Jeremiah 36:18

18 Forsooth Baruch said to them, Of his mouth he spake, as reading to me, all these words; and I wrote in a book with ink. (And Baruch said to them, He spoke all these words out of his mouth, as if reading to me, and I wrote them down with ink in a book.)

Jeremiah 36:18 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 36:18

Then Baruch answered them
At once, without any hesitation, plainly and fully: he pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth;
that is, the Prophet Jeremiah delivered by word of mouth, not the substance only of this roll, but the express words of it, and everyone of them, and that clearly and distinctly, without any hesitation, or premeditation; by which it is plain it was by the Spirit of the Lord he did it; neither matter nor words were Baruch's, but were exactly as they were delivered: and I wrote [them] with ink in the book;
as they saw with their eyes, and which was the manner of writing with the Jews so early; Baruch had no further concern in this matter than to provide pen, ink, and parchment, and to make use of them as he did, just as the prophet dictated and directed him.

Jeremiah 36:18 In-Context

16 Therefore when they had heard all the words, they wondered each man to his neighbour, and they said to Baruch, Ought we to tell to the king all these words?
17 And they asked him, and said, Show thou to us, how thou hast written all these words of his mouth. (And they asked him, and said, Tell thou us, how thou hast written all these words from his mouth.)
18 Forsooth Baruch said to them, Of his mouth he spake, as reading to me, all these words; and I wrote in a book with ink. (And Baruch said to them, He spoke all these words out of his mouth, as if reading to me, and I wrote them down with ink in a book.)
19 And all the princes said to Baruch, Go, be thou hid, thou and Jeremy; and no man know where ye be. (And all the officers said to Baruch, Go, be thou hid, thou and Jeremiah; and let no one know where ye be.)
20 And they entered to the king, into the hall; forsooth they betook the book to be kept into the treasury of Elishama, the scribe. And they told all the words, in audience of the king. (And then they went to the king, in the hall; and they had put the book in the chamber of Elishama, the writer, or the court secretary, for safekeeping. And they told everything to the king.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.