Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 36:10

"Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Jehovah`s house, in the ears of all the people." — Jeremiah 36:10 (ASV)

In the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan. —This man belonged to a family which, through three successive generations, presented conspicuous examples of devout patriotism. His father Shaphan was energetic in the work of rebuilding the Temple under Josiah (2 Kings 22:3), in conjunction with the high priest Hilkiah, and had taken an active part in publishing the contents of the newly discovered book of the Law of the Lord (2 Kings 23:12). As a scribe, he must have taken part in the king’s edicts for the restoration of the true worship. He probably also ordered copies of the newly found treasure—the whole Law, or, more probably, the book of Deuteronomy—to be made by the scribes who worked under him.

We have seen one of his sons, Ahikam, protecting the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:24). Here Gemariah places his chamber in the Temple court at the service of the prophet’s delegate. The “new gate” may well have been a prominent part of the work effected by Shaphan and Hilkiah (2 Kings 22:5–6), and this may have led to a chamber over it being assigned to his son. (See Note on Jeremiah 35:4.) The people addressed may have been either in the outer court of the Temple or gathered outside the gate. A chamber over the gateway would naturally have an opening on either side. The general use of the word for “entry” is in favour of the latter hypothesis.