Jeremiah 36:24

Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow. ¹ 

The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.

Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments.

Neither the king nor his officials showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard.

Neither the king nor any of his officials showed the slightest twinge of conscience as they listened to the messages read.

But they had no fear and gave no signs of grief, not the king or any of his servants, after hearing all these words.

Yet neither the king, nor any of his servants who heard all these words, was alarmed, nor did they tear their garments.

Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words.

Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow. ¹ 

¹ tn Heb “Neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were afraid or tore their clothes.” The sentence has been broken up into two shorter sentences to better conform to English style and some of the terms explained (e.g., tore their clothes) for the sake of clarity.

sn There are some interesting wordplays and contrasts involved here. The action of the king and his attendants should be contrasted with that of the officials who heard the same things read (v. 16). The king and his officials did not tear their garments in grief and sorrow; instead the king cut up the scroll (the words “tear” and “cut off” are the same in Hebrew [קָרַע, qara’]). Likewise, the actions of Jehoiakim and his attendants is to be contrasted with that of his father Josiah who some twenty or more years earlier tore his clothes in grief and sorrow (2 Kgs 22:11-20) and led the people in renewing their commitment to the covenant (2 Kgs 23:1-3). That was what the Lord had hoped would happen when the king and the people heard the warnings of Jeremiah (Jer 36:2-3). Instead, Jehoiakim expressed his contempt for the word of God by destroying the scroll.