Baruch's Reading Of The Words Of Jeremiah In The Temple Comes To The Ears Of The Princes Of Judah Who Summon Him To Read It Before Them (Jeremiah 36:9-15).
Baruch's (or Jeremiah's) influence comes out in that he was able to make use of ‘the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe' from which to proclaim his message, no doubt through a window or balcony. As fellow-scribes connected with the inner circles in Jerusalem they were clearly on friendly terms, and Gemariah was seemingly sympathetic towards Jeremiah. A piece of clay inscribed ‘Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe' has been discovered in investigations around Jerusalem. His father may have been the Shaphan who held an important position under King Josiah (2 Kings 22:3; 2 Kings 22:8-10), and was involved in the repairs to the Temple and the reading of the Book of the Law to Josiah (2 Kings 22:10), and Gemariah must have been important in order to have a room allocated to him in the Temple area. We do in fact discover later that he was one of the king's circle of scribes and counsellors (Jeremiah 36:12), which would be why he was not present when the scroll was read out. What follows may well have been a carefully thought out strategy for bringing Jeremiah's words to the king, or it may simply have been YHWH Whose purpose brought it about. Initially, however, his words reached some of the king's advisers.
‘Now it came about in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before YHWH.'
The date was around November/December 604 BC, and the people of Judah had been called to come to Jerusalem for a special fast ‘before YHWH'. With all their idolatry they recognised that in such a situation it was YHWH of Hosts Who was needed.
This was not one of the regular Jewish feasts. It was presumably called because of the dire political situation as they saw that Nebuchadnezzar was about to exert his authority over Judah after his rout of the Egyptians at Carchemish and Hamath and his sacking of the Philistine city of Ashkelon.
‘Then Baruch read in the scroll (written record) the words of Jeremiah in the house of YHWH, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of YHWH's house, in the ears of all the people.'
Taking advantage of the crowds massing into the Temple Baruch read out the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, making use of a window or balcony in the room of Gemariah the Scribe, which was in the upper court (elsewhere called ‘the inner court') by the New Gate of YHWH's house, to the waiting crowds below.
We do not know how much of the scroll was read to the people. If we say that someone, ‘read the Bible to the congregation' we do not thereby indicate that the whole Bible was read to them. It may be that what was read would be selected passages.
‘And when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the scroll (written record) all the words of YHWH,'
One of those who heard the words, and may have been in the room with Baruch, was Micaiah, who was Gemariah's son. He listened carefully to all the words which Baruch spoke from the scroll containing all the words of YHWH.
‘He went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes were sitting there, to wit, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.'
He then went down from the Temple to the palace-complex where there was a gathering of many of the leading men of Judah in the Scribes' Room. It was an important gathering made up of many of Jehoiakim's top advisers. They may well have been sitting there awaiting the king's summons to a council meeting (a cabinet meeting). If they were all involved in the advice to Jeremiah and Baruch to hide themselves (Jeremiah 36:19), they appear to have been a group sympathetic to Jeremiah. It is noteworthy that Jehoiakim did not send any of them to oversee the arrest of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:26).
Elishama is called ‘the Scribe' and may have been the king's official scribe, a leading cabinet post (Gemariah was also a Scribe and this was in the Scribes' Room, thus the title here must be significant). If he can be identified with the Elishama in Jeremiah 41:1; 2 Kings 25:25 he was of royal birth, and his grandson Ishmael would assassinate Gedaliah, Nebuchadnezzar's appointed Governor of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem (no doubt seeing him as a traitor). Elnathan was leader of the deputation which, at the king's command, extradited Uriah the prophet from Egypt (Jeremiah 26:22). His father had been involved in the discovery of the Book of the Law in the Temple (2 Kings 22:12). His family were therefore important courtiers, close to the king. Apart from Gemariah we know nothing about the others. But they were all leading men (princes). Elnathan and Delaiah, along with Gemariah, later pleaded with Jehoiakim not to destroy the scroll.
‘Then Micaiah declared to them all the words which he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.'
Micaiah then told the gathering in the Scribes' Room all he could recall of the words that Baruch had read out in the Temple.
‘Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the roll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came to them.'
This was enough to make them realise how important Baruch's scroll was, so they sent a man named Jehudi to Baruch, calling on him to come and read the scroll before them. Baruch accordingly came (they were not the kind of men to be trifled with).
Jehudi may well have been a Sudanese (Ethiopian, Cushite) proselyte. His great-grandfather was named Cushi, and the naming of three generations would indicate that Jehudi (‘the Jew') was now qualified as a full Israelite. The Cushites may well have been linked with the Egyptians as requiring three generations before this could be so (Deuteronomy 23:7-8). His name (the Jew) probably celebrated that fact. Compare 2 Samuel 18:21 where Cushi was the name of a man who was then called the Cushite. It would appear that Cushi was a name often taken by proselytes from Cush (Northern Sudan).
‘And they said to him, “Sit down now, and read it in our ears.” So Baruch read it in their ears.'
Then they called on him to read out the prophecies so that they could hear them. And while they listened carefully, he read it out to them. The fact that they asked him to ‘sit down' indicated respect for his position. These men were used to other standing in their presence, or even prostrating themselves.