Jeremiah 36 23

Jeremiah 36:23 kjv

And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

Jeremiah 36:23 nkjv

And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe's knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

Jeremiah 36:23 niv

Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.

Jeremiah 36:23 esv

As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot.

Jeremiah 36:23 nlt

Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took a knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up.

Jeremiah 36 verses

Jeremiah 36 23 meaning

Jeremiah 36:23 portrays King Jehoiakim's overt act of defiance against the divine word. As Jehudi read the scroll containing God's warnings delivered through Jeremiah, the king deliberately cut sections of it with a scribe's knife and cast them into the fire on his hearth. This action symbolizes an arrogant, calculated rejection of God's message, indicating extreme contempt for the divine authority and its call to repentance and obedience. It was an attempt to silence and erase the uncomfortable truth that threatened his rule and lifestyle, leading to further hardening of his heart against the LORD.

Jeremiah 36 23 Context

Jeremiah chapter 36 details God's command to Jeremiah to write down all the prophecies delivered against Israel, Judah, and other nations, from the time of Josiah to that present day (around 605-604 BC, the fourth year of King Jehoiakim). The purpose was for the people to hear the warnings of judgment and perhaps turn from their evil ways to avert disaster. Since Jeremiah was forbidden to enter the Temple, his scribe Baruch read the scroll to the people on a fast day, then to a group of royal officials. These officials, fearing for Jeremiah and Baruch's lives and sensing the gravity of the message, advised them to hide and then relayed the message to King Jehoiakim. The king, known for his wickedness and defiance of God's earlier warnings (cf. Jer 22:13-19), demanded the scroll to be read before him in his winter palace. Jeremiah 36:23 is the pivotal moment describing the king's shocking response: not only did he refuse to heed the message, but he actively sought to destroy it.

Jeremiah 36 23 Word analysis

• And it came to pass: This common transitional phrase marks a significant event in the biblical narrative, drawing attention to what follows as a pivotal moment in the unfolding drama of divine word and human defiance.
• that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves:
  • Jehudi: An official sent by the king, whose very name, "Jew" or "Judean," paradoxically signifies his role in facilitating an act of national apostasy.
  • leaves: The Hebrew term דלתות (daletot), literally meaning "doors" or "columns," refers not to pages of a book but to vertical columns of writing on a scroll. "Three or four" indicates that only a portion, albeit a significant one, of God's message was read before the king's impatient, contemptuous reaction. He had heard enough to understand the gravity but chose defiance.
• he cut it: The verb יקרעה (yiqra'eh), meaning "he tore" or "ripped," conveys an aggressive, violent act, emphasizing the king's contempt and rejection. This was not a passive discarding but an active desecration.
• with the penknife: The Hebrew תער ספרים (ta'ar s'pharim) refers to a scribe's knife, typically used for sharpening reeds (pens) or trimming papyrus/parchment for writing. The irony is stark: a tool for preparing God's word was now employed by the king as a weapon to destroy it. This subverts the divine intent and highlights his active role in obliterating the truth.
• and cast it into the fire: A deliberate and contemptuous act. Burning was a method of absolute destruction, signifying his desire to completely eradicate the threatening message and its implications. It symbolized his desire to erase God's judgment, both from existence and from his conscience.
• that was on the hearth: The Hebrew אח (ach) denotes a firepot or brazier, present for warmth in the "winter house" (v. 22). This detail implies a deliberate, calculated act rather than an impulsive fit of rage. It highlights a calm, yet cold-hearted and blasphemous determination to defy God within the comfort and control of his royal residence.
• until all the roll was consumed in the fire:
  • all the roll: Emphasizes the completeness of his intent; he didn't just burn a few columns but meticulously destroyed the entire document. The scroll (מגלה, megillah) represented the full, authoritative, living Word of God to him.
  • consumed: The Hebrew תם (tam), "finished" or "brought to an end," signifies absolute annihilation in Jehoiakim's eyes. This attempted obliteration aimed to negate the message and, by extension, the authority of the God who sent it.

Jeremiah 36 23 Bonus section

Jehoiakim's character is crucial to understanding this act. He ascended to the throne as a vassal king under Egypt, initially named Eliakim, but changed by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kgs 23:34). He was known for injustice, violence, and extravagant self-indulgence (Jer 22:13-19), burdening his people to build lavish palaces. His reign saw the final erosion of Judah's spiritual and moral integrity, setting the stage for its downfall. His burning of the scroll represents a deliberate abandonment of the covenant and a refusal of God's final warning, paralleling the complete destruction that would soon befall Jerusalem. The incident emphasizes that while human hands can destroy physical texts, they cannot destroy the divine word itself, which God sovereignly preserves and fulfills, often adding to it for greater judgment on those who scorn it.

Jeremiah 36 23 Commentary

Jeremiah 36:23 marks one of the most brazen acts of impiety in biblical history. King Jehoiakim’s destruction of the prophetic scroll reveals not merely skepticism or neglect, but outright defiance and rebellion against God Himself. His use of a scribe’s tool to tear and burn the very words of the LORD speaks to a deeply ingrained resistance, echoing Pharaoh’s hardness of heart. This was not an act of impulse, but a calculated contempt in the warmth of his palace, illustrating a king utterly at odds with the divine will for his nation and his own soul. The act demonstrated his arrogant refusal to submit to any authority above himself. Despite this destructive effort, God's word is immutable; the very next verse shows God commanded Jeremiah to re-write the scroll, adding further warnings against Jehoiakim and establishing the futility of human attempts to silence divine truth. The king's actions ultimately solidified his condemnation, fulfilling the very prophecies he tried to erase.