Jeremiah 36:23 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 36:23 mean?

Jeremiah 36:23 describes how, as Jehudi read from a scroll to King Jehoiakim, the king cut off each section with a knife and threw it into the fire, burning the entire scroll. This act shows the king’s rejection of the message written on the scroll, which contained God’s warning delivered through the prophet Jeremiah.

The verse takes place in the court of King Jehoiakim of Judah. Jeremiah had dictated God’s words to his scribe Baruch, who wrote them on a scroll. Jehudi was reading this scroll aloud to the king and his officials. As each part was read, Jehoiakim deliberately destroyed it, showing open defiance toward Jeremiah’s prophecy and, by extension, toward God’s message.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 36:23

• "Leaves" (דְּלָתוֹת, delatot): This word often means "doors" or "panels," but here it refers to columns or sections of the scroll, not leaves of a book as in modern times. This helps clarify that the scroll was read and destroyed piece by piece.
• "Penknife" (תַּרְעֵף, taar'ef): This is a small knife used by scribes, possibly for sharpening pens or cutting parchment. The detail emphasizes the deliberate and personal nature of Jehoiakim’s act.
• "Roll" (מְגִלָּה, megillah): This word means a scroll, the common form for written documents in ancient Israel. The burning of the entire megillah shows the total rejection of its contents.

Why Jeremiah 36:23 matters

• Jeremiah 36:23 clears up the misunderstanding that ancient scrolls were like modern books with pages; instead, the scroll was read and destroyed in sections or columns.
• The verse emphasizes King Jehoiakim’s contempt for Jeremiah’s prophecy by describing how he destroyed the scroll as it was being read, rather than simply ignoring it.
• This act connects to the larger passage by setting up the contrast between the king’s rejection and Jeremiah’s persistence in delivering God’s message, which is later rewritten despite the king’s actions.