Jeremiah

Composition

The Book of Jeremiah is one of the longest books in both the Christian Bible and the Hebrew Bible. It claims to contain the words of Jeremiah, a Hebrew prophet who began preaching during the reign of King Josiah during the year 627 BCE. Jeremiah’s prophecies take place during a troublesome time for the Jewish people. The book is notable for providing a detailed insight into the life of the prophet, including many of the challenges that Jeremiah faces due to his divine calling. Though his prophecies are necessary for the deliverance of the Jewish people, his visions cause him to suffer greatly.

According to the events in the text, Jeremiah did not record his own prophecies. Instead, he dictated them to Baruch, a Jewish aristocrat. In addition to serving as a personal scribe to Jeremiah, Baruch was Jeremiah’s friend and companion. Baruch is credited with reproducing Jeremiah’s prophecies of Jeremiah. The first was shortly after the prophecies were revealed to Jeremiah, while the second was following the destruction of the original records.

Two versions of the Book of Jeremiah exist today: a Hebrew version, commonly referred to as the Masoretic Text, and a Greek version that was contained within the Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament that became influential in early Christianity. Though the most important points of the story in the Book of Jeremiah are consistent across both the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint, each version contains key differences. Most notably, the Septuagint is roughly one-eighth shorter than the Masoretic Text and places the chapters in a different order.

Scholars are uncertain which version best represents the original text of the Book of Jeremiah. Evidence for both versions can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Though many scholars believe the Masoretic Text is older than the Septuagint, no surviving evidence exists regarding the age of the Hebrew text from which the Septuagint was translated.

Summary

The Book of Jeremiah begins with an account of Jeremiah’s call to prophecy. Written from the perspective of an older Jeremiah, it includes testimony explaining that God had always planned to call Jeremiah to divine work. It also provides historical details about the reign of Josiah, which was when Jeremiah began receiving visions.

Jeremiah’s early prophecies are a call to the Jewish people to return to the old ways of worship indicated in their original covenant with Yahweh. These prophecies accuse many Jewish people of breaking the covenant by worshiping Baal and other pagan gods. Jeremiah warned the Jewish people than an invasion would be coming, and anyone who did not return to the old ways of worship would suffer terribly.

Jeremiah delivers his message to worshippers, priests, and even the king, but no one listens to him. Jeremiah laments his place as a prophet, noting that delivering God’s message to an ungrateful people has caused him personal hardship. He explains that Jerusalem has turned away from God, and a foreign government will be used to punish the Jewish people. Jeremiah prophesies the Babylonian exile, during which Jerusalem would be conquered, and the Jewish people forced to live abroad for seventy years.

However, despite Jeremiah’s repeated warnings, the Jewish people continue to resist the will of their God. Jeremiah’s visions continue to indicate that God’s punishment will be carried out, but the Jewish people will not be banished forever. Eventually, they will be freed from their oppressor and allowed to return to the promised land of Israel. When these words are delivered to King Jehoiakim, Jehoiakim cuts up the writing and burns the remains. For this sin, God ends his royal lineage, decreeing that no one in Jehoiakim’s line will ever rule Israel.

When the Babylonians invade Israel, the Israelites quickly find themselves overwhelmed. Some Jewish people flee to Egypt, believing that they will be able to carry out their lives in peace there. However, Jeremiah warns them that the Babylonians will soon seize control of Egypt, and no one from Israel will be able to escape God’s punishment. However, neither these Jews nor those in Egypt heed Jeremiah’s warnings, and Egypt is conquered by Babylon.

Jeremiah states that though Babylon will be used as an instrument of punishment, it will not be immune to God’s judgment. God finds the actions of the Babylonians offensive and states through Jeremiah that Babylon will be suddenly destroyed. When this occurs, the Jewish people will return from their exile. The writing notes that later, Babylon was destroyed in a way that was similar to the destruction of Assyria. Historically, the Babylonian exile ended in 538 BCE, when the Persian King Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonian Empire. Cyrus knew of the Jewish people’s exile and gave them permission to return to Palestine.

The Book of Jeremiah is commonly broken into four sections: chapters 1–25, chapters 26–45, chapters 46–51 and chapter 52. The first section is primarily comprised of prophecies that are presented as the literal word of Jeremiah. These prophecies are primarily concerned with condemning the Israelites’ actions and urging them to return to the covenant. The second section of the work contains narratives about Jeremiah’s life, including biographical information including his struggles with accepting his life as a prophet. The third section contains Jeremiah’s prophecies about foreign nations, including the destruction of Babylon. The final chapter of Jeremiah serves as a historical appendix. Though these sections are well-organized, the Book of Jeremiah is not written in chronological order and contains multiple types of literature such as biographical prose, poetry, and historical narratives.

Themes

One of the most important themes of the Book of Jeremiah is that carrying out the will of God may not be personally beneficial. Though Jeremiah is presented with a divine calling and finds himself unable to resist preaching the word of God, he is severely punished by the government and his peers for carrying out this task. Jeremiah is tortured, imprisoned, and suffers the continued scorn of his peers for carrying out his divine calling. Though it is presented as the morally correct path, Jeremiah states that life as a servant of God is far from glamorous. Instead, it is a constant struggle.

Jeremiah also clearly shows that his position as a prophet does not place him above the rest of the Israelites. When the people of Jerusalem fail to repent, God punishes them all. This includes Jeremiah, who has served him faithfully. Though Jeremiah sometimes felt that God had treated him unfairly, God’s plan for Jeremiah would eventually make sense to the prophet.

The Book of Jeremiah also clearly illustrates the consequences of angering God. As presented in the text, the Jewish people have entered into a divine covenant with God, who reminds them hat when they were faithful to the covenant, they were rewarded with good times. However, he notes that the Jewish people have abandoned the covenant by worshipping pagan gods and living in an immoral, deceitful way. Rather than allow the Jewish people to break their covenant, God warns them that they will be punished until they return to the old ways of worship. After this, Jerusalem is conquered, and the Jewish people are exiled for seventy years. Once they are allowed to return, God expects them to return to the terms of their historic agreement.

In some parts of the Bible, Yahweh is presented as a distant God who guides the affairs of the world at large. However, in the Book of Jeremiah, Yahweh is a personable God for the Jewish people. He is active in the affairs of the Jews and present during their lives. He observes their actions, including their personal triumphs and sufferings. The God of Jeremiah had a personal hand in Earth’s creation and remains present in all aspects of its continuation. God is not indifferent to the lives of humans and takes an active role in the events of their world.

The active nature of God is reflected in the many recorded prayers of Jeremiah, which take the form of personal conversations between Jeremiah and God. These prayers are often informal, reflecting the personal feelings of the prophet, providing a unique insight into his life. Though some modern traditions portray the Abrahamic God as a passive figure primarily concerned with judgement, God’s interactions with Jeremiah show a being that is involved with all aspects of human lives. Jeremiah does not interact with God through complex rituals or large ceremonies, nor does he need to draw God’s attention to particular issues. In the Book of Jeremiah, God plays an important role in the major events of the lives of his followers whether or not he is personally invoked.

Bibliography

“An Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah.” Bible.org, 2022, bible.org/article/introduction-book-jeremiah. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

Heiser, Michael S. “Are There Really Two Versions of Jeremiah?” Logos, 4 Jan. 2018, blog.logos.com/two-versions-of-jeremiah/. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

“Intro to Jeremiah.” The International Bible Society, 2022, www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-jeremiah/. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

King, Martin Luthor Jr. “The Significant Contributions of Jeremiah to Religious Thought.” Stanford University, 14 Sept. 1948, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/significant-contributions-jeremiah-religious-thought. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

“Outline.” Blue Letter Bible, 2022, www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mcgee‗j‗vernon/notes-outlines/jeremiah/jeremiah-outline.cfm. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

“The Book of Jeremiah.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2022, bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/0. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

“Theological Themes in Jeremiah.” Enter the Bible, enterthebible.org/courses/jeremiah/lessons/theological-themes-in-jeremiah. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.