Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 36:27

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

27 32. See introd. summary to the chapter. Du. and Co. consider that the passage, as it stands, shews traces of a later hand, on the ground that the king is represented as addressing Jeremiah ( Jer 36:29), though they did not meet. This, however, seems somewhat hypercritical. It is true that Jer 36:30 may seem to imply that Jehoiakim would have no son to succeed him, whereas Jehoiachin reigned, though only for three months (2Ki 24:8). If this, however, had been the sense attached to the saying when placed here, it probably would not have been inserted, as not being in accordance with the result. “Sit” may quite naturally be taken to mean sit permanently, Jehoiachin’s short reign being ignored.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Jer 36:27-32

Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words.

The Word of God cannot be burnt

I. The Word of God is imperishable. The truth is not pen and ink, parchment and words, but a force of an unchangeable character. It borrows material forms for garments, and uses outward methods for expression; these change, but truth never. Changes are observable in nature, but its laws remain firm. The process of destruction and restitution is ever on the march. The lily will fade, and the rose will perish, but the law of their life will say to the elements, Take thee another roll, and write another lily and another rose. The pattern is never destroyed. Truth, law, symmetry, beauty, and life are emanations from the Eternal Mind, abiding immutable in the midst of change. Revelation has assumed aspects, many of which have passed away. The centre of all religious truth is the Saviour–Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. Whatever talents we possess, or whatever circumstances affect us, if there is a straight line from the heart to Jesus–if we are bound to Him by the radius of love–our lives will express the old truths, and present the old faith which animated patriarch, prophet, priest, apostle, and martyr.

II. Opposition to the Word of God will not avert the consequences of sin. Why did the king precipitate the destruction of the Book before its contents were examined? If the moral condition of the people was wrongly described, facts would have disproved the fiction; if the threatened invasion by the King of Babylon was a myth, time would have revealed it. Evidently Jehoiakim found that the entrance of Gods Word brought with it light, and that the spectacle it discovered was too frightful to contemplate. Either he must burn the roll, or the roll would burn him. Sin prevailed, and the roll was burnt. Was it a victory? Three months before the destruction of the city, Jehoiakim died a miserable death. The Florentine philosopher declined to look through Galileos telescope, fearing he might see in the heavens some movement which would contradict his old view that the sun revolved, and the earth stood still Sinners fear to look at themselves through the Word of God. Dr. South wrote many years ago those words, Truth is so connatural to the mind of man, that it would certainly be entertained by all men, did it not by accident contradict some beloved interest or other. The thief hates the break of day; not hut that he naturally loves the light as well as other men, but his condition makes him dread and abhor that which, of all things, he knows to be the likeliest means of his discovery. God is not in all the thoughts of the wicked, but there is another roll, and God is there. Impressions of sin, of death, and of a judgment to come have suffered violence, and have been wiped off human recollection, at least for a time, but they are written in the other roll. The last vision which terrified the soul of Jehoiakim was the other roll The authority of truth is inviolable, which no penknife can cut, and no fire burn. Let the Word of God shine into our heart, expose its follies and impurities, and the blush on the cheek will be the dawn of a better day.

III. There is a gracious purpose in the reiteration of the Word of God. Jeremiah and Baruch retired to re-commit to writing the contents of the first roll This was done to give Judah another chance of escape from the impending storm. Although the roll was fun of denunciation and warning, yet the terms of peace are included in the declaration of war. Prophet after prophet brought to Israel the re-written message. This is set forth in the parable of the barren fig-tree; the end of all Gods dealings is fruit unto life everlasting. What have we done with the second roll? Nature has re-written her message. Providence speaks again in terms of mercy. Gospel truths come up afresh, like the flowers in the garden. True, we have turned a deaf ear; but is it so still? Do we persist in unbelief?

IV. All attempts to frustrate the Word of the Lord must ignominiously fail. The Word of God has been assailed by every conceivable opposition. The learned, with the sharp penknife of criticism, and the unlearned, with the fire of raillery, have made the attempt to destroy the authority of Gods written Word, but they no more succeeded than if they had dug a grave in which to bury the law of gravitation. Julian the apostate, and Gibbon the historian, cut and burnt the roll, but they were as grass, The grass withereth, &c. There was once a printing-press used solely to manufacture penknives to cut the roll; that press was afterwards used to print Bibles. The house in which Hume wrote against miracles was converted into a committee-room for the promotion of religious truth. Conviction of sin is the voice of God in the soul. Drown it you never can. Close the covers of the Bible, and fasten them with a clasp, but its very silence is louder than thunder. Messages and messengers come anew to remind us of our duty towards God and man. Let us bear in mind that the Word of the Lord is a hammer to break the rock; a fire to consume the stubble. Its wisdom is unbounded, backed by infinite power. Heaven and earth will dissolve before one iota of the Word will fail. Let us surrender our hearts to its power. (T. Davies, M. A.)

The sacred oracles

I. The committing of the mind and will of God to writing. This is important.

1. Because the knowledge of them must be preserved and extended.

2. Because there was no way of preserving and extending this knowledge to be compared to this.

II. What think you of those who would destroy the Scriptures?

1. The enemies who deny its authenticity. Surely those precious pieces of antiquity which are found in the Book of Genesis–who would not wish to admire and preserve them? But the Vandalism of infidelity would fling them all into the fire, and fix our eyes on the darkness and dreariness of two thousand years ago.

2. View these men as to their patriotism, or their regard to public good. What benevolence was seen in the pagan world? Produce one instance in which the philosophy of Greece or Rome ever established an infirmary or an hospital.

3. View the enemies of the Bible, with regard to their charity and compassion. What do you think of the human being that would take away the Bible, dash this only cup of consolation from the parched lip–that would pull down the only refuge to which the polluted sinner can escape from the storms of life–that would deprive him of a resource to which, by and by, there will be an entire enjoyment, and that gives him the consciousness of present support? What can you think of a man that would do this, while he knows that he has nothing to substitute in the room of it, and that if the thing be a delusion, it is a solace which can be obtained in no other way?

4. View these men once more as to their guilt. This may be fairly determined from their doom. Oh, say some, we are not accountable for our belief! To which we answer that if we are not accountable for our belief we are accountable for nothing; for all our actions spring from belief; and infidelity does not arise from want of evidence, but from want of inclination.

III. Some things which seem likely to injure revelation, and which yet prove its advantage.

1. The attacks of the infidel on its divinity. What has been the consequence of all his opposition? Why zeal in its diffusion; and able articles brought forth in its favour; for inquiry is always friendly to truth, as darkness and concealment are friendly to error.

2. The sufferings of its followers by persecution. The periods of suffering have been always the most glorious for Christianity; the brethren have been united and endeared the more to each other; the Spirit of glory and of God has rested upon them; their sufferings have arrested attention and induced sympathy; the witness of their sufferings has been found to be impressed, and they have been led to inspire the principles that would produce such effects.

3. The divisions and parties that have sprung up among its professors. The differences which subsist amongst all those who hold the Head do not affect the oneness of the Church; they are only so many branches which form one tree–so many members which form one body. By these they have always proved stimulations to each other: they have awakened and increased emulation and zeal; and religion has always been upon the whole a gainer by them.

4. The failings of its members. It would seem impossible any good should arise from these to the cause of the Gospel. And yet what is the fact? No thanks to themselves–even these scandals have been overruled for good. These scandals were foretold by the Scriptures; and, therefore, they are pledges of their truth; these have shown that the Gospel is Divine and almighty–because it can bear to be betrayed from within as well as assaulted from without. The excommunication of these persons has always strikingly shown the purity of the Church, and that they cannot bear those that are evil; while the true professors have been led, by these instances, to fear, and tremble, and pray.

IV. Admonitions.

1. Be persuaded of the stability of the cause of revelation.

2. Apply Scripture to your own use, and apply it to the purposes for which it has been given.

3. Be concerned for the spread and diffusion of it. (W. Jay.)

Cutting up and burning his Bible

True, those were very anxious times. Party feeling ran high, and we may find this much excuse for the foolish king, that party feeling carried him away. The last days of the kingdom of Judah had come. Two rival nations were seeking her alliance, each as a protection against the other. The good Josiah had favoured Babylon, and even fought against Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt. In the great battle of Carchemish, Josiah lost his life, but the party favouring alliance with Babylon was strong enough to secure the election of his son Shallum as king, rather than the elder son, Jehoiakim, who seems to have favoured the Egyptians. Shallum, however, only held the throne for three months, and then Jehoiakim succeeded. Now Jeremiah, as the prophet of God, had distinctly, and over and over again, advised alliance with Babylon. He was consequently in disgrace when Jehoiakim came to the throne, and the Egyptian party gained the upper hand. He was no longer able to declare the Divine message freely in the streets, and at the court. But what is to be done with the roll? It was a great fast day; a national humiliation on account of the national peril. The people were crowding in from the district round, and were assembling for solemn services in the Temple courts. There the roll must be read. Baruch knew the peril, and shrank from the task, until comforted by an assurance of personal protection. They felt the news of all this must be taken to the king. They knew his impulsive willfulness so well that they feared to take the roll into his presence. Jehudi began to read, and the king began to grow angry at the Divine disapproval of his plans, and presently he seized the scribe s knife, as it lay on the ground, stripped a piece of the skin off, and threw it on the fire; and then, emboldened by his wilful act, proceeded to cut strip after strip, until the entire roll was consumed. What a daring act! And what a foolish act! More foolish than wicked, for he could not silence Gods Word, or alter Gods will in that way. It is very important that we should recognise the distinction between the revelation of Gods will to a man, and the particular form in which that will may be made known to him. It is not the mere wording of the message that is our chief concern, it is the message itself. Men nowadays are finding so much to complain of in the mere form and wording of the Bible, that there is grave danger of their failing to heed that Bible as it comes closely up to each one of them, saying, I have a message from God unto thee. And is our message to be refused because the form of its setting is unpleasing to fastidious tastes?

I. Gods message to us may be an offence to us. It is when it opposes our inclinations. It is a wholly wrong attitude in which to stand towards Gods Word, if we think to judge it by our inclinations and preferences, approving it only if it accords with them. Gods will and Word are the standard by which we must test our inclinations, and they are stamped as wrong if we cannot gain the Divine approval. But so often our condition of approving the Bible is, that it shall comfortably allow us to follow the devices and desires of our own hearts. We shut it up, we put it on the upper shelf, out of reach, when we have a half fear that it will-speak with an arresting voice, and say, What doest thou here, Elijah? And the Bible is an offence when it convicts us of our sins. The sin of our day is this–we are attempting to judge Gods Word instead of to receive it. We conceitedly criticise it, instead of reverently listening to it. We are making ourselves the standard for ourselves; and are determined that we will have nothing in the Bible that we do not like.

II. Our offence may end expression in injury to the Word. That injury is not always coarse and vulgar like the injury done to the roll by Jehoiakim.

1. In subtle ways we injure it, nowadays, by making it out to mean what it suits us to think it means, and by picking out bits here and there which are of doubtful authority; and so creating a general suspicion of the authority of the whole.

(1) Generally undermining its authority. Men begin at the Old Testament. They cut strips out here and there. They would persuade us that the early chapters of Genesis are only legends, and the history of the patriarchs only uncertain traditions. Oh, poor Bible of our fathers!

(2) Evaporating or changing its meaning. If anything strikes hard against sin, explain it away. If any dark shadows are thrown on the eternal future of impenitent sinners, exaggerate your representations of the love of God, be quite unqualified in your statements, and boldly declare that you would not punish sinners so vigorously, and therefore you are sure God will not. If you hardly dare cut a piece out of the Word, use the knife to scratch out what you do not like, and write over what you think would be suitable.

(3) Refusing to admit the applications of the Word to ourselves.

2. How utterly foolish all this is! We cannot change one declaration of Holy Scripture. We cannot prevent the execution of one threatening. We cannot, by any of our devices, secure a comfortable arrangement for impenitent sinners in the next life.

III. Gods will can never be frustrated by any injury we may do to His messengers, or to His message. Because though it is in a message, it exists apart from the message. Jeremiah can soon write it all over again. Moreover, the attempted injury cannot fail to rouse further vindications of Gods outraged majesty. Kings never pass lightly by the insults that are offered to their ambassadors. And the Word of God does but tell of providential workings that go on, in spite of anything that may happen to the message that reports them to us. To destroy the Word is as foolish and as useless as for the ostrich to hide her head in the sand, and convince herself that there is no danger, when the hunters are every moment nearing her. (The Weekly Pulpit.)

Burning the Scripture

The 98th annual report (1902) of The British and Foreign Bible Society contains the following experience of Colporteur Galibert: Calling at a handsome house, he explained his object to madame. How much do you ask for your whole load of books? she inquired. Nine francs, he answered, supposing that the lady wished to make a free distribution of the Scriptures. She paid the price and then called the servant, Take all these books and throw them into the fire. Madame said Galibert, here is your money; give me back my books. No! said the lady. I have paid you, and you may go. But when you pass this way again, dont forget to call; Ill buy your books again. Madame, says Galibert, I will go; but let me tell you that the very Word of God which you have destroyed will rise up to judge you at the last day.

Hatred of the truth teller

Macaulay tells of a rich Brahman who saw a drop of sacred Ganges water under the microscope, and bought the instrument and dashed it to atoms that it might not by its revelations rebuke his superstitious practices. In a similar way did Jehoiakim treat Gods Word because it revealed his character in its true light, and set in array the judgments for sin which were gathering about him. (C. Deal.)

The indestructible power of Gods Word

It was burned, but Jeremiah lived, and Jeremiahs God lived. Therefore to burn it was not to destroy it. Another spell of work for Baruch, and the loss was repaired. Like the fabled blood-stains on some palace floor where murder has been done, and all the planing in the world will not remove the dark spots, Gods threatenings are destroyed, as men think, and presently there they are again, as plain as ever. It is true of the written Word, which men have tried to make away with many a time in many a way, but it liveth and abideth for ever. It is true of the echoes of that Word in conscience, which may be neglected, sophisticated, drugged, and stifled, but still sometimes wakes and solemnly reiterates its message. And all that Jehoiakim made by his foolish attempt was that the new roll had added to it many like words. The indestructible Word of God grows by every attempt to silence it. Each warning neglected increases guilt, and therefore punishment. The fabled sibyl came back, after each rejection of her offered books, with fewer volumes at a higher price. Gods Word comes back after each rejection with additions of heavier penalties for darker sins. We but draw down surer and more terrible destruction on our own heads by refusing to listen to the merciful voice which warns us that the floods are out, and the ruin of the house impending, and bids us floe from it before the crash comes. (A. Maclaren.)

Efforts to destroy the Christian books in Madagascar

The purpose to extinguish Christianity was firmly determined on. The week after the Queen Ranavalonas message had been delivered, every person who had received books was ordered to deliver them up, without retaining even a single leaf, on pain of death. This order was severely felt; few obeyed it literally, and in the distant provinces scarcely any obeyed it at all (Jacox.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

27. roll, and . . . wordsthatis, the roll of words.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah,…. In the place where he was hid; the Lord knew where he was, for he hid him, and therefore could send his word to him:

after the king had burnt the roll; either with his own hands, or had ordered it to be burnt, or connived at the burning of it:

and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah; hence the Jews u gather, that when a man sees the book of the law burnt, that he is bound to rend his garments twice; once for the burning of the paper or parchment, and again for the burning of the writing; but no other is meant than the roll, in which the prophecies were written, Baruch took from the mouth of Jeremiah:

saying; as follows:

u T. Bab. Moed Katon, fol. 26. 1.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Vs. 27-32: A SECOND DRAFT OF THE SCROLL

1. The Lord commanded Jeremiah to take a second scroll and write all that was on the first, (vs. 27-28; comp. Jer 28:13-14; Jer 44:28; Zec 1:5-6).

2. And, since Jehoiakim had been so incensed at his affirmation that the king of Babylon would cut off man and beast from the land, Jeremiah was commanded, in the second scroll, to strike a bit closer home! (vs. 29-31; comp. Deu 29:19; Isa 45:9).

a. The time will soon come when Jehoiakim will have no one to sit on the throne of David, (comp. Jer 22:30; 2Ki 24:12-17).

b. His corpse will be cast out to endure the ravages of heat and cold, (vs. 30; Jer 22:18-19).

c. He, his offspring, and all Judah will be punished for their unrepented wickedness, (vs. 31; Jer 19:15; Jer 23:34; Jer 35:17; comp. Pro 29:1).

3. Thus, succeeding generations have been blessed by a fuller account of Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry through writings of this second scroll which he dictated to Baruch, his secretary, (vs.32).

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

D. The Word Restored Jer. 36:27-32

TRANSLATION

(27) And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, (28) Get yourself another scroll and write upon it all the former words which were upon the first scroll which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned. (29) And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah say, Thus says the LORD: You have burned this scroll, saying, Why have you written upon it that the king of Babylon will come and destroy this land causing both man and beast to cease from it? (30) Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall not have a descendant to sit upon the throne of David, and his body shall be cast forth to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. (31) I will punish him, his seed, and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring upon themthe inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judahall the calamity which I have spoken against them, but which they refused to hear. (32) And Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote upon it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned; and many other words of a similar nature were added to them.

COMMENTS

Every effort in human history to destroy the word of God was doomed to failure before it began. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isa. 40:8). Kings may burn Scripture and burn those who read Scripture. Men may die because of the grand old book. But the word of God shall stand for ever! Destructive critics may undermine the faith of many individual Christians and they may return to the dismal swamp of the unregenerate life. But the word of God shall stand for ever! One can criticize Scripture and pass judgment upon it. One can ignore It, disregard it, show disrespect for it. But the books of Holy Scripture will be there in that final day as a standard and basis for judgment (Rev. 20:12).

Sometime later in his place of hiding, Jeremiah was commanded to rewrite the scroll which king Jehoiakim had destroyed (Jer. 36:27-28). The new edition of the book was to contain a specific word concerning[321] the king. Jehoiakim had been enraged about the threats at the hands of the Babylonians and had therefore destroyed the word of God (Jer. 36:29).[322] But the destruction of the scroll had not eliminated the divine threat against the king and his subjects. Four distinct threats against Jehoiakim are contained in the closing verses of chapter 36. (1) Jehoiakim would have no descendant to sit upon the throne of David. As a matter of fact Jehoiakim was briefly succeeded by his son Jehoiachin. But the Hebrew word translated sit implies some degree of permanence.[323] Since Jehoiachin reigned but three months during all of which Jerusalem was surrounded by Chaldean troops, it could be said that he did not sit (permanently) on the throne of David. (2) Jeremiah predicts a violent and dishonorable death for Jehoiakim. It was the last and worst indignity for one to be left unburied and apparently that is what Jeremiah is predicting in Jer. 36:30. (3) The family and servants of the king as well as Jehoiakim himself would be punished by God. (4) God would bring upon the inhabitants to Judah and Jerusalem all the calamity which He, through His prophets, had been threatening for so many years (Jer. 36:31).

[321] The Hebrew reposition is best rendered concerning rather than to as in KJV. Direct communication between the prophet and the king was cut off by the incident which was just narrated.
[322] The expression the king of Babylon shall certainly come by no means proves that Nebuchadnezzar had not come already. Nebu chadnezzar visited Jerusalem in 605 B.C. shortly after the battle of Carchemish and took hostages. That visitation may well have already occurred at the time Jehoiakim destroyed the scroll. Perhaps the threats of destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar angered Jehoiakim all the more because of the recent humiliation which Jerusalem had suffered.
[323] Merrill F. Unger, Ungers Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody, 1967), p. 561.

The final verse of the chapter simply records that Jeremiah faithfully carried out the instructions of the Lord. The scroll was reproduced and there were added besides unto them many like words. This would be the second edition of the Book of Jeremiah. It is impossible to say with any degree of certainty which sermons or episodes were added in this second edition of the book.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(27) Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.This was probably during the concealment of the two friends, and to the command thus given we probably owe the present form of Jeremiah 25perhaps, also, of the earlier chapters of the book. But, in addition to the reproduction of the judgment denounced upon the nation at large, there was now a special prediction as to Jehoiakim himself. (1) He was to have none to sit upon the throne of David. As a matter of fact, he was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah, but the reign of the boy-prince as a tributary king lasted for three months only, and Zedekiah, who succeeded him, was the brother and not the son of Jehoiakim (comp. Jer. 22:30). (2) His dead body was to be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. The same prediction is found in Jer. 22:18-19, written probably after the incident thus recorded. See Note there as to its fulfilment.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

YHWH Commands Jeremiah To Rewrite The Scroll And Declares The Punishment That He Will Bring On King Jehoiakim Because Of What He Has Done ( Jer 36:27-32 ).

Jeremiah is consequently told to prepare a second scroll containing details of his prophecies, to replace the one that had been burned, and he took the opportunity that this presented to expand on the previous scroll. Meanwhile YHWH assured Jehoiakim that His wrath was coming on him in that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy the land, and in that the succession would not be maintained by his descendants. Furthermore, because of his action in rejecting the scroll and treating it ignominiously, his body too would be treated ignominiously on death. He had cast YHWH’s words on the fire. His own body would be cast on the ground outside the walls of Jerusalem, open to the fiery heat of the sun by day and to the frost by night.

Jer 36:27

‘Then the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,’

As a result of Jehoiakim burning the scroll YHWH sent a further word to Jeremiah about him. Note the emphasis on Jehoiakim’s actually having burned the words. This was his crime, that he had burned the words of YHWH.

Jer 36:28

“Take yourself again another roll, and write in it all the former words which were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.”

Jeremiah was then told to take another roll of papyri and write on it all the words that had been written on the earlier scroll which Jehoiakim had burned.

Jer 36:29

‘And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, “Thus says YHWH, You have burned this roll, saying, ‘Why have you written in it, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cause to cease from within it man and beast?’ ”

‘You have burned this roll’ does not necessarily mean that Jehoiakim had burned it himself. It simply suggests that he was responsible for its burning, although it may in fact be that he did actually burn it himself in order to demonstrate his contempt for Jeremiah’s prophecies. The reason for his actions is given. It was because he took objection to the suggestion that the king of Babylon would come and destroy the land to such an extent that man and beast would cease from it.

Jer 36:30

‘Therefore thus says YHWH concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, “He will have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body will be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.”

Jehoiakim himself would receive a twofold punishment. Firstly he would have no one to sit on the throne of David once he was gone, and secondly his dead body would be humiliated by being cast out to face the ravages of the weather. He had cast YHWH’s words into the heat, he himself would be cast to both heat and cold.

The first was fulfilled in that Jehoiachin, while ruling for king for three months, was possibly never crowned, (certainly not in the time honoured way for the resources necessary were partly in Babylonian hands), and definitely never ruled over the land. For the whole three months he was shut up in Jerusalem under siege. He was then followed by his uncle. We do not have details of how the second was fulfilled (the ignominious treatment of his body) but it is clear elsewhere that he suffered ignominiously on his death (compare Jer 22:18-19), and unusually nothing is said about his burial in 2 Kings.

Jer 36:31

“And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil which I have pronounced against them, but they did not listen.”

Furthermore YHWH’s judgments on Judah as written about in the scroll would be fulfilled. He, his family and his ruling men would all be punished for their iniquity, and all the evil that YHWH had declared would be brought on them. And it was all because they would not listen.

Jer 36:32

‘Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote in it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides to them many similar words.’

So Jeremiah did what YHWH had commanded, took another scroll and handed it to Baruch, who wrote down in it all that had been written in the previous book, together with a number of additions along the same lines.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

4. THE PREDICTION OF PUNISHMENT TO JEHOIAKIM AND THE SECOND WRITING

Jer 36:27-32

27Then the word of the Lord [Jehovah] came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, say- 28ing, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were 29in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. And thou shalt say to12 Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Thus saith the Lord [Jehovah]; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease [exterminate] from thence man and beast?

30Therefore thus saith the Lord [Jehovah] of [against]1 Jehoiakim, king of Judah, He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall 31be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost [cold]. And I will punish13 him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

32Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like14 words.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Jehoiakim could, indeed, burn the roll, but not the living word of God present in the mind of the prophet. He, therefore, gained nothing by his act. On the contrary he thus increased both his guilt and the number of the prophecies predicting calamity in the new roll.

Jer 36:27-32. Then the word like words. The direct address to Jehoiakim in Jer 36:29 passes over into the indirect in Jer 36:30. But as the former is not to be conceived of as to the king in bodily presence, and as it was interrupted by the question put into the mouth of Jehoiakim, Why hast thou written, etc., the transition to the third person is easily explained. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 101, 2, Anm.

Jer 36:30. He shall have none, etc. The successor of Jehoiakim was his son Jehoiachin (2Ki 24:6).But the reign of the latter was so brief (it lasted only three months) that it does not come into consideration. On what is said of his corpse comp. rems. on Jer 22:19.Like words. In itself may certainly be referred to words, and the similar import of the additions to be thus declared. Then, however, it would stand better after words. Its position after many, seems to be to indicate that it is to be referred to this word, and that thus the quantitative similarity is to be declared. Accordingly the new collection must have been about double the size of the previous one.

Footnotes:

[12]Vers 29, 30. has the meaning of over, concerning, though from the connection in a hostile sense. On Jer 36:31, where after the third time we find , comp. remarks on Jer 10:1.

[13]Jer 36:31.[Literally: I will visit upon.S. R. A.]

[14]Jer 36:32.[Or, as many more; literally: as many as they.S. R. A.]

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.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

DISCOURSE: 1081
JEHOIAKIM BURNS THE SACKED ROLL

Jer 36:27-28. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, (after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah,) saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

TRUTH has peculiar force, when it is embodied, and exhibited in action. A speculative view of it may perhaps be derived as well from abstract statements; but its practical efficacy is exceedingly enhanced by a sight of it in actual operation. For instance: the enmity of the carnal mind against God is acknowledged by us in general terms; but we are more forcibly impressed with a conviction of it, when we behold such a display of it as is contained in the chapter before us. We should scarcely conceive that any man could deliberately commit such flagrant impiety, as that of which king Jehoiakim was guilty, in destroying those prophecies which he believed to have proceeded from Almighty God. It does not appear that Jehoiakim doubted of the inspiration of Jeremiah: yet, because he did not like the subject of his prophecies, he cut them in pieces, and burned them in the fire. His folly in this act was as great as his impiety: and we shall find it by no means an uninstructive event, whilst we take occasion from it to notice,

The enmity of mans heart against the word of God

It is not the act which we propose to dwell upon, but the disposition: the act was insulated, and peculiar to this wicked king; but the disposition is common to all mankind. The very same disposition may be, and frequently is, evinced in a variety of ways:

By denying the Divine authority of the Scriptures

[Infidels pretend a want of evidence, as the ground of their rejecting the Holy Scriptures: but they wish the Scriptures not to be true, because they wish to hold fast those opinions and practices which the Scriptures condemn. Their own pride and conceit are gratified in finding objections to the Divine authority of the Bible: and they require such demonstrations of it as the subject itself does not admit of. They lay a very undue stress upon some difficulties which they cannot explain; and reject evidences, which would satisfy them on every other subject under heaven. The true ground therefore of their unbelief is, not that there is not evidence enough to satisfy a candid inquirer, but that they love darkness rather than light; yea, they hate the light, and will not come to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved [Note: Joh 3:19-21.].]

By explaining away all its fundamental truths

[To reject the Bible altogether would, in the eyes of some, be a shocking impiety; but they will without hesitation discard every mystery contained in it. The doctrine of original sin, and of the total corruption of human nature, they will not admit; but will assert, that man is neither so depraved nor so weak as the Scripture represents him. They are equally adverse to the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith: they will have it, that, in bestowing salvation, God has respect to some goodness, either seen or foreseen, in the children of men; and that, in some degree at least, our good works must form the meritorious ground of our salvation. The influences of the Holy Spirit also are derided by them, as visionary and enthusiastic; and instead of looking to the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth, and to sanctify them throughout, they persist in placing some confidence in their own wisdom and their own strength to accomplish the good work in their souls. And their whole study of the Holy Scriptures is directed to this end, to explain away what God has asserted, and to maintain their own errors in opposition to him. But in all this, there is the same disposition exercised as in the avowed infidel: and he must be ignorant indeed, who does not know, that in these pretended believers of the Scriptures there is generally found the most acrimonious hostility against the truth itself, and against all who maintain it.]

By entertaining doubts of its utility to the poor

[Would to God that Papists alone had broached this impious sentiment! But, alas! it is found amongst Protestants also: nor are there wanting those who have given it as their decided opinion, that it would have been better for the world if St. Paul had never written one of his Epistles. To put the Scriptures into the hands of the poor, they think highly inexpedient; because they apprehend that the poor are more likely to be led into error by them, than into truth. But what a reflection is this upon God himself, who gave them by inspiration, and declared them to be profitable for mens instruction in righteousness [Note: 2Ti 3:16-17.] and commanded every man to search them, in order to the finding of eternal life [Note: Joh 5:39.]! To soften down this impious notion, some would select a few parts to circulate among the poor, and would keep back the rest: in other words, they would do exactly what Jehoiakim did; they would cut out page after page, and suffer none to be read which was distasteful to their minds. Jehoiukim was afraid that his people would make a bud use of Jeremiahs roll, and therefore he burned it: and these have the same fears about the greater part of the sacred volume; and therefore they would keep it out of the hands of the poor. The acts of the two are different; but their dispositions are the same.]

By setting its precepts at defiance

[Strange as it may appear, there are many, who, whilst they believe the Scriptures to be from God, and assent to the doctrines contained in them, are yet determined to go on in sin: they know they are wrong, and perhaps intend at some future period to amend their doings; but proceed they will in their own ways, whatever may be the consequence. The world, the flesh, and the devil have such a hold upon them, that nothing can prevail upon them to seek after God. They despise alike the mercies and the judgments of their God; and say in their hearts, As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not regard it. In short, they live in the very spirit of Jehoiakim; believing the word to be inspired, and yet casting it behind them, with a determination to fulfil their own desires in opposition to it.]

By reviling and persecuting those who embrace it

[There is nothing that shews a more rooted aversion to the word of God than this. The next step to the destroying of Jeremiahs roll was, to send for Jeremiah who dictated, and Baruch who wrote it, to destroy them also: for we cannot doubt but that if the Lord had not hidden thorn, the enraged monarch would have put them to death. And are not multitudes at this clay of the very same spirit? Are there not many who hate the faithful ministers of Gods word, and account them the troublers of Israel, and the greatest pests of society? Yes; at this day, as much as in the apostolic age, would Paul and his colleagues be regarded as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things [Note: 1Co 4:13.].

Nor are ministers alone thus treated: the same hatred extends to all who embrace the Gospel in sincerity, and walk according to its holy precepts: they, no less than their teachers, are called by all manner of opprobrious names, and that too solely on account of their fidelity to Christ. Precisely as Abel was hated by Cain for his piety, and Isaac was derided by Ishmael for his faith in God, so now all who are born after the Spirit are persecuted by those who are born after the flesh [Note: Gal 4:29.]. And what does this prove, but that faith itself, and piety too, yea and God himself also, are objects of hatred to the ungodly world; and that the language of their hearts is, Prophesy not unto us right things; prophesy unto us smooth things; prophesy deceits: and make the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us [Note: Isa 30:9-11.].]

That the same enmity which raged in the king of Judah against the word of God, exists in us, appears most clearly m the foregoing particulars. We now proceed to point out,

II.

The folly of indulging it

Justly is the indulgence of this spirit compared to the setting of thorns and briers in battle array against the devouring element of fire [Note: Isa 27:4.]. For,

We cannot change one declaration in all the Scriptures

[We may dispute against every truth in the Bible; but we cannot alter one. We may deny all the scriptural representations of our guilt and helplessness, and of the necessity of being washed in the Redeemers blood, and renewed by his Spirit; and we may designate them by what terms we will; but they will still continue true: our sophistry may deceive both ourselves and others; but it cannot invalidate the truth of God, or induce him to deviate from one word that he has spoken. He will say to us, What I have written, I have written; and sooner shall heaven and earth pass away, than one jot or tittle of my word shall fail. If by disputing against the word of God, or even by casting it into the fire, we could put ourselves into a better situation with respect to it, there would be some excuse for us: but we may as well immure ourselves in a dungeon, and deny the existence of the sun: the sun would still shine, though we should not choose to see it; and would still cheer the hearts of those who felt its refreshing beams, though we excluded ourselves from any participation of its genial influence. So will all the great doctrines of the Gospel continue, though we should shut our eyes against them: the Scripture cannot be broken; nor can our unbelief make the faith of God of no effect [Note: Rom 3:3.]. Every thing else is as grass, which withereth and falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever: and this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you [Note: 1Pe 1:24-25.].]

We cannot prevent the execution of one threatening

[We are very apt to deceive ourselves in relation to this; and to think, that our unbelief will be an excuse for our disobedience. But error is not innocent, especially when it is wilful: much less can it induce God to reverse all the judgments which he has denounced against sin and sinners. Let us look to fact. The antediluvians scoffed at Noah, and at all his warnings respecting the approaching deluge: but did the deluge not come? or did they escape when the time for executing the threatened judgment was arrived? Ahab hated and imprisoned Micaiah for not speaking good concerning him, but evil; and ordered him to be fed with the bread of affliction and the water of affliction, till he should return from the war in peace. But did he return in peace? Did he survive the battle, in which Micaiah had told him he should die? Did his determined opposition to the word of God screen him from the predicted vengeance? Thus will it be with all who disbelieve the sacred records; they will learn too late by their own experience, what they would not believe upon the testimony of God: dying in unregeneracy and unbelief, they will be excluded from the kingdom of heaven, and the wrath of God will abide upon them [Note: Joh 3:3; Joh 3:36.]. O the folly and madness of plunging ourselves into everlasting misery, when, if we would but turn unto the Lord, we might secure the everlasting enjoyment of his kingdom and glory!]

We accumulate on our own heads the judgments which we despise

[The contempt with which men treat the word of God is itself a great and grievous sin, and adds exceedingly to that load of guilt which we have contracted by all our other offences. How indignant was God with Saul on this account! Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath rejected thee from being king [Note: 1Sa 15:23.]. In like manner, it was no slight expression of his displeasure which he used towards those who, in opposition to his commands, went down into Egypt; They shall know, says he, whose word shall stand, mine or theirs [Note: Jer 44:28.]. But more particularly mark Gods message to king Jehoiakim: to what an ignominious death he was doomed for his impiety; besides that, on the contents of this roll being again written, there were added unto them many like words. Let it be considered, that, whilst we are setting at nought the word of God, we are not only insuring, but increasing those very judgments which we puff at, and actually treasure up wrath against the day of wrath. Well does God say of all such persons, Lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them [Note: Jer 8:9.]? Let these words then sink down into the ears of all that hear them: if ye persist in saying, I shall have peace, though I walk after the imagination of my heart; the Lords anger will smoke against you, and he will blot out your name from under heaven [Note: Deu 29:19-20.].]

If now we would know how to conduct ourselves in reference to the word of God, let us learn,
1.

To tremble at the word ourselves

[This is the disposition which God approves. He approved of it in king Josiah, under circumstances similar to those m the history before us [Note: 2Ki 22:8; 2Ki 22:10-11; 2Ki 22:18-20.]; and he will look with complacency and delight on all who manifest it in their conduct [Note: Isa 66:2.]. O that there might be in all of us such a heart! for if we receive the word with meekness, we shall find it able and effectual to save our souls,]

To use all diligence in making it known to others

[When Baruch had written the words from Jeremiahs mouth, he went and read them in the ears of all the people. Then he read them also in the presence of the princes: and the princes went and read them to the king. All this was right: and we should do well to imitate this conduct. To those who possess not the word of God, we should carry it: and as now there are plans for diffusing that word throughout all the world, we should labour, each according to his ability, to advance that blessed work. Moreover we should read it to those who are not able to read; or, at least, should procure them instruction, that they may rend it for themselves. Nor should we be afraid to shew our veneration for it in the presence of kings and princes, or to suggest to them the necessity of attending to it themselves.]

To deal faithfully with those who pour contempt upon it

[It is spoken to the reproach of these princes, that though they made intercession to the king not to burn the roll, they did not rend their clothes, either through a fear of Gods judgments, or through an abhorrence of his impiety. And truly, when we can see the contempt with which the Holy Scriptures are treated by all around us, and not weep for the dishonour done to God, or for the injury which men do to their own souls, we shew that we ourselves are far from valuing the Scriptures as we ought. Rivers of tears ran down Davids cheeks, when he observed how men transgressed the laws of God: and is there not the same occasion for us to weep? Do we believe indeed that every word of God is true, and feel no pity for those who are exposed to all the curses that are contained therein? O seek a compassionate regard for man, and a holy zeal for God! and let none ever be ashamed to attest this truth, that the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, is understanding [Note: Job 28:28.].]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

Nothing can be more gracious on the part of God, than what is here said of the writing of another roll; and even adding to it more of his calls and alarms to the sinner. And nothing can be more solemn, to show the hardness of men, as testified in the case of the obdurate King. Oh! what an awful termination to an awfully rebellious life! Reader! behold, to what a state man is reduced by the fall, when natural blindness is followed by a judicial. Let Ephraim alone, he is joined to his idols. Hos 4:17 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Jer 36:27 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

Ver. 27. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ] Jehoiakim took an ill course to free himself from trouble, as he counted it, by burning the roll; for God’s Word cannot be burnt, no more than it can be bound. 2Ti 2:9 And “shall they thus escape by iniquity?” No, verily; for it followeth, and is not more votum than vaticinium, a wish than a prophecy, “In thine anger cast down the people, O God.” Psa 56:7

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 36:27-31

27Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying, 28Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned. 29And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the LORD, You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will make man and beast to cease from it?’ 30Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. 31I will also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the calamity that I have declared to them-but they did not listen.’

Jer 36:29 the king of Babylon will certainly come This is the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and the IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 97, KB 112) used for certainty/emphasis.

destroy this land The VERB (BDB 1007, KB 1469) form is Hiphil PERFECT. The destruction is complete and assured (i.e., a PROPHETIC PERFECT)!

Jer 36:30 He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David Was this a false prophecy? Jehoiakim was succeeded by his son, Jehoiachin, for three months before he was taken into exile by Nebuchanezzar II.

It has been a lifelong process for me to understand OT prophetic literature. A book that has really helped me is D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks. For this subject chapters 6 and 7 are especially helpful. Modern westerners expect literal, complete fulfillment of every detail, but ancient easterners did not. They recognized the hyperbolic and idiomatic nature of this genre.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

The Thirty-Third Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).

came. The word of the LORD was “not bound”. Compare 2Ti 2:9.

the roll, and the words. Note the Figure of speech Hendiadys = “the roll, yea, the very words of Jehovah written therein”.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Jer 36:27-32

Then the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah thou shalt say, Thus saith Jehovah: Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they hearkened not. Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides unto them many like words.

He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David…

(Jer 36:30). We do not understand the thinking of some writers who declare that this prophecy was unfulfilled, basing their denial upon the fact that a son did succeed him in Jerusalem for a brief three months and a few days; but, in our view, his being deposed in such a short time was more than an adequate fulfillment of what Jeremiah stated here.

We are reminded that Jehoiachim was not the last ruler to attempt to rid himself of God’s Word by burning the written records of it. Hitler and his evil associates burned the Bible at Nuremberg in 1933, with the same disastrous consequences for himself and his kingdom as those which overcame Jehoiachim and his kingdom.

The Word Restored Jer 36:27-32

Every effort in human history to destroy the word of God was doomed to failure before it began. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isa 40:8). Kings may burn Scripture and burn those who read Scripture. Men may die because of the grand old book. But the word of God shall stand for ever! Destructive critics may undermine the faith of many individual Christians and they may return to the dismal swamp of the unregenerate life. But the word of God shall stand for ever! One can criticize Scripture and pass judgment upon it. One can ignore It, disregard it, show disrespect for it. But the books of Holy Scripture will be there in that final day as a standard and basis for judgment (Rev 20:12).

Sometime later in his place of hiding, Jeremiah was commanded to rewrite the scroll which king Jehoiakim had destroyed (Jer 36:27-28). The new edition of the book was to contain a specific word concerning the king. The Hebrew reposition is best rendered concerning rather than to as in KJV. Direct communication between the prophet and the king was cut off by the incident which was just narrated. Jehoiakim had been enraged about the threats at the hands of the Babylonians and had therefore destroyed the word of God (Jer 36:29). The expression the king of Babylon shall certainly come by no means proves that Nebuchadnezzar had not come already. Nebu chadnezzar visited Jerusalem in 605 B.C. shortly after the battle of Carchemish and took hostages. That visitation may well have already occurred at the time Jehoiakim destroyed the scroll. Perhaps the threats of destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar angered Jehoiakim all the more because of the recent humiliation which Jerusalem had suffered. But the destruction of the scroll had not eliminated the divine threat against the king and his subjects. Four distinct threats against Jehoiakim are contained in the closing verses of chapter 36. (1) Jehoiakim would have no descendant to sit upon the throne of David. As a matter of fact Jehoiakim was briefly succeeded by his son Jehoiachin. But the Hebrew word translated sit implies some degree of permanence. Since Jehoiachin reigned but three months during all of which Jerusalem was surrounded by Chaldean troops, it could be said that he did not sit (permanently) on the throne of David. (2) Jeremiah predicts a violent and dishonorable death for Jehoiakim. It was the last and worst indignity for one to be left unburied and apparently that is what Jeremiah is predicting in Jer 36:30. (3) The family and servants of the king as well as Jehoiakim himself would be punished by God. (4) God would bring upon the inhabitants to Judah and Jerusalem all the calamity which He, through His prophets, had been threatening for so many years (Jer 36:31).

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll – Jer 36:1-32

Open It

1. What is your most vivid memory of being sent to do something risky, and how did it feel at the time?

2. When has a routine duty suddenly required courage on your part?

3. For what reasons might you be willing to defy the governing authorities?

Explore It

4. Who was king of Judah when Jeremiah wrote down this prophecy from God? (Jer 36:1)

5. What was Gods purpose in having Jeremiah record His judgments against Judah? (Jer 36:2-3)

6. Who helped Jeremiah record Gods message and deliver it to the people? (Jer 36:4-7)

7. Why had many Jews gathered in Jerusalem at the time Baruch read the scroll in the temple? (Jer 36:8-10)

8. Who reported the gist of the prophecy to the officials gathered in the secretarys room? (Jer 36:11-13)

9. What did the other officials ask when they heard what was happening in the temple? (Jer 36:14-15)

10. What did the shaken officials feel they must do about the prophecy? (Jer 36:16)

11. What questions did the officials ask of Baruch? (Jer 36:17-18)

12. What orders did the officials give Baruch for himself and Jeremiah? (Jer 36:19)

13. How did the king respond in action and attitude as the scroll was being read aloud? (Jer 36:20-24)

14. What did the kings officials respond to what the king did with the scroll? (Jer 36:25)

15. What was the kings first action after he had burned the scroll? (Jer 36:26)

16. What was Gods response to king Jehoiakim through His servant Jeremiah? (Jer 36:27-31)

17. How did Jeremiah and Baruch faithfully demonstrate that Gods plans would not be stopped by the king? (Jer 36:32)

Get It

18. How is Gods long-suffering nature portrayed in the story of Jeremiahs scroll?

19. What character traits were exhibited by Baruch in this story?

20. Why were the officials afraid when they heard Baruchs message?

21. What are the indications within the story that the officials had a good idea of how the king would react to the scroll?

22. When might a routine duty suddenly require courage to do the right thing?

23. How does a public pronouncement of a written document add weight to a message someone wants to deliver?

24. What is our responsibility when a decision with moral consequences lies in the hands of someone above us in the chain of command?

Apply It

25. How will you respond to those in immediate authority over you who resolutely oppose God?

26. How can Gods offer of yet one more chance remind you to seek Gods forgiveness for repeated offenses youve had trouble conquering?

Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Thirty-Six

By Brent Kercheville

1 What is Gods intention when commanding Jeremiah to write all his words on the scroll (Jer 36:1-3)? What do we learn about God?

2 Why cant Jeremiah proclaim the words to the people (Jer 36:4-10)? Who helps Jeremiah accomplish his task?

3 What is the reaction of the officials upon hearing the word of God (Jer 36:11-19)?

4 Why do the officials tell Jeremiah and Baruch to hide? What does this tell you about the spiritual condition of Israel?

5 What was the response of King Jehoiakim as the scroll of the word of the Lord was read (Jer 36:20-26)? What are your thoughts about this scene?

6 What is Gods response (Jer 36:27-32)? How is this a message to the king and the people?

TRANSFORMATION:

How does this relationship change your relationship with God? What did you learn about him? What will

you do differently in your life?

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

Jer 36:23

Reciprocal: 2Ch 36:5 – Jehoiakim Jer 1:18 – against Amo 7:17 – and Israel Hab 2:2 – Write Zec 5:1 – roll

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jer 36:27-28. Men can destroy the material copy of Gods word, but that does not do away with tile truth taught therein. In this case the material copy of the word will be replaced with the same authority as was the first one.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jer 36:27-29. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, &c. Jeremiah now receives orders to write in another roll the same words that were written in that which Jehoiakim had burned. Observe well, reader, though the attempts of hell against the word of God are very daring, yet not one tittle of it shall fall to the ground; nor shall the unbelief of man make the truth of God of none effect. Its enemies may prevail to burn many of the Bibles which contain it, yet they cannot abolish the word of God; they can neither extirpate it, nor defeat the accomplishment of it. And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim Or, of Jehoiakim; as is translated, Jer 36:30; for this command seems to have been given to Jeremiah during the time of his confinement. Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why, &c. We learn here what was the cause of the kings anger; Jeremiah had prophesied, that the king of Babylon should come and take Jerusalem, and lay the country waste, which was fulfilled within six years after this, and more fully still in eighteen years.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Its rewriting 36:27-32

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

The Lord commanded Jeremiah to make another copy of the scroll that the king had burned (cf. 2Ki 22:15-20).