Jeremiah 36 27

Jeremiah 36:27 kjv

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

Jeremiah 36:27 nkjv

Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written at the instruction of Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying:

Jeremiah 36:27 niv

After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 36:27 esv

Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 36:27 nlt

After the king had burned the scroll on which Baruch had written Jeremiah's words, the LORD gave Jeremiah another message. He said,

Jeremiah 36 verses

Jeremiah 36 27 meaning

Jeremiah 36:27 signifies God's direct and immediate response to King Jehoiakim's audacious act of burning the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophetic warnings. It communicates that despite human defiance and attempts to suppress divine revelation, God's word is not thwarted. Instead, God reaffirms His message, ensuring its survival and ultimate fulfillment, thus underscoring the sovereignty and indestructibility of His pronouncements.

Jeremiah 36 27 Context

Jeremiah 36:27 is pivotal within the larger narrative of Jeremiah chapter 36, occurring in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim's reign (Jer 36:1, 9), around 605/604 BC. Prior to this verse, the LORD commanded Jeremiah to write down all the words He had spoken concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, with the hope that the people might hear and repent (Jer 36:2-3). Baruch, Jeremiah's faithful scribe, transcribed the prophecies onto a scroll. This scroll was then read publicly, first by Baruch in the temple courts (Jer 36:10), then to the officials (Jer 36:15), and finally to King Jehoiakim himself. The critical turning point in Jer 36:23 describes the king's brazen defiance: as portions of the scroll were read, he deliberately cut them out with a scribe's knife and burned them in a brazier until the entire scroll was consumed. His officials and even members of his court urged him not to burn it, but he disregarded their pleas, displaying extreme contempt for God's word. This verse (Jer 36:27) marks God's direct response to Jehoiakim's act of rebellion, immediately preceding the command for a new scroll to be written, further emphasizing that God's plan cannot be frustrated by human opposition. The broader historical context is a time of political instability, with Babylon rising as a superpower, and Judah facing imminent judgment for its continued idolatry and covenant breaking, despite Jeremiah's persistent warnings.

Jeremiah 36 27 Word analysis

• Then (וַיְהִי / vayhi)

  • This conjunctive adverb signifies immediate succession and consequence. It marks a crucial narrative transition, indicating God's swift reaction to the king's preceding actions.
  • Significance: Highlights the divine response as directly and promptly following Jehoiakim's rebellious act.

• the word of the LORD (דְּבַר יְהוָה / devar YHWH)

  • Devar: "Word," "speech," "thing," "matter." Refers to direct communication, an authoritative utterance.
  • YHWH: The covenant name of God, indicating His sovereign authority and personal engagement with His people.
  • Significance: Emphasizes the divine origin and authority of the message. It's not Jeremiah's word, but God's, giving it ultimate weight. It asserts that despite human attempts to destroy it, the source of the word remains.

• came (הָיָה / hayah)

  • Meaning: "To be," "to happen," "to become." In this context, "came" implies direct reception by Jeremiah.
  • Significance: Indicates a renewed and specific prophetic inspiration, reaffirming Jeremiah's role as a recipient of divine revelation.

• to Jeremiah (אֶל-יִרְמְיָהוּ / el-Yirmeyahu)

  • "To Jeremiah" identifies the specific prophet through whom God chooses to deliver His reconfirmed message.
  • Significance: Reaffirms Jeremiah's calling and unique role as God's chosen messenger, even after experiencing persecution and rejection.

• after that (אַחֲרֵי שְׂרֹף / ’acharei s’rof)

  • "After that": Emphasizes the temporal sequence, tying God's word directly to Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll.
  • "burned" (s'rof): Denotes complete destruction by fire, indicating the king's definitive act of rejection.
  • Significance: Precisely dates the divine utterance, directly connecting it to Jehoiakim's insolence. God's response is provoked by human sin.

• the king (הַמֶּלֶךְ / hammelekh)

  • Refers specifically to Jehoiakim, king of Judah. His royal title underscores the gravity of his actions as a leader of God's people.
  • Significance: The deliberate defiance came from the highest human authority, setting a precedent of rebellion against divine command from the top.

• had burned (שְׂרֹף / s'rof)

  • Meaning: "To burn," "to consume by fire."
  • Significance: This active destruction was a powerful gesture of contempt, not merely passive rejection. It was an attempt to physically eradicate God's spoken word, thinking it could be nullified.

• the roll (אֶת-הַמְּגִלָּה / 'et-hammegillah)

  • Megillah: "Scroll," a written document made of animal skin or papyrus. This refers to the physical embodiment of the prophecies dictated to Baruch.
  • Significance: It was the tangible form of God's revelation. Burning it was a symbolic act of destroying the message and challenging the divine author.

• with the words which Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah (דִּבְרֵי כִתּוּב בָּרוּךְ מִפִּי יִרְמְיָהוּ / divrey kittuv Baruch mippi Yirmeyahu)

  • "words which Baruch wrote" (divrey kittuv Baruch): Highlights Baruch's faithful role as a scribe, documenting Jeremiah's oral message.
  • "from the mouth of Jeremiah" (mippi Yirmeyahu): Emphasizes that Jeremiah's original delivery was oral and directly inspired by God, as indicated in Jer 1:9. Baruch's writing was an accurate transcription.
  • Significance: This phrase provides crucial clarification and reinforces the legitimacy of the scroll's content. It assures that the burned scroll contained actual divine revelation, faithfully transmitted by God through Jeremiah, then faithfully recorded by Baruch. This emphasizes that the content remains valid despite the destruction of its initial written form.

• "the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah" (words-group analysis)

  • This phrase is a foundational prophetic formula, recurrent throughout the Old Testament, particularly in Jeremiah. It emphasizes the direct, authoritative, and incontestable origin of the message from Yahweh Himself to His chosen messenger. This phrase instantly authenticates the following revelation.

• "after that the king had burned the roll" (words-group analysis)

  • This explicitly links the divine communication to a specific human action of defiance. It demonstrates God's attentiveness and direct intervention in response to human rebellion. The burning was a monumental act of insolence, and God’s immediate response underscores His sovereignty over all human rulers.

• "with the words which Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah" (words-group analysis)

  • This clarifies the destroyed content. It was not random writing, but authenticated prophecy, a dual authentication: first, through Jeremiah as God's mouth; second, through Baruch as Jeremiah's faithful scribe. This affirms the divine origin and integrity of the original message, even in its physical destruction. It highlights the divine method of transmitting oral revelation into enduring written form through human agents.

Jeremiah 36 27 Bonus section

The Hebrew word for "roll" (מְגִלָּה / megillah) typically refers to a parchment or leather scroll. The destruction of such a valuable item, carefully written by Baruch, underscores Jehoiakim's disdain not just for the message, but for the labor and the medium itself. His use of a "scribe's knife" (a common tool for preparing scrolls or erasing errors) for destructive purposes is a striking subversion of its intended function for divine preservation. This incident contrasts sharply with the reaction of Josiah, Jehoiakim's father, who tore his clothes in repentance when the Book of the Law was found (2 Kgs 22:11), demonstrating vastly different heart attitudes towards God's word in successive kings. The reappearance of the word, not just identical but "adding besides unto them many like words" (Jer 36:32), signifies not merely restoration, but an intensification of judgment for the king's impenitence. The narrative also elevates Baruch's faithfulness. Despite the physical destruction of his diligent work, his role as a scribe of divine truth is reaffirmed, signifying the enduring value of those who faithfully record and transmit God's word.

Jeremiah 36 27 Commentary

Jeremiah 36:27 marks a definitive moment where God emphatically asserts His supremacy over human authority and defiance. Jehoiakim's act of burning the scroll was an unprecedented and contemptuous rejection of divine warning, a display of hardened rebellion against the God of Israel. Rather than silencing God, this audacious act simply provoked an amplified divine response. The phrase "Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah" signifies an immediate, divinely sovereign counteraction. God does not need paper or a king's approval for His word to exist or be effective.

This verse reveals God's unyielding purpose. The destruction of the physical scroll was futile, as God's message, its true essence, is indestructible. The focus shifts from the material form to the originating divine authority. By immediately recommunicating the message to Jeremiah, God signals that His plans and prophecies are irreversible and not dependent on the cooperation of man, not even a king. This incident highlights a foundational truth: while man may attempt to destroy or ignore God's revelation, it ultimately stands eternal, echoing passages like Psalm 119:89. It is a testament to the perseverance of prophecy and the unwavering commitment of God to His redemptive and judicial pronouncements.

For instance, this can be likened to someone deleting a crucial warning from a digital device, only to find the author sends an even stronger, expanded warning immediately afterward, confirming that the message itself remains and cannot be truly erased.