Jeremiah 36 21

Jeremiah 36:21 kjv

So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

Jeremiah 36:21 nkjv

So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king.

Jeremiah 36:21 niv

The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.

Jeremiah 36:21 esv

Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king.

Jeremiah 36:21 nlt

The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from Elishama's room and read it to the king as all his officials stood by.

Jeremiah 36 21 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Jeremiah 36:2"Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you against Israel, Judah and all the other nations..."Encouragement to record God's word
Jeremiah 36:8"Baruch son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, by reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house."Obedience to prophetic instruction
Isaiah 55:11"so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty..."Efficacy of God's word
Ezekiel 3:10"Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, take all these words that I speak to you into your heart, and hear them with your ears."Receiving and heeding prophecy
Luke 11:28"But He said, “Indeed, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"Blessedness of obedience
Acts 5:20"Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”Bold proclamation of truth
Romans 10:14"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?"Necessity of hearing the word
2 Timothy 4:2"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching."Duty of preaching
John 12:48"The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day."Judgment by the word
Jeremiah 1:7"But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, “I am only a youth”; you shall go to all to whom I send you, and shall speak to all that I command you.'"Commission to prophesy
Jeremiah 7:23"But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people..."Covenant conditional on obedience
Proverbs 18:21"Death and life are in the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."Power of spoken words
Revelation 1:3"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it..."Blessings for hearing the word
2 Kings 22:11"And when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes."King's reaction to God's word
2 Kings 22:13"Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found..."Seeking the Lord in distress
Acts 4:19"But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge..."Prioritizing God's command
Philippians 1:6"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."God's faithfulness in His work
Colossians 1:25"...of the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known..."Ministering God's word
Habakkuk 2:2"And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a man may read it easily."Recording prophetic vision
Mark 4:14"The sower sows the word."Word as seed

Jeremiah 36 verses

Jeremiah 36 21 Meaning

The king is informed that a scroll, containing prophecies of judgment, has been read aloud to him. This particular scroll was written by Jeremiah and Baruch. Despite the king's actions, the prophet and scribe continued their work.

Jeremiah 36 21 Context

Jeremiah chapter 36 describes a pivotal moment during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. The Babylonians were a looming threat, and Jerusalem was under siege or expected to be. Jeremiah, commissioned by God, had been prophesying for years about the impending judgment due to Judah's persistent sin and idolatry. God instructs Jeremiah to write down all these prophecies onto a scroll. Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, reads this scroll aloud in public places, first in the temple courtyard and then, upon being summoned, before the officials and eventually King Jehoiakim himself. The king's response is defiant and destructive; he cuts the scroll into pieces and burns it. However, the destruction of the physical scroll does not negate the message. Jeremiah and Baruch, again under God's command, prepare a new scroll with the same prophecies, adding more that declare judgment against Jehoiakim. This chapter highlights the persistent power of God's word, the defiance of human authority against it, and the ultimate triumph of divine revelation. Verse 21 specifically details the king's violent rejection of the scroll after it was read to him.

Jeremiah 36 21 Word Analysis

  • The king (ha-melekh): Refers specifically to King Jehoiakim of Judah.

  • heard: (shama): The Hebrew verb here can mean "to hear" but also carries connotations of "to obey" or "to pay attention." The king heard, but did not obey or give proper heed to the words.

  • that (kiy): A conjunction introducing a subordinate clause explaining what was heard.

  • Baruch: (Barukh): A common Hebrew name meaning "blessed." He was Jeremiah's faithful scribe.

  • had read: (qara): Means to call out, proclaim, or read aloud. The act of reading aloud was significant for public proclamation.

  • from (mi): Indicates the source or origin of the words.

  • the scroll (ham-galtat): The roll of papyrus or parchment on which the prophecies were written.

  • in the ear (be-ozen): Literally "in the ear," signifying personal hearing. This emphasizes that the words were directly conveyed to him.

  • of (et): A preposition indicating possession or relationship.

  • the king: (ha-melekh): Again, King Jehoiakim.

  • Jehoiakim: (Yehoyaqim): The name means "the Lord will establish." His reign was characterized by disobedience and ultimately led to his downfall and removal by the Babylonians.

  • Words group analysis:

    • "The king heard that Baruch had read from the scroll in the ear of the king, Jehoiakim": This phrase encapsulates the transmission of God's message from the written word, through the speaker (Baruch), to the recipient (the king). It shows the path of divine communication and the direct reception of the prophecy.
    • The entire verse, as a consequence of verse 20 ("But Jeremiah said to Baruch, 'Do not be afraid of what you see there. I will not be handed over to them. Come, I will hide you. Give me the words that you have spoken by the mouth of the Lord. Write them on the scroll...'"), emphasizes that despite the king's rejection and the attempt to destroy the scroll, the message itself has been received by the king and his officials, marking a point of no return in their awareness of God's pronouncements.

Jeremiah 36 21 Bonus Section

The act of cutting and burning the scroll by Jehoiakim is a powerful illustration of opposition to God's truth. This behavior mirrors the rejection of prophets throughout Israel's history and foreshadows the rejection of Jesus Christ and His message by the religious and political authorities of His day. The fact that Jeremiah was commanded to write a new scroll, and that more prophecies were added against Jehoiakim, underscores that God's message will not be silenced by human aggression. It reinforces the concept that God's sovereign will and prophetic pronouncements ultimately prevail, irrespective of the opposition they face. This event also highlights the critical role of the written word in conveying and preserving divine revelation for future generations.

Jeremiah 36 21 Commentary

This verse signifies the direct confrontation between divine authority and human defiance. King Jehoiakim, upon hearing Jeremiah's prophecy directly from the scroll read by Baruch, does not repent. Instead, his immediate action is to destroy the scroll, a symbolic and literal rejection of God's word and warning. This act sets the stage for increased judgment, as documented in the subsequent verses. The prophetic word, though attacked, has been "heard" by the king, meaning it has entered his awareness and the awareness of his court. This highlights the accountability that comes with hearing truth, regardless of whether it is heeded. The power of God's word is not diminished by its physical destruction, as it has already been proclaimed and recorded by Jeremiah.