And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, [that] they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
9. in the ninth month ] afterwards called Chisleu, our December (see Jer 36:22), not therefore the annual solemnity of the seventh month, the only stated fast of the Law (Lev 16:29; Lev 23:27).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
9 20. See introd. summary to the chapter.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The ninth month answers to our December, and the fast was probably in commemoration of the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldaeans in the previous year.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. In the ninth month] Answering to a part of our December.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This fast was appointed upon a particular emergency, whether it was for a famine which was then in the land, or to avert the ruin which they justly feared from the king of Babylon, who had lately brought them under his servitude, is not certain; the yearly fast, Lev 23:27, was to be kept in the seventh month, nor did God ever ordain any fast to be kept in the ninth month.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. they proclaimed . . . to all thepeople . . . to all, &c.rather, “all the people . . .all the people proclaimed a fast” [MICHAELIS].The chiefs appointed the fast by the wish of the people. In eitherversion the ungodly king had no share in appointing the fast.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month,…. This was a different time of reading the book from the former, enjoined by the prophet, and performed by Baruch, Jer 36:6; that was on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; this was in the fifth year of his reign, and in the ninth month of the year, a year and two months after the former, as it should seem; but Jehoiakim’s fifth year beginning in the seventh month after the day of atonement, this ninth month is to be reckoned not from the beginning of his fifth year, but from the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in the spring; so that this was but two months after the former reading:
[that] they proclaimed a fast before the Lord: this was not an ordinary fast, or a common annual one of divine appointment, which came in course, but an extraordinary one, upon some particular occasion. Some think it was on account of the dearth, drought, and famine in the land,
Jer 14:1; and others, which seems most likely, take it to be on account of the calamity threatened the nation by the Chaldean army. This fast was not in course, but was proclaimed by the order of the king and his council; and it may be at the request of the people, at least they, greed and consented to it, and indeed are represented in the text as the proclaimers; for so the word “they” is explained in the following clause, which should be rendered, not
to all the people, but even “all the people in Jerusalem” p,
and all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem: these proclaimed the fast; they applied to the government for one, or however obeyed the king’s orders, and published and proclaimed a fast; not only the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but those who came from other cities on business, or for safety, or for worship.
p “omnis populus Hierosolyma”, Cocceius; “omnis populus in Hierosolyma”, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Baruch Reads the Roll to the Princes. | B. C. 607. |
9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. 10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD‘s house, in the ears of all the people. 11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, 12 Then he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. 13 Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. 14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. 15 And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. 16 Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. 17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? 18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. 19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.
It should seem that Baruch had been frequently reading out of the book, to all companies that would give him the hearing, before the most solemn reading of it altogether which is here spoken of; for the directions were given about it in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, whereas this was done in the fifth year, v. 9. But some think that the writing of the book fairly over took up so much time that it was another year ere it was perfected; and yet perhaps it might not be past a month or two; he might begin in the latter end of the fourth year and finish it in the beginning of the fifth, for thee ninth month refers to the computation of the year in general, not to the year of that reign. Now observe here, 1. The government appointed a public fast to be religiously observed (v. 9), on account either of the distress they were brought into by the army of the Chaldeans or of the want of rain (ch. xiv. 1): They proclaimed a fast to the people; whether the king and princes or the priests, ordered this fast, is not certain; but it was plain that God by his providence called them aloud to it. Note, Great shows of piety and devotion may be found even among those who, though they keep up these forms of godliness, are strangers and enemies to the power of it. But what will such hypocritical services avail? Fasting, without reforming and turning away from sin, will never turn away the judgments of God, Jon. iii. 10. Notwithstanding this fast, God proceeded in his controversy with this people. 2. Baruch repeated Jeremiah’s sermons publicly in the house of the Lord, on the fast-day. He stood in a chamber that belonged to Gemariah, and out of a window, or balcony, read to the people that were in the court, v. 10. Note, When we are speaking to God we must be willing to hear from him; and therefore, on days of fasting and prayer, it is requisite that the word be read and preached. Hearken unto me, that God may hearken unto you. Judg. ix. 7. For our help in suing out mercy and grace, it is proper that we should be told of sin and duty. 3. An account was brought of this to the princes that attended the court and were now together in the secretary’s office, here called the scribe’s chamber, v. 12. It should seem, though the princes had called the people to meet in the house of God, to fact, and pray, and hear the word, they did not think fit to attend there themselves, which was a sign that it was not from a principle of true devotion, but merely for fashion sake, that they proclaimed this fast. We are willing to hope that it was not with a bad design, to bring Jeremiah into trouble for his preaching, but with a good design, to bring the princes into trouble for their sins, that Michaiah informed the princes of what Baruch had read; for his father Gemariah so far countenanced Baruch as to lend him his chamber to read out of. Michaiah finds the princes sitting in the scribe’s chamber, and tells them they had better have been where he had been, hearing a good sermon in the temple, which he gives them the heads of. Note, When we have heard some good word that has affected and edified us we should be ready to communicate it to others that did not hear it, for their edification. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 4. Baruch is sent for, and is ordered to sit down among them and read it all over again to them (Jer 36:14; Jer 36:15), which he readily did, not complaining that he was weary with his public work and therefore desiring to be excused, nor upbraiding the princes with their being absent from the temple, where they might have heard it when he read it there. Note, God’s ministers must become all things to all men, if by any means they may gain some, must comply with them in circumstances, that they may secure the substance. St. Paul preached privately to those of reputation, Gal. ii. 2. 5. The princes were for the present much affected with the word that was read to them, v. 16. Observe, They heard all the words they did not interrupt him, but very patiently attended to the reading of the whole book; for otherwise how could they form a competent judgment of it? And, when they had heard all, they were afraid, were all afraid, one as well as another; like Felix, who trembled at Paul’s reasonings. The reproofs were just, the threatenings terrible, and the predictions now in a fair way to be fulfilled; so that, laying all together, they were in a great consternation. We are not told what impressions this reading of the roll made upon the people (v. 10), but the princes were put into a fright by it, and (as some read it) looked one upon another, not knowing what to say. They were all convinced that it was worthy to be regarded, but none of them had courage to second it, only they agreed to tell the king of all these words; and, if he think fit to give credit to them, they will, otherwise not, no, though it were to prevent the ruin of the nation. And yet at the same time they knew the king’s mind so far that they advised Baruch and Jeremiah to hide themselves (v. 19) and to shift as they could for their own safety, expecting no other than that the king, instead of being convinced, would be exasperated. Note, It is common for sinners, under convictions, to endeavour to shake them off, by shifting off the prosecution of them to other persons, as these princes here, or to another more convenient season, as Felix. 6. They asked Baruch a trifling question, How he wrote all these words (v. 17), as if they suspected there was something extraordinary in it; but Baruch gives them a plain answer, that there was nothing but what was common in the manner of the writing–Jeremiah dictated and he wrote, v. 18. But thus it is common for those who would avoid the convictions of the word of God to start needless questions about the way and manner of the inspiration of it.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Here is added a fuller explanation; for the Prophet relates nothing new, but according to what is common in Hebrew he expresses at large what he had before briefly stated: for he had said, that Baruch read in the Temple the words of God as he had been commanded; but he now relates when and how this was done, even in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, and when a fast was proclaimed in the ninth month (104) We now then see the design of this repetition, even to point out more clearly the time. He then says that the book was read and recited when a fast was proclaimed in the fifth year of Jehoiakim. The Jews, no doubt, knew that some grievous calamity was at hand, for this proclamation was extraordinary. And we know that when some calamity was apprehended, they usually betook themselves to this remedy, not that fasting in itself was pleasing to God, but because it was a symbol of humiliation, and it also prepared men for prayer. This custom did not creep in without reason, but God designed thus to habituate his people to repentance. When, therefore, God manifested some tokens of his displeasure, the Jews then thought it necessary, not only to seek forgiveness, but also to add fasting to their prayers, according to what we find in the second chapter of Joel as well as in other places. It was then a solemn confession of sin and guilt; for by fasting they acknowledged themselves to be exposed to God’s judgment, and also by sackcloth and ashes; for they were wont to throw aside their fine garments and to put on sackcloth, and also to scatter ashes on their heads, or to lie on the ground: and these were the filth as it were of the guilty: and in this state of debasement they sought pardon of God, thus acknowledging in the first place their own filthiness by these external symbols, and secondly, confessing before God and angels that they were worthy of death, and that no hope remained for them except God forgave them.
As, then, Jeremiah writes here that there was a fast proclaimed, there is not the least doubt but that some tokens of God’s vengeance then appeared. And though Jehoiakim had provoked the King Nebuchadnezzar by refusing to pay tribute, yet the idea prevailed always among the Jews that nothing happened except through the just vengeance of God. As, then, they knew that they had to do with God, they thought that it behoved them to pacify him.
He afterwards adds, that a fast before Jehovah was proclaimed; not that it was meritorious, or that an expiation would thereby be done, as the Papists imagine, who think that they can redeem their sins by fastings, and hence they call them satisfactions; but the Prophet says that the fast was proclaimed before Jehovah, as an addition to prayer. As, then, it was a solemn meeting for prayer, fasting was, as it were, a part added to it, that they might by this external symbol more fully humble themselves before God, and at the same time testify their repentance. And he says that it was proclaimed to all the people who were at Jerusalem, and to the other Jews who came from other cities to the Temple to pray. And we hence conclude that fasting in itself is of no moment, but that it was an evidence of repentance, and therefore added to prayer. And Christ, having mentioned prayer, added fasting, (Mat 17:21) not that fasting ought not to be separated from daily prayers; for we ought always to pray; but we are not to fast morning and evening; nay, we pray when our table is prepared for us and meat are set before us; and then when we dine and sup, we pray to God. But this is to be understood of more serious prayers, when, as we have said, God summons us, as it were, before his tribunal, and shews manifest tokens of his displeasure. And for this reason also, Paul, in 1Co 7:5, when bidding husbands to dwell with their wives, adds this,
“
Except it may be for a time”
—
for what purpose? even that they might give themselves wholly to prayer and fasting. We hence see that fasting was not an ordinary thing, but when required by some urgent necessity.
Then, this also is to be noticed, that the fast was proclaimed to the other Jews who had come to Jerusalem; for why was it necessary for them to come to Jerusalem, except humbly to supplicate God’s favor.
(104) The latter part of the verse is differently rendered in the Sept., Syr., and the Targ., and more consistently with the Hebrew, —
—
proclaim a fast before Jehovah did all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people that came from the cities into Jerusalem.
It was a fast that the people proclaimed, and not the king, who was a very ungodly one. His conduct on this occasion proved his great impiety. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) It came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim.The LXX. gives the eighth year, but the Hebrew text gives much the more probable date. What follows refers apparently to the same occasion as Jer. 36:8, and is of the nature of a note explaining the circumstances under which the prophetic discourse was read. An interval of some months thus passed between the writing of the book and its delivery in the Temple, during which its substance was, perhaps, made known to the inner circle of the prophets disciples. The fast was probably proclaimed on the kings hearing of the approach of Nebuchadnezzars army, as described by the Rechabites in Jer. 35:11.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
PARTICULARS OF THE READING, Jer 36:9-18.
9. In the ninth month proclaimed a fast This would fall about December. The ordinary fast was in the seventh month. Keil conjectures that this was a fast appointed in view of the capture of Jerusalem in the previous year.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Baruch’s Reading Of The Words Of Jeremiah In The Temple Comes To The Ears Of The Princes Of Judah Who Summon Him To Read It Before Them ( Jer 36:9-15 ).
Baruch’s (or Jeremiah’s) influence comes out in that he was able to make use of ‘the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe’ from which to proclaim his message, no doubt through a window or balcony. As fellow-scribes connected with the inner circles in Jerusalem they were clearly on friendly terms, and Gemariah was seemingly sympathetic towards Jeremiah. A piece of clay inscribed ‘Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe’ has been discovered in investigations around Jerusalem. His father may have been the Shaphan who held an important position under King Josiah (2Ki 22:3; 2Ki 22:8-10), and was involved in the repairs to the Temple and the reading of the Book of the Law to Josiah (2Ki 22:10), and Gemariah must have been important in order to have a room allocated to him in the Temple area. We do in fact discover later that he was one of the king’s circle of scribes and counsellors (Jer 36:12), which would be why he was not present when the scroll was read out. What follows may well have been a carefully thought out strategy for bringing Jeremiah’s words to the king, or it may simply have been YHWH Whose purpose brought it about. Initially, however, his words reached some of the king’s advisers.
Jer 36:9
‘Now it came about in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before YHWH.’
The date was around November/December 604 BC, and the people of Judah had been called to come to Jerusalem for a special fast ‘before YHWH’. With all their idolatry they recognised that in such a situation it was YHWH of Hosts Who was needed.
This was not one of the regular Jewish feasts. It was presumably called because of the dire political situation as they saw that Nebuchadnezzar was about to exert his authority over Judah after his rout of the Egyptians at Carchemish and Hamath and his sacking of the Philistine city of Ashkelon.
Jer 36:10
‘Then Baruch read in the scroll (written record) the words of Jeremiah in the house of YHWH, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of YHWH’s house, in the ears of all the people.’
Taking advantage of the crowds massing into the Temple Baruch read out the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, making use of a window or balcony in the room of Gemariah the Scribe, which was in the upper court (elsewhere called ‘the inner court’) by the New Gate of YHWH’s house, to the waiting crowds below.
We do not know how much of the scroll was read to the people. If we say that someone, ‘read the Bible to the congregation’ we do not thereby indicate that the whole Bible was read to them. It may be that what was read would be selected passages.
Jer 36:11
‘And when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the scroll (written record) all the words of YHWH,’
One of those who heard the words, and may have been in the room with Baruch, was Micaiah, who was Gemariah’s son. He listened carefully to all the words which Baruch spoke from the scroll containing all the words of YHWH.
Jer 36:12
‘He went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes were sitting there, to wit, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.’
He then went down from the Temple to the palace-complex where there was a gathering of many of the leading men of Judah in the Scribes’ Room. It was an important gathering made up of many of Jehoiakim’s top advisers. They may well have been sitting there awaiting the king’s summons to a council meeting (a cabinet meeting). If they were all involved in the advice to Jeremiah and Baruch to hide themselves (Jer 36:19), they appear to have been a group sympathetic to Jeremiah. It is noteworthy that Jehoiakim did not send any of them to oversee the arrest of Jeremiah (Jer 36:26).
Elishama is called ‘the Scribe’ and may have been the king’s official scribe, a leading cabinet post (Gemariah was also a Scribe and this was in the Scribes’ Room, thus the title here must be significant). If he can be identified with the Elishama in Jer 41:1; 2Ki 25:25 he was of royal birth, and his grandson Ishmael would assassinate Gedaliah, Nebuchadnezzar’s appointed Governor of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem (no doubt seeing him as a traitor). Elnathan was leader of the deputation which, at the king’s command, extradited Uriah the prophet from Egypt (Jer 26:22). His father had been involved in the discovery of the Book of the Law in the Temple (2Ki 22:12). His family were therefore important courtiers, close to the king. Apart from Gemariah we know nothing about the others. But they were all leading men (princes). Elnathan and Delaiah, along with Gemariah, later pleaded with Jehoiakim not to destroy the scroll.
Jer 36:13
‘Then Micaiah declared to them all the words which he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.’
Micaiah then told the gathering in the Scribes’ Room all he could recall of the words that Baruch had read out in the Temple.
Jer 36:14
‘Therefore 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 roll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came to them.’
This was enough to make them realise how important Baruch’s scroll was, so they sent a man named Jehudi to Baruch, calling on him to come and read the scroll before them. Baruch accordingly came (they were not the kind of men to be trifled with).
Jehudi may well have been a Sudanese (Ethiopian, Cushite) proselyte. His great-grandfather was named Cushi, and the naming of three generations would indicate that Jehudi (‘the Jew’) was now qualified as a full Israelite. The Cushites may well have been linked with the Egyptians as requiring three generations before this could be so (Deu 23:7-8). His name (the Jew) probably celebrated that fact. Compare 2Sa 18:21 where Cushi was the name of a man who was then called the Cushite. It would appear that Cushi was a name often taken by proselytes from Cush (Northern Sudan).
Jer 36:15
‘And they said to him, “Sit down now, and read it in our ears.” So Baruch read it in their ears.’
Then they called on him to read out the prophecies so that they could hear them. And while they listened carefully, he read it out to them. The fact that they asked him to ‘sit down’ indicated respect for his position. These men were used to other standing in their presence, or even prostrating themselves.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 36:9. They proclaimed a fast It was customary among the Jews, to proclaim anniversary fasts upon certain days, in memory of some great calamity which had befallen them at that time. Of this kind were the fasts of the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 10th months, mentioned by the prophet Zechariah; the first instituted in memory of the city’s being taken by Nebuchadnezzar; the second, in memory of the temple’s being burned in that month; the third, for the murder of Gedaliah; and the fourth in memory of the siege which then began. See Lowth, and Zec 3:5; Zec 8:19.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2. THE READING TO THE PEOPLE
Jer 36:9-18
9And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the peo10ple in Jerusalem and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber [cell] of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the Lords house, in the ears of11all the people. When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had12heard out of the book all the words of the Lord. Then he went down into the kings house, into the scribes chamber:3 and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah,13and all the princes. Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
14Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come4 So Baruch the son of Neriah took15the roll in his hand, and came unto them. And they said unto him, Sit down now16and read it in our ears. Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other,5 and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the17king of all these words. And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst18thou write all these words at his mouth?6 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced7all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with, ink8 in the book.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
In the fifth year of Jehoiakim and the ninth month Baruch on occasion of a public fast reads to the assembled people in the temple the discourses of Jeremiah, written down by him (Jer 36:9-10). Michaiah, the son of Gemariah, gives notice of this to the princes assembled in the royal chancery, among whom was his father (Jer 36:11-13). Thereupon the princes cause Baruch to be brought with his roll, and commanded him to read it to them (Jer 36:14-15). What he reads fills them with terror. They declare to Baruch that they must inform the king and inquire as to the particular circumstances of the writing (Jer 36:16-17). Baruch replies simply that Jeremiah dictated the words to him and he wrote them down (Jer 36:18).
Jer 36:9-10. And it came to pass all the people. The rendering of the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim as the ninth month of the civil year, i.e. about December, is favored especially by the circumstance that the statement of the months and days (comp. Jer 39:2), without a previous exact statement of the day and month of the beginning of the reign, would be unintelligible and purposeless, while, if we understand the months and days of the civil year, the matter is clear, provided that the fragments of the initial and concluding years are reckoned as full years.Proclaimed a fast. It was at any rate an extraordinary fast, such as was not infrequently appointed in times of distress (comp. Joe 1:14; Joe 2:15; 1Ki 21:9; 1Ki 21:12; 2Ch 20:3), then probably occasioned by the danger threatening from the Chaldeans (comp, Jer 36:29). It is therefore very probable, that Nebuchadnezzar then (in December of the fifth year of Jehoiakim) had not yet retired from Jerusalem. This is opposed to those who make the battle of Carchemish immediately precede the siege of Jerusalem (only a few weeks. Comp. Gustav Rsch. Art. Bibl. Zeitrechnung [Bibl. Chronology] in Herzog,R.-Enc., XVIII., S. 464). The subject, proclaiming the fast, appears (as in Jon 3:5 colt. Joe 1:14; Joe 2:15) to be the whole people. Elsewhere it is the presiding officers who proclaim the fast (1Ki 21:9; 1Ki 21:12; 2Ch 20:3; Ezr 8:21). Whether by the former mode of expression anything is intimated concerning the suggestion of the appointment, or a rite in proclamations unknown to us, is not clear. Ewald, as it seems to me incorrectly, after the Vulg., connects all the people with fast as a genitive [jejunium omni populo].In the chamber of Gemariah, Jer 36:10. Comp. rems. on Jer 35:2; Jer 35:4.This Gemariah is named immediately afterwards as one of the princes assembled in the royal chancery. He had, it seems, as scribe a room in the temple, and also took part in the official transactions in the scribes chamber in the kings house. (Comp. infra on Jer 36:12). His father appears to have been scribe under Josiah (2Ki 22:3 sqq.). Possibly the family was a priestly one. (Comp. 2Ki 22:3 with 1Ch 9:11-12). His brother Ahikam is mentioned as a protector of Jer 26:24. On the upper fore-court and new gate comp. comm. on Jer 20:2; Jer 26:10. The room was situated not in the entry but at the entry, so that it might probably be entered directly from the gateway. At any rate it was a very frequented spot. As the higher court was that of the priests (comp. Herz. R.-Enc XV., S. 609), which the people might not enter, it is possible that the new gate led from the higher into the outer (Eze 40:17), or great court (2Ch 4:9), and that accordingly the room, from its elevated position, afforded a view over the great court. comp. Hitzig, in loc.
Jer 36:11-18. When Michaiah in the book. Michaiah, the son of that Gemariah in whose temple-chamber Baruch held his lecture, who was probably present in the chamber, thought himself called upon to inform his father. He found him in the royal chancery (so Luther). According to Jer 36:20, the princes go from the chancery into the court of the palace, to the presence of the king. Accordingly, the chancery appears to have been placed more on the outer side of the palace, probably for the sake of accessibility. The scribe Gemariah appears to have had the ecclesiastical department (Jer 36:10, minister of worship), and the scribe Elishama the political. The latter was thus chancellor, or Secretary of State. Comp. Herzog, R.-Enc. XIV., S. 2. On the general meaning of princes comp. the list of Solomons princes, 1Ki 4:2 sqq.If Elishama is identical with the one mentioned in Jer 41:1 and 2Ki 25:15, which is not impossible, he was a prince of the royal family. Comp. on Jer 41:1.Elnathan, the son of Achbor, was mentioned before in Jer 26:22.Jehudi, etc. The name of his ancestor leads us to conclude that he was of Cushite descent. It is not probable that the name Jehudi was given with reference to the injunction in Deu 23:8, for there it is merely said that the descendants of the Edomites and Egyptians are not to enter the congregation of the Lord till the third generation. With respect to the other nations (with the exception of still more strictly excluded Canaanites, Ammonites and Moabites) there was no such limitation. They might be naturalized in the first generation on fulfilment of the conditions. Comp. Saalschuetz, Mos. Recht, Kap. 92, 3; Kap. 100, 2. Moreover, both the father and grandfather bear Israelitish names, and Jehudi is a family, not a national name. The feminine, Judith, appears, even in ancient times, as a proper name among the Hittites (Gen 26:34). Comp. Fuerst s. v.Sit down now. They are evidently friendlily disposed. Comp. Jer 36:19; Jer 36:25.I do not believe that they were terrified merely in the interest of Jeremiah and Baruch. It was possible to protect them. Without doubt the concentration of the threatenings did not fail of its intended object in their case.It was clear that after the public reading in the temple, the matter could not be kept concealed from the king. Purposed concealment might be dangerous to those whose duty it was to report.Rosenmueller, Hitzig, Graf understand the question in Jer 36:17 as if the princes wished to know whether Baruch had not compiled the book against the will and knowledge of Jeremiah, from memory or written documents. But then the reading would have been different. [See Textual Notes]. As the words stand, they seem to me simply to express the curious desire for a peep, as it were, into the prophets workshop. They supposed that Baruch must have been a witness of secret transactions, and they, therefore, wish to know how the dictation, on the part of the prophet, was given, whether, ex. gr., consciously or in a state of ecstasy. Baruch answers that Jeremiah simply pronounced the words and he as simply wrote them down with ink. There was nothing wonderful about it. How Hitzig can say that cannot mean speaking, but only reading to another, I do not understand. Dictation requires no less an elevation of the voice than reading aloud, and may therefore be designated as calling. The phrase with his mouth also seems to imply just the opposite of reading from a book. Comp. Jer 36:4 with Jer 36:6; Jer 36:10.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer 36:2. The object of the writing was not only that litera scripta manet (Cramer: the mouth speaks only to those who are present, but the pen to the absent; the mouth speaks only to the present hours and times, the pen many hundred years afterwards also. Comp. Exo 34:27; Deu 10:4-5; Deu 17:18; Isa 30:8; Hab 2:2), but also to collect all the single lightning strokes into one grand prophetic tempest. Moreover, it is a matter of course that the written word was of special use, not only to posterity, but also to the contemporaries in so far as it rendered possible continued study, repeated quiet contemplation, and careful comparison. Jeremiah certainly prevented no one from taking copies of his book.
2. On Jer 36:4. Did Jeremiah hold such a relation to the Spirit of God as Baruch to Jeremiah when dictating? Then it was a matter of indifference to whom the dictation was made. Then a Saul would do as well as a Samuel, if he could only write. The best writer would be the most chosen instrument. There was no mingling of the individuality of the prophet except in the MS., and that is lost to us with the original. All prophetic writings must have the same type as to form and purport, which, as is well known, is so little the case that according to the saying of Buffon, le stylecest lhomme, the portrait of a prophet might almost be drawn from his style.
3. On Jer 36:5. Gods word is not bound; 2Ti 2:9. Paul for example wrote his most beautiful epistles from prison, as those to the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, to Philemon, and the second to Timothy. Cramer.
4. On Jer 36:14. It is a good state of things when rulers ask for Gods Word, and cannot be answered or helped promptly and quickly enough to the fulfilment of their purpose. So it was a joy to Paul that he could tell Agrippa what the Lord had done for his soul, and his heart yearned after Agrippa, Festus and all those around them. Zinzendorf.
5. On Jer 36:16. When a true servant of God gets his superiors so far that they hear him, he may surely not doubt, that he will also bring them to obedience. It is then not his, but the Lords affair. Zinzendorf.
6. On Jer 36:23. The higher the enemies of God are, the more dangerous; the greater, the more bitterly opposed to the work of the Lord, and the general patience with respect to the wickedness and unrighteousness of men, has certainly given something special to the . Procul a Jove procul a fulmine. Zinzendorf.
7. On Jer 36:23. Locus maxime principalis in prsenti hoc textu est de combustione sacrorum librorum, quale fatum illi experti sunt non tantum Jeremiah 36, verum etiam 1Ma 1:59 sub Antiocho Epiphane; nec non tempore Diocleliani, qui et ipse multa bibliorum sacrorum exemplaria undiquaque conquisita comburi jussit; quorum vestigiis insistere non dubitarunt Pontifices romani et prsertim Leo X. qui anno 1520 binos legatos emisit ad Fridericum Sapienlem, postulantes ab ipso, ut libros Lutheri combureret Quid hodie Jesuit de librorum combustione, qui a Lutheranis eduntur, sentiant, peculiari scripto Gretserus aperuit, quod de hoc argumento consarcinavit de jure et more prohibendi, expurgandi et abolendi libros hreticos et noxios. Ingolst. 1603, 40). Frster.
8. On Jer 36:25. When Johns head was in question, Herod did not understand how he could resist his magnates. When Daniel is to go into the lions den, Darius has not the heart to refuse his princes. When Jeremiah is to be delivered up, Zedekiah says with great modesty to his princes: the king can do nothing against you (Jer 38:5). But when anything evil is to be done, the rulers can insist on having their own way. Here we have an instance: he hearkened not unto them. Zinzendorf.
9. On Jer 36:26. Dominus eos abscondidisse dicilur, quaratione olim Eliam (1 Reg. xvii. 2 sqq. et xvii. 12), nec non Elisum (2 Reg. vi.), itemque Athanasium et Augustinum et nostro tempore Lutherum abscondidit. Frster.
10. On Jer 36:27. [Here is a sublime specimen of the triumph of Gods Word, when repressed by the power, and burnt by the rage of this world, whether it be in the suppression of the Scriptures, or in preventing their circulation, or in casting copies of them into the fire, or in the imprisonment and martyrdom of Gods preachers. That Word rises more gloriously out of all its persecutions. Wordsworth.S. R. A.]
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer 36:2-3. Sermon at a Bible Society Anniversary. The blessing of the written word. 1. That which it has in common with the spoken word (Jer 36:3): preparation of the heart for the reception of salvation. 2. That which it brings in distinction from the written Word: (a) it is present for every one: (b) it is present at every time and at every place: (c) it is present in all its parts (comparison).
2. On Jer 36:21-32. The majesty of the Word. 1. The power, which the word exercises. 2. The independence, which it maintains. 3. The self-verification which it continually effects. Sermons in Berlin by Fr. Wilh. Krummacher. Berlin, 1849.
3. On Jer 36:24. [The guilt of indifference to the divine threatenings. It involves: 1, contempt of God; 2, unbelief, making God a liar; 3, extreme hardness of heart. Payson.S. R. A.]
Footnotes
[3]Jer 36:12[Naegelsbach: Chancery chamber or chancellors room, according to the original Roman use of the word chancellor for chief notary or scribe, or according to the Scripture use for master of decrees, or president of the council, Ezra 4.S. R. A.]
[4]Jer 36:14.According to our idiom the expression designates removal from the speaker. In Hebrew it merely designates the leaving of the former position on the part of the person addressed, the terminus in quem being inferred from the context. Comp. 1Sa 9:9; 1Sa 11:14.
[5]Jer 36:16. . On the construction comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 112, 7; Gen 42:28.
[6]Jer 36:17.. The LXX. omit the word. So also Ewald. Others take is as= as it must be according to their understanding of the question. [See Exeget.]
[7]Jer 36:18. The Imperf. designates duration in the pest, wherefore also the part. corresponds to it. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 87, fJer 13:7, Jer 15:6.
[8]Jer 36:18.. The word is . . It implies that Baruch only performed the mechanical work. Comp. Winer, H. W. B. Art. Schreibekunst; Herzog, R.-Enc., Art. Schriftzeichen und Schreibekunst, S. 19, [Smith Dict. III. 1802].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Jer 36:9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, [that] they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
Ver. 9. They proclaimed a fast. ] Haply for fear of the Chaldeans, who, having lately beaten Pharaohnecho, was like enough to invade Judea; or else, because of that great dearth. Jer 14:1-2 ; Jer 14:12 ; Jer 36:6
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 36:9-10
9Now 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. 10Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the LORD’S house, to all the people.
Jer 36:9 in the ninth month This is the first mention in the OT of the Babylonian calendar (NET Bible #11, p. 1398). In this same month, Ashkelon, a major Judean city forty-five miles from Jerusalem, fell to Babylon. This may be the reason for this fast (i.e., not the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16 or the fall of Jerusalem in 605 to Babylon).
Jer 36:10 Shaphan, the scribe This was an official in Josiah’s court. He was comparable to modern America’s Secretary of State (cf. 2Ki 22:3).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the fifth year. The reading was deferred for some months.
ninth month. Our December. See App-51.
they proclaimed, &c. = all the People of Jerusalem, and all the People who were coming in and out of the cities of Jerusalem, had proclaimed a fast before Jehovah.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 36:9-10
Jer 36:9-10
DETAILS ON THE FAST-DAY READING OF THE ROLL
Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Jehovah. Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Jehovah’s house, in the ears of all the people.
This paragraph merely describes where the reading took place, evidently in one of the prominent chambers of the temple. For this to have been done with any degree of completion it would have required most of the whole day; and it is nowhere stated that the two subsequent readings took place on the fast-day.
2. The reading by Baruch (Jer 36:8-10)
As Jeremiah faithfully executed the commands of God, Baruch faithfully carried out the instructions of his master in every detail (Jer 36:8). It was December (the ninth month according to the Jewish reckoning) when the Temple authorities proclaimed a fast and a large host of the inhabitants of Judah flocked to Jerusalem to the Temple (Jer 36:9). Baruch selected the chamber of Gemariah the scribe as the spot from which to read the scroll. He probably stood at the door of this room so that he might be heard by the people milling about in the Temple courts. This Gemariah was brother of Ahikam who was friendly to Jeremiah (Jer 26:24). Another Gemariah is mentioned in Jer 29:3. Thus Baruch was on friendly territory as he stood in the doorway of the office belonging to Gemariah. This office was located in the higher court at the entry of the new gate of the Lords house (Jer 36:10). The higher court would be the court of priests which was elevated slightly above the court of the people. The location of the new gate is uncertain. Laetsch suggests that the new gate is to be identified with the high, or upper, gate of Benjamin mentioned in Jer 20:2 which was built comparatively late in the time of Jotham. One of the doors of Gemariahs office must have led into the court of the people. It was from this elevated spot which afforded a view over the larger court of the people that Baruch read the scroll.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
ninth month
i.e. December.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
am 3398, bc 606
in the fifth: Jer 36:1
they: Lev 23:27, 2Ch 20:3, Neh 9:1, Est 4:16, Isa 58:1-3, Joe 1:13, Joe 2:12-17, Jon 3:5, Zec 7:5, Zec 7:6, Zec 8:19
came: Jer 36:6
Reciprocal: Jer 35:1 – in the Jer 45:1 – in the Joe 2:15 – sanctify
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 36:9. This verse gives the date when Baruch had the opportunity of reading the book. He was to wait until a fast was proclaimed so as to meet the people in the temple. The work of writing it was begun in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim and it was in the fifth year that the fast was proclaimed.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 36:9-10. In the fifth year, &c., they proclaimed a fast It was customary among the Jews to proclaim anniversary fasts upon certain days, in memory of some great calamities which had befallen them at that time. Of this kind were the fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months, mentioned Zec 7:5; Zec 8:19; the first instituted in remembrance of the citys being taken by Nebuchadnezzar; the second in memory of the temples being burned in that month; the third for the murder of Gedaliah; the fourth in memory of the siege which then began. Then read Baruch the words of Jeremiah, in the house of the Lord It has been before observed, that by the house of the Lord is meant all that is included within the sacred precincts of the temple; not only the sanctuary, or house properly so called, but all the out-buildings, and the courts around, both the inner court of the priests, and the outer court, which was open to all the people. In the chamber of Gemariah the scribe This chamber was undoubtedly in the great outer court, either close to, or over the gateway of the eastern gate; so that if he read, as is supposed, from a window, or balcony, he would be heard by the concourse of people that came flocking into the court through that gate: see Jer 26:10.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
36:9 And it came to pass in the fifth {g} year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, [that] they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.
(g) The fast was then proclaimed and Baruch read this rule which was a little before Jerusalem was first taken, and then Jehoiakim and Daniel and his companions were led away captive.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Its reading 36:9-20
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
During the winter of 604-603 B.C., the people, not the king, declared a fast. The occasion for the fast may have been the arrival of Babylonian armies on the Philistine plain or the Babylonians’ defeat of Ashkelon then. [Note: Harrison, Jeremiah and . . ., p. 151. See also D. J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldean Kings (626-556 B.C.) in the British Museum, p. 69.]