Original Word: יְהוּדִי
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yhuwdiy
Pronunciation: yeh-hoo-DEE
Phonetic Spelling: (yeh-hoo-dee')
KJV: Jehudi
NASB: Jehudi
Word Origin: [the same as H3064 (יְהוּדִי - Jews)]

1. Jehudi, an Israelite

Jehudi

The same as Yhuwdiy; Jehudi, an Israelite -- Jehudi.

see HEBREW Yhuwdiy

Word Origin
from the same as Yehudi
Definition
"Jewish," an officer of Jehoiakim
NASB Translation
Jehudi (4).

II. יְהוּדִי proper name, masculine officer of Jehoiakim Jeremiah 36:14,21 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 36:23, ᵐ5 Ioudin (perhaps original appellation Jewish, of one not so by ancestry, see Gf Gie).

Occurrences in Scripture

Jeremiah 36:14; Jeremiah 36:21 (twice within the verse); Jeremiah 36:23. In every occurrence the name denotes the same individual active in the royal court of King Jehoiakim.

Historical Setting

The events take place in 604–603 BC, near the end of Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah. Babylon’s rising power loomed large, and Jeremiah’s prophetic warnings were increasingly urgent. Against this background the Lord commanded Jeremiah to dictate his words to Baruch, producing the scroll that would be read first to the people and then to the king. Jehudi served as an official intermediary in this drama.

Genealogical Background

Jehudi is identified as “the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi” (Jeremiah 36:14). The ancestry shows three generations of court–connected men. The name “Jehudi” literally means “Jew” or “Judahite,” while the forefather “Cushi” suggests a Cushite (Ethiopian) origin (cf. 2 Samuel 18:21). The juxtaposition hints at a family that, though ethnically diverse, was fully integrated into Judah’s covenant community, embodying the Old Testament pattern of Gentile inclusion by faith.

Role in Jeremiah 36

1. Messenger: When the royal officials heard Baruch’s first reading, “the officials sent Jehudi… to say to Baruch, ‘Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people and come here’” (Jeremiah 36:14).
2. Royal Reader: “Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll… and Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who stood beside him” (Jeremiah 36:21).
3. Witness to Desecration: As “Jehudi read three or four columns, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the fire” (Jeremiah 36:23). Jehudi’s reading becomes the immediate prelude to Jehoiakim’s rejection of the prophetic word.

Character Assessment

Scripture neither condemns nor commends Jehudi directly, yet his obedience to the officials and the king reveals a man loyal to his civic duty. He does not intervene when the king burns the scroll, but neither does he impede Baruch earlier. His presence highlights the moral neutrality of functionaries: confronted with God’s word, each hearer must choose repentance or resistance. Jehudi’s silence contrasts with the prophetic boldness of Jeremiah and Baruch, underscoring the cost of faithful witness.

Ministry Significance

1. The Primacy of Scripture: Jehudi’s public reading illustrates the divinely instituted practice of proclaiming God’s word aloud (Deuteronomy 31:11; Nehemiah 8:8; 1 Timothy 4:13). Even when the audience is hostile, the message must still be delivered.
2. The Invincibility of Revelation: Jehoiakim burned the scroll, yet the Lord immediately commanded Jeremiah to compose another (Jeremiah 36:27-32). Jehudi’s participation confirms that human opposition cannot annul divine revelation.
3. The Need for Personal Response: Officials heard the same words yet reacted differently (Jeremiah 36:24-25). Jehudi’s neutrality serves as a caution: mere exposure to Scripture is insufficient without repentance and obedience.

Theological Themes

• Sovereignty of God over kings and courts.
• Preservation of prophetic revelation despite human hostility.
• Inclusivity within God’s covenant people, hinted by a Judahite name descended from a Cushite ancestor.

Practical Lessons for Contemporary Believers

• Fulfil duties faithfully, yet never allow institutional loyalty to overshadow allegiance to God’s word.
• Proclaim Scripture boldly regardless of audience reception.
• Guard against passive neutrality when confronted with truth; silence can imply complicity.

Related Entries

Baruch; Jeremiah; Jehoiakim; Scroll of Jeremiah; Cushite Participation in Israel.

יְהוּדִ֗י יְהוּדִ֡י יְהוּדִי֙ יהודי yə·hū·ḏî yehuDi yəhūḏîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts