Bible Commentaries

And it came to pass in the fourth ^a year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, [that] this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

(a) {See (Jeremiah 25:1) }

Take thee a scroll of a book, and write in it all the words that I have spoken to thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to thee, ^b from the days of Josiah, even to this day.

(b) Which were twenty and three years, as in (Jeremiah 25:3) counting from the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign.

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote ^c from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken to him, upon a roll of a book.

(c) As he indicted.

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I [am] ^d shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:

(d) Meaning, in prison through the malice of the priests.

Therefore go thou, and read in the scroll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the ^e day of fasting: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

(e) Which was proclaimed for fear of the Babylonians, as their custom was when they feared war, or any great plague of God.

It may be they will ^f present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great [is] the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people.

(f) He shows that fasting without prayer and repentance does nothing but is mere hypocrisy.

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.

Then Baruch read 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 entrance of the ^h new gate of the LORD'S house, in the ears of all the people.

(h) Which is the East gate of the temple.

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were ⁱ afraid both one and another, and said to Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

(i) The godly were afraid, seeing God so offended, and the wicked were astonished for the horror of the punishment.

Then said the princes to Baruch, Go, ^k hide thyself, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye are.

(k) They who were godly among the princes gave this counsel by whose means it is like that Jeremiah was delivered for they knew the rage of the king and of the wicked to be such that they could not escape without danger of their lives.

Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ^l ninth month: and [there was a fire] on the hearth burning before him.

(l) Which contained part of November and part of December.

Yet they were not afraid, nor tore ^m their garments, [neither] the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

(m) Showing that the wicked instead of repenting when they hear God's judgments, grow into further malice against him and his word.

But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD ⁿ hid them.

(n) Thus we see the continual care that God has over his to preserve them from the rage of the wicked.

Take thee again ^o another scroll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah hath burned.

(o) Though the wicked think to have abolished the word of God when they have burnt the book of it, yet this declares that God will not only raise it up again but also increase it in greater abundance to their condemnation as in (Jeremiah 36:32).

And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this scroll, saying, ^p Why hast thou written in it, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from there man and beast?

(p) These are Jehoiakim's words.

Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have ^q none to sit upon the throne of David: and his ^r dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

(q) Though Jehoiachin his son succeeded him, yet because he reigned but three months, it was esteemed as no reign.

(r) {See (Jeremiah 22:19) }