Jeremiah 36:18 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 36:18 mean?

Jeremiah 36:18 explains how the words on the scroll reached the page. Baruch tells the officials that Jeremiah spoke the words aloud and that Baruch wrote them down. Baruch’s answer identifies Jeremiah as the speaker and himself as the person who recorded the words.

The officials had asked Baruch how he wrote the words, as verse 17 shows. His reference to Jeremiah’s “mouth” emphasizes that he heard the words spoken aloud. The mention of ink gives a picture of Baruch’s work as a writer.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 36:18

• “pronounced” — קָרָא (qaraʾ): This word can mean to call out or read aloud. Here it carries the sense of Jeremiah speaking the words for Baruch to write.
• “book” — סֵפֶר (sefer): This word can refer to a written document or scroll. The “book” in this passage was a scroll, rather than a bound book with pages like many books today.

Why Jeremiah 36:18 matters

• Baruch’s answer helps the officials understand his part in producing the scroll. He wrote the words, but he identifies Jeremiah as the one who spoke them.
• The scroll contained words Baruch had heard directly from Jeremiah. That detail answers the officials’ question about whether Baruch wrote the words “at his mouth” in verse 17.
• The officials’ concern had consequences for both men. After hearing Baruch’s answer, they told Baruch and Jeremiah to hide in verse 19.