This chapter gives an account of an impious action of King Jehoiakim’s burning the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecies read unto him, and the consequence of it. The order to write this roll, the time when, the contents and use of it, are in Jer.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah Eighteen years before the destruction of Jerusalem: that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord; the following order to write in a roll all his prophecies he had hitherto delivered: saying; as follows:

Take thee a roll of a book A roll of parchment, which being wrote on, and rolled up, was called a book; but books, in those times, did not consist of leaves cut and stitched together, and bound up, as our books are, but sheets of parchments being written upon, were glued together, and then rolled…

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them Not that there was any uncertainty in God as to the knowledge of future events, any more than a change in his purposes: he had purposed to bring evil upon them, which purpose would not be disannulled; and he…

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah One of his disciples, and whom he had before made use of in the purchase of a field of his uncle’s son, and to whom he gave the evidence of the purchase, ; he was probably a better penman than the prophet, or a quicker writer; however, he thought…

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up In prison, according to Jarchi; but this is not likely, for then there would have been no occasion for an order to take him, .

Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth The roll being finished, Baruch is ordered to read it, which was the end of writing it: and since the prophet could not go himself, he sends another in his room, to read the words of the Lord in the ears of the people,…

It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord, &c.] Or, “perhaps their supplication will fall” [[13]]; they will present it in an humble manner before him; alluding to the prostration of their bodies, and dejection of their countenances, in prayer: and will return every man from…

And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him Here follows Baruch’s obedience to the prophet’s commands; which he considered no doubt as the will of the Lord, who directed the prophet to give the orders he did; and which he punctually observed, in all…

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, Jer.

Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord The prophecies of Jeremiah he had taken from him in writing on a roll of parchment; these he read in the temple, in a part of it, after described: in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe; not a scribe of…

When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan Who was present when Baruch read in the roll to the people in his father’s chamber; but his father was absent, and was with the princes in the secretary’s office at the same time, as shows: the son seems to be a more religious man than the…

Then he went down into the king’s house The royal palace, which was not upon the mountain on which the temple stood, but lay lower, and therefore Micaiah is said to go down to it; with what design he went thither is not certain, whether out of ill will to Jeremiah and Baruch, or out of good will,…

Then Micaiah declared all the words that he had heard The sum and substance of them; for it cannot be thought that he should retain in his memory every word that he had heard; though, as it is very probable he was much struck and affected with what he had heard, he might remember and declare a…

Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi Who, according to Junius, was the king’s apparitor: he is described by his descent, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi; him the princes sent, being not one of their body, but a servant at court: to Baruch; who was very probably still…

And they said unto him, sit down now Or, “pray sit down” [[15]]; they received him very courteously, and treated him with great humanity, and showed much respect to him, in beseeching him to sit down by them: and read it in our ears; as he had done in the ears of the people, with an audible voice,…

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words In the roll or book read by Baruch; they heard them read patiently, which was what the king afterwards would not do: they were afraid both one and another; both good and bad; for there were some of both sorts among them: or, “a man to his…

And they asked Baruch The following question, which may seem at first sight an odd, needless, and trifling one, as some have called it: saying, tell us now, how didst thou write all these words at his mouth? this question does not regard the manner of writing them, whether with ink or not, for that…

Then Baruch answered them At once, without any hesitation, plainly and fully: he pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth; that is, the Prophet Jeremiah delivered by word of mouth, not the substance only of this roll, but the express words of it, and everyone of them, and that clearly and…

Then said the princes unto Baruch Being satisfied with his answer: go hide thee, thou and Jeremiah, and let no man know where ye be. Some of these princes at least seem to be good men, and believed what was read to them, and had a value for the prophet and his scribe, and were concerned for their…

And they went in to the king into the court The inner court, the king’s court, where he usually resided; though very probably they did not rush in at once; but first sent to know whether the king could be spoke with, or would admit them, they having something to communicate to him; which they might…

So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll The same person the princes sent to Baruch to come to them, and bring the roll with him, . This the king did, out of curiosity, and to satisfy himself of the truth of what the princes said; and by this it appears they had told him of the roll, which…

Now the king sat in the winter house, in the ninth month The month Cisleu, which answers to part of November, and part of December; and so was the midst of winter, and a proper time for the king to be in his winter house; though, as this was a fast day, it would have been more proper for him to…

And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves Either three or four of the breadths of parchment, which were glued together, and rolled up; or three or four of the columns in those breadths. The meaning is, he had read a few of them.

Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments They were not struck with horror at such an impious action as the burning of the roll; nor afraid of the judgments and wrath of God threatened in it; nor did they rend their garments in token of sorrow and mourning on account of either, as used to…

Nevertheless, Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah Three of the five princes mentioned in ; had made intercession to the king, that he would not burn the roll; or suffer it to be burnt; this they did either at first, as soon as the roll was brought, that if the king should not like it, yet they…

But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech Or, “the king’s son”, as the Targum; though it rather seems to be the proper name of a person, one of the king’s servants; since it is not probable he would send his own son on such an errand; and had he, he would rather have been called his own…

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…

Take thee again another roll Or a piece of parchment; or rather several pieces of parchment glued or rolled up together: and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burnt; just as when the two tables of the law were broken, two others…

And thou shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah Or, “concerning” [[21]] him; since the prophet was hid, and he was in quest of him; nor was it safe for him to appear in person before him; though this may be understood as what should be put into the second roll, and in that he addressed to him: thus…

Therefore thus saith the Lord, of Jehoiakim king of Judah, &c.] Or, “concerning” [[22]] him; for Jehovah is not here said to be “the Lord of Jehoiakim”, though he was, being King of kings, and Lord of lords; bat as speaking concerning him, and threatening him, as follows: he shall have none to sit…

And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity In cutting the roll pieces, and burning it, as Abarbinel interprets it; which either was done by himself, or by his order, and with his connivance; and at which perhaps his sons were present, and expressed a pleasure in it; an&…

Then took Jeremiah another roll Of parchment; several sheets joined together, which made up a roll or volume: and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who was by office a public notary or scribe of the law, as well as the amanuensis of the prophet: who wrote therein from the mouth of…