Jeremiah 36 9

Jeremiah 36:9 kjv

And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 36:9 nkjv

Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 36:9 niv

In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.

Jeremiah 36:9 esv

In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the LORD.

Jeremiah 36:9 nlt

He did this on a day of sacred fasting held in late autumn, during the fifth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah. People from all over Judah had come to Jerusalem to attend the services at the Temple on that day.

Jeremiah 36 verses

Jeremiah 36 9 meaning

Jeremiah 36:9 records a significant historical event: a public fast proclaimed in Jerusalem during the fifth year and ninth month of King Jehoiakim's reign. This fast drew together all the people residing in Jerusalem and those who traveled from other cities of Judah to the capital, indicating a widespread communal act of religious devotion, likely prompted by national distress or a specific crisis, undertaken "before the Lord" as an act of seeking divine intervention or expressing penitence. It set the stage for Baruch to publicly read the scroll containing God's words of judgment and warning, dictated by Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 36 9 Context

Jeremiah 36:9 takes place in the challenging and spiritually declining reign of King Jehoiakim (609-598 BC), who was fiercely pro-Egypt and resisted the prophetic warnings about Babylon's rising power. The historical context is that of escalating political and military pressure from the burgeoning Neo-Babylonian Empire. Judah's independence was tenuous, caught between Egypt and Babylon. God had commanded Jeremiah to record all His words spoken against Israel, Judah, and all nations since Josiah's reign onto a scroll (Jer 36:1-3). The purpose was that perhaps, upon hearing, the house of Judah might repent and turn from their evil ways, and God might forgive them. Because Jeremiah was restricted, Baruch, his scribe, was commissioned to read this scroll to the people. The public fast provided an opportune moment for this reading, as it gathered a large populace seeking divine favor, making them receptive to what they perceived as God's voice, even if it contained uncomfortable truths. The ninth month typically refers to Kislev (November/December), a time of year when agricultural life might be less demanding, allowing for such an assembly. This period was also associated with significant events of lament, sometimes even relating to later historical tragedies, such as the fall of Jerusalem, though here it precedes that event.

Jeremiah 36 9 Word analysis

• And it came to pass (וַיְהִי, vayhi): A common biblical introductory phrase signaling the unfolding of an event, often significant in divine providence. It bridges the narrative to the subsequent action.
• in the fifth year (בַּשָּׁנָה הַחֲמִשִׁית, bashshānâ hachamishît): Precisely dates the event to 604 BC. Specific dating anchors the prophecy in real-world history, validating its historical veracity and divine foreknowledge.
• of Jehoiakim (לִיהוֹיָקִים, lîhōyāqîm): Refers to the reigning king of Judah, an unrighteous son of the pious Josiah (2 Kgs 23:36-37). His reign was marked by spiritual apostasy and political maneuvering against God's prophetic word.
• the son of Josiah (בֶּן-יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ, ben-yōshiyyāhû): This lineage highlights the stark contrast between the reforming, God-fearing father and the defiant, disobedient son, emphasizing the tragedy of Judah's regression under Jehoiakim.
• in the ninth month (בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁיעִי, bakhodesh hatteshî‘î): Roughly November-December, the month Kislev. This detail indicates a specific annual time and sets the stage, often associated with harsh winter conditions, which might intensify a fast if linked to a drought. This specific month will later hold tragic significance for Judah (e.g., Jer 52:6, 2 Kgs 25:3 - when the Babylonian siege was renewed or breaches occurred during later events).
• that all the people (כָּל-הָעָם, kāl-hā‘ām): Emphasizes the wide-ranging, communal nature of the event, suggesting a significant level of public engagement and awareness.
• in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem (וְכָל-הָעָם הַבָּאִים מֵעָרֵי יְהוּדָה יְרוּשָׁלַם, wᵉkāl-hā‘ām habbā’îm mē‘ārê yᵉhûdâ yᵉrûshālām): This detail underscores the national scope of the gathering, confirming the significance of the event that brought people from all over the kingdom to the capital. Such an assembly for a fast was often tied to major national distress or a divinely appointed moment.
• proclaimed a fast (קָרְאוּ צוֹם, qāre’û tzôm):
  • Proclaimed (qara): Means to call out, read aloud, summon, or invite. Here it implies an official or widespread announcement that people are expected to observe.
  • A fast (tzôm): Refers to abstaining from food and drink, a practice commonly associated with repentance, mourning, seeking God's favor, or appealing for His intervention during a crisis (e.g., drought, war threat). It was a deeply religious act to humble oneself before God. This was not a ritualistic fast, but likely prompted by a crisis, possibly the severe drought mentioned in earlier chapters of Jeremiah, or the growing threat of Babylon, or both.
• before the Lord (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, lipnê YHVH): Signifies the religious solemnity and spiritual purpose of the fast. It indicates that the fast was directed towards God, intended as an act of humility, seeking His attention, favor, or a specific answer. This sacred orientation positions the subsequent reading of Jeremiah's scroll directly in God's presence, lending divine authority to its words.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, in the ninth month": This precise dating provides the temporal setting. It grounds the spiritual events within historical time, highlighting God's activity in history, and links a significant spiritual event (the fast) to a specific king's reign, allowing for character contrast and a contextual understanding of Judah's state. The detail allows scholars to connect it with external historical events and political pressures from Egypt and Babylon during that year (e.g., Jehoiakim's loss at Carchemish and the battle for the south against Egypt by Babylon occurred around 605 BC, making the 5th year a time of heightened anxiety and awareness of God's power in world events).
• "that all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem": This phrase underlines the broad communal scope of the fast. It was not a localized event but a national gathering. This widespread assembly would later provide the perfect, albeit divinely orchestrated, audience for Baruch to deliver Jeremiah's words, underscoring God's providential timing and outreach.
• "proclaimed a fast before the Lord": This core action reveals a communal expression of piety, desperation, or repentance. The fast itself implies self-denial and earnestness. The phrase "before the Lord" defines its ultimate purpose and recipient—God Himself. Such communal fasts were usually proclaimed by civil or religious authority, often in times of national crisis or specific divine command, showing that despite widespread apostasy, some sense of traditional devotion remained, or perhaps a pragmatic turning to God in distress.

Jeremiah 36 9 Bonus section

The Hebrew calendar's ninth month, Kislev, is also notably associated with winter rains. If the fast was indeed due to drought (a common cause for such acts in Judah), its proclamation in Kislev suggests a desperate appeal for God to send rain when it was naturally expected but perhaps had failed. This adds another layer of urgency and context to the communal gathering. Historically, the reading of the scroll during a communal fast implies a period of national self-examination, where the people, in a posture of humility and solemnity, would be ideally primed to hear the word of God. The very act of the scroll being read in this setting underscores the high stakes involved and the direct challenge it presented to Jehoiakim's regime and the people's false sense of security. The prophetic practice often utilized existing cultural or religious events, like a public fast, to deliver a divine message, thereby infusing the traditional with divine truth. This timing ensured maximum exposure of God's word to the very people, and potentially leaders, Jeremiah aimed to reach.

Jeremiah 36 9 Commentary

Jeremiah 36:9 marks a pivotal moment in the book of Jeremiah, setting the stage for one of the most dramatic confrontations with Judah's leadership. The public fast, likely proclaimed by royal decree due to a national crisis such as war or drought, provided an unexpected opportunity for God's word to be heard on a grand scale. While the fast was a seemingly pious act undertaken "before the Lord," it is debated whether it signified true repentance or a desperate plea rooted in fear. Regardless of the people's heart posture, God used this solemn assembly for His redemptive purposes: to deliver His warning through Baruch, making His words inescapable for the nation, including those in authority. This moment illustrates divine sovereignty over human circumstances, where even acts of public religiosity, whatever their sincerity, can be providentially redirected to serve God's greater plan of warning and mercy. The precision of the date and the national scope of the assembly underscore the weightiness of the divine message delivered thereafter, demonstrating God's persistent efforts to call His people back to Him before inevitable judgment.

• Example 1: Like a school-wide assembly called for a perceived disciplinary issue, which a specific teacher then uses to present a crucial, ignored assignment to the entire student body.
• Example 2: A nation declaring a state of emergency for an environmental disaster, which a prepared group then uses as the platform to release urgent public health information they had been prohibited from sharing.