase <em>in the ears of the people</em> emphasizes oral proclamation—Scripture was primarily heard, not read silently. <em>Upon th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **In the Lord’s house upon the fasting day.—**Literally, *a fast day. *We learn from Jeremiah 36:9 that this was one of the special fasts “proclaimed” in times of national distress (comp. Joel 2:1; 2Chronicles 20:3-4; 1Kings 21:10), and it was accordingly a time when the courts of the Temple would be more than usually thronged, and when, it might be hoped, the people gathered in them would be ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**14. ye ... thy ... this people--**He turns away from addressing the people to the prophet; implying that He puts them to a distance from Him, and only communicates with them through His prophet (Jr 5:19). **fire ... wood--**Thy denunciations of judgments shall be fulfilled and shall consume them as fire does wood. In Jr 23:29 it is the penetrating energy of fire which is the point of compariso...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people. they: Heb. their supplication shall fail

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way.</strong> Despite years of rejected prophecy, God extends another opportunity for repentance. <em>It may be</em> translates <em>'ulay</em> (אוּלַי), expressing possibility, not certainty—God grants freedom to respond or reject. <em>Present their supplication</em> uses <em>techinnah</...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15. (Jr 1:15; 6:22). Alluding to De 28:49, &amp;c. **Israel--**that is, Judah. **mighty--**from an Arabic root, "enduring." The fourfold repetition of "nation" heightens the force. **ancient--**The Chaldeans came originally from the Carduchian and Armenian mountains north of Mesopotamia, whence they immigrated into Babylonia; like all mountaineers, they were brave and hardy (see on Is 23:13)...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD'S house.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him</strong>—The Hebrew verb שָׁמַע (shama, to hear/obey) underlies Baruch's faithful obedience. As Jeremiah's scribe and loyal disciple, Baruch becomes the physical voice of the imprisoned prophet. <strong>Reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD'S house</strong> (קָרָא בַּסֵּפֶר, qara basep...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**16. open sepulchre--**(Compare Psa 5:9). Their quiver is all-devouring, as the grave opened to receive the dead: as many as are the arrows, so many are the deaths.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>In the fifth year of Jehoiakim...in the ninth month</strong>—This dates the event to December 604 BC, approximately nine months after the initial dictation (v.1, fourth year). <strong>They proclaimed a fast before the LORD</strong> (קָרְאוּ־צוֹם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, qar'u-tzom lifnei YHWH)—A national fast suggested crisis, likely fear of Babylonian invasion after Nebuchadnezzar's recent victori...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **It came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim.**—The LXX. gives “the *eighth *year,” but the Hebrew text gives much the more probable date. What follows refers apparently to the same occasion as Jeremiah 36:8, and is of the nature of a note explaining the circumstances under which the prophetic discourse was read. An interval of some months thus passed between the writing of the book and it...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

17. (Le 26:16).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house, in the ears of all the people. entry: or, door

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah</strong>—The public reading (קָרָא, qara) continues the prophetic tradition of oral proclamation. <strong>In the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan</strong>—Shaphan's family consistently supported Jeremiah (26:24, 39:14), providing safe space for the prophet's ministry. <strong>In the higher court, at the entry of the new gate</strong>...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **In the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan.**—The man thus named belonged to a family which, through three successive generations, presented conspicuous examples of devout patriotism. His father Shaphan was energetic in the work of re-building the Temple under Josiah (2Kings 22:3), in conjunction with the high priest Hilkiah, and had taken an active part in publishing the contents of the...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. Not even in those days of judgments, will God utterly exterminate His people. **I will not make a full end with you--**(Jr 5:10; Jr 4:27).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan</strong>—The genealogy is significant: Shaphan was Josiah's secretary who discovered the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:8). This family had spiritual DNA of responding rightly to Scripture. <strong>Had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD</strong> (שָׁמַע מֵעַל הַסֵּפֶר אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה, shama me'al hasepher et-kol-divre...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **When Michaiah the son of Gemariah . . .—**Gemariah himself was, as we find in the next verse, not one of the listeners, but took his place with the other princes, in the “scribe’s chamber,” probably used as a council-room, in the king’s palace. It seems obvious from Michaiah’s relation to him that his purpose in reporting Baruch’s discourse was not unfriendly. Probably it was part of a prec...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

19. Retribution in kind. As ye have forsaken Me (Jr 2:13), so shall ye be forsaken by Me. As ye have served strange (foreign) gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers (foreigners) in a land not yours. Compare the similar retribution in De 28:47, 48.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber</strong>—The movement from temple (higher court) to palace (lower, literally) symbolizes bringing God's word to political power. <strong>And, lo, all the princes sat there</strong>—The Hebrew הִנֵּה (hinneh, behold) draws attention to the assembled cabinet meeting. Six officials are named, representing Jehoiakim's inner cir...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **And, lo, all the princes sat there.**—The following particulars may be noted as to the princes thus named. Elishama may have been identical with the prince of that name in 2Kings 25:25, and, if so, was the grandfather of a man who afterwards plays a conspicuous part in the history of the prophet’s life (Jeremiah 41) He appears to have taken a purely official line, as scribe, standing neutra...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard</strong> (נָגַד, nagad—to declare, announce, make known). Michaiah functions as a faithful reporter, ensuring the princes receive the complete prophetic message. <strong>When Baruch read the book in the ears of the people</strong>—The repetition of public reading emphasizes the transparency of prophetic ministry; this was no ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**21. eyes ... ears, and--**Translate, "and yet" (compare De 29:4; Is 6:9). Having powers of perception, they did not use them: still they were responsible for the exercise of them.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi</strong>—The four-generation genealogy of this messenger (rare in Scripture) may indicate his importance or mixed heritage ("Cushi" suggests Ethiopian ancestry). <strong>Take in thine hand the roll</strong> (מְגִלָּה, megillah—scroll). <strong>Wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come</strong>—The princes want to examine the source doc...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah. . . .**—There must obviously have been some reason for the exceptionally long genealogy thus given. It is probably indicated by the first and last names on the list. Cushi ( = Ethiopian)—the name appears, probably with this sense, as that of a courier of Joab’s in 2Samuel 18:21—was an alien by birth, who, like Ebed-melech the Ethio...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**22. sand--**Though made up of particles easily shifting about, I render it sufficient to curb the violence of the sea. Such is your monstrous perversity, that the raging, senseless sea sooner obeys Me, than ye do who profess to be intelligent [Calvin], (Job 26:10; 38:10, 11; Pr 8:29; Re 15:4).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears</strong>—The courteous invitation (שֵׁב־נָא, shev-na, "sit down, please") and request for oral reading suggests initial respect. <strong>So Baruch read it in their ears</strong>—For the third time, the scroll is read aloud, each reading expanding the circle of accountability: first the people (v.10), then Michaiah's private hear...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

23. (Jr 6:28).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid</strong> (פָּחַד, pachad—to fear, dread, be in awe). This is appropriate reverence before divine judgment. <strong>Both one and other</strong> (אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ, ish el-re'ehu)—literally "each man to his neighbor," suggesting they exchanged fearful looks, confirming each other's alarm. <strong>We will surely tell the...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **They were afraid both one and other . . .**—The words indicate a conflict of feelings. They were alarmed for themselves and their country as they heard, with at least a partial faith, the woes that were threatened as impending. They were alarmed also for the safety of the prophet and the scribe who had the boldness to utter those woes. They have no hostile purpose in communicating what they...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**24. rain ... former ... latter--**The "former" falls from the middle of October to the beginning of December. The "latter," or spring rain in Palestine, falls before harvest in March and April, and is essential for ripening the crops (De 11:14; Joe 2:23). **weeks of ... harvest--**the seven weeks between passover and pentecost, beginning on the sixteenth of Nisan (De 16:9). By God's special pr...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?</strong>—The question probes the scroll's origin and authenticity. <strong>At his mouth</strong> (מִפִּיו, mipiv) emphasizes direct dictation. The princes need to verify this is genuinely Jeremiah's prophecy, not Baruch's invention or interpretation.<br><br>Their investigation is procedurally sou...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17-19) **Tell us now, How didst thou write . . .?**—The question was clearly put as a judicial interrogatory. The princes were anxious to ascertain how far each of the parties concerned was responsible. Had Baruch exercised any discretion in writing so that the words were his, though the substance was Jeremiah’s? or had he, on his own responsibility, and without the prophet’s will, published what...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25. National guilt had caused the suspension of these national mercies mentioned in Jr 5:24 (compare Jr 3:3).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth</strong> (מִפִּיו יִקְרָא, mipiv yiqra—"from his mouth he called/proclaimed"). <strong>And I wrote them with ink in the book</strong> (בַּדְּיוֹ עַל־הַסֵּפֶר, badyo al-hasepher). Baruch's straightforward answer confirms direct dictation and mechanical transcription using דְּיוֹ (deyo, ink)—likely carbon-based i...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26. (Pr 1:11, 17, 18; Ha 1:15). **as he that setteth snares--**rather, "as fowlers crouch" [Maurer]. **trap--**literally, "destruction": the instrument of destruction. **catch men--**not as Peter, to save (Lu 5:10), but to destroy men.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah</strong> (לֵךְ הִסָּתֵר, lekh histater—"go, hide yourselves"). The urgency is clear: סָתַר (satar, to hide/conceal) in the reflexive form indicates self-concealment. <strong>And let no man know where ye be</strong>—The princes, knowing Jehoiakim's violent temperament (he murdered the prophet Urijah, 26:23), issue a warning...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**27. full of deceit--**full of treasures got by deceit. **rich--**(Psa 73:12, 18-20).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The princes' caution in <em>depositing</em> the scroll (Hebrew <em>paqad</em>, פָּקַד, meaning to entrust or deposit for safekeeping) before approaching Jehoiakim reveals their awareness of the king's volatile temperament. Th...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **They laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama . . .**—The step was a material one, from the official standpoint. If either the prophet or the disciple were to be prosecuted for what had been spoken, it was important that the *corpus delicti *should itself be ready for reference, whether on behalf of the accusers or accused. The precaution taken by the princes of lodging it with Elishama,...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**28. shine--**the effect of fatness on the skin (De 32:15). They live a life of self-indulgence. **overpass ... the wicked--**exceed even the Gentiles in wickedness (Jr 2:33; Eze 5:6, 7). **judge not ... fatherless--**(Is 1:23). **yet ... prosper--**(Jr 12:1).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> Jehoiakim's command to <strong>fetch the roll</strong> (<em>laqach et-hammegillah</em>, לָקַח אֶת־הַמְּגִלָּה) shows he demanded direct confrontation with God's written word. Unli...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **So the king sent Jehudi . . .**—The prudence ci the counsellors was foiled by the king’s impatience. He was not satisfied with hearing a general report. He would have the words themselves.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

29. (Jr 5:9; Mal 3:5).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.</strong> The <strong>winterhouse</strong> (<em>bet hachoref</em>, בֵּית הַחֹרֶף) was a separate palace structure designed for cold weather, featuring thick walls and small windows to retain heat. The <strong>ninth month</strong> (Kislev, כִּסְלֵו, November-December) was indeed win...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month.**—The “winterhouse” (the palaces of kings seem to have been commonly provided with such a special apartment; comp. Amos 3:15) was probably the southern wing of the palace. It was in November or December, and, as glass windows were unknown, a charcoal fire, placed after the Eastern fashion in a brazier, or earthen pot, in the middle of ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

30. (Jr 23:14; Ho 6:10).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Yet Jehoiakim the king of Judah 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.</strong> This verse records one of Scripture's most dramatic acts of defiance against God's word. The Hebrew <em>ta'ar hasofer</em> ("penknife" or "scribe's knife") was typically used for sharpening reed pens and cut...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **Three or four leaves . . .**—The English words suggest the idea of a papyrus book rather than a parchment roll (see Note on Jeremiah 36:4), but the Hebrew word (literally *= *a door) may indicate the column of writing on such a roll, as well as a leaf. The act, in its childish impatience, betrayed the anger of the king. He could not bear to hear of the seventy years of exile which were in s...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**31. bear rule by their means--**literally, "according to their hands," that is, under their guidance (1Ch 25:3). As a sample of the priests lending themselves to the deceits of the false prophets, to gain influence over the people, see Jr 29:24-32. **love to have it so--**(Mi 2:11). **end thereof--**the fatal issue of this sinful course when divine judgments shall come.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.</strong> The emphatic <strong>they were not afraid</strong> (<em>lo pachadu</em>, לֹא פָחֲדוּ) and <strong>nor rent their garments</strong> (<em>lo qare'u et-bigdehhem</em>, לֹא קָרְעוּ אֶת־בִּגְדֵיהֶם) presents a damning contrast to Josiah's response when Shaphan read t...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24-25) **Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments . . .**—If we suppose that the “servants” are identical with the princes, these were the very men who, when they first heard the words, had been afraid, “both one and other.” Now the king’s presence restrains them, and they dare not show their alarm at the contents of the scroll, nor “rend their clothes” (comp. Matthew 26:65; Acts 14:14) ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll.</strong> This verse reveals a crucial moment of moral courage within King Jehoiakim's court. Three officials—Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah—interceded (<em>paga</em>, פָּגַע) with the king, pleading that he not destroy God's written word. The Hebrew verb suggests urgent, ferve...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 6 Jr 6:1-30. Zion's Foes Prepare War against Her: Her Sins Are the Cause. **1. Benjamin--**Jerusalem was situated in the tribe of Benjamin, which was here separated from that of Judah by the valley of Hinnom. Though it was inhabited partly by Benjamites, partly by men of Judah, he addresses the former as being his own countrymen. **blow ... trumpet ... Tekoa--**Tikehu, Tekoa form a play...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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. of Hammelech: or, of the king

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> Having destroyed God's written word (v. 23), Jehoiakim now attempts to silence God's living messengers. The command to <strong>take</strong> (<em>laqach</em>, לָקַח, meaning seize or arrest...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(26) **But the king commanded Jerahmeel . . .**—Instead of “the son of Hammelech,” we have to read, if we take the usual meaning of the words, “the king’s son,” as, indeed, the LXX. rightly renders it. The term would not imply more than that he belonged to the “royal house.” Jehoiakim was only twenty-five when he came to the throne, and could not have had a son old enough to execute the orders giv...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. likened--**rather, "I lay waste." Literally, "O comely and delicate one, I lay waste the daughter of Zion," that is, "thee." So Zec 3:9, "before Joshua," that is, "before thee" [Maurer].

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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,

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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,</strong> The emphatic <strong>the word of the LORD came</strong> (<em>wayehi devar-YHWH</em>, וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה) immediately following the scroll's destruction demonstrates that God's word cannot be silenced by human opposition. The king...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(27) **Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.**—This was probably during the concealment of the two friends, and to the command thus given we probably owe the present form of Jeremiah 25—perhaps, also, of the earlier chapters of the book. But, in addition to the reproduction of the judgment denounced upon the nation at large, there was now a special prediction as to Jehoiakim himself. (1) He ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. shepherds--**hostile leaders with their armies (Jr 1:15; 4:17; 49:20; 50:45). **feed--**They shall consume each one all that is near him; literally, "his hand," that is, the place which he occupies (Nu 2:17; see on Is 56:5).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> God's command to replicate the destroyed scroll demonstrates the permanence and authority of divine revelation. The phrase "all the former words" (<em>kol-hadevariym harishonim</em>) emphasizes complete restoration—nothing of God's message ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4-5. The invading soldiers encourage one another to the attack on Jerusalem. **Prepare--**literally, "Sanctify" war, that is, Proclaim it formally with solemn rites; the invasion was solemnly ordered by God (compare Is 13:3). **at noon--**the hottest part of the day when attacks were rarely made (Jr 15:8; 20:16). Even at this time they wished to attack, such is their eagerness. **Woe unto us...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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?</strong> God's message through Jeremiah addresses Jehoiakim directly with devastating precision. The accusation <strong>Thou hast bur...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4-5. The invading soldiers encourage one another to the attack on Jerusalem. **Prepare--**literally, "Sanctify" war, that is, Proclaim it formally with solemn rites; the invasion was solemnly ordered by God (compare Is 13:3). **at noon--**the hottest part of the day when attacks were rarely made (Jr 15:8; 20:16). Even at this time they wished to attack, such is their eagerness. **Woe unto us...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> This is one of Scripture's most specific and severe prophetic judgments. The declaration <strong>He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David</strong> doesn't mean Jehoiakim ha...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. cast--**Hebrew, "pour out"; referring to the emptying of the baskets of earth to make the mound, formed of "trees" and earthwork, to overtop the city walls. The "trees" were also used to make warlike engines. **this--**pointing the invaders to Jerusalem. **visited--**that is, punished. **wholly oppression--**or join "wholly" with "visited," that is, she is altogether (in her whole exten...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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. punish: Heb. visit upon

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> The comprehensive scope of judgment—<strong>him and his seed and his servants</strong>—shows that Jehoiakim's sin infected his entire administr...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7. fountain--**rather, a well dug, from which water springs; distinct from a natural spring or fountain. **casteth out--**causeth to flow; literally, "causeth to dig," the cause being put for the effect (2Ki 21:16, 24; Is 57:20). **me--**Jehovah.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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. like: Heb. as they

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong> This verse reveals the outcome of divine command—complete restoration plus expansion. The phrase "all the words of t...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(32) **And there were added besides unto them many like words.**—The passage is interesting as showing, as it were, the *genesis *of the present volume of the prophet’s writings. The discourse delivered in the Temple court was, in modern phrase, revised and enlarged, dictated to Baruch as before, and in this shape has probably come down to us in Jeremiah 25. **Ellicott's Commentary for English Rea...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. Tender appeal in the midst of threats. **depart--**Hebrew, "be torn away"; Jehovah's affection making Him unwilling to depart; His attachment to Jerusalem was such that an effort was needed to tear Himself from it (Eze 23:18; Ho 9:12; 11:8).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 36 See II Kin. 18:17-37, and the commentary thereon.

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