Jeremiah 36:1 kjv
And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jeremiah 36:1 nkjv
Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:
Jeremiah 36:1 niv
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Jeremiah 36:1 esv
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Jeremiah 36:1 nlt
During the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king in Judah, the LORD gave this message to Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 36 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 30:2 | "Speak all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them..." | Command to speak God's word |
| Jer 1:7,17 | "everything that I command you to speak, you shall speak to them." | God's commission to Jeremiah |
| Jer 25:1-3 | "The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the fourth year of Jehoiakim..." | Timeline of Jeremiah's prophecies |
| Isa 8:1 | "Then the LORD said to me, 'Take a large tablet and write on it...'" | Similar prophetic writing |
| Luke 1:3 | "it seemed good to me also to write an account for you, in order from the beginning..." | Importance of written accounts |
| John 5:46 | "For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me." | Scripture as witness |
| Acts 20:20 | "how I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God." | Completeness of message |
| Rom 15:4 | "For whatever was written in former times was written for our instruction..." | Purpose of written Scripture |
| Heb 4:12 | "For the word of God is living and active..." | Power of God's Word |
| 1 Pet 1:25 | "But the word of the Lord endures forever." | Permanence of God's Word |
| Rev 1:19 | "Write down the things that you have seen, and the things that are..." | Divine instruction to write |
| Ezek 3:1-3 | "And he said to me, 'Son of man, eat this scroll... so I ate it..." | Symbolic act of consuming God's Word |
| Psalm 119:105 | "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." | Guidance from God's Word |
| Prov 3:3 | "Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck..." | Cherishing God's Word |
| Jer 7:29 | "Cut off your hair, throw it away, and wail on the desolate heights..." | God's rejection of the people's worship |
| Jer 17:1 | "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved..." | Permanence of sin |
| Jer 19:3,11 | "and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem...'" | Pronouncing God's word to rulers |
| Deut 18:18 | "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers..." | Future prophetic voice |
| Amos 3:7 | "Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless he reveals his secret counsel to his servants the prophets." | Prophets as spokesmen |
| Mic 3:8 | "But I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might..." | Prophetic authority |
Jeremiah 36 verses
Jeremiah 36 1 Meaning
Jeremiah 36:1 records the beginning of a pivotal event in Jeremiah's ministry. It signifies the time when God commanded Jeremiah to write down the prophecies previously spoken, and to proclaim them to Judah in a scroll. This was to serve as a final, definitive message of warning before impending judgment. The action was crucial because it aimed to preserve God's word and present a clear, undeniable record of His pronouncements.
Jeremiah 36 1 Context
This verse initiates chapter 36, which describes a critical juncture in Jeremiah's prophetic ministry during the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah. Jehoiakim's rule (609-598 BC) was marked by his subservience to Egypt and later to Babylon, and a significant departure from the reforms of his father. The people of Judah had largely ignored previous warnings, continuing in their idolatry and injustice. God's command to Jeremiah was to compile all the messages given since the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign into a single scroll, a comprehensive indictment and final call to repentance before the pronouncement of Babylonian captivity. This compilation served as a visible, tangible representation of God's unwavering message.
Jeremiah 36 1 Word Analysis
- And (וְ / ve): Conjunction, connecting the subsequent action to what preceded. It emphasizes the unfolding narrative.
- it (וַיְהִי / vay'hi): Literally "And it was," commonly used to begin a narrative.
- came (דָּבָר / davar): Word, thing, matter, event. Here it signifies a divine communication or message.
- word (אֶל־ / el): To, towards, unto. Preposition indicating the recipient of the message.
- from (יִרְמְיָהוּ / Yirmeyahu): Jeremiah. The prophet who received the message.
- LORD (יְהוָה / Yehovah): The covenant name of God. Emphasizes God as the ultimate source.
- in (בִּשְׁנַת / bishnat): In the year. Denotes the temporal setting.
- fourth (הָרְבִיעִית / ha'rvi'it): The fourth. Specific temporal marker.
- year (לְמֶלֶךְ / l'Melekh): Of the king. Indicating a reign-based dating system.
- of (יְהוֹיָקִים / Yehoyaqim): Jehoiakim. The reigning king of Judah.
- son (בֶּן־ / ben): Son. Specifies Jehoiakim's lineage.
- of (יוֹשִׁיָּהוּ / Yoshiyahu): Josiah. His righteous father, providing contrast.
- king (מֶלֶךְ / Melekh): King. Ruler of Judah.
- of (יְהוּדָה / Yehudah): Judah. The kingdom receiving the message.
- the (הַזֶּה / hazzeh): This. Referring to the specific king mentioned.
- word (דָּבָר / davar): Message, pronouncement.
- came (בָּא / ba): Came. Received by Jeremiah.
Group Analysis:
- "And it came to pass" (וַיְהִי / vay'hi): Establishes a temporal link and narrative flow.
- "word from the LORD" (דָּבָר מֵאֵת יְהוָה / davar me'et Yehovah): Explicitly attributes the message to God, asserting its divine origin and authority.
- "in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah" (בִּשְׁנַת הָרְבִיעִית לְמֶלֶךְ יְהוֹיָקִים בֶּן־יוֹשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה / bishnat ha'rvi'it l'Melekh Yehoyaqim ben-Yoshiyahu Melekh Yehudah): Pinpoints the precise historical context, grounding the prophecy in a specific period of Judah's political and spiritual decline under a king who favored paganism and disregarded God's law.
Jeremiah 36 1 Bonus Section
The specific year, the fourth year of Jehoiakim, is significant because it predates Jehoiakim's rebellion against Babylon, which occurred in 936 BC (according to Babylonian records). It also falls within the period when Jeremiah, following God's command, purchased land from his cousin Hanamel, symbolizing hope for future restoration even amidst judgment (Jeremiah 32). This act of writing down the prophecies can be seen as preparing for the subsequent events where the scroll is read to the people, then to the king, and finally burned, leading to further pronouncements and the writing of a new scroll with additional prophecies. It highlights the tangible representation of God's communication.
Jeremiah 36 1 Commentary
Jeremiah 36:1 marks the beginning of God's command to compile His messages into a written scroll. This was a crucial step because Jeremiah had been prophesying for many years, and these prophecies needed to be consolidated. The choice of Jehoiakim's fourth year is significant; this was a time when Judah was becoming increasingly defiant towards God and vulnerable to foreign powers, particularly Babylon. The decree to write emphasizes the enduring nature of God's word and His desire to leave a clear testimony for His people, even in their apostasy. It was a final act of grace, offering a last opportunity for repentance by presenting all the warnings in one place. The very act of writing down God's judgment underscores its inevitability if there was no change of heart.