A Scroll for Future Days (36:1-32) 603
Other scribal kits were palettes of pencil-box shape, some with a sliding lid,
which had recesses for pens and ink. Very ornate palettes of this design have
been found in Egypt, and an eighth-century B.C. relief shows a Syrian scribe
with one in hand, indicating usage outside Egypt (G. R. Driver 1976: 87). For
a picture of this scribe standing before King Bar Rakab, see ANEP^2 158 #460,
302; and Driver 1976: plate 33 #1. For pictures of other palettes, see one from
the reign of Ah-moses I (1570-1545 B.c.) inANEP^2 73 #233, 276; and some of
alabaster and ivory in Driver 1976: plate #32. Baruch would likely have
possessed a writing palette of this type. The Hebrew word for palette, qeset, is
an Egyptian loanword (Lambdin 1953: 154). The AV translated the term
"inkhorn" in Ezek 9:2, 3, and 11, but this was changed to "writing case" in the
RSV. Separate receptacles for holding ink may also have been used in Judah
(Kelso 1948: 39 thinks they were made from the horns of an animal), since
they are known to have existed in Egypt (Lucas 1934: 312). The scribe, in any
event, would dip his rush pen into water and then rub it on a cake of ink,
much as modern artists do with watercolors (Lucas 1934: 307). On pens,
ink, and scribal palettes, see Lucas 1934: 307-12; A. Lewis on Lachish Letter
ink in Torczyner 1938: 188-93; Hyatt 1943: 77-79; R. J. Forbes 1965: 236-39;
G. R. Driver 1976: 85-87; R. J. Williams in IDB R-Z, 919; and A. Lemaire in
ABD 6: 1003-4.
- And the princes said to Baruch, 'Go, hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, so
that no one may know where you are!' The princes wish to protect Baruch and
Jeremiah, having little doubt about the king's response to what has just tran-
spired and knowing full well what happened earlie1 Lu Uriah (26:20-23). This
king was known for viulenl action (22: 17). Their advice is that Jeremiah and
Baruch tell no one of their whereabouts. It does happen that high-profile indi-
viduals, simply by retiring from public view, sometimes satisfy persecuting
monarchs. It is said of St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, who fled Carthage
during the persecutions of Emperor Decius (A.D. 250-51) and went into hid-
ing, that he continued to direct the affairs of the Church from where he was,
without Roman interference. The authorities could have sought him out if
they so wished (messengers could have been followed), but they did not and
were content simply to confiscate his property (Raven 1984: 168). The likeli-
hood here is that Jeremiah and Baruch remained in hiding during the rest of
Jehoiakim's reign.
- And they went in to the king, to the court. The court was an inner palace
court where royal apartments were located (cf. 1 Kgs 7:8).
but the roll they deposited in the chamber of Elishama, the scribe. The verb is
hipqfdu. The H-stem of this often-used Jeremiah verb (see Note for 5:9) means
here "to hand over, deposit, commit" (cf. 37:21). The princes probably gave
the scroll to someone in the chamber for safekeeping. Perhaps they were hop-
ing that the king might not ask for it.
Elishama, the scribe. The LXX omits "the scribe."
And they told in the hearing of the king all these words. I.e., they summarized
for him the scroll's contents. Many Heb MSS, cAOLC, S, and T have "these"
