ירמיהו, פרק ל׳, פסוק ב׳

A profound shift occurs as God transitions from delivering warnings of immediate disaster to offering promises of deep comfort. Unlike standard prophetic messages, which are spoken directly to a specific audience in the moment, this message is meant to be documented for the distant future. The prophet is instructed to write these words down rather than broadcast them immediately to the people. The primary approach among commentators is that this act of writing serves to preserve these promises of comfort for the end of days. Placing these messages of hope immediately alongside warnings of destruction serves a vital purpose for the current generation. As they watch the promised disasters unfold before their eyes, they can find hope and certainty that the promises of great future good will also be completely fulfilled [רד״ק, מלבי״ם].

Although the divine instruction refers to the message as something God has already spoken, it actually points to the words He is delivering right now. The past tense is used simply because the physical act of writing will only take place after God has completely finished sharing the prophecy [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The command directs the prophet to record these words into a book. It is referred to as a book based on its final form, as the scroll will only truly become a book once the prophet finishes writing the message [מצודת דוד]. Furthermore, this specific direction reveals the core nature of the prophecy. The divine speech is not intended for an immediate public mission. Instead, its entire purpose is to be recorded within the pages of a document, serving as an eternal memorial for generations to come [מלבי״ם].