Yirmeyah 36:1-8

1 6 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, that this Davar came unto Yirmeyah from Hashem, saying,

2 Take thee megilat sefer (scroll book), and write therein all the Devarim that I have spoken unto thee against Yisroel, and against Yehudah, and against kol HaGoyim, from the day I spoke unto thee, from the yamim of Yoshiyah, even unto this day.

3 It may be that Bais Yehudah will hear all the ra’ah (disaster, evil) which I purpose to do unto them; that they may turn every ish from his derech hara’ah; that I may forgive their avon and their chattat.

4 Then Yirmeyah called Baruch Ben Neriyah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Yirmeyah all the Divrei Hashem, which he spoke unto him, upon a megilat sefer.

5 And Yirmeyah commanded Baruch, saying, I am atzur (restricted, barred); I cannot go into Bais Hashem;

6 Therefore go thou, and read from the megilah, which thou hast written from my mouth, the Divrei Hashem in the oznayim (ears) of HaAm in the Bais Hashem on the yom tzom; and also thou shalt read them in the oznayim of all Yehudah that will be coming from their towns.

7 It may be they will present their techinnah (supplication) before Hashem, and they will turn every ish from his derech hara’ah; for gadol is the anger and the wrath that Hashem hath pronounced against HaAm Hazeh.

8 And Baruch Ben Neriyah did according to all that Yirmeyah HaNavi commanded him, reading the Sefer Divrei Hashem in the Bais Hashem.

Yirmeyah 36:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 36

This chapter gives an account of an impious action of King Jehoiakim's burning the roll of Jeremiah's prophecies read unto him, and the consequence of it. The order to write this roll, the time when, the contents and use of it, are in Jer 36:1-3; the writing of it by Baruch, the order of the prophet to read it to the people on such a day, with the view he had in so doing, Jer 36:4-7; the reading of it by Baruch to the people first, Jer 36:8-10; then to the princes, being sent for by them, upon a report made to them, Jer 36:11-15; the king being acquainted with it, Jehudi was sent to fetch the roll, who read it to the king, Jer 36:16-21; who having heard part of it, burnt it, notwithstanding the intercession of some of his princes to the contrary, Jer 36:22-25; and who also ordered the apprehension of Jeremiah and Baruch, who could not be found, Jer 36:26; upon this a new roll is ordered to be written, Jer 36:27,28; which was done with some additions to it, respecting the destruction of the land, and the people in it, by the Chaldeans; and particularly the death of the king, and his want of burial, Jer 36:29-32.