Jeremiah 36 - Introduction

Jeremiah 36:1-32. Jeremiah's Roll written, read, burnt, and re-written

This extremely interesting and important ch., in its bearing on the history of the construction of the Book as it now stands, has been already treated in the Intr. pp. xl. ff.

We may summarize the contents as follows. (i) Jeremiah 36:1. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim Jehovah bids Jeremiah commit to writing in a Roll the substance of his prophecies since the commencement of his ministry, in case the people may thereby be moved to forsake their evil ways. Baruch accordingly takes down the words at the mouth of Jeremiah, and, as the latter is unable himself to appear at the Temple, reads it there at his direction. (ii) Jeremiah 36:9. In the ninth month of the next year Baruch reads the Roll publicly in the chamber of Gemariah. Micaiah, his son, reports its substance to the princes, who cause Baruch to come and repeat the reading. They declare thereupon that they will communicate the contents to the king, ascertaining by questions that Jeremiah is the sole author, and they advise that he and his amanuensis go into hiding. (iii) Jeremiah 36:21. Jehoiakim sends for the Roll, and on hearing the earlier part of its contents, cuts it in pieces and burns it in the brasier before which he is sitting, in spite of the intercession of some of the princes. Moreover he bids that Jeremiah and Baruch should be seized; but they elude him. (iv) Jeremiah 36:27. Jehovah bids the prophet re-write the Roll, adding the punishment that shall be the lot of Jehoiakim personally for his refusal to believe in the calamities which were coming on his people. Jeremiah therefore dictates the new edition of the Roll, including further like prophecies.

Here we have the detailed circumstances under which Jeremiah recorded in a permanent form the substance of those prophecies which he had been uttering against Judah and Jerusalem for twenty-three years (see on Jeremiah 25:3). This ch. like the last (see on Jeremiah 36:1 there) forms a break in the historical section (chs. 32 44), and goes back to the time of Jehoiakim.