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Why did King Jehoiakim burn Jeremiah’s scroll?

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Painting by Rembrandt van Rijn showing Jeremiah sitting in a dimly lit cave, head resting on his hand in sorrow, with Jerusalem burning in the background. — Jeremiah *Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem*, oil on panel by Rembrandt, 1630: in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

King Jehoiakim burned the scroll containing the prophecies of Jeremiah because the document contained a collection of messages that harshly criticized the king for his selfishness, materialism, and practice of social injustice.1

After the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE, which signaled a major shift in power toward the Neo-Babylonian empire, Jeremiah dictated his previous oracles to his scribe, Baruch. When this scroll was read before King Jehoiakim, the king responded by cutting the scroll into pieces and burning it. This act of defiance occurred during a period of intense political tension, as the king vacillated in his allegiance between regional powers and eventually resisted Babylonian authority. Despite the destruction of the scroll, Jeremiah remained steadfast in his prophetic mission, subsequently dictating a new version with additional messages.12