Jeremiah 36:17

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

⁹Now in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast before the LORD was proclaimed to all the people of Jerusalem and all who had come there from the cities of Judah. ¹⁰From the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people. ¹¹When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll, ¹²he went down to the scribe's chamber in the king's palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. ¹³And Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people. ¹⁴Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, saying, "Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come." So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them. ¹⁵"Please sit down," they said, "and read it in our hearing." So Baruch read it in their hearing. ¹⁶When they had heard all these words, they turned to each other in fear and said to Baruch, "Surely we must report all these words to the king." ¹⁷"Tell us now," they asked Baruch, "how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah's dictation?"¹⁸"It was at his dictation," Baruch replied. "He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink on the scroll."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tell: John 9:10, John 9:11, John 9:15, John 9:26, John 9:27

Reciprocal: Proverbs 26:5 - a fool Jeremiah 36:4 - wrote

Cross-References

Genesis 36:4
And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave birth to Reuel,

Genesis 36:13
These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath.

1 Chronicles 1:37
The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 they could see with their eyes, and yet Baruch's answer seems to have respect to this, as if he so understood them; nor barely the matter of them, as whether it was the substance of what was contained in the roll that Jeremiah dictated, and that only, leaving it to Baruch to use what words he would, or whether the express words were dictated by him; but rather it seems to have regard to the possibility of doing it: by the question it appears, that Baruch had told the princes that the prophet had dictated all these things to him, and he had taken them down in writing from his mouth; now they wanted more satisfaction about the truth of this matter. It was a difficulty with them how it was possible for Jeremiah to recollect so many different discourses and prophecies, delivered at different times, and some many years ago, and so readily dictate them to Baruch, as fast as he could write them; wherefore they desire he would tell them plainly and faithfully the truth of the matter, how it was, that so they might, if they could, affirm it with certainty to the king; since, if this was really fact which he had related, these prophecies originally, and the fresh dictating of them, must be from the Spirit of God, and would certainly have their accomplishment.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The scroll might have been drawn up by Baruch from memoranda of his own without the prophet’s direct authority. The princes therefore did not ask from curiosity, but to obtain necessary information.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 36:17. How didst thou write all these words? - At his mouth? — So the text should be pointed. They wished to know whether he had not copied them, or whether he wrote as Jeremiah prophesied.