1.
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,
The Thirty-Second Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
the fourth year of Jehoiakim. This was after Nebuchadnezzar had left Jerusalem with his band of young captives, including Daniel. See App-86 . The city had become quieted down again.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
2.
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.
roll = a writing scroll. Hebrew. megillah. Occurs twenty-one times (fourteen times in this chapter. Psalms 40:7 . Ezekiel 2:9 ; Ezekiel 3:1 , Ezekiel 3:2 , Ezekiel 3:3 .Zechariah 5:1 , Zechariah 5:2 ). The name given to the five books called the megilloth (Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther).
words. Plural Compare "word" (singular) (Jeremiah 36:1 ).
Israel. These words were now to be written because Israel had been already in dispersion 114 years, and could not be spoken, as they were when Judah alone was concerned. Compare Jeremiah 25:2 .
from the days of Josiah. See Jeremiah 1:1-3 . Not only what is recorded in Jeremiah 25 , but what Jehovah had spoken to him for the past twenty-three years.
3.
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.
evil = calamity. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 .
every man. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 .
iniquity. Hebrew. 'avon. sin. Hebrew. chata App-44 .
4.
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.
Baruch = Blessed. The first mention of him chronologically. Other references to him in Jeremiah 32:12 ; Jeremiah 43:3 , Jeremiah 43:6 ; Jeremiah 45:1-5 . He was brother to Seraiah. Compare Jeremiah 32:12 with Jeremiah 51:59 .
5.
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:
shut up. Not in prison (for Compare Jeremiah 36:19 ), but in hiding, or from some unexplained reason.
6.
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.
the fasting day = a fast day. Being in the ninth month (Jeremiah 36:9 ), it was not that prescribed in the Law, which was in the seventh month (Leviticus 16:29 ; Leviticus 23:27 ).
7.
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.
8.
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.
9.
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.
the fifth year. The reading was deferred for some months.
ninth month. Our December. See App-51 .
they proclaimed, &c. = all the People of Jerusalem, and all the People who were coming in and out of the cities of Jerusalem, had proclaimed a fast before Jehovah.
10.
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.
Gemariah. He was brother of Ahikam (Jeremiah 26:24 ), and not the Gemariah of Jeremiah 29:3 , who was Hilkiah's son.
Shaphan. See note on 2 Kings 22:3 .
the scribe: i.e. Shaphan (not Gemariah), who was the scribe in Josiah's days. See 2 Kings 22:3 , 2 Kings 22:8 , 2Ki 22:9 , 2 Kings 22:10 , 2 Kings 22:12 . At the time of this history Elishama was the scribe (unless there were more than one). See verses: Jeremiah 36:12 , Jeremiah 36:20 , Jeremiah 36:21 .
11.
When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,
of = from.
12.
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.
went down. Compare Jeremiah 22:1 .
Elnathan. The king's emissary against Urijah (Jeremiah 26:22 ).
13.
Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
the = in the.
14.
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.
15.
And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.
Sit down now. Compare "stood" (Jeremiah 36:21 ). Showing that these princes were favourable to Jeremiah.
16.
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.
the words. Some codices, with two early printed editions, read "these words".
We will surely tell. Showing their earnestness and sincerity in the matter.
17.
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?
18.
Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.
19.
Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.
man. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 .
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.
Stood. See note on Jeremiah 36:15 .
22.
Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
on the hearth = in the brasier: i.e. the vessel into which the burning charcoal was put from the hearth in houses of the better sort.
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.
leaves = columns.
he: i.e. the king.
cut it = cut it up into fragments.
penknife = a scribe ' s knife. The words of Jehovah are cut up to-day, not with a scribe's knife, but with scribe's pens in the hands of the modern critics. Yet they are "not afraid".
24.
Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.
not afraid. The courtiers were less open to holy fear than the People were. See note on Jeremiah 36:9 . Contrast Jehoiakim's father, king Josiah (2 Kings 22:11 ). Contrast also the sentence pronounced on them (2 Kings 22:18-20 with Jeremiah 36:30 , below on "him").
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.
Nevertheless = Moreover.
made intercession. Showing that Elnathan was less hostile than we might perhaps have concluded from Jeremiah 26:22 and 2 Kings 24:8 .
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.
Hammelech = the king. Compare Jeremiah 38:6 . 1Ki 22:26 . 2 Kings 11:1 , 2 Kings 11:2 .Zephaniah 1:8 .
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,
The Thirty-Third Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
came. The word of the LORD was "not bound". Compare 2 Timothy 2:9 .
the roll, and the words. Note the Figure of speech Hendiadys = "the roll, yea, the very words of Jehovah written therein".
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.
another roll. See the Structure, (p. 1069). We are not told what became of this, so it may have got, later, into the hands of Nehemiah, when he visited the Temple ruins.
29.
And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim the 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?
thou shalt say. Not verbally to Jehoiakim, but in the other scroll.
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.
of = concerning.
none to sit, &c. = none sitting, &c. Hebrew. yashab, implying permanence. His son Jehoiachin reigned only three months, and then only on sufferance (2 Kings 24:6-8 ). See note on Jeremiah 22:30 . See App-99 .
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.
punish him = visit upon him. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 32:34 ). App-92 .
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.
like words = like unto them. They are preserved to us in this book to a large extent. The history in Jeremiah 37 and Jeremiah 38 reverts to the last two years of Zedekiah's reign, and the actual siege of Jerusalem. It is a new and independent section. See Structure, above.