Baruch Reads the Scroll to Judah's Officials
The proclaimed word of God confronts the nation’s leadership and forces a response to the warning of coming judgment.
Jeremiah 36:9-19 (BSB)
9 Now in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast before the LORD was proclaimed to all the people of Jerusalem and all who had come there from the cities of Judah.
10 From the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people.
11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,
12 he went down to the scribe’s chamber in the king’s palace, 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.
13 And Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.
14 Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, saying, “Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come here.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them.
15 “Please sit down,” they said, “and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.
16 When they had heard all these words, they turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch, “Surely we must report all these words to the king.”
17 “Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”
18 “It was at his dictation,” Baruch replied. “He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”
19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must hide yourselves and tell no one where you are.”
What is the big idea of Jeremiah 36:9-19?
The proclaimed word of God confronts the nation’s leadership and forces a response to the warning of coming judgment.
How does Jeremiah 36:9-19 point to Christ?
The reading of Jeremiah’s scroll shows how God confronts people through His proclaimed word. The gospel similarly calls every hearer to respond to God’s revelation in Christ with repentance and faith.
How does Jeremiah 36:9-19 relate to the life and ministry of Jesus?
Just as Jeremiah’s message reached leaders who had to decide whether to accept or reject God’s word, Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God before the religious leaders of his day, confronting them with the truth and calling them to repentance.
Authorial Intent
To record the public reading of Jeremiah’s scroll in the temple and the growing alarm among Judah’s officials as they hear the prophetic warning.
Literary Context
This passage continues the narrative of Jeremiah’s scroll. After Baruch reads the message in the temple courts, the report reaches Judah’s officials who investigate the message and begin to grasp the seriousness of its warnings.
Historical Context
Baruch reads Jeremiah’s scroll publicly during a national fast in Jerusalem, and the message reaches the royal officials.
Chapter: Jeremiah 36
The Scroll Written, Read, Cut, Burned, and Written Again
Jehoiakim can cut and burn the scroll, but he cannot destroy the word of the LORD; the rejected word is rewritten, expanded, and fulfilled in judgment.