(11) When Michaiah the son of Gemariah . . .--Gemariah himself was, as we find in the next verse, not one of the listeners, but took his place with the other princes, in the "scribe's chamber," probably used as a council-room, in the king's palace. It seems obvious from Michaiah's relation to him that his purpose in reporting Baruch's discourse was not unfriendly. Probably it was part of a preconcerted plan, arranged between the prophet and his friends, that he should report it, and so give an opening for bringing Baruch into the presence of the king and his counsellors, as they sat in what we may call their council-chamber.

36:9-19 Shows of piety and devotion may be found even among those, who, though they keep up forms of godliness, are strangers and enemies to the power of it. The princes patiently attended the reading of the whole book. They were in great fear. But even those who are convinced to the truth and importance of what they hear, and are disposed to favour those who preach it, often have difficulties and reserves about their safety, interest, or preferment, so that they do not act according to their convictions, and try to get rid of what they find troublesome.When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan,.... Who was present when Baruch read in the roll to the people in his father's chamber; but his father was absent, and was with the princes in the secretary's office at the same time, as Jeremiah 36:12 shows: the son seems to be a more religious man than the father, unless he was placed as a spy, to hear and see what he could: however, when he

had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord: which were spoken by the Lord to Jeremiah, and which Baruch read out of the book he had written in his hearing; for it is a vain conceit of Abarbinel, that Micaiah did not hear these words from the mouth of Baruch reading, but out of the book which he looked into; for then it would have been said, which he had "seen" or "read" out of the book, and not "heard".