Why do the officials respond in fear when they hear the words of the scroll?

When the officials gathered in Elishama’s chambers hear Micaiah’s report they immediately send Jehudi to bring Baruch to the chambers, with the scroll, so that he can read it to them. Baruch comes and reads the scroll for a second time. When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear. It would seem that the scroll has had the intended effect on the officials. The impact of Jeremiah’s judgment oracles fills them with fear. They immediately say that they must report all these words to the king. This is obviously a matter of national concern. They first seek confirmation from Baruch that the words on the scroll are indeed from Jeremiah. Baruch confirms that the prophet dictated the words to him, and he wrote them down. They then tell Baruch to go into hiding with Jeremiah.

The officials sense the enormity of Jeremiah’s message. They must report this to the king because the scroll has to feature in how the nation responds to the Babylonian threat, especially because it calls on Judah to submit to Nebuchadnezzar.¹ There is, however, no suggestion that any of the officials express the need for the repentance that the scroll calls for. Is their response of fear because of the Lord’s judgment or is it because they fear Jehoiakim’s response to the scroll’s message. They already know how the king had responded to the prophet Uriah who preached a similar message (Jeremiah 26:20–24).² They show their concern for Jeremiah’s safety by telling Baruch to hide with the prophet before they report the scroll to the king.