The Meaning of Jeremiah 36:9 Explained

Jeremiah 36:9

KJV: And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

YLT: And it cometh to pass, in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, proclaimed a fast before Jehovah have all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who are coming in from cities of Judah to Jerusalem;

Darby: And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before Jehovah, for all the people in Jerusalem, and for all the people that came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.

ASV: Now it came to pass 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 that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass in the fifth  year  of Jehoiakim  the son  of Josiah  king  of Judah,  in the ninth  month,  [that] they proclaimed  a fast  before  the LORD  to all the people  in Jerusalem,  and to all the people  that came  from the cities  of Judah  unto Jerusalem. 

What does Jeremiah 36:9 Mean?

Study Notes

ninth month
i.e. December.

Verse Meaning

During the winter of604-603 B.C, the people, not the king, declared a fast. The occasion for the fast may have been the arrival of Babylonian armies on the Philistine plain or the Babylonians" defeat of Ashkelon then. [1]

Context Summary

Jeremiah 36:1-32 - A Vain Attempt To Destroy God's Word
These written words had been directly given from God, Jeremiah 36:18. The fast was instituted to seek divine help in the approaching conflict with Nebuchadnezzar. But of what good is a fast while the evils of apostasy and disobedience are unredressed? It was against these that Jeremiah protested; and his words were read to a vast concourse of people by Baruch his faithful friend. It was the month of December, and the royal chamber was warmed by a brazier of burning charcoal. As Jehudi read, the godless king cut the roll with a penknife and consigned it to the fire. All down the ages false priests have dealt thus with the Word that condemned them. But a sailor does not escape shipwreck by destroying the chart which indicates the rocks on which he is drifting. God's words are eternal, though the material on which they are written may perish. He who rejects God's truth does so at his peril, while God hides His faithful servants in the secret of His presence, secure from the attacks of enemies. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 36:9 mean?

And it came to pass in year the fifth of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah in month the ninth [that] they proclaimed a fast before Yahweh to all the people in Jerusalem and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem
וַיְהִ֣י בַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַ֠חֲמִשִׁית לִיהוֹיָקִ֨ים בֶּן־ יֹאשִׁיָּ֤הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־ יְהוּדָה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁעִ֔י קָרְא֨וּ צ֜וֹם לִפְנֵ֧י יְהוָ֛ה כָּל־ הָעָ֖ם בִּירֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְכָל־ הָעָ֗ם הַבָּאִ֛ים מֵעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם

וַיְהִ֣י  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַשָּׁנָ֣ה  in  year 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
הַ֠חֲמִשִׁית  the  fifth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal feminine singular
Root: חֲמִישִׁי  
Sense: ordinal number, 5th.
לִיהוֹיָקִ֨ים  of  Jehoiakim 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹויָקִים 
Sense: son of Josiah and the third from the last king of Judah; subject vassel of Nebuchadnezzar who reigned for years before he died a violent death either in combat or by the hands of his own subjects.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יֹאשִׁיָּ֤הוּ  of  Josiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄאשִׁיָּה 
Sense: son of Amon by Jedidah who succeeded his father to the throne of Judah and reigned for 3 years; his reign is noteworthy for the great revivals back to the worship of Jehovah which he led.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָה֙  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ  in  month 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
הַתְּשִׁעִ֔י  the  ninth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: תְּשִׁיעִי  
Sense: ninth (as ordinal number).
קָרְא֨וּ  [that]  they  proclaimed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
צ֜וֹם  a  fast 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צֹום  
Sense: fast, fasting.
לִפְנֵ֧י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
יְהוָ֛ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
כָּל־  to  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָעָ֖ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
בִּירֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  in  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
וְכָל־  and  to  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָעָ֗ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַבָּאִ֛ים  who  came 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מֵעָרֵ֥י  from  the  cities 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
יְהוּדָ֖ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם  to  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.