Jeremiah 36:17
New International Version
Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

New Living Translation
“But first, tell us how you got these messages. Did they come directly from Jeremiah?”

English Standard Version
Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?”

Berean Standard Bible
“Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”

King James Bible
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

New King James Version
And they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words— at his instruction?”

New American Standard Bible
Then they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”

NASB 1995
And they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?”

NASB 1977
And they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And they asked Baruch, saying, “Declare to us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?”

Amplified Bible
And they asked Baruch, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words? At his (Jeremiah’s) dictation?”

Christian Standard Bible
Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you write all these words? At his dictation? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us—how did you write all these words? At his dictation?”

American Standard Version
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

Contemporary English Version
"Did someone tell you what to write on this scroll?"

English Revised Version
And they asked Baruch, saying, tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then they asked Baruch, "Please tell us how you wrote all this. Did Jeremiah dictate it to you?"

Good News Translation
Then they asked him, "Tell us, now, how did you come to write all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it to you?"

International Standard Version
Then they asked Baruch, "Please tell us how you wrote all the words. Did Jeremiah dictate them all?"

Majority Standard Bible
“Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”

NET Bible
Then they asked Baruch, "How did you come to write all these words? Do they actually come from Jeremiah's mouth?"

New Heart English Bible
They asked Baruch, saying, "Tell us now, How did you write all these words at his mouth?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

World English Bible
They asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words at his mouth?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they asked Baruch, saying, “Please declare to us, how did you write all these words from his mouth?”

Young's Literal Translation
And they asked Baruch, saying, 'Declare, we pray thee, to us, how didst thou write all these words -- from his mouth?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And they asked Baruch, saying, Announce now to us how thou didst write all these words from his mouth?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they asked him, saying: Tell us how didst thou write all these words from his mouth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they questioned him, saying, “Describe to us how you wrote all these words from his mouth.”

New American Bible
Then they asked Baruch: “Tell us, please, how did you come to write down all these words? Was it at his dictation?”

New Revised Standard Version
Then they questioned Baruch, “Tell us now, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, how did you write all these words at his mouth?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they asked Baruk and they said to him: “Show us, how did you write all these words from his mouth?”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And they asked Baruch, saying: 'Tell us now: How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they asked Baruch, saying, Where didst thou write all these words?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jeremiah's Scroll Read in the King's House
16When they had heard all these words, they turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch, “Surely we must report all these words to the king.” 17“Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?” 18“It was at his dictation,” Baruch replied. “He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”…

Cross References
Jeremiah 25:13
I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

Jeremiah 30:2
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.

Jeremiah 45:1
This is the word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch son of Neriah when he wrote these words on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:

2 Kings 22:10-11
Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. / When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes

2 Chronicles 34:18-19
Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. / When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes

Isaiah 8:1
Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

Isaiah 30:8
Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the days to come, a witness forever and ever.

Ezekiel 2:9-10
Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll, / which He unrolled before me. And written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.

Ezekiel 3:1-3
“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.” / So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. / “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Habakkuk 2:2
Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.

Daniel 9:2
in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

Revelation 1:11
saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Revelation 10:8-11
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.” / And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the small scroll.” “Take it and eat it,” he said. “It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” / So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter. ...

Revelation 22:18-19
I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. / And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book.

Luke 1:3
Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,


Treasury of Scripture

And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How did you write all these words at his mouth?

Tell.

John 9:10,11,15,26,27
Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? …

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Baruch Declare Dictate Dictation Jeremiah Mouth Please Questioning Words Write Writing
Jeremiah 36
1. Jeremiah causes Baruch to write his prophesy,
5. and publicly to read it.
11. The princes, having intelligence thereof by Michaiah,
14. send Jehudi to fetch the roll and read it.
19. They will Baruch to hide himself and Jeremiah.
20. The king, Jehoiakim, being certified thereof, hears part of it and burns the roll.
27. Jeremiah denounces his judgment.
32. Baruch writes a new copy.














Then they asked Baruch
The name "Baruch" means "blessed" in Hebrew, and he was a scribe and devoted companion to the prophet Jeremiah. In the historical context, scribes were highly respected for their literacy and ability to record important documents. Baruch's role as a scribe highlights the importance of preserving God's word accurately. His presence in this narrative underscores the collaborative effort in the transmission of divine messages, emphasizing the human element in the divine-human partnership of Scripture writing.

Tell us, how did you write all these words?
This phrase reflects the curiosity and perhaps skepticism of the officials regarding the origin of the prophetic words. The act of writing in ancient times was labor-intensive and required skill, especially when dealing with lengthy scrolls. The question implies a recognition of the gravity and authority of the words recorded. It also suggests an awareness of the divine inspiration behind the message, as the officials seek to understand the process by which these words were captured. This inquiry points to the broader theme of divine revelation and the human responsibility to faithfully record and transmit it.

Was it at his dictation?
The term "dictation" indicates a direct transmission of words from one person to another, in this case, from Jeremiah to Baruch. This highlights the prophetic process where God’s message is conveyed through a prophet and then recorded by a scribe. The dictation process underscores the authority and authenticity of the message, as it is not merely a human creation but a divine communication. This phrase also reflects the trust and obedience required in the prophetic office, as Baruch faithfully transcribes the words given to him, ensuring that the message remains unaltered and true to its divine source. This process is a testament to the reliability and integrity of Scripture as the inspired word of God.

(17-19) Tell us now, How didst thou write . . .?--The question was clearly put as a judicial interrogatory. The princes were anxious to ascertain how far each of the parties concerned was responsible. Had Baruch exercised any discretion in writing so that the words were his, though the substance was Jeremiah's? or had he, on his own responsibility, and without the prophet's will, published what had been written privately? or had every syllable as it was read come from the prophet's lips? The scribe's answer showed that the last hypothesis answered to the facts of the case. On hearing this they, obviously with a friendly regard, advise him and the prophet to hide themselves till they should see what effect the report would have on the king's mind. It would appear from Jeremiah 36:19 that Jeremiah, though "shut up" and unable to go into the house of the Lord (Jeremiah 36:5), was not actually so imprisoned as to hinder him from concealing himself. Either, therefore, we must assume that he was in a "libera custodia," that gave him facilities for an escape, which the princes connived at, or that by "shut up" he meant only hindered by some cause or other. The latter seems the more probable hypothesis. In the concealment of the prophet we find a parallel to that of Elijah and the other prophets under Ahab (1Kings 17:3; 1Kings 18:4), of Polycarp (Mart. Polyc. c. 5), perhaps also of Luther in the Wartburg.

Verse 17. - How didst thou write all these words at his mouth! Two questions seem to be combined here - "How didst thou write all these words?" and "Didst thou write it all at his mouth?" Baruch's answer is good for both.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Tell us
הַגֶּד־ (hag·geḏ-)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

now,”
נָ֣א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

they asked
שָׁאֲל֖וּ (šā·’ă·lū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

Baruch,
בָּר֔וּךְ (bā·rūḵ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1263: Baruch -- 'blessed', three Israelites

“how
אֵ֗יךְ (’êḵ)
Interjection
Strong's 349: How?, how!, where

did you write
כָּתַ֛בְתָּ (kā·ṯaḇ·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3789: To grave, to write

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

these
הָאֵ֖לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

words?
הַדְּבָרִ֥ים (had·də·ḇā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

[Was it] at [Jeremiah’s] dictation?”
מִפִּֽיו׃ (mip·pîw)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 36:17 They asked Baruch saying Tell us now (Jer.)
Jeremiah 36:16
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