Jeremiah 36

Passage overview

Jeremiah 36 describes how the prophet Jeremiah records God’s words on a scroll through Baruch and how they are delivered to the people of Judah and to the king. This chapter shows, in a structured way, the process of recording and proclaiming God’s word, as well as how people respond to it.

  • Verses 1-8: Jeremiah calls out the words given by God to Baruch, and Baruch writes them down on the scroll.
  • Verses 9-19: Baruch reads the scroll aloud to the people in the temple, and the news is delivered to the king’s officials.
  • Verses 20-26: When the scroll is read in the presence of King Jehoiakim, the king burns the scroll.
  • Verses 27-32: God speaks to Jeremiah again, and Baruch records those words once more on a new scroll.

1verseIn the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2verse“Take a scroll of a book, and write in it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day.

3verseIt may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I intend to do to them, that they may each return from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

4verseThen Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the LORD’s words, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll of a book.

5verseJeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am restricted. I can’t go into the LORD’s house.

6verseTherefore you go, and read from the scroll which you have written from my mouth, the LORD’s words, in the ears of the people in the LORD’s house on the fast day. Also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah who come out of their cities.

7verseIt may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will each return from his evil way; for the LORD has pronounced great anger and wrath against this people.”

8verseBaruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the LORD’s words in the LORD’s house.

9verseNow in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before the LORD.

10verseThen Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the book in the LORD’s house, in the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house, in the ears of all the people.

11verseWhen Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the LORD’s words,

12versehe went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s room; and behold, all the princes were sitting there, Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

13verseThen Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.

14verseTherefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them.

15verseThey said to him, “Sit down now, and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.

16verseNow when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, “We will surely tell the king of all these words.”

17verseThey asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words at his mouth?”

18verseThen Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.”

19verseThen the princes said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah go hide. Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

20verseThey went in to the king into the court, but they had laid up the scroll in the room of Elishama the scribe. Then they told all the words in the hearing of the king.

21verseSo the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the room of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king, and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king.

22verseNow the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him.

23verseWhen Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.

24verseThe king and his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, and didn’t tear their garments.

25verseMoreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them.

26verseThe king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but the LORD hid them.

27verseThen the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned the scroll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

28verse“Take again another scroll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.

29verseConcerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘The LORD says: “You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written therein, saying, “The king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cause to cease from there man and animal”?’”

30verseTherefore the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: “He will have no one to sit on David’s throne. His dead body will be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

31verseI will punish him, his offspring, and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them, 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.”’”

32verseThen Jeremiah took another scroll, 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 many similar words were added to them.

The Flow and Structure of the Text

On the one hand, this chapter shows how God’s word is conveyed and preserved within human history; on the other hand, it contrasts how people respond in various ways (obedience, ignoring it, and attempts to destroy it).

  • The delivery of the word: Jeremiah → Baruch → the people & officials → the king
  • The patterns of response: listening (the people, officials) and refusal (the king)
  • God’s ongoing work: Despite the king’s refusal, the word does not disappear; instead, it is recorded again even more firmly

The Meaning and Message of the Whole Chapter

Jeremiah 36 conveys a theological message: God’s word does not vanish despite humanity’s firm rejection and interference, and God’s will will surely be accomplished. Even though the king burned the scroll, it is emphasized that God made it be written again, highlighting the unchanging and enduring nature of God’s word. This chapter leads us to reflect on the attitude of the hearer and on our own response to God’s word.

Points for Reflection

  • I can take the opportunity to examine what kind of heart and attitude I approach God’s word with.
  • I should pay attention to the fact that God’s plan continues even amid human rejection and obstruction.
  • I can also remember the value of printed Scripture (the Bible) and the efforts of the people of faith who preserve it and seek to proclaim it.

Applying It to Me

  • I reflect on whether I am someone who listens to God’s word and obeys it, or someone who turns away from it.
  • I think about whether I keep and put God’s word into practice in my life, and whether I make an effort to share that word with those around me.
  • It can be a time when I gain courage and hope as I believe that, in every situation, God’s word will ultimately be fulfilled.