Since it was the ninth monthThe ninth month in the Hebrew calendar is Kislev, which corresponds to November-December in the Gregorian calendar. This period is characterized by colder weather in the region of Judah, necessitating the use of winter quarters. The timing is significant as it reflects the urgency of the message from God through Jeremiah, delivered during a time when people would be indoors and more likely to gather around for warmth and discussion. This month is also associated with the festival of Hanukkah, though it was not celebrated during Jeremiah's time.
the king was sitting in his winter quarters
The king referred to here is Jehoiakim, who reigned over Judah from 609 to 598 BC. Winter quarters were likely a part of the palace designed to provide warmth and comfort during the colder months. This setting indicates a place of relative security and comfort, contrasting with the dire warnings of Jeremiah. The mention of the king's winter quarters highlights the disconnect between the king's physical comfort and the spiritual and political turmoil facing the nation.
with a fire burning before him
The fire symbolizes warmth and light, essential for survival during the cold months. In a broader biblical context, fire often represents God's presence, judgment, or purification (e.g.,Exodus 3:2,Malachi 3:2-3). Here, the fire is a literal source of heat, but it also serves as a backdrop to the unfolding drama of the king's rejection of God's word. The fire's presence underscores the irony of the king's physical warmth and security while he is spiritually cold and unresponsive to God's message.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
King JehoiakimThe king of Judah during the time of Jeremiah. Known for his disregard for God's word, as demonstrated by his actions in this chapter.
2.
Winter QuartersThe location where King Jehoiakim was sitting. This was likely a more comfortable and warm place during the cold months, indicating a time of relative ease and complacency for the king.
3.
Fire BurningSymbolic of warmth and comfort, but also of destruction, as it later becomes the means by which the king destroys the scroll containing God's word.
4.
JeremiahThe prophet who received God's word and had it written down by Baruch. He was not present in the king's quarters but was the source of the message.
5.
BaruchThe scribe who wrote down Jeremiah's prophecies and read them to the people and officials, eventually leading to the reading before King Jehoiakim.
Teaching Points
The Danger of ComplacencyJehoiakim's setting in his winter quarters symbolizes a state of comfort and complacency. Believers must guard against becoming spiritually complacent, especially when in comfortable circumstances.
Reverence for God's WordThe king's actions demonstrate a lack of reverence for God's word. Christians are called to hold Scripture in high regard, recognizing its authority and power.
The Inevitability of God's WordDespite Jehoiakim's attempt to destroy the scroll, God's word endures. Believers can trust in the eternal nature of Scripture and its ultimate fulfillment.
Contrast in LeadershipComparing Jehoiakim with his father Josiah, we see the impact of leadership that honors God versus one that does not. This serves as a reminder of the influence leaders have on spiritual direction.
Responding to ConvictionJehoiakim's rejection of the message contrasts with the appropriate response to God's conviction, which should be repentance and obedience.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Jeremiah 36:22?
2.How does Jeremiah 36:22 illustrate the king's disregard for God's word?
3.What can we learn about spiritual apathy from Jeremiah 36:22's setting?
4.How does the king's action in Jeremiah 36:22 compare to 2 Timothy 3:16?
5.How should believers respond when others dismiss God's word, as in Jeremiah 36:22?
6.What steps can we take to ensure we value God's word daily?
7.Why was King Jehoiakim unafraid to burn the scroll in Jeremiah 36:22?
8.How does Jeremiah 36:22 reflect the rejection of God's word by leaders?
9.What historical evidence supports the events described in Jeremiah 36:22?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Jeremiah 36?
11.Who were Josiah's sons?
12.In Jeremiah 22:10-12, is there any historical record confirming the fate of Shallum (Jehoahaz) and corroborating he never returned, as the text claims?
13.Jeremiah 39:8-9: Does the swift capture and destruction of Jerusalem conflict with other texts or sources suggesting a longer, more protracted siege?
14.Who was King Jehoiachin in the Bible?What Does Jeremiah 36:22 Mean
Since it was the ninth month• The ninth month on the Hebrew calendar (Kislev, roughly November–December) sets the scene in the cold, rainy season. The verse simply reports the literal time, yet it also underscores urgency; Jeremiah’s prophetic scroll had been read publicly earlier that same month during a day of fasting (Jeremiah 36:9).
• Weather matters here: Israel’s winter chill drives people indoors, so when Jehoiakim later tosses the scroll into the flames (Jeremiah 36:23), we recognize he is not reacting in a moment of heat‐of‐battle chaos but in calculated comfort.
• Other winter references reinforce the reality of seasonal quarters—Amos 3:15 speaks of “winter houses” destroyed in judgment, a warning Jehoiakim ignores.
the king was sitting• Jehoiakim’s relaxed posture contrasts sharply with the weight of God’s word being read to him. Kings normally rise to honor a message (Judges 3:20;2 Samuel 18:28), yet Jehoiakim stays seated, foreshadowing his contemptuous response.
• His position signals authority but also detachment from his people’s suffering under Babylon’s threat (Jeremiah 22:17). Instead of leading in repentance, he lounges.
•2 Chronicles 36:5 describes Jehoiakim’s reign as one that “did evil in the sight of the LORD,” and his bodily posture mirrors his spiritual state—self-assured, unmoved by divine warning.
in his winter quarters• Winter quarters (or “winter house”) were private, well-insulated rooms sometimes lined with stone or plaster and equipped with heating implements. This detail roots the narrative in physical reality and highlights royal privilege.
• Jeremiah had earlier condemned rulers who built luxurious dwellings while neglecting justice (Jeremiah 22:13-15). Jehoiakim hears that very prophet’s scroll while enjoying the comfort those injustices provided.
• The setting reminds us of the contrast between God’s messenger Baruch, faithfully delivering the scroll despite personal risk (Jeremiah 36:19), and the king, shielded by walls yet exposed spiritually.
with a fire burning before him• The brazier serves a practical purpose—warmth—yet also prepares the stage for sin. Moments later, “whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the fire” (Jeremiah 36:23).
• Fire, throughout Scripture, symbolizes both purification and judgment. Here it becomes the tool of deliberate rebellion (Psalm 12:6 contrasts God’s pure words with dross consumed by fire).
• Instead of letting the word burn in his heart like the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:32), Jehoiakim uses literal flames to silence it. YetIsaiah 40:8 assures, “The word of our God stands forever,” a truth God quickly demonstrates by commanding Jeremiah to rewrite the scroll (Jeremiah 36:28).
summaryJeremiah 36:22 paints a vivid, literal snapshot: a cold ninth-month evening, a complacent king seated in his warm winter room, and a comforting fire crackling before him. Every detail heightens the contrast between the cozy security of human power and the uncompromising authority of God’s word. Jehoiakim’s surroundings reveal his heart—self-satisfied, unmoved, and soon to be judged—while simultaneously affirming that no royal comfort or blazing hearth can extinguish divine truth.
(22)
Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month.--The "winterhouse" (the palaces of kings seem to have been commonly provided with such a special apartment; comp.
Amos 3:15) was probably the southern wing of the palace. It was in November or December, and, as glass windows were unknown, a charcoal fire, placed after the Eastern fashion in a brazier, or earthen pot, in the middle of the room, was a necessity. So we find a fire in the court of the high priest's palace in the raw early morning of a Passover in March or April (
John 18:18).
Verse 22. -
In the winter house;i.e. that part of the royal palace (
beth, house, may also be rendered
apartment) which was arranged for a winter habitation (comp.
Amos 3:15). According to Dr. Thomson ('The Land and the Book,' p. 309), the more airy part of a house is called "summerhouse," and the more sheltered room "winter house." The ninth month, in which the events now being related took place, corresponded approximately to our December. It was, therefore, the cold and rainy season; December is a stormy month in Palestine.
A fire on the hearth; rather,
in the chafing dish (or,
brazier). It was a vessel with live coals placed in the centre of the room, still used in the East in cold weather.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Since it was the ninthהַתְּשִׁיעִ֑י(hat·tə·šî·‘î)Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 8671:Ninth (an ordinal number)month,בַּחֹ֖דֶשׁ(ba·ḥō·ḏeš)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2320:The new moon, a monththe kingוְהַמֶּ֗לֶךְ(wə·ham·me·leḵ)Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428:A kingwas sittingיוֹשֵׁב֙(yō·wō·šêḇ)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427:To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marryin his winterהַחֹ֔רֶף(ha·ḥō·rep̄)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2779:The crop gathered, the autumn, season, ripeness of agequartersבֵּ֣ית(bêṯ)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004:A housewith a fireהָאָ֖ח(hā·’āḥ)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 254:A fire-pot, chafing dishburningמְבֹעָֽרֶת׃(mə·ḇō·‘ā·reṯ)Verb - Pual - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 1197:To kindle, consume, to be, brutishbefore him.לְפָנָ֥יו(lə·p̄ā·nāw)Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440:The face
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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 36:22 Now the king was sitting (Jer.) 
