Choosing a "fasting day" wasn't just about finding a crowd; it was strategic—a day meant for humbling and seeking God, making people more receptive to harsh truths. This instruction also reveals that Jeremiah, though divinely inspired, was divinely instructed to delegate, emphasizing Baruch's crucial role in delivering God's message directly to the people when Jeremiah himself could not.
so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the LORD’s house you shall read the words of the LORD from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah, unable to deliver this message himself due to possible restrictions, dictates a scroll of God's words to his scribe, Baruch. This passage instructs Baruch to read the scroll publicly in the Temple on a designated fast day, when many people from Judah would be gathered. The timing is crucial, intended to ensure the weighty message of judgment reaches as many as possible during a time of supposed repentance and collective vulnerability.
Imagine being a prophet, burdened by God's heavy words. How do you ensure they are heard accurately, especially when facing personal risk?
Divine Dictation
Jeremiah wasn't just sharing his thoughts; he was relaying God's direct message. The text emphasizes that Baruch wrote "all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him" (Jeremiah 36:4). This wasn't Jeremiah's interpretation or a casual sermon; it was God's word, dictated word-for-word.
The Prophet as a Conduit
Calvin highlights that Jeremiah acted as a conduit, guided by the Spirit. This means the words weren't entirely from memory, but God ensured accuracy by suggesting them again to the prophet. Jeremiah's role was to be a faithful instrument, letting God's voice speak through him.
Why choose a day of fasting for such a weighty and potentially frightening message? This wasn't random; it was divinely strategic.
The Power of a Frightened Audience
A fast day was a time when people gathered in large numbers, especially in the Temple courts. This was crucial because Jeremiah's message was for all of Judah, not just Jerusalem residents.
A Moment of Openness
Furthermore, a fast day was intended for repentance and seeking God's mercy. While the people might have been fasting to avert immediate danger (like an impending invasion), it was also a moment when their hearts could theoretically be more open to God's warnings. This made it the ideal, albeit challenging, time for such a stark message to be delivered, aiming to provoke repentance.
Ask a follow-up
Jeremiah couldn't deliver the message himself. What does this say about his obedience and the importance of getting God's Word out, no matter what?
Personal Risk, Divine Priority
Jeremiah was prevented from going to the Temple himself, possibly due to imprisonment or divine restraint. Regardless of the exact reason, he was unable to fulfill this public duty. However, his inability to go didn't stop God's message.
Passing the Baton
Instead of letting the message die, Jeremiah immediately delegated the task to Baruch. He commanded Baruch to read from the scroll, emphasizing it was God's word. This demonstrates Jeremiah's unwavering commitment to obedience, ensuring God's voice was heard even when he couldn't be the one to speak it publicly. He prioritized the message over his personal comfort or safety.
Understand the original words
tsom · Hebrew Noun
A religious practice involving abstaining from food, often accompanied by prayer, to humble oneself before God, express repentance, or seek His divine intervention and guidance.
bayit · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the temple or the dwelling place of God’s presence among His people; it is the site of worship, sacrifice, and the proclamation of God's word.
megillah · Hebrew Noun
The written record of God's revealed truth, instructions, or covenant, intended to be preserved and communicated to His people to call them to obedience.
The reading of Jeremiah's scroll occurred during a time of intense national anxiety, as Babylon's power grew and threatened Judah. The chosen 'fast day' was likely an extraordinary one proclaimed due to this crisis, intended to avert disaster, making Jeremiah's message of judgment particularly stark and unwelcome to the leadership.
c. 605 BC
Battle of Carchemish
The Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar decisively defeated the Egyptian forces. This victory shifted regional power, making Babylon the dominant empire and signaling increased threat to Judah.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Following the victory at Carchemish, Nebuchadnezzar deported a number of Judean nobles and skilled individuals to Babylon, including Daniel. This event marked the beginning of Judah's subjugation to Babylon.
c. 605 BC
Jeremiah Dictates Prophecies to Baruch
Jeremiah, unable to go to the Temple himself, has his scribe Baruch write down the prophecies of judgment against Judah, which God had spoken to Jeremiah. These prophecies were written on a scroll.
c. November/December 604 BC— this verse
Reading of the Scroll at the Temple
Baruch reads the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies aloud in the Temple court on a special fast day. Many officials and the populace hear the pronouncements of impending doom and judgment from God.
c. November/December 604 BC
Scroll Presented to King Jehoiakim
After hearing the scroll read, officials bring it to King Jehoiakim. Despite learning of the dire warnings and the people's fear, the king defiantly cuts the scroll and burns it.
c. 604 BC
Jeremiah Dictates Second Scroll
Following the destruction of the first scroll, God commands Jeremiah to write a new one, adding further condemnations against King Jehoiakim and his lineage, and prophesying his ignominious death without descendants.
Jesus himself read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue on the Sabbath, demonstrating the importance of public proclamation of God's Word in a gathering.
Acts 13:15After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, Paul and his companions were invited to speak, showing a continuation of the practice of public scripture reading followed by exhortation.
Ezra 8:3Ezra also read the Law of Moses to the assembled people, highlighting a recurring pattern in Israel's history where God's word was publicly proclaimed during significant gatherings for instruction and repentance.
Joel 2:15-16The prophet Joel calls for a sacred assembly and a fast, commanding the priest to proclaim a solemn observance, mirroring the context of Jeremiah's message being read during a time of communal fasting and distress.
calvinJeremiah 36:4-6: "Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book."
Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people, in the LORD'S house upon the fasting-day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.
Tu autem vade, et lege in volumine quod scrip…
pooleJeremiah 36:6: "Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities."
We do not read that Jeremiah was a prisoner in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and therefore it is very uncertainly guessed in what sense he here saith he was shut up . Some think Jehoiakim had imprisoned him, or at least restra…
Choosing a "fasting day" wasn't just about finding a crowd; it was strategic—a day meant for humbling and seeking God, making people more receptive to harsh truths. This instruction also reveals that Jeremiah, though divinely inspired, was divinely instructed to delegate, emphasizing Baruch's crucial role in delivering God's message directly to the people when Jeremiah himself could not.
Jeremiah, unable to deliver this message himself due to possible restrictions, dictates a scroll of God's words to his scribe, Baruch. This passage instructs Baruch to read the scroll publicly in the Temple on a designated fast day, when many people from Judah would be gathered. The timing is crucial, intended to ensure the weighty message of judgment reaches as many as possible during a time of supposed repentance and collective vulnerability.
Jeremiah, unable to deliver this message himself due to possible restrictions, dictates a scroll of God's words to his scribe, Baruch. This passage instructs Baruch to read the scroll publicly in the Temple on a designated fast day, when many people from Judah would be gathered. The timing is crucial, intended to ensure the weighty message of judgment reaches as many as possible during a time of supposed repentance and collective vulnerability.
"so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the LORD’s house you shall read the words of the LORD from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the m…" — Choosing a "fasting day" wasn't just about finding a crowd; it was strategic—a day meant for humbling and seeking God, making people more receptive to harsh truths. This instruction also reveals that…
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Last reviewed October 2026
