Jeremiah 36:5 I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the Lord

Apparently, Jeremiah was under house arrest and wasn’t allowed in the temple. This may have been Jeremiah’s punishment for the last 3 years (compare Jer. 26:1 and 36:1).

Jeremiah the prophet, Michelangelo, circa 1510

Jeremiah 36:15 sit down now, and read it in our ears

Without information exchange like we have it today, it would have been a great privilege to read or to hear the words of a prophet as the princes did. One of the reasons the Israelites were so quick to forget is because they did not have personal scriptures, daily newspapers, frequent reminders, etc. If the doctrine was not ingrained in the culture, it was not ingrained in the people. Public readings were extremely important and unfortunately too infrequent. Once the opportunity was given, even Jehoiakim’s princes could recognize the Spirit of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Ultimately, however, their opinion would not be enough.

Jeremiah 36:28 Take thee another roll, and write in it all the former words

Shouldn’t we be amazed that Jeremiah could just dictate all his prophecies over again? Prophets under the influence of the Spirit can recreate scripture as if they had a photographic memory. None of the Twelve Apostles were taking notes as they accompanied the Master during his ministry. Yet many years, even decades after the events, they would undertake to write the gospels. They were able to remember perfectly because of the Holy Ghost, “he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

Similarly, the Prophet Joseph Smith was remarkably deliberate when he dictated scripture. Parley P. Pratt described the scene:

Each sentence was uttered slowly and very distinctly, and with a pause between each, sufficiently long for it to be recorded, by an ordinary writer, in long hand.

This was the manner in which all his written revelations were dictated and written. There was never any hesitation, reviewing, or reading back, in order to keep the run of the subject; neither did any of these communications undergo revisions, interlinings, or corrections. As he dictated them so they stood, so far as I have witnessed; and I was present to witness the dictation of several communications of several pages each. (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, edited by his son, Parley P. Pratt [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1985], 48)

But what if a revelation was lost or destroyed? What if the king burned the dictated record in the fire? Can a prophet just redictate such a large document? The following vignette from the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith demonstrates the perfect memory of prophecy that both he and Jeremiah had.

William Clayton

On the morning of the 12th of July, 1843, Joseph and Hyrum Smith came into the office in the upper story of the brick store, on the bank of the Mississippi river. They were talking on the subject of plural marriage. Hyrum said to Joseph, “If you will write the revelation on celestial marriage, I will take it and read it to Emma, and I believe I can convince her of the truth, and you will hereafter have peace.” Joseph smiled and remarked, “You do not know Emma as well as I do.” Hyrum repeated his opinion and further remarked, “The doctrine is so plain I can convince any reasonable man or woman of its truth, purity and heavenly origin,” or words to that effect. Joseph then said, “Well, I will write the revelation and we will see.” He [Hyrum] then requested Joseph to write the revelation by means of the Urim and Thummim, but Joseph in reply said he did not need to, for he knew the revelation perfectly from beginning to end.

Joseph and Hyrum then sat down and Joseph commenced to dictate the revelation on celestial marriage, and I wrote it sentence by sentence, as he dictated. After the whole was written Joseph asked me to read it through, slowly and carefully, which I did, and he pronounced it correct. He then remarked that there was much more that he could write on the same subject, but what was written was sufficient for the present.

Hyrum then took the revelation to read to Emma. Joseph remained with me in the office until Hyrum returned. When he came back, Joseph asked him how he had succeeded. Hyrum replied that he had never received a more severe talking to in his life, that Emma was very bitter and full of resentment and anger.

Joseph quietly remarked, “I told you you did not know Emma as well as I did.” Joseph then put the revelation in his pocket, and they both left the office.

The revelation was read to several of the authorities during the day. Towards evening Bishop Newel K. Whitney asked Joseph if he had any objection to his taking a copy of the revelation; Joseph replied that he had not, and handed it to him. It was carefully copied the following day by Joseph C. Kingsbury. Two or three days after the revelation was written Joseph related to me and several others that Emma had so teased, and urgently entreated him for the privilege of destroying it, that he became so weary of her teasing, and to get rid of her annoyance, he told her she might destroy it and she had done so, but he had consented to her wish in this matter to pacify her, realizing that he knew the revelation perfectly, and could rewrite it at any time if necessary. (B. H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1930], 2: 106 – 107, emphasis added)

Jeremiah 37:5 when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem

The Chaldeans, or Babylonians, were not so much afraid of Pharaoh’s army as much as they left because they were picking their battles. The problem was that Zedekiah took false hope in Egyptian military power. This was a terrible mistake. History should have already taught him that lesson. As Isaiah declared, “Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.” (Isaiah 36:6)

The prophets’ message to the kings: “Don’t trust in the Egyptians! Of all the nations of the earth, don’t trust in them!”

“Zedekiah, the brother of Jehoiakim and the grandson of righteous King Josiah, was only twenty-one years old when he began his reign. Nebuchadnezzar was not a brutal conqueror and was willing to give Jerusalem every opportunity to prove their loyalty to his empire. (See F. J. Foakes and D. D. Jackson, The Biblical History of the Jews, Cambridge: W. Heffe and Son L.T.D., 1917, p. 322.) But Zedekiah was a weak leader, constantly influenced by anti-Babylonian factions in Jerusalem. These nationalistic leaders seemed to have made only a superficial covenant with Nebuchadnezzar, for in 593 B.C., shortly after the Babylonian armies had departed, ambassadors from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Tyre, and Sidon came to Jerusalem to plan a rebellion against Babylon. Zedekiah listened to these ill-informed friends and attempted to rebel against Babylon in 588 B.C.

“Retribution followed swiftly. Nebuchadnezzar sent his armies against Jerusalem again. During the nineteen-month siege, Jeremiah went to Zedekiah with a promise from the Lord:

If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then … this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:

But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. (Jer. 38:17–18.)

“Jeremiah’s promises apparently fell on deaf ears, for Zedekiah continued to listen to his nationalistic friends.” (Garth A. Wilson, “The Mulekites,” Ensign, Mar. 1987, 62–63)

Jeremiah 37:17 the king asked him secretly in his house… Is there any word from the Lord?

Prophet-killing kings have a habit of secretly believing the prophets they murder. We remember that Herod had John the Baptist imprisoned but he secretly believed his words, “For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” (Mark 6:20) We also have the example of Noah who feared the word of Abinadi but didn’t have the courage to preserve his life, “Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word” (Mosiah 17:11).

Zedekiah falls into the same cowardly pattern of believing the prophet—at the same time punishing him and fearing the word of his princes and priests. So Zedekiah repeatedly seeks the word of the Lord from Jeremiah; he does so covertly lest his own princes find out (Jer. 37:24-28).

Jeremiah 37:21 Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison

“Zedekiah then sent for Jeremiah and asked if the Lord had any word for him (Zedekiah). Jeremiah took this opportunity to ask why he had been imprisoned, and he asked that the king not send him back to the dungeon where he had been kept. Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah be placed in the court of the prison and given a daily ration of bread as long as there was bread in the city. This was a big concession in light of the treatment he had received in the past. (See Jer. 37:11-12.)

“While Jeremiah was given this freedom, he still continued to prophesy. Certain princes, therefore, went to the king and said that Jeremiah was weakening their soldiers' morale and should be put to death. The spineless Zedekiah relented to their wishes, and Jeremiah was lowered into a dungeon of mire, into which he sank. While there, he had no water. Again someone interceded for Jeremiah, and the king allowed him to be confined to the court of the prison until Jerusalem was taken. The deplorable conditions of the miry dungeon are shown by the number of men employed in pulling Jeremiah out of the prison and the method they used. (See Jer. 38:4-13, Jer. 38:24-28.)

“We cannot be certain how long Jeremiah was incarcerated, but it seems from the fragmentary account, that he spent nearly the entire 11 years of Zedekiah's reign in confinement in the court of the prison. This conclusion is drawn from the fact that Lehi left Jerusalem in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah; Jeremiah was already in prison when Nephi and his brothers returned to get the family of Ishmael, and he was not released until the city fell to Babylon in the 11th year.” (Monte S. Nyman, The Words of Jeremiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], 6 - 7)

Jeremiah 38:6 then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon… so Jeremiah sunk in the mire

Just outside of the walls of ancient Jerusalem, there was an old rock quarry, very near Golgotha, the traditional site of Christ’s crucifixion.

“The northeast portion of the quarry, along the cliff just east of the skull face, opens into a large rock-hewn cavern called ‘Jeremiah’s Grotto.’ Tradition associates this with the place where Jeremiah was imprisoned by King Zedekiah and where he is said to have written the book of Lamentations (see Jer. 38:6).” (John A. Tvedtnes, “The Garden Tomb,” Ensign, Apr. 1983, 11)

Stuck in the mud, alone in the dark, Jeremiah was literally starving to death (v. 9), unable to rest or sleep without putrid filth covering his face and mouth. No wonder he became depressed. No wonder his attitude was grim.

They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me

Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.

I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon.

Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause…

Render unto them a recompence, O Lord, according to the work of their hands.

Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.

Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:53-66)

Jeremiah 38:20 Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord… so it shall be well unto thee

“These stories of Jeremiah and Lehi are part of the ongoing story of God’s love. They show how the Lord strives continuously to save all of his children, how he warns the wicked of his impending judgments, and how he leads to safety those who listen to his counsel.

“In our day, prophets are once again warning the world that God’s judgments will be poured out upon the wicked. The experiences of Jeremiah and Lehi encourage us to believe that, if we love the truth enough to follow the prophets and take the Holy Spirit for our guide, we will receive the promised blessings.” (Keith H. Meservy, “Jerusalem at the Time of Lehi and Jeremiah,” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 25)