Difference between revisions of "Jeremiah"

<p> 1. The head of a clan of the tribe of [[Manasseh]] in East [[Jordan]] (1 Chronicles 5:24 ). 2 . Three soldiers of David's army at [[Ziklag]] (1Chronicles 12:4,1Chronicles 12:10,1 Chronicles 12:13 ). 3 . The father-in-law of King [[Josiah]] of [[Judah]] (640-609 B.C.) and grandfather of the Kings [[Jehoahaz]] [609 B.C.] (2 Kings 23:31 ) and [[Zedekiah]] (597-586 B.C.) (2 Kings 24:18; Jeremiah 52:1 ). 4 . A representative of the sect of the [[Rechabites]] (Jeremiah 35:3 ). 5 . Three priests or heads of priestly families in the times of [[Zerubbabel]] about 537 B.C. (Nehemiah 12:1 ,Nehemiah 12:1,12:12 ) and Nehemiah about 455 B.C. (Nehemiah 10:2; Nehemiah 12:34 ). </p> <p> Other persons by the name of Jeremiah are referred to in [[Hebrew]] inscriptions from [[Lachish]] and [[Arad]] about 700 B.C. and in a number of ancient [[Jewish]] seals. The [[Bible]] has a short form of the name seventeen times and a long form 121 times. Both forms are applied to the prophet. [[Inscriptions]] use the longer form. </p> <p> Jeremiah, the prophet The Bible tells us more about personal experiences of Jeremiah than of any other prophet. We read that his father's name was Hilkiah, a priest from [[Anathoth]] (Jeremiah 1:1 ). He was called to be a prophet in the thirteenth year of King Josiah (627/6 B.C.) (Jeremiah 1:2 ). He was active under the Kings Jehoahaz-Shallum (609 B.C.) (Jeremiah 22:11 ), [[Jehoiakim]] (609-587 B.C.) (Jeremiah 1:3; Jeremiah 22:18; Jeremiah 26:1; Jeremiah 35:1; Jeremiah 36:1 , Jeremiah 36:9 ), Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah (597 B.C.) (Jeremiah 22:24; Jeremiah 24:1; Jeremiah 27:20; Jeremiah 28:3; Jeremiah 29:2; Jeremiah 37:1 ), and Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.) (Jeremiah 1:3; Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 27:1-12; Jeremiah 28:1; Jeremiah 32:1; Jeremiah 34:2; Jeremiah 37-38; Jeremiah 39:4; Jeremiah 52:7 ). When [[Jerusalem]] was destroyed by the [[Babylonians]] in 587 B.C., Jeremiah moved to Mizpah, the capital of Gedaliah, the newly appointed Jewish governor of the [[Babylonian]] province of Judah (Jeremiah 40:5 ). When [[Gedaliah]] was assassinated (Jeremiah 41:1 ), Jeremiah was deported to [[Egypt]] against his will by Jewish officers who had survived the catastrophes (Jeremiah 42:1-43:7 ). In Egypt he continued to preach oracles against the [[Egyptians]] (Jeremiah 43:8-13 ) and against his compatriots (Jeremiah 44:1-30 ). </p> <p> Jeremiah is depicted as living in constant friction with the authorities of his people, religious (priests Jeremiah 20:1-6; prophets Jeremiah 28:1; or both Jeremiah 26:1 ), <i> political </i> (kings Jeremiah 21-22; Jeremiah 36-38 ), or all of them together (Jeremiah 1:18-19; Jeremiah 2:26; Jeremiah 8:1 ), including Jewish leaders after the Babylonian invasion (Jeremiah 42:1-43:13 ). Still his preaching emphasized a high respect for prophets whose warning words could have saved the people if they had listened (Jeremiah 7:25; Jeremiah 26:4; Jeremiah 29:17-19; Jeremiah 35:13 ). He trusted in the promise of ideal future kings (Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:14-17 ). He recommended national surrender to the rule of the Babylonian [[Empire]] and called Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon's emperor and Judah's most hated enemy, the “servant of the Lord” (Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 27:6 ). He even incited his compatriots to desert to the enemy (Jeremiah 21:8 ). He was accused of treason and convicted (Jeremiah 37:11; Jeremiah 38:1-6 ), and yet the most aggressive oracles against [[Babylon]] are attributed to him (50–51). [[Enemies]] challenged his prophetic honesty and the inspiration of his message (Jeremiah 43:1-3; Jeremiah 28:1; Jeremiah 29:24 ), and yet kings and nobles sought his advice (Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 37:3; Jeremiah 38:14; Jeremiah 42:1 ). </p> <p> He constantly proclaimed God's judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem, and yet he was also a prophet of hope, proclaiming oracles of salvation, conditioned (Jeremiah 3:22-4:2 ) or unconditioned (30–31; Jeremiah 32:36; Jeremiah 33:6; Jeremiah 34:4 ). God forbade him to intercede for his people (Jeremiah 7:16; Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11; compare Jeremiah 15:1 ); yet he interceded (Jeremiah 14:7-9 ,Jeremiah 14:7-9,14:19-22 ). God ordered him to live without marriage and family (Jeremiah 16:2 ). He had to stay away from the company of merrymakers (Jeremiah 15:17 ) and from houses of feasting (Jeremiah 16:8 ). He complained to and argued with God (Jeremiah 12:1-17 ), complaining about the misery of his office (Jeremiah 20:7-18 ). At the same time he sang hymns of praise to his God (Jeremiah 20:13 ). </p> <p> Jeremiah's call came in the thirteenth year of King Josiah, about 627/6 B.C. (Jeremiah 1:2; Jeremiah 25:3; compare Jeremiah 36:2 ). Josiah remains however, the only Jewish king contemporary with Jeremiah to and about whom no word is spoken in the whole book. No concrete reference appears to any of the dramatic changes of national liberation and religious reformation within the last eighteen years of Josiah's reign (2 Kings 22:1-23:30 ). The words of the call narrative: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV), may suggest that the date of Jeremiah's call and birth is one and the same. In this case his prophetic activity must have begun many years later, but again with uncertain date. </p> <p> The Book of Jeremiah </p> <p> 1. Origin This second longest book of the Bible, next to the Psalms, is the only one of the Old [[Testament]] that tells us some details of its origin. According to Jeremiah 36:1-26 , [[Baruch]] had written a first version at the dictation of Jeremiah. The scroll was read first in public, and then again for the state officials and for the king. King Jehoiakim burnt it piece by piece. Jeremiah therefore dictated a second and enlarged edition of the first book to Baruch (Jeremiah 36:32 ). Additional references to Jeremiah's own writing activity (Jeremiah 30:2; Jeremiah 51:60; compare Jeremiah 25:13 ) forbids the identification of the scroll of Jeremiah 36:32 with the present form of the biblical book. </p> <p> 2. Structure and [[Content]] The book may be subdivided into the following main sections: </p> <p> I. Call narrative and [[Visions]] (Jeremiah 1:1-19 ) </p> <p> II. [[Prophecies]] and Visions (Jeremiah 2:1-25:14 ) </p> <p> III. [[Stories]] about Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:1-45:5 ) </p> <p> IV. [[Oracles]] Against Foreign nations (Jeremiah 25:15-38; Jeremiah 46:1-51:64 ) </p> <p> V. [[Historical]] epilogue (Jeremiah 52:1-34 ) </p> <p> VI. Oracles on the restoration of [[Israel]] (Jeremiah 30:1-31:40 ) </p> <p> This structure is not based on chronology as seen above. Nor is it based on form. The so-called confessions of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 11:18-23; Jeremiah 12:1-6; Jeremiah 15:10-21; Jeremiah 17:14-18; Jeremiah 18:19-23; Jeremiah 20:7-13 ,Jeremiah 20:7-13,20:14-18 ) are scattered through Jeremiah 11-20 . Oracles of hope (Jeremiah 30-31 ) interrupt the stories about Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26-45 ). Words against kings (Jeremiah 21:11-22:30 ) and against prophets (Jeremiah 23:9-40 ) appear to be independent collections. The complex nature of the structure is further complicated by evidence from the earliest Greek translation. There the oracles against foreign nations are in a different order and appear immediately after Jeremiah 25:13 rather than at Jeremiah 46:1 . This and other evidence suggests a long and complicated process of collection of the Jeremiah materials into a book. Traditional scholarly theories have tried to attribute poetic oracles to Jeremiah, stories about the prophet to Baruch, and prose sermons to a later editor who used the Book of Jeremiah to exemplify and teach the theology of the Book of Deuteronomy. Such theories are much too simplistic and must be discarded. [[Aside]] from the stories of the scroll's destruction, expansion, and recopying (Jeremiah 36:1 ), we do not know all the processes through which God led to produce His inspired Book of Jeremiah. </p> <p> 3. Text of the Book The earliest Greek version of Jeremiah, dating back to pre-Christian centuries, is more than 12.5% shorter than the Hebrew text. Only a few longer sections are missing (Jeremiah 33:14-26; Jeremiah 39:4-13 ). The Greek text rather uses less titles and epithets, and single words and verses are missing throughout the book. More than 2700 words of the Hebrew text do not have Greek equivalents. [[Fragments]] of Hebrew manuscripts from [[Qumran]] show that a longer and a shorter Hebrew text existed side-by-side in the time of Jesus. This confirms that the development of the Book of Jeremiah continued for centuries. [[Growing]] agreement among Jeremiah Bible students suggests that the shorter text represents an older stage of development. </p> <p> 4. The [[Message]] Theologically, the Book of Jeremiah stimulates the search for the will of God in moments when all the institutions and religious representatives normally in charge of administrating His will are discredited. [[Neither]] the Davidic monarchy (Jeremiah 21:1-22:30 ), nor prophets and priests (Jeremiah 23:9-40 ), nor the cultic institutions of the [[Temple]] (Jeremiah 7:1-34; Jeremiah 26:1-9 ) could help the people to prevent impending calamities; nor could they detect that inconspicuous apostasy that mixes up the little aims of personal egoism (Jeremiah 2:29-37; Jeremiah 7:21-26; Jeremiah 28:1-17 ) with God's commission (Jeremiah 4:3 ). God's justice and righteousness cannot be usurped by His People. He can be a stumbling block even for His prophet (Jeremiah 12:1-6; Jeremiah 20:7-12 ). [[Execution]] of judgment and destruction is not God's delight. God himself suffers pain because of the alienation between Himself and His people (Jeremiah 2:1-37 ). [[Better]] than the prophet was able to admit, the apostate members of God's people remembered a correct notion of the nature of God. He continued to be their Father, and His anger would not last forever (Jeremiah 3:4 ,Jeremiah 3:4,3:12-13 ). [[Conversion]] is possible (Jeremiah 3:14 ,Jeremiah 3:14,3:22; Jeremiah 4:1-2 ), but this is no consolation for the apostate generation. [[Contrary]] to the expectations of the religious and political authorities, Judah and Jerusalem would meet the cruel catastrophe. This was not God's last word. His faithfulness prevails and creates new hope where all hope is lost (Jeremiah 30-33 ). </p> <p> Outline </p> <p> I. God Calls His [[Spokesman]] (Jeremiah 1:1-19 ). </p> <p> II. God's Spokesman Warns His People (Jeremiah 2:1-6:30 ). </p> <p> A. God brings a lawsuit against His unfaithful people (Jeremiah 2:1-37 ). </p> <p> B. God pleads with His faithless people to return (Jeremiah 3:1-4:4 ). </p> <p> C. God threatens judgment through invasion (Jeremiah 4:5-6:30 ). </p> <p> III. Prophetic [[Theology]] Opposes Traditional Theology (Jeremiah 7:1-11:17 ). </p> <p> A. A place of worship cannot save (Jeremiah 7:1-15 ). </p> <p> B. A prophet cannot fulfill his traditional role for a people who foresake God (Jeremiah 7:16-20 ). </p> <p> C. Obedience, not ritual, is the most important (Jeremiah 7:21-28 ). </p> <p> D. False worship will have its terrible reward (Jeremiah 7:29-8:13 ). </p> <p> E. Lamentation, not praise, is the appropriate worship in face of desolation and deceitfulness (Jeremiah 8:14-9:22 ). </p> <p> F. [[Worship]] of images is folly in light of God's creative power (Jeremiah 9:23-10:16 ). </p> <p> G. God threatens judgment through exile (Jeremiah 10:17-25 ). </p> <p> H. A covenant brings disaster on God's people (Jeremiah 11:1-17 ). </p> <p> IV. Struggle with God Defines the Prophetic Role (Jeremiah 11:18-20:18 ). </p> <p> A. [[Prophesying]] can be life-threatening (Jeremiah 11:18-12:6 ). </p> <p> B. God laments His errant people (Jeremiah 12:7-17 ). </p> <p> C. God's purpose is to punish pride and promote humility (Jeremiah 13:1-27 ). </p> <p> D. God can reject and prohibit prayers for forgiveness (Jeremiah 14:1-15:9 ). </p> <p> E. God's spokesman makes personal sacrifices because of God's calling (Jeremiah 15:10-16:21 ). </p> <p> F. [[Trust]] in humans rather than God leads to destruction (Jeremiah 17:1-11 ). </p> <p> G. God's spokesman must keep listening to God and preaching (Jeremiah 17:12-27 ). </p> <p> H. God's spokesman centers his message on God's freedom, not on human expectations (Jeremiah 18:1-23 ). </p> <p> I. God's message leads to persecution of His spokesman (Jeremiah 19:1-20:6 ). </p> <p> J. God's spokesman struggles with God over the hostility of the people (Jeremiah 20:7-18 ). </p> <p> V. God's Spokesman Confronts [[Unfaithful]] Leaders (Jeremiah 21:1-29:32 ). </p> <p> A. God's spokesman calls for sorrow and judgment based on the king's injustice (Jeremiah 21:1-22:30 ). </p> <p> B. God's spokesman bases hope on future righteous leaders (Jeremiah 23:1-8 ). </p> <p> C. God's spokesman must condemn those who preach lies (Jeremiah 23:9-40 ). </p> <p> D. God's word of hope is based in faithful, suffering people, not in institutions (Jeremiah 24:1-25:38 ). </p> <p> E. Prophetic hope lies in repentance, not in the Temple (Jeremiah 26:1-6 ). </p> <p> F. A prophetic precedent protects the endangered prophet (Jeremiah 26:7-24 ). </p> <p> G. God can condemn faithless leaders to serve enemies to fulfill His purpose (Jeremiah 27:1-22 ). </p> <p> H. God's true prophet overcomes false prophecy through God's divine Word (Jeremiah 28:1-17 ). </p> <p> I. Hope rests in dependence on God, not on popular prophecies or political power (Jeremiah 29:1-32 ). </p> <p> VI. God [[Promises]] [[Restoration]] (Jeremiah 30:1-33:26 ). </p> <p> A. Restoration is based on God's promises in His preserved Word (Jeremiah 30:1-24 ). </p> <p> B. Restoration is based on God's faithfulness (Jeremiah 31:1-14 ). </p> <p> C. Restoration is based on God's mercy (Jeremiah 31:15-26 ). </p> <p> D. Restoration is based on God's promises to establish a new covenant with His people (Jeremiah 31:27-40 ). </p> <p> E. God's spokesman demonstrates his trust by a purchase of land (Jeremiah 32:1-44 ). </p> <p> F. Restoration is based on God's promises to restore the nation and David's dynasty (Jeremiah 33:1-26 ). </p> <p> VII. God Protects His Spokesman (Jeremiah 34:1-40:6 ). </p> <p> A. God promises punishment upon the privileged for their treachery to their slaves (Jeremiah 34:1-22 ). </p> <p> B. God commends the Rechabites for their faithfulness (Jeremiah 35:1-19 ). </p> <p> C. God protects His servants and His Word from a wicked ruler (Jeremiah 36:1-32 ). </p> <p> D. God protects His servant from a weak and foolish ruler (Jeremiah 37:1-38:28 ). </p> <p> E. Prophetic preaching proves true (Jeremiah 39:1-10 ). </p> <p> F. Even foreign leaders acknowledge prophetic authority (Jeremiah 39:11-14 ). </p> <p> G. God protects His servant during a national crisis (Jeremiah 39:15-40:6 ). </p> <p> VIII. God's Spokesman Warns Those Who [[Continue]] in Unfaithfulness (Jeremiah 40:7-45:5 ). </p> <p> A. Political intrigue offers no basis for hope (Jeremiah 40:7-41:18 ). </p> <p> B. Disobeying God's Word brings disaster, not hope, for the remnant (Jeremiah 42:1-43:13 ). </p> <p> C. Disobeying God's law of loyal worship brings disaster, not hope, for the remnant (Jeremiah 44:1-14 ). </p> <p> D. The people answer God's spokesman with continued defiance (Jeremiah 44:15-19 ). </p> <p> E. Jeremiah promises punishment for the people (Jeremiah 44:20-30 ). </p> <p> F. God promises His faithful servant his life despite desperate changes (Jeremiah 45:1-5 ). </p> <p> IX. God's Spokesman Warns the [[Nations]] (Jeremiah 46:1-51:64 ). </p> <p> A. God promises judgment upon Judah's pagan neighbors (Jeremiah 46:1-49:39 ). </p> <p> B. God promises perpetual desolation for the destroyer of His people (Jeremiah 50:1-51:64 ). </p> <p> X. Unfaithfulness Causes [[Destruction]] for God's People (Jeremiah 52:1-34 ). </p> <p> Hans Mallau </p>

<p> ("exalted of Jehovah") (Jerome); ("appointed of Jehovah") (Gesenius); ("Jehovah throws") (Hengstenberg); compare Jeremiah 1:10. </p> <p> 1. Son of Hilkiah, a priest in [[Anathoth]] of Benjamin; not the high priest [[Hilkiah]] who discovered the book of the law in Josiah's reign (2 Kings 22:8), for Jeremiah's father is not designated as "the priest" or "the high priest." Moreover, the Anathoth priests were of the line of Abiathar, who was deposed by [[Solomon]] (1 Kings 2:26-35). Thenceforward the high priesthood was in Eleazar's and Zadok's line. The independent history (2 Chronicles 35:25; 2 Chronicles 36:12; 2 Chronicles 36:21) mentions his "lamentation for Josiah," Zedekiah's "not humbling himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of Jehovah," and the [[Babylonian]] captivity "to fulfill Jehovah's word by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths, for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath to fulfill threescore and ten years" (Jeremiah 27:7; Jeremiah 25:9-12; Jeremiah 26:6-7; Jeremiah 29:10). </p> <p> In 629 B.C., the 13th of Josiah's reign, while a mere youth at Anathoth, three miles from [[Jerusalem]] (Jeremiah 1:2), "the word of [[Jehovah]] came to him" just as manhood was opening out to him, calling him to lay aside his natural sensitiveness and timid self distrust, and as Jehovah's minister, by the might of Jehovah's efficacious word, to "root out ... throw down, build and plant." "Before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." To his pleas of childlike inability to speak (as Moses, Exodus 3:11-12; Exodus 4:10-12; and Isaiah, Isaiah 6:5-8), Jehovah opposes His mission and His command: "thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." To his fear of men's faces Jehovah declares "I am with thee to deliver thee." [[Touching]] Jeremiah's mouth (as Isaiah's; compare Jesus' touch, Matthew 9:21-29), Jehovah put His words in the prophet's mouth, so that the prophetic word became divinely efficient to produce its own fulfillment; even as the Word was the efficient cause of creation. </p> <p> Jeremiah must have at first exercised his office in contemplation rather than action, for he is not mentioned in connection with Josiah's reforms, or the great [[Passover]] held in the 18th year of his reign, five years subsequent to Jeremiah's call. It is from the prophetess Huldah, not from him, that the godly king sought counsel. Yet he must have warmly sympathized with this great revival. Indications of affinity or friendship with some of the actors in it occur in the sameness of names: Jeremiah's father bearing the name of Hilkiah, Josiah's high priest; his uncle that of Shallum, Huldah's husband (Jeremiah 32:7; compare 2 Kings 22:14); Ahikam, Jeremiah's protector (Jeremiah 26:24), was also the fellow worker with [[Huldah]] in the revival; moreover Maaseiah, governor of Jerusalem, sent by [[Josiah]] as ally of Hilkiah in repairing the temple (2 Chronicles 34:8), was father of Neriah, the father of both [[Baruch]] and Seraiah, Jeremiah's disciples (Jeremiah 36:4; Jeremiah 51:59). </p> <p> The finding of the book of the law, the original temple copy (See HILKIAH) exercised a palpable effect on his later writings. (Compare Jeremiah 11:3-5 with Deuteronomy 7:12; Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 27:26; Jeremiah 34:14 with Deuteronomy 15:12; Deuteronomy 32:18 with Exodus 20:6; Exodus 32:21 with Exodus 6:6). He saw that the reformation was but a surface one, and would not ensure the permanent peace which many anticipated from it (Jeremiah 7:4), for while "the temple" was restored the spirit of apostasy still prevailed, so that even [[Israel]] seemed just in comparison with what [[Judah]] had become (Jeremiah 3:11), a seeker of the truth was scarcely to be found, and self seeking was the real aim, while "the prophets prophesy falsely, the priests hear rule by their means, and God's people (!) love to have it so" (Jeremiah 5:1; Jeremiah 5:31). </p> <p> Five years after his call to prophesy the book of the law was found in the temple by Hilkiah (2 Kings 22:8; 2 Kings 23:25); then Jeremiah in Jehovah's name proclaimed, "Hear ye this covenant, and speak (it in your turn to others, namely,) unto the men of Judah and Jerusalem." Next Jehovah commanded Jeremiah to take a prophetic tour, proclaiming the covenant through the cities of Judah, as well as in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 11:1-2; Jeremiah 11:6). Apparently, he lived at first in Anathoth, repairing thence from time to time to prophesy in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 2:2), until the enmity of his townsmen and even his brethren, because of his godly faithfulness (Jeremiah 11:18-21; Jeremiah 12:6), drove him to Jerusalem. He knew not of their plotting against his life until Jehovah revealed it. His personal experiences were providentially ordered to qualify him to be the type in his own person, as well as the prophet, of [[Messiah]] (compare Isaiah 53:7). </p> <p> So His brethren, and the [[Nazarenes]] His townsmen, treated Christ (Luke 4:24-29; John 1:11; John 7:5; Psalms 69:8). By Jehovah's direction Jeremiah was to have neither wife or children (Jeremiah 16:2), in order to symbolize the coming of calamities on [[Judea]] so severe that the single state (contrary to the natural order) would be preferable to the married (1 Corinthians 7:8; 1 Corinthians 7:26; 1 Corinthians 7:29; Matthew 24:19; Luke 23:29). [[Eighteen]] years after his first call king Josiah died. During this period, when others thought evil distant, the vision of the almond tree, the emblem of wakefulness, showed Jeremiah that evil was hastening, and the seething pot that it should come from the N., namely, the [[Babylonians]] entering into the [[Holy]] Land from the N. by way of [[Hamath]] (Jeremiah 1:11-15). (See ALMOND.) </p> <p> Jeremiah, like Isaiah (Isaiah 30:1-7), foresaw that the tendency of many to desire an alliance with Egypt, upon the dissolution of the [[Assyrian]] empire whose vassal [[Manasseh]] was, would end in sorrow (Jeremiah 2:18): "what hast thou to do in the way of (with going down to) Egypt? to drink the waters of [[Sihor]] (to seek hosts as allies from the Nile land)?" Josiah so far molded his policy according to Jeremiah's counsel; but he forgot that it was equally against God's will for His people to lean upon Assyrian or Babylonian "confidences" as upon [[Egyptian]] (Jeremiah 36 - 37); so taking the field as ally of [[Assyria]] and [[Babylon]] against the Egyptian [[Pharaoh]] [[Necho]] he fell (2 Kings 23:29). Josiah's death was one of his bitterest sorrows (Jeremiah 22:10; Jeremiah 22:15-16), the remembrance of his righteous reign intensified the pain of witnessing the present injustice of his successors. </p> <p> Jeremiah composed the funeral dirge which "the singing men and women in their lamentations" used at the anniversary kept subsequently as an ordinance in Israel (2 Chronicles 35:20-25). Jeremiah had also inward conflicts. Like [[Asaph]] (Psalm 73) he felt perplexed at the prosperity of the wicked (Jeremiah 12:1-4) plotters at Anathoth against his life (Jeremiah 11:19-21), to which Jehovah replies that even worse is before him at Jerusalem: "if thou hast run with the footmen (the Anathoth men), and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses (the men of Jerusalem)? And if (it is only) in a land of peace thou trustest (so the [[Hebrew]] is), then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" Or else, if in the plain country alone thou art secure, how wilt thou do "in the pride (the wooded banks, the lair of beasts: Zechariah 11:3; 2 Kings 6:2 compare Proverbs 24:10) of Jordan?" </p> <p> Jeremiah sensitively shrank from strifes, yet the Holy Spirit enabled him to deliver his message at the certain cost of rousing enmity and having his sensitiveness wounded (Jeremiah 15:10). His nature said, "I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name; but (the Spirit made him feel) His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing" (Jeremiah 20:9). In Jeremiah 22:11-12 Jeremiah foretold that Josiah's son, [[Shallum]] or [[Jehoahaz]] who reigned but three months and was carried to [[Egypt]] by Pharaoh Necho, should never return. (See JEHOAHAZ.) On Jehoiakim's accession idolatry returned, combined with the worship of Jehovah; and priests, prophets, and people soon brought Jeremiah before the authorities, urging that he should be put to death for denouncing evil against the temple and the city (Jeremiah 26:7-11). </p> <p> This he had done in Jeremiah 7:12-14; Jeremiah 7:8-9. and more summarily in Jeremiah 26:1-2; Jeremiah 26:6, at the feast of tabernacles, when the law was commanded to be read, or at either of the other two great feasts, before the people of "all the cities of Judah," assembled for worship "in the court of Jehovah's house"; he "diminished not a word" through fear of offending. The "princes," including doubtless some of Josiah's counselors or their sons, interposed in his behalf (Jeremiah 26:16), appealing to Micah's case, who had uttered a like prophecy in Hezekiah's reign with impunity; adding the implication which they durst not express, that though [[Urijah]] who prophesied similarly was brought back from his flight into Egypt, and slain by Jehoiakim, yet that the notorious prostration of the state showed that evil, not good, is the result of such persecutions. </p> <p> So [[Ahikam]] his friend, the former officer of good Josiah (2 Kings 22:12; 2 Kings 22:14), saved him from death; however Jeremiah deemed it prudent not to appear in public then. (See AHIKAM.) In Jehoakim's (and see BARUCH; JEHUDI.) fifth year Jeremiah escaped his violence by the Lord's hiding him and Baruch (Jeremiah 36:27-32), after the king had destroyed the prophetic roll of prophecies for the 23 years past of Jeremiah's ministry, which Jeremiah was commanded to write in Jehoiakim's fourth year, and which in the fifth Baruch, having first written them, read to the people assembled on the fast. (See JEHOIAKIM.) Jeremiah had shown his prophetic prescience by opposing as delusive what as a patriot he would have desired, the hopes cherished of his country's independence of Babylon (Jeremiah 27:1; Jeremiah 27:6-8): "thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I have made the earth ... and now have I given all these lands into the hands of [[Nebuchadnezzar]] ... My servant ... and all nations shall serve him, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come." </p> <p> So in Jehoiakim's fourth year Judah's hopes from Egypt were crushed by Nebuchadnezzar's defeat of Pharaoh Necho at [[Carchemish]] (Jeremiah 46:2, a prophecy uttered shortly before the event). Jeremiah had in this year foretold that not Judah alone, but all nations should be subject to Babylon for 70 years, having to drink God's wine cup of fury, and then Babylon itself should be made "perpetual desolations" (Jeremiah 25:8-38). Hence, the [[Rechabites]] (See JEHONADAB) were constrained at this time to take refuge within Jerusalem through fear of the Chaldees. Jeremiah's own ascetic spirit was instinctively attracted to them, famed as they were for their abstemious, pilgrim, devout, and idolatry abhorring walk. The occurrence of the name Jeremiah among them, and their ready admission into the temple, mark previous association with Jeremiah and the priests. </p> <p> Jeremiah made their filial obedience to their earthly father a condemnation of Judah's disobedience to their heavenly Father (Jeremiah 35). (In Jeremiah 45, concerning an individual, subjoined to his prophecies concerning nations, though belonging to the time just after (Jeremiah 36) the close of Jehoiakim's reign, Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 18-19 (probably in Jeconiah's reign), by the symbols of the remaking by the potter of the marred vessel, and of the breaking of the bottle in the valley of Hinnom, sets forth God's absolute power over His creatures to give reprobates to destruction, and to raise others instead of the people who prove unfaithful to His election (Isaiah 45:9; Isaiah 64:8; Romans 9:20-21). (See BARUCH.) The potter's field significantly was the purchase with the price of reprobate Judas' treachery (Matthew 27:9-10, which quotes Zechariah 11:12-13 as Jeremiah's because Zechariah rests on Jeremiah; compare Psalms 2:8-9; Revelation 2:27). </p> <p> Pashur, chief governor in the Lord's house, in consequence smote and put him in the stocks (Jeremiah 20:2); when liberated, he renewed his prophecy against the city, denouncing [[Pashur]] as about to become Magor Missabib, "terror round about." Then he gave way to complaints of God, but to God, as if God had deceived him; but God had promised (Jeremiah 1:19), not that he should escape suffering, but that God would deliver him out of it; he even, like Job (Job 3:3-11), in impatience cursed his day of birth, but better feelings prevailed soon, and he records his deep depression (Jeremiah 1:14-18) after his believing thanksgiving only to show how great was his deliverance (Jeremiah 1:11-13). In the three months' reign of Jehoiachin, Jeconiah, or Coriah (the omission of the [[Jah]] marking his severance from Jehovah), Jeremiah prophesied the carrying away of the king and the queen mother Nehushta, daughter of [[Elnathan]] (Jeremiah 13:18; Jeremiah 22:24-30; 2 Kings 24:6; 2 Kings 24:8; 2 Kings 24:12; 2 Kings 24:15). </p> <p> In this reign Jeremiah gave the symbolical prophecy of the girdle on his loins taken to the Euphrates, and hidden in a hole of the rock (Jeremiah 13:1-7). Some symbolical acts of prophets, being scarcely possible, probable, or decorous, existed only in spiritual vision; when possible and proper, they were often materialized by outward performance. The act, even when only internal, vivified the naked statement of prophetic truth. A journey twice of 200 miles to the [[Euphrates]] may have been taken only in the spiritual world wherein the seer moved (compare Jeremiah 19:1; Jeremiah 19:10; Jeremiah 27:2-3; Isaiah 20:2). Nebuchadnezzar was evidently acquainted with him, but whether it was by an actual journey of Jeremiah to Babylon is uncertain (Jeremiah 39:11). In spite of the warning given in Jeconiah's case, [[Zedekiah]] set at naught Jeremiah's words and revolted. </p> <p> So in his ninth year, tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39:1). Zedekiah in the tenth year, through [[Jehucal]] and Zephaniah, begged Jeremiah, "pray for us," as the issue between Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh [[Hophra]] (Apries) was at that time as yet undecided. In consequence of fear the [[Jews]] obeyed the law by temporarily emancipating their bondservants at, the end of seven years, but on the remission of the siege again enslaved them (Jeremiah 34). Jeremiah therefore foretold that Zedekiah and his princes should be given up to their enemies (Jeremiah 32:2-5). Yet he foretold the sure repossession of [[Judaea]] by the Jews, by redeeming his uncle Hanameel's field in due form; just as at Rome the ground whereon [[Hannibal]] was encamped was put up for sale and found a purchaser. Pharaoh's advance caused the [[Chaldeans]] to withdraw temporarily from besieging Jerusalem (Jeremiah 37:1-5). </p> <p> Jeremiah warned the king that the Chaldeans would return and burn the city with fire. Therefore Zedekiah shut him up in the court of the prison. Jeremiah himself tried to escape to his native place, Anathoth of Benjamin; but [[Irijah]] arrested him at the gate of [[Benjamin]] on the charge of desertion to the Chaldeans. Then the princes smote and imprisoned him in the house of [[Jonathan]] the scribe. It was a pit (dungeon) with vaulted cells ("cabins") round the sides. After many days in the dungeon Zedekiah the king took him out, and inquired secretly (compare John 3:2; John 5:44; John 12:43; John 19:38), "is there any word from Jehovah?" Jeremiah without regard to his earthly interests (contrast Jeremiah 6:14; Isaiah 30:10; Ezekiel 13:10) foretold Zedekiah's being delivered up to Nebuchadnezzar, and begged not to be left to "die" in Jonathan's house. </p> <p> His natural shrinking from death (Jeremiah 37:20) makes his spiritual firmness the more remarkable; ready to die rather than swerve from duty. Zedekiah committed him to the court of the prison (the open space occupied by the guard, Jeremiah 32:2, where his friends had access to him: Jeremiah 32:12; Jeremiah 37:12-21), and commanded bread to be supplied to him until all in the city was spent (Psalms 37:19; Isaiah 33:16). [[Honest]] reproof sometimes gains more favor than flattery (Proverbs 28:23). Zedekiah again sent Pashur and Zephaniah to Jeremiah to inquire of him, and received the reply that submission to the [[Chaldees]] is the only way of life (Jeremiah 21:1-9; Jeremiah 38:2 ff); and then the princes accused Jeremiah of weakening the hands of the warriors by such words, and the weak prince left. Jeremiah in their hand, saying "the king cannot do anything against you." </p> <p> So they cast him into Malchiah's dungeon, or cistern emptied of its water during the siege, the mire alone remaining (compare Zechariah 9:11 and the Antitype, Psalms 69:2; Psalms 69:14). An [[Ethiopian]] stranger, the eunuch Ebedmelech, saved the prophet whom his own countrymen tried to destroy. (See EBEDMELECH.) "Old cast clouts and rags" were used to raise him up (compare spiritually 1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Zedekiah again secretly consulted Jeremiah, taking him to the third or N. entry of the outer or inner temple court. Fear of the mocking of the [[Jewish]] deserters deterred him from following the prophet's counsel, that he should go forth to the Chaldees; by refusing he brought on himself, as Jeremiah foretold, the mocking not only of the deserters but even of his own concubines. Jeremiah stayed in the court of the prison until Jerusalem was taken. Nebuchadnezzar directed Nebuzaradan, and he gave him liberty to stay with the remnant or go to Babylon, and added "victuals and a reward." </p> <p> [[Notwithstanding]] the wrongs he had received from his countrymen for 40 years, as a true patriot he stayed with the Jews under Gedaliah, the son of his friend Ahikam (Jeremiah 39-40). After Gedaliah's murder by Ishmael, [[Johanan]] first consulted Jeremiah as to going to Egypt with a foregone conclusion, then carried Jeremiah, in spite of the prophet's warning, to Egypt (Jeremiah 41-43). (See GEDALIAH; ISHMAEL; JOHANAN.) At [[Tahpanhes]] he foretold Egypt's overthrow (Jeremiah 43:8-13), and tradition says he was stoned there (Pseudo Epiphanius; compare Hebrews 11:37). The Jews expected his reappearing as the forerunner of Messiah (Matthew 16:14), "that prophet" (John 1:21). He in a true sense did forerun Messiah, foreseeing to his own "sweet" comfort (Jeremiah 31:26) not only His conception by a "virgin," but His kingdom, first spiritual, whereby He is "the Lord our righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:5-6), making the "new covenant," "remembering our sin no more," and "writing His law in our hearts" (Jeremiah 31:22; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-12; Hebrews 10:16-17), then visible in Jerusalem, Judah, and Israel, in the last days (Jeremiah 33:6-26; Jeremiah 3:16-18). </p> <p> Jeremiah wrote too an epistle to the exiles at Babylon, carried away with [[Jeconiah]] (Jeremiah 29), similar in form and style to the New [[Testament]] epistles, advising them to settle quietly in Babylon and pray for its peace, for the captivity must last 70 years. The portion of the nation remaining in Judah Jeremiah saw by the Spirit was the worst (Jeremiah 24), and would fare the worst. Early in Jehoiakim's reign (Jeremiah 27:1) he had by symbolic yokes foretold Nebuchadnezzar's subjugation of Judah, etc. But the [[Syriac]] and Arabic versions make it likely "Zedekiah" ought to be read; so Jeremiah 27:3; Jeremiah 27:12; Jeremiah 27:28:1. The false prophet [[Hananiah]] broke the yokes of wood; but Jehovah declared yokes of iron should be substituted, and that Hananiah should die; he accordingly died the seventh month of the same year. Jeremiah took advantage of the embassy sent by Zedekiah to send his letter to the captives (Jeremiah 29). </p> <p> Even among the captives at Babylon were false prophets, Ahab, Zedekiah, and [[Shemaiah]] (the writer to Zephaniah at Jerusalem that he should imprison Jeremiah as "mad"), who held out delusive hopes of a speedy return. Therefore, Jeremiah announces their doom. Six whole years before Jerusalem's fall Jeremiah wrote the prophecy of Babylon's own doom, for [[Seraiah]] to take to Babylon when he went there on behalf of Zedekiah (margin, Jeremiah 51:59-64), and therewith to console the captives. The Jews say, "the spirit of Jeremiah dwelt afterward in Zechariah"; Matthew (Jeremiah 27:9) therefore quotes the words of Zechariah as Jeremiah's. His protests against the priests and prophets answer to our Lord's against the scribes and [[Pharisees]] (Matthew 23); his lamentations over his doomed country correspond to the Saviour's tears over Jerusalem. </p> <p> The picture of his sufferings in Lamentations 1:12 is antitypically realized in Messiah alone. The subjective and the elegiac elements preponderate in him. His Hebrew is tinged, as was to be expected, with Chaldaism. [[Sheshach]] (which, on the Kabalistic system of making the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet express the first, would be Babel) is supposed to prove his using that mystic system (Jeremiah 25:26); but in Jeremiah 51:41 there can be no design of concealment, for he mentions expressly Babylon; the word is rather from Shech the Babylonian goddess, during whose feast [[Cyrus]] took the city. [[Pathos]] and sympathy with the suffering are his characteristics. As Ezekiel views the nation's sins as opposed to righteousness, so Jeremiah as productive of misery. Ezekiel is as marked by firmness as Jeremiah is by delicate sensitiveness. His heaping of phrase on phrase, and repeating of stereotyped forms, are due to his affected feelings; but in the rhythmical parts, and against foreign nations, he is concise, sublime, and energetic. Division.-The various parts are prefaced by the formula, "The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah." Notes of time mark other divisions more or less historical. In the poetical parts there are 23 sections, divided into strophes of seven or nine verses, market by "Jehovah said also unto me. "The five books thus are: </p> <p> I. Introduction: Jeremiah 1. </p> <p> II. Reproofs of the Jews, seven sections, Jeremiah 2-24: </p> <p> (1) Jeremiah 2; </p> <p> (2) Jeremiah 3-4; </p> <p> (3) Jeremiah 7-10, </p> <p> (4) Jeremiah 11-13, </p> <p> (5) Jeremiah 14-17, </p> <p> (6) Jeremiah 18-20, </p> <p> (7) Jeremiah 21-24. </p> <p> III. Review of all nations, in two sections: </p> <p> (1) Jeremiah 46-49. </p> <p> (2) Jeremiah 25. </p> <p> IV. [[Historical]] appendix, in three sections: </p> <p> (1) Jeremiah 34:1-7, </p> <p> (2) Jeremiah 34:8-22, </p> <p> (3) Jeremiah 35. </p> <p> V. Conclusion, in two sections: </p> <p> (1) Jeremiah 36:2, etc., </p> <p> (2) Jeremiah 45. </p> <p> Subsequently in Egypt he added Jeremiah 46:13-26 to his previous prophecy as to Egypt; also the three sections Jeremiah 37-39; Jeremiah 40-44. A later hand (see Jeremiah 51:64) probably appended Jeremiah 52 from 2 Kings 24:18 ff; Jeremiah 25:30. Our Hebrew text seems the latest and fullest edition from Jeremiah's own hand. The [[Septuagint]] has a different order of the prophecies against foreign nations, Jeremiah 46-51 being placed after Jeremiah 25:13-14. Probably these prophecies were repeated more than once; in the original smaller collection (for Septuagint omit much that is in the Hebrew) they stood early, in the fuller and later one they stood in their present position, and Jeremiah inserted then the clause of Jeremiah 25:13, which implies that they existed in some other part of the book, "all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations." </p> <p> It was in this very year (compare Jeremiah 25:1 with Jeremiah 36:1) that Jeremiah was directed to write in a regular book all he had prophesied from the first against Judah and foreign, nations. We saw above that Jeremiah 21; Jeremiah 35-36, are out of chronological order. The whole may be divided into (1) Jeremiah 1-45, concerning Israel; (2) Jeremiah 46-51, concerning the nations. Jeremiah 1-23, are prophetic as to Israel; Jeremiah 24-45. combine prophecy and history; Jeremiah 24-29, set forth Nebuchadnezzar as God's instrument of chastising Israel and the nations, irresistible for the time, submission the wisest policy, the exiles better in position than the people at home; Jeremiah 30-33, the most Messianic portion, sets forth Israel restored under Messiah reigning upon David's throne; Jeremiah 34-45, mainly historical, illustrating from the people's unbelief the need of God's judgments. The New Testament by quotations stamps Jeremiah's canonicity (Matthew 2:17; Matthew 16:14; Hebrews 8:8-12). [[Philo]] quotes Jeremiah as an "oracle." Melito, Origen, Jerome, and the [[Talmud]] similarly include it in the canon. </p> <p> 2. 2 Kings 23:31. </p> <p> 3. 1 Chronicles 12:4; 1 Chronicles 12:10; 1 Chronicles 12:13. </p> <p> 4. 1 Chronicles 5:24. </p> <p> 5. Nehemiah 10:2-8; Nehemiah 12:1; Nehemiah 12:34. </p>

<p> Among the Old [[Testament]] prophets, Jeremiah is the one who reveals more personal details than anyone else. Like all the prophets he declared his opposition to false religious practices, wrong social behaviour and foolish government policies, but above all his writings display the unhappiness that was a feature of much of his life. This unhappiness resulted partly from his unpopularity with the community in general, but his greatest distress came from a feeling that God had been unfair to him. </p> <p> We can understand Jeremiah’s problems only as we see them against the background of conditions in [[Judah]] as set out in his book. Since the messages and events detailed in the book are not in chronological order, the following outline of events may help towards an understanding of the man and his work. </p> <p> Forty years of preaching </p> <p> Jeremiah began his prophetic work in 627 BC, the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, king of Judah (Jeremiah 1:1-2). [[Josiah]] had carried out sweeping reforms, firstly to remove all the idolatrous and immoral practices that had become deeply rooted in Judah over the previous generations, then to re-establish the true worship of [[Yahweh]] (2 Kings 22; 2 Kings 23:1-25). Jeremiah saw that in spite of the king’s good work, little had changed in people’s hearts. Judah was heading for terrible judgment. (Jeremiah [[Chapters]] 1-6, and possible parts of Chapters 7-20, seem to belong to the early period of Jeremiah’s preaching.) </p> <p> Meanwhile to the north, [[Babylon]] was growing in power, and with its conquest of [[Assyria]] in 612 BC, it established itself as the leading nation in the region. When Egypt, the leading nation to Judah’s south, decided to challenge Babylon, Josiah tried to stop the [[Egyptians]] from passing through [[Palestine]] and was killed in battle (609 BC; 2 Kings 23:28-30). [[Considering]] itself now the master of Judah, [[Egypt]] removed Jehoahaz, the new [[Judean]] king, and made his older brother [[Jehoiakim]] king instead (2 Kings 23:31-37). </p> <p> Jehoiakim was a cruel and ungodly ruler. He opposed Jeremiah because of his condemnation of Judah’s sins and his forecasts of its destruction (Jeremiah 22:13-19; Jeremiah 26:1-6; Jeremiah 26:20-24; Jeremiah 36). (Much of Jeremiah Chapters 7-20, along with Chapters 22, 23, 25, 26, 35, 36 and 45, belong to the time of Jehoiakim.) </p> <p> When Babylon conquered Egypt at the [[Battle]] of [[Carchemish]] in 605 BC (Jeremiah 46:2), it thereby gained control of Judah and took selected Jerusalemites captive to Babylon (Daniel 1:1-6). When Jehoiakim later tried to become independent of Babylon, the [[Babylonian]] army, under Nebuchadnezzar, besieged Jerusalem. Jehoiakim died during the siege, and three months later his son and successor [[Jehoiachin]] surrendered. Jehoiachin and most of the useful people were then taken captive to Babylon. The [[Babylonians]] appointed Zedekiah, another brother of Jehoiakim, as the new king (597 BC; 2 Kings 24:8-17). </p> <p> Jeremiah and [[Zedekiah]] were constantly in conflict. Jeremiah assured Zedekiah that Babylon’s overlordship was God’s judgment on Judah for its sin. Judah should therefore accept its punishment and submit to Babylon. To resist would only bring invasion, siege, starvation, bloodshed and captivity (2 Kings 24:18-20; Jeremiah 21:1-10; Jeremiah 24; Jeremiah 27:12-22; Jeremiah 28:12-14). </p> <p> The opponents of Jeremiah assured Zedekiah that with the help of Egypt he could overthrow Babylonian rule. Foolishly, Zedekiah followed their advice instead of Jeremiah’s, and brought upon Judah a long and devastating siege. In the end Babylon destroyed the city and its temple, and took the king, along with all remaining useful citizens, into foreign captivity (587 BC; 2 Kings 25:1-21; Jeremiah 32:1-5; Jeremiah 32:28-29; Jeremiah 33:1-5; Jeremiah 37:16-17; Jeremiah 38:17-18; Jeremiah 39:1-10). (The parts of Jeremiah that deal largely with the reign of Zedekiah are Chapters 21, 24, 27-34, 37-39 and 52.) </p> <p> On more than one occasion during this long crisis Jeremiah was imprisoned (Jeremiah 32:2; Jeremiah 37:15; Jeremiah 37:20-21; Jeremiah 38:1-6; Jeremiah 38:13; Jeremiah 38:28). Upon conquering the city, the victorious Babylonians released him and gave him full freedom to decide where he would like to live, Babylon or Judah. Jeremiah decided to stay in Judah. The Babylonians placed him under the protection of Gedaliah, the [[Jewish]] governor whom they had appointed over the Judeans left in the land (2 Kings 25:22; Jeremiah 39:13-14; Jeremiah 40:4-6). </p> <p> Sadly, [[Gedaliah]] was murdered by some Judeans who were still opposed to Babylon (2 Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 40:13-16; Jeremiah 41). The remaining Judeans then fled for safety to Egypt, taking an unwilling Jeremiah with them (2 Kings 25:26; Jeremiah 42; Jeremiah 43:1-7). Jeremiah warned that they would not escape God’s punishment by fleeing to Egypt, but, as always, the people refused to heed the message (Jeremiah 43:8-13; Jeremiah 44). The [[Bible]] records nothing further of Jeremiah’s life, though one tradition says that the Judeans in Egypt later stoned him to death. (The period of Gedaliah’s governorship and the Judeans’ flight to Egypt is dealt with in Jeremiah Chapters 40-44.) </p> <p> Jeremiah’s personal life </p> <p> From the book of Jeremiah we learn much about the prophet’s personal life. It appears that he was only about twenty years of age when he began his prophetic preaching (1:6). [[Apparently]] he never married (16:2) and for much of his life he had few friends (20:7). His family opposed him (12:6) and the people of his home town plotted to kill him (11:19,21). The common people of [[Jerusalem]] cursed him (15:10), false prophets ridiculed him (28:10-11; 29:24-28), priests stopped him from entering the temple (36:5) and the civil authorities plotted evil against him (36:26; 38:4-6). </p> <p> In addition to being imprisoned, Jeremiah was at times flogged (20:2; 37:15) and often threatened with death (11:21; 26:7-9; 38:15). On occasions, however, certain people in positions of influence gained protection for him against his persecutors (26:24; 38:7-13; 40:5-6). </p> <p> There can be no doubt that Jeremiah loved his people and his country (8:18-22; 9:1-2; 14:19-22). It almost broke his heart to have to announce his country’s overthrow and urge his countrymen to submit to the enemy (4:19-22; 10:17-21; 14:17-18; 17:16-17). He was deeply hurt when people accused him of being a traitor (37:13; 38:1-6), for his great longing was that the people heed his warnings and so avoid the threatened destruction (7:5-7; 13:15-17; 26:16-19; 36:1-3). </p> <p> Jeremiah wished for peace, but he knew there could be no peace as long as the people continued in their sin. The false prophets, on the other hand, assured the people of peace, knowing that messages that pleased the hearers brought good financial rewards (6:13; 8:11). Jeremiah knew that the people’s hopes would be disappointed, but this gave him no satisfaction, only greater distress (7:1-15; 14:13-18; 23:9). </p> <p> Although it hurt Jeremiah to have to announce judgments on his own people, he did it faithfully as God’s messenger (20:8-10). When the people responded with hatred and violence (11:19; 18:18), Jeremiah complained to God bitterly. He accused God of being unfair in giving him a cruel reward for his devoted loyalty (12:1-4; 15:10-12,17-18; 20:14-18). God rebuked Jeremiah for his self-pity, though he also strengthened him to meet further troubles. As long as Judah remained faithless, Jeremiah could expect opposition (12:5-6). </p> <p> These experiences emphasized to Jeremiah the importance of an individual’s personal relationship with God. Those who sincerely sought God found him; those who had no personal fellowship with God did not know him, no matter how outwardly religious they might have been (23:21-22). Jeremiah looked beyond the captivity to a day when there would be a new covenant between God and his people. This would be a covenant characterized not by a community’s conformity to religious laws, but by an individual’s personal relationship with God (31:31-34). </p> <p> Outline of the book </p> <p> The first six chapters of the book deal with the main features of Jeremiah’s early ministry: his call to be a prophet (1:1-19); his denunciation of Judah for its unfaithfulness, idolatry and immorality (2:1-3:5); his demand for true, inward repentance (3:6-4:4); and his warning of the coming destruction of Jerusalem (4:5-6:30). </p> <p> Chapters 7-20 record incidents and messages which, in general, demonstrate the sinful condition of Judah and, in particular, Jerusalem. Three topics are prominent in this section. The first concerns Judah’s widespread sin and its certain punishment (7:1-8:17; 11:1-23; 16:1-17:13). The second concerns the approaching judgment on the capital city, Jerusalem (8:18-10:25; 13:1-15:9; 18:1-20:6). The third concerns Jeremiah’s inner conflicts and his complaints to God (12:1-17; 15:10-21; 17:14-27; 20:7-18). </p> <p> After this come five chapters of warnings. There are warnings to rulers, such as Zedekiah (21:1-10; 24:1-10), kings in general (21:11-22:9), [[Jehoahaz]] (Shallum), Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin (Coniah) (22:10-30). There are additional warnings to lying prophets (23:9-40), and messages concerning God’s control over the destinies of nations (23:1-8; 25:1-38). </p> <p> [[Prophecies]] of captivity and return (Chapters 26-36) include a warning to the Jerusalemites to submit to Babylon or be destroyed (26:1-28:17); an assurance to those already in exile that there is no hope for an immediate return to Jerusalem (29:1-32); the promise of a new age after the nation’s restoration (30:1-33:26); and guarantees that though treachery and rebellion will be punished, fidelity will be rewarded (34:1-36:32). </p> <p> A unit of eight chapters then traces events in chronological sequence from the final siege of Jerusalem to the settlement of the [[Jews]] in Egypt: Jeremiah’s imprisonment and rescue (37:1-38:28); the fall of Jerusalem (39:1-18); the appointment of Gedaliah and his brutal assassination (40:1-41:18); the migration to Egypt (42:1-43:7); and Jeremiah’s message to the Jews in Egypt (43:8-44:30). An earlier message for Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch, is also recorded (45:1-5). </p> <p> [[Finally]] there is a collection of messages for foreign nations: Egypt (46:1-28), [[Philistia]] (47:1-7), [[Moab]] and [[Ammon]] (48:1-49:6), [[Edom]] (49:7-22), Damascus, Kedar, [[Hazor]] and [[Elam]] (49:23-39), and Babylon (50:1-51:64). An historical appendix details matters relating to the fall of Jerusalem (52:1-34). </p>

<p> The [[Prophet]] Jeremiah was of the sacerdotal race, being, as he records himself, one of the priests that dwelt at Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin, a city appropriated out of that tribe to the use of the priests, the sons of Aaron, Joshua 21:18 , and situate, as we learn from St. Jerom, about three miles north of Jerusalem. Some have supposed his father to have been that Hilkah, the high priest, by whom the book of the law was found in the temple in the reign of Josiah: but for this there is no better ground than his having borne the same name, which was no uncommon one among the Jews; whereas, had he been in reality the high priest, he would doubtless have been mentioned by that distinguishing title, and not put upon a level with priests of an ordinary and inferior class. Jeremiah appears to have been very young when he was called to the exercise of the prophetical office, from which he modestly endeavoured to excuse himself by pleading his youth and incapacity; but being overruled by the divine authority, he set himself to discharge the duties of his function with unremitted diligence and fidelity during a period of at least forty-two years, reckoning from the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign. In the course of his ministry he met with great difficulties and opposition from his countrymen of all degrees, whose persecution and ill usage sometimes wrought so far upon his mind, as to draw from him expressions, in the bitterness of his soul, which many have thought hard to reconcile with his religious principles; but which, when duly considered, may be found to demand our pity for his unremitted sufferings, rather than our censure for any want of piety and reverence toward God. He was, in truth, a man of unblemished piety and conscientious integrity; a warm lover of his country, whose misery he pathetically deplores; and so affectionately attached to his countrymen, notwithstanding their injurious treatment of him, that he chose rather to abide with them, and undergo all hardships in their company, than separately to enjoy a state of ease and plenty, which the favour of the king of [[Babylon]] would have secured to him. At length, after the destruction of Jerusalem, being carried with the remnant of the [[Jews]] into Egypt, whither they had resolved to retire, though contrary to his advice, upon the murder of Gedaliah, whom the [[Chaldeans]] had left governor in Judea, he there continued warmly to remonstrate against their idolatrous practices, foretelling the consequences that would inevitably follow. But his freedom and zeal are said to have cost him his life; for the Jews at Tahpanhes, according to tradition, took such offence at him that they stoned him to death. This account of the manner of his end, though not absolutely certain, is at least very probable, considering the temper and disposition of the parties concerned. Their wickedness, however, did not long pass without its reward; for, in a few years after, they were miserably destroyed, by the [[Babylonian]] armies which invaded [[Egypt]] according to the prophet's prediction, Jeremiah 44:27-28 . </p> <p> The idolatrous apostasy, and other criminal enormities of the people of Judah, and the severe judgments which God was prepared to inflict upon them, but not without a distant prospect of future restoration and deliverance, are the principal subject matters of the prophecies of Jeremiah; excepting only the forty-fifth chapter, which relates personally to Baruch, and the six succeeding chapters, which respect the fortunes of some particular [[Heathen]] nations. It is observable, however, that though many of these prophecies have their particular dates annexed to them, and other dates may be tolerably well conjectured from certain internal marks and circumstances, there appears much disorder in the arrangement, not easy to be accounted for on any principle of regular design, but probably the result of some accident or other, which has disturbed the original order. The best arrangement of the chapters appears to be according to the list which will be subjoined; the different reigns in which the prophecies were delivered were most probably as follows: The first twelve chapters seem to contain all the prophecies delivered in the reign of the good King Josiah. During the short reign of Shallum, or Jehoahaz, his second son, who succeeded him, Jeremiah does not appear to have had any revelation. Jehoiakim, the eldest son of Josiah, succeeded. The prophecies of this reign are continued on from the thirteenth to the twentieth chapter inclusively; to which we must add the twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth chapters, together with the forty-fifth, forty- sixth, forty-seventh, and most probably the forty-eighth, and as far as the thirty-fourth verse of the forty-ninth chapter. Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, succeeded. We read of no prophecy that Jeremiah actually delivered in this king's reign; but the fate of Jeconiah, his being carried into captivity, and continuing an exile till the time of his death, were foretold early in his father's reign, as may be particularly seen in the twenty-second chapter. The last king of [[Judah]] was Zedekiah, the youngest son of Josiah. The prophecies delivered in his reign are contained in the twenty-first and twenty-fourth chapters, the twenty-seventh to the thirty-fourth, and the thirty-seventh to the thirty-ninth inclusively, together with the last six verses of the forty-ninth chapter, and the fiftieth and fifty-first chapters concerning the fall of Babylon. The siege of Jerusalem, in the reign of Zedekiah, and the capture of the city, are circumstantially related in the fifty-second chapter; and a particular account of the subsequent transactions is given in the fortieth to the forty-fourth inclusively. The arrangement of the chapters, alluded to above, is here subjoined: 1-20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 35, 36, 45, 24, 29-31, 27, 28, 21, 34, 37, 32, 33, 38, 39, from the fifteenth to the eighteenth verse, 39, from the first to the fourteenth verse, 40-44, 46, and so on. </p> <p> The prophecies of Jeremiah, of which the circumstantial accomplishment is often specified in the Old and New Testament, are of a very distinguished and illustrious character. He foretold the fate of Zedekiah, Jeremiah 34:2-5; 2 Chronicles 36:11-21; 2 Kings 25:5; Jeremiah 52:11; the [[Babylonish]] captivity, the precise time of its duration, and the return of the Jews. He describes the destruction of Babylon, and the downfall of many nations, Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 9:26; Jeremiah 25:19-25; Jeremiah 42:10-18; Jeremiah 46, and the following chapters, in predictions, of which the gradual and successive completion kept up the confidence of the Jews for the accomplishment of those prophecies, which he delivered relative to the [[Messiah]] and his period, Jeremiah 23:5-6; Jeremiah 30:9; Jeremiah 31:15; Jeremiah 32:14-18; Jeremiah 33:9-26 . He foreshowed the miraculous conception of Christ, Jeremiah 31:22 , the virtue of his atonement, the spiritual character of his covenant, and the inward efficacy of his laws, Jeremiah 31:31-36; Jeremiah 33:8 . Jeremiah, contemplating those calamities which impended over his country, represented, in the most descriptive terms, and under the most impressive images, the destruction that the invading enemy should produce. He bewailed, in pathetic expostulation, the shameless adulteries which had provoked the Almighty, after long forbearance, to threaten Judah with inevitable punishment, at the time that false prophets deluded the nation with the promises of "assured peace," and when the people, in impious contempt of "the Lord's word," defied its accomplishment. Jeremiah intermingles with his prophecies some historical relations relative to his own conduct, and to the completion of those predictions which he had delivered. The reputation of Jeremiah had spread among foreign nations, and his prophecies were deservedly celebrated in other countries. Many Heathen writers also have undesignedly borne testimony to the truth and accuracy of his prophetic and historical descriptions. </p> <p> As to the style of Jeremiah, says [[Bishop]] Lowth, this prophet is by no means wanting either in elegance or sublimity, although, generally speaking, inferior to Isaiah in both. His thoughts, indeed, are somewhat less elevated, and he is commonly more large and diffuse in his sentences; but the reason of this may be, that he is mostly taken up with the gentler passions of grief and pity, for the expression of which he has a peculiar talent. This is most evident in the Lamentations, where those passions altogether predominate; but it is often visible also in his prophecies, in the former part of the book more especially, which is principally poetical: the middle parts are chiefly historical; but the last part, consisting of six chapters, is entirely poetical, and contains several oracles distinctly marked, in which this prophet falls very little short of the lofty style of Isaiah. But of the whole book of Jeremiah it is hardly the one half which I look upon as poetical. </p> <p> Jeremiah survived to behold the sad accomplishment of all his darkest predictions. He witnessed all the horrors of the famine, and, when that had done its work, the triumph of the enemy. He saw the strong holds of the city cast down, the palace of Solomon, the temple of God, with all its courts, its roofs of cedar and of gold, levelled to the earth, or committed to the flames; the sacred vessels, the ark of the covenant itself, with the cherubim, pillaged by profane hands. What were the feelings of a patriotic and religious Jew at this tremendous crisis, he has left on record in his unrivalled elegies. Never did city suffer a more miserable fate, never was ruined city lamented in language so exquisitely pathetic. [[Jerusalem]] is, as it were, personified, and bewailed with the passionate sorrow of private and domestic attachment; while the more general pictures of the famine, the common misery of every rank, and age, and sex, all the desolation, the carnage, the violation, the dragging away into captivity, the remembrance of former glories, of the gorgeous ceremonies and the glad festivals, the awful sense of the divine wrath heightening the present calamities, are successively drawn with all the life and reality of an eye-witness. They combine the truth of history with the deepest pathos of poetry. </p>

<p> Jeremi'ah. (whom [[Jehovah]] has appointed). Jeremiah was "the son of [[Hilkiah]] of the priests, that were in Anathoth." Jeremiah 1:1. </p> <p> I. History. - He was called very young, (B.C. 626), to the prophetic office, and prophesied forty-two years; but we have hardly any mention of him during the eighteen years between his call and Josiah's death, or during the short reign of Jehoahaz. </p> <p> During the reigns of [[Jehoiakim]] and Jehoiachin, B.C. 607-598, he opposed the [[Egyptian]] party, then dominant in Jerusalem, and maintained that the only way of safety lay in accepting the supremacy of the Chaldeans. He was accordingly accused of treachery, and men claiming to be prophets had the "word of Jehovah" to set against his. Jeremiah 14:13; Jeremiah 23:7. </p> <p> As the danger from the [[Chaldeans]] became more threatening, the persecution against Jeremiah grew hotter. Jeremiah 18. The people sought his life; then follows the scene in Jeremiah 19:10-13 he was set, however, "as a fenced brazen wall," Jeremiah 15:20, and went on with his work, reproving king and nobles and people. </p> <p> The danger which Jeremiah had so long foretold, at last came near. First Jehoiakim, and afterwards, his successor, Jehoiachin, were carried into exile, 2 Kings 24; but Zedekiah, B.C. 597-586, who was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, was more friendly to the prophet, though powerless to help him. </p> <p> The approach of an Egyptian army, and the consequent departure of the Chaldeans, made the position of Jeremiah full of danger, and he sought to effect his escape from the city; but he was seized and finally thrown into a prison-pit to die, but was rescued. </p> <p> On the return of the [[Chaldean]] army, he showed his faith in God's promises, and sought to encourage the people by purchasing the field at Anathoth, which his kinsman [[Hanameel]] wished to get rid of. Jeremiah 32:6-9 At last, the blow came. The city was taken, the [[Temple]] burnt. The king and his princes shared the fate of Jehoiachin. The prophet gave utterance to his sorrow in the Lamentations. </p> <p> After the capture of Jerusalem, B.C. 586, by the Chaldeans, we find Jeremiah receiving better treatment; but after the death of Gedaliah, the people, disregarding his warnings, took refuge in Egypt, carrying the prophet with them. In captivity, his words were sharper and stronger than ever. He did not shrink, even there, from speaking of the Chaldean king, once more as "the servant of Jehovah." Jeremiah 43:10. After this, all is uncertain, but he probably died in Egypt. </p> <p> II. Character. - [[Canon]] Cook says of Jeremiah, "His character is most interesting. We find him sensitive to a most painful degree, timid, shy, hopeless, desponding, constantly complaining and dissatisfied with the course of events, but never flinching from duty. Timid in resolve, he was unflinching in execution; as fearless when he had to face the whole world as he was dispirited and prone to murmuring when alone with God. [[Judged]] by his own estimate of himself, he was feeble, and his mission a failure; really, in the hour of action and when duty called him, he was in very truth 'a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land.' Jeremiah 1:18. He was a noble example of the triumph of the moral over the physical nature." </p> <p> (It is not strange that he was desponding, when we consider his circumstances. He saw the nation going straight to irremediable ruin, and turning a deaf ear to all warnings. "A reign of terror had commenced (in the preceding reign), during which not only the prophets but all who were distinguished for religion and virtue were cruelly murdered." "The nation tried to extirpate the religion of Jehovah;" "Idolatry was openly established," "and such was the universal dishonesty that no man trusted another, and society was utterly disorganized." How could one who saw the nation about to reap the awful harvest they had been sowing, and yet had a vision of what they might have been and might yet be, help indulging in "Lamentations"? - Editor). </p> <p> Seven other persons bearing the same name as the prophet are mentioned in the Old Testament: - </p> <p> 1. Jeremiah of Libnah, father of Hamutal, wife of Josiah. 2 Kings 23:31. (B.C. before 632). </p> <p> 2, 3, 4. Three warriors - two of the tribe of [[Gad]] - in David's army. 1 Chronicles 12:4; 1 Chronicles 12:10; 1 Chronicles 12:13. (B.C. 1061-53). </p> <p> 5. One of the "mighty men of valor," of the TransJordanic half-tribe of Manasseh. 1 Chronicles 5:24. (B.C. 782). </p> <p> 6. A priest of high rank, head of the second or third of the twenty-one courses, which are apparently enumerated in Nehemiah 10:2-8; Nehemiah 12:1; Nehemiah 12:12. (B.C. 446-410). </p> <p> 7. The father of Jazaniah, the Rechabite. Jeremiah 35:3. (B.C. before 606). </p>

<p> The mournful prophet so called. A man famous in his day and generation as the Lord's servant, and his memory ever blessed in the church through all ages. His name, it should seem, is a compound—from Ram, exaltation; and Jah, the Lord. The pronoun prefixed makes it, my exalted in the Lord. And exalted indeed he was in the Lord's strength, though continually buffeted and by men. It is blessed to read his prophecy, and under the [[Holy]] Ghost's teachings to enter into the spirit of this man's writings. </p> <p> I beg the reader to behold, with suited attention, the account given of him in the first chapter. We find him ordained to the ministry before his birth. And who that reads this account of the servant, but must be struck with full conviction of what is said of his Master, called from the womb of eternity, and set up from everlasting to be JEHOVAH'S servant, to bring [[Jacob]] again to him. (See Isaiah 49:1-26 throughout, and Proverbs 8:12-36) What a decided proof and conviction by the way doth this afford, that if Jeremiah was ordained a prophet to the church before he was formed in the belly, surely the glorious Head of that church, and that church in him, was set up, and Christ in all his offices and characters ordained the Lord God of the prophets before all worlds. (Colossians 1:15-18) It should seem from the date of the prophet's commission, when the word of the Lord first came to him, namely, in the thirtieth year of Josiah's reign, that Jeremiah could not be above fourteen years of age when he preached his first sermon. And what a sermon it is! (See Jeremiah 2:1-37; Jeremiah 3:1-25; Jeremiah 4:1-31 etc.) But what may not a child preach when God the Holy [[Ghost]] hath ordained him? Oh, that more of that blessed voice was heard in this our day, which was heard by the church in Paul's day! (See Acts 13:1-4) It was the lot of Jeremiah to live in an age when the nation was given up to daring impiety, and rebellion against God. [[Faithfulness]] at such a time, could not fail of bringing upon the poor preacher the hatred and indignation of all of a contrary way of thinking to himself. We have the relation of the persecution frequently raised against him, in several parts of his writings. The opposition made to him by the false prophet Hananiah, and the sequel of that awful event is recorded at large, Jeremiah 28:1-17. (See Hananiah.) Blessed is the memory of Jeremiah, and will be in the churches to the latest generation. The Lord ordain many such, if it be his holy will, from the womb! There are several of this name in Scripture. (See 2 Kings 24:18. See also 1 Chronicles 5:24. Two of the name of Jeremiah in David's army. 1 Chronicles 12:4; 1Ch 12:10; 1Ch 12:13) </p>

<li> One of the "greater prophets" of the Old Testament, son of [[Hilkiah]] (q.v.), a priest of [[Anathoth]] (Jeremiah 1:1; 32:6 ). He was called to the prophetical office when still young (1:6), in the thirteenth year of [[Josiah]] (B.C. 628). He left his native place, and went to reside in Jerusalem, where he greatly assisted Josiah in his work of reformation (2 Kings 23:1-25 ). The death of this pious king was bewailed by the prophet as a national calamity (2 Chronicles 35:25 ). <p> During the three years of the reign of [[Jehoahaz]] we find no reference to Jeremiah, but in the beginning of the reign of [[Jehoiakim]] the enmity of the people against him broke out in bitter persecution, and he was placed apparently under restraint (Jeremiah 36:5 ). In the fourth year of Jehoiakim he was commanded to write the predictions given to him, and to read them to the people on the fast-day. This was done by [[Baruch]] his servant in his stead, and produced much public excitement. The roll was read to the king. In his recklessness he seized the roll, and cut it to pieces, and cast it into the fire, and ordered both Baruch and Jeremiah to be apprehended. Jeremiah procured another roll, and wrote in it the words of the roll the king had destroyed, and "many like words" besides (Jeremiah 36:32 ). </p> <p> He remained in Jerusalem, uttering from time to time his words of warning, but without effect. He was there when [[Nebuchadnezzar]] besieged the city (Jeremiah 37:4,5 ), B.C. 589. The rumour of the approach of the [[Egyptians]] to aid the [[Jews]] in this crisis induced the [[Chaldeans]] to withdraw and return to their own land. This, however, was only for a time. The prophet, in answer to his prayer, received a message from God announcing that the Chaldeans would come again and take the city, and burn it with fire (37:7,8). The princes, in their anger at such a message by Jeremiah, cast him into prison ((37:15-38:13).). He was still in confinement when the city was taken (B.C. 588). The Chaldeans released him, and showed him great kindness, allowing him to choose the place of his residence. He accordingly went to [[Mizpah]] with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea. [[Johanan]] succeeded Gedaliah, and refusing to listen to Jeremiah's counsels, went down into Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch with him (Jeremiah 43:6 ). There probably the prophet spent the remainder of his life, in vain seeking still to turn the people to the Lord, from whom they had so long revolted (44). He lived till the reign of Evil-Merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar, and must have been about ninety years of age at his death. We have no authentic record of his death. He may have died at Tahpanhes, or, according to a tradition, may have gone to [[Babylon]] with the army of Nebuchadnezzar; but of this there is nothing certain. </p> <div> <p> Copyright StatementThese dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated [[Bible]] Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> Bibliography InformationEaston, Matthew George. Entry for 'Jeremiah'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/j/jeremiah.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> Jeremiah (jĕr-e-mî'ah), whom [[Jehovah]] setteth up or appointeth. 1. The distinguished prophet, son of Hilkiah, a priest of Anathoth. Jeremiah 1:1-6. He was called to assume the prophetic office when a youth, and on that account declined it: but God promised him grace and strength sufficient for his work. He prophesied under Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah; and for some time during the exile. During the course of his predictions, [[Jerusalem]] was in a distracted and deplorable condition, and the prophet was calumniated, imprisoned, and often in danger of death. Jeremiah expressly foretold that the captivity would endure for 70 years; he also predicted the return of the people to their own country. He appears to have stood high in the estimation of Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah 39:11-14. Towards the close of his life he was carried into [[Egypt]] against his will, by the [[Jews]] who remained in [[Judea]] after the murder of Gedaliah, where he probably died. Jeremiah is called "Jeremy," Matthew 2:17 A. V., and "Jeremias," Matthew 16:14 A. V. The name Jeremy, in Matthew 27:9-10, is probably an error of the transcribers for Zechariah. The ft. V. reads Jeremiah in all these places. [[Canon]] Cook says of Jeremiah: "His character is most interesting. We find him sensitive to a most painful degree, timid, shy, hopeless, desponding, constantly complaining, and dissatisfied with the course of events, but never flinching from duty.... Timid in resolve, he was unflinching in execution; as fearless when he had to face the whole world as he was dispirited and prone to murmuring when alone with God. [[Judged]] by his own estimate of himself, he was feeble, and his mission a failure; really, in the hour of action and when duty called him, he was in very truth 'a defenced city and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land.' Jeremiah 1:18. He was a noble example of the triumph of the moral over the physical nature." There are eight persons of this name mentioned in the Scriptures. </p>

<p> One of the chief prophets of the Old Testament, prophesied under Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah, and also after the captivity of the latter. He was born at Anathoth, of the race of the priests, and was destined of God to be a prophet, and consecrated for that object before his birth, Jeremiah 1:1,5 . At an early age he was called to act as a prophet, B. C. 628, in the thirteenth year of King Josiah. This good king no doubt cooperated with him to promote the reformation of the people; but the subsequent life of the prophet was full of afflictions and persecutions. [[Jehoiakim]] threw his prophetic roll into the fire, and sought his life. [[Zedekiah]] was kindly instructed by him, and warned of the woes impending over his guilty people, and of their seventy years' captivity, but to no purpose. The fidelity of the prophet often endangered his life, and he was in prison when [[Jerusalem]] was taken by Nebuchadnezzar. That monarch released him, and offered him a home in Babylon; but he chose to remain with the remnant of the Jews, and was carried by them before long into Egypt, B. C. 586, still faithfully advising and reproving them till he died. For forty-two years he steadfastly maintained the cause of truth and of God against his rebellious people. Though naturally mild, sensitive, and retiring, he shrank from no danger when duty called; threats could not silence him, nor ill usage alienate him. Tenderly compassionate to his infatuated countrymen, he shared with them the woes, which he could not induce them to avert from their own heads. </p>

<p> 1. Man of Libnah, whose daughter [[Hamutal]] was the wife of Josiah. 2 Kings 23:31; 2 Kings 24:18; Jeremiah 52:1 . </p> <p> 2. Head of a family in the tribe of Manasseh. 1 Chronicles 5:24 . </p> <p> 3. One who resorted to David at Ziklag. 1 Chronicles 12:4 . </p> <p> 4,5. Two of the [[Gadites]] who resorted to David at Ziklag. 1 Chronicles 12:10,13 . </p> <p> 6. Son of Hilkiah, priest of Anathoth: the writer of the Book of Jeremiah. His history is contained in his prophecy. He was carried to [[Egypt]] by the rebellious [[Jews]] and his end is not recorded. 2 Chronicles 35:25; 2 Chronicles 36:12,21,22; Ezra 1:1; Jeremiah 1 — Jeremiah 51 . </p> <p> 7. [[Priest]] who sealed the covenant. Nehemiah 10:2; Nehemiah 12:1,12,34 . </p> <p> 8. Father of [[Jaazaniah]] a Rechabite. Jeremiah 35:3 . </p>

<p> Jeremiah </p> <p> (Heb. Yirmeyah', יַרְמְיָה, often in the paragogic form יַרְמְיָהוּ, Yirmeya'hu, especially in the book of Jeremiah; raised up [i.e. appointed] by Jehovah; Sept. and N.T. Ι᾿ερεμίας; "Jeremias," Matthew 16:14; "Jeremy," Matthew 2:17; Matthew 27:9; but in this last passage it probably occurs only by error of copyists; see Zechariah 11:12-13), the name of eight or nine men. </p> <p> 1. The fifth in rank of the [[Gadite]] braves who joined David's troop in the wilderness (1 Chronicles 12:10). B.C. 1061. </p> <p> 2. The tenth of the same band of adventurers (1 Chronicles 12:13). B.C. 1061. </p> <p> 3. One of the [[Benjamite]] bowmen and slingers who repaired to David while at [[Ziklag]] (1 Chronicles 12:4). B.C. 1053. </p> <p> 4. A chief of the tribe of [[Manasseh]] east, apparently about the time of the deportation by the [[Assyrians]] (1 Chronicles 5:24). B.C. 782. </p> <p> 5. A native of Libnah, the father of Hamutal, wife of Josiah, and mother of [[Jehoahaz]] and [[Zedekiah]] (2 Kings 23:31; 2 Kings 24:18). B.C. ante 632. </p> <p> 6. Son of Habaziniah, and father of Jaazaniah, which last was one of the [[Rechabites]] whom the prophet tested with the offer of wine (Jeremiah 35:3). B.C. ante 606. </p> <p> 7. The second of the "greater prophets" of the O.T., a son of Hilkiah, a priest of Anathoth, in the tribe of [[Benjamin]] (Jeremiah 1:1; comp. 32:6). The following brief account of the prophet's career, which is fully detailed in his own book, is chiefly from Kitto's Cyclopoedia. I. Relatives of Jeremiah. — Many (among ancient writers, Clement. Alex., Jerome; among moderns, Eichhorn, Calovius, Maldonatus, Von Bohlen, etc.) have supposed that his father was the high priest of the same name (2 Kings 22:8), who found the book of the law in the eighteenth year of [[Josiah]] (Umbreit, Praktischer Commentar ü ber den Jeremia, p. 10). This, however, seems improbable on several grounds (see Carpzov, Introd. 3, 130; also Keil, Ewald, etc.): first, there is nothing in the writings of Jeremiah to lead us to think that his father was more than an ordinary priest ("Hilkiah [one] of the priests," Jeremiah 1:1); again, the name [[Hilkiah]] was common among the [[Jews]] (see 2 Kings 18:13; 1 Chronicles 6:45; 1 Chronicles 26:11; Nehemiah 8:4; Jeremiah 29:3); and, lastly, his residence at [[Anathoth]] is evidence that he belonged to the line of [[Abiathar]] (1 Kings 2:26-35), who was deposed from the high priest's office by Solomon: after which time the office appears to have remained in the line of Zadok. </p> <p> II. History. — Jeremiah was very young when the word of the Lord first came to him (Jeremiah 1:6). This event took place in the thirteenth year of Josiah (B.C. 628), while the youthful prophet still lived at Anathoth. It would seem that he remained in his native city several years; but at length, in order to escape the persecution of his fellow townsmen (Jeremiah 11:21), and even of his own family (Jeremiah 12:6), as well as to have a wider field for his exertions, he left Anathoth and took up his residence at Jerusalem. The finding of the book of the Law, five years after the commencement of his predictions, must have produced a powerful influence on the mind of Jeremiah, and king Josiah no doubt found him an important ally in carrying into effect the reformation of religious worship (2 Kings 23:1-25), B.C. 623. During the reign of this monarch, we may readily believe that Jeremiah would be in no way molested in his work; and that from the time of his quitting Anathoth to the eighteenth year of his ministry, he probably uttered his warnings without interruption, though with little success (see Jeremiah 11). Indeed, the reformation itself was nothing more than the forcible repression of idolatrous and heathen rites, and the reestablishment of the external service of God, by the command of the king. No sooner, therefore, was the influence of the court on behalf of the true religion withdrawn, than it was evident that no real improvement had taken place in the minds of the people. Jeremiah, who hitherto was at least protected by the influence of the pious king Josiah, soon became the object of attack, as he must doubtless have long been the object of dislike to those whose interests were identified with the corruptions of religion. The death of this prince was bewailed by the prophet as the precursor of the divine judgments for the national sins (2 Chronicles 35:25). B.C. 609. (See [[Lamentations]]). </p> <p> We hear nothing of the prophet during the three months which constituted the short reign of Jehoahaz; but "in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim" (B.C. 607) the prophet was interrupted in his ministry by "the priests and the prophets," who, with the populace, brought him before the civil authorities, urging that capital punishment should be inflicted on him for his threatenings of evil on the city unless the people amended their ways (Jeremiah 26). The princes seem to have been in some degree aware of the results which the general corruption was bringing on the state, and if they did not themselves yield to the exhortations of the prophet, they acknowledged that he spoke in the name of the Lord, and were quite averse from so openly renouncing his authority as to put his messenger to death. It appears, however, that it was rather owing to the personal influence of one or two, especially Ahikam, than to any general feeling favorable to Jeremiah, that his life was preserved; and it would seem that he was then either placed under restraint, or else was in so much danger from the animosity of his adversaries as to make it prudent for him not to appear in public. In the fourth year of [[Jehoiakim]] (B.C. 605) he was commanded to write the predictions which had been given through him, and to read them to the people. From the cause, probably, which we have intimated above, he was, as he says, "shut up," and could not himself go into the house of the Lord (Jeremiah 36:5). He therefore deputed [[Baruch]] to write the predictions after him, and to read them publicly on the fast day. These threatenings being thus anew made public, Baruch was summoned before the princes to give an account of the manner in which the roll containing them had come into his possession. </p> <p> The princes, who, without strength of principle to oppose the wickedness of the king, had sufficient respect for religion, as well as sagacity enough to discern the importance of listening to the voice of God's prophet, advised both Baruch and Jeremiah to conceal themselves, while they endeavored to influence the mind of the king by reading the roll to him. The result showed that their precautions were not needless. In his bold self will and reckless daring the monarch refused to listen to any advice, even though coming with the professed sanction of the Most High. Having read three or four leaves, "he cut the roll with the penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed," and gave immediate orders for the apprehension of Jeremiah and Baruch, who, however, were both preserved from the vindictive monarch. At the command of God the prophet procured another roll, in which he wrote all that was in the roll destroyed by the king, "and added besides unto them many like words" (Jeremiah 36:32). (See [[Baruch]]). </p> <p> Near the close of the reign of Jehoiakim (B.C. 599), and during the short reign of his successor [[Jehoiachin]] or [[Jeconiah]] (B.C. 598), we find him still uttering his voice of warning (see Jeremiah 13:18; comp. 2 Kings 24:12, and Jeremiah 22:24-30), though without effect; and, after witnessing the downfall of the monarchs which he had himself predicted, he sent a letter of condolence and hope to those who shared the captivity of the royal family (Jeremiah 29-31). It was not till the latter part of the reign of Zedekiah that he was put in confinement, as we find that "they had not put him into prison" when the army of [[Nebuchadnezzar]] commenced the siege of [[Jerusalem]] (Jeremiah 37:4-5) (B.C. 589). On the investment of the city, the prophet had sent a message to the king declaring what would be the fatal issue, but this had so little effect that the slaves who had been liberated were again reduced to bondage by their fellow citizens (Jeremiah 34). Jeremiah himself was incarcerated in the court of the prison adjoining the palace, where he predicted the certain return from the impending captivity (Jeremiah 32:33). The Chaldaeans drew off their army for a time on the report of help coming from [[Egypt]] to the besieged city, and now, feeling the danger to be imminent, and yet a ray of hope brightening their prospects, the king entreated Jeremiah to pray to the Lord for them. The hopes of the king were not responded to in the message which Jeremiah received from God. He was assured that the [[Egyptian]] army would return to their own land, that the Chaldaeans would come again, and that they would take the city and burn it with fire (Jeremiah 37:7-8). </p> <p> The princes, apparently irritated by a message so contrary to their wishes, made the departure of Jeremiah from the city (for he appears to have been at this time released from confinement), during the short respite, the pretext for accusing him of deserting to the Chaldaeans, and he was forthwith cast into prison, where he might have perished but for the humanity of one of the royal eunuchs (Jeremiah 37:12 to Jeremiah 38:13). The king seems to have been throughout inclined to favor the prophet, and sought to know from him the word of the Lord; but he was wholly under the influence of the princes, and dared not communicate with him except in secret (Jeremiah 38:14-28), much less could he follow advice so obnoxious to their views as that which the prophet gave. Jeremiah, therefore, more from the hostility of the princes than the inclination of the king, was still in confinement when the city was taken, B.C. 588. Nebuchadnezzar formed a more just estimate of his character and of the value of his counsels and gave a special charge to his captain, Nebuzar- adan, not only to provide for him, but to follow his advice (Jeremiah 39:12). He was accordingly taken from the prison and allowed free choice either to go to Babylon, where doubtless he would have been held in honor in the royal court, or to remain with his own people (B.C. 587). With characteristic patriotism he went to [[Mizpah]] with Gedaliah, whom the [[Babylonian]] monarch had appointed governor of Judea, and, after his murder, sought to persuade Johanan, who was then the recognized leader of the people, to remain in the land, assuring him and the people, by a message from God in answer to their inquiries, that, if they did so, the Lord would build them up, but if they went to Egypt, the evils which they sought to escape should come upon them there (Jeremiah 42). The people refused to attend to the divine message, and, under the command of Johanan, went into Egypt. taking Jeremiah and Baruch along with them (Jeremiah 43:6). In Egypt the prophet still sought to turn the people to the Lord, from whom they had so long and so deeply revolted (Jeremiah 44), but his writings give us no subsequent information respecting his personal history. [[Ancient]] traditions assert that he spent the remainder of his life in Egypt. According to the pseudo-Epiphanius, he was stoned by the people at Taphnae (ἐν Τάφναις ), the same as Tahpanhes, where the Jews were settled (De Vitis Prophet. 2, 239, quoted by Fabricius, Codex Pseudepigraphus V.T. 1, 1110). It is said that his bones were removed by [[Alexander]] the Great to [[Alexandria]] (Carpzov, Introd. pt. 3, p. 138, where other traditions respecting him may be found). </p>

<p> Jeremi´ah (raised up or appointed by God), was the son of Hilkiah, a priest of Anathoth, in the land of [[Benjamin]] [ANATHOTH]. Jeremiah was very young when the word of the Lord first came to him . This event took place in the thirteenth year of [[Josiah]] (B.C. 629), while the youthful prophet still lived at Anathoth. It would seem that he remained in his native city several years, but at length, in order to escape the persecution of his fellow townsmen , and even of his own family , as well as to have a wider field for his exertions, he left [[Anathoth]] and took up his residence at Jerusalem. The finding of the book of the law five years after the commencement of his predictions, must have produced a powerful influence on the mind of Jeremiah, and king Josiah no doubt found him a powerful ally in carrying into effect the reformation of religious worship . During the reign of this monarch we may readily believe that Jeremiah would be in no way molested in his work; and that from the time of his quitting Anathoth to the eighteenth year of his ministry, he probably uttered his warnings without interruption, though with little success (see Jeremiah 11). Indeed, the reformation itself was nothing more than the forcible repression of idolatrous and heathen rites, and the re-establishment of the external service of God, by the command of the king. No sooner, therefore, was the influence of the court on behalf of the true religion withdrawn, than it was evident that no real improvement had taken place in the minds of the people. Jeremiah, who hitherto was at least protected by the influence of the pious king Josiah, soon became the object of attack, as he must doubtless have long been the object of dislike to those whose interests were identified with the corruptions of religion. We hear nothing of the prophet during the three months which constituted the short reign of Jehoahaz; but 'in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim' the prophet was interrupted in his ministry by 'the priests and the prophets,' who with the populace brought him before the civil authorities, urging that capital punishment should be inflicted on him for his threatenings of evil on the city unless the people amended their ways (Jeremiah 26). The princes seem to have been in some degree aware of the results which the general corruption was bringing on the state, and if they did not themselves yield to the exhortations of the prophet, they acknowledged that he spoke in the name of the Lord, and were quite averse from so openly renouncing His authority as to put His messenger to death. It appears, however, that it was rather owing to the personal influence of one or two, especially Ahikam, than to any general feeling favorable to Jeremiah, that his life was preserved. In the fourth year of [[Jehoiakim]] (B.C. 606) he was commanded to write the predictions which had been given through him, and to read them to the people. As he was at that time 'shut up,' and could not himself go into the house of the Lord , he deputed [[Baruch]] to write the predictions after him, and to read them publicly on the fast-day. These threatenings being thus anew made public, Baruch was summoned before the princes to give an account of the manner in which the roll containing them had come into his possession. The princes, who, without strength of principle to oppose the wickedness of the king, had sufficient respect for religion, as well as sagacity enough to discern the importance of listening to the voice of God's prophet, advised both Baruch and Jeremiah to conceal themselves, while they endeavored to influence the mind of the king by reading the roll to him. The result showed that their precautions were not needless. The bold self-will and reckless daring of the monarch refused to listen to any advice, even though coming with the professed sanction of the Most High. Having read three or four leaves, 'he cut the roll with the penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed,' and gave immediate orders for the apprehension of Jeremiah and Baruch, who, however, were both preserved from the vindictive monarch. Of the history of Jeremiah during the eight or nine remaining years of the reign of Jehoiakim we have no certain account. At the command of God he procured another roll, in which he wrote all that was in the roll destroyed by the king, 'and added besides unto them many like words' . In the short reign of his successor [[Jehoiachin]] or Jeconiah, we find him still uttering his voice of warning (see; comp. , and ), though without effect. It was probably either during this reign, or at the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, that he was put in confinement by Pashur, the 'chief governor of the house of the Lord.' He seems, however, soon to have been liberated, as we find that 'they had not put him into prison' when the army of [[Nebuchadnezzar]] commenced the siege of Jerusalem. The [[Chaldeans]] drew off their army for a time, on the report of help coming from [[Egypt]] to the besieged city; and now feeling the danger to be imminent, and yet a ray of hope brightening their prospects, the king entreated Jeremiah to pray to the Lord for them. The hopes of the king were not responded to in the message which Jeremiah received from God. He was assured that the [[Egyptian]] army should return to their own land, that the Chaldeans should come again, and that they should take the city and burn it with fire . The princes, apparently irritated by a message so contrary to their wishes, made the departure of Jeremiah from the city, during the short respite, the pretext for accusing him of deserting to the Chaldeans, and he was forthwith cast into prison. The king seems to have been throughout inclined to favor the prophet, and sought to know from him the word of the Lord; but he was wholly under the influence of the princes, and dared not communicate with him except in secret ; much less could he follow advice so obnoxious to their views as that which the prophet gave. Jeremiah, therefore, more from the hostility of the princes than the inclination of the king, was still in confinement when the city was taken. Nebuchadnezzar formed a more just estimate of his character and of the value of his counsels, and gave a special charge to his captain Nebuzaradan, not only to provide for him but to follow his advice . He was accordingly taken from the prison and allowed free choice either to go to Babylon, where doubtless he would have been held in honor in the royal court, or to remain with his own people. We need scarcely be told that he who had devoted more than forty years of unrequited service to the welfare of his falling country should choose to remain with the remnant of his people rather than seek the precarious fame which might await him at the court of the king of Babylon. [[Accordingly]] he went to [[Mizpah]] with Gedaliah, whom the [[Babylonian]] monarch had appointed governor of Judea; and after his murder sought to persuade Johanan, who was then the recognized leader of the people, to remain in the land, assuring him and the people, by a message from God in answer to their inquiries, that if they did so the Lord would build them up, but if they went to Egypt the evils which they sought to escape should come upon them there (Jeremiah 42). The people refused to attend to the divine message, and under the command of [[Johanan]] went into Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch along with them . In Egypt the prophet still sought to turn the people to the Lord, from whom they had so long and so deeply revolted (Jeremiah 44); but his writings give us no subsequent information respecting his personal history. [[Ancient]] traditions assert that he spent the remainder of his life in Egypt. According to the pseudo-Epiphanius he was stoned by the people at Taphnae, the same as Tahpanhes, where the [[Jews]] were settled. It is said that his bones were removed by [[Alexander]] the Great to Alexandria. </p> <p> Jeremiah was contemporary with Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel, and Daniel. None of these, however, are in any remarkable way connected with him, except Ezekiel. The writings and character of these two eminent prophets furnish many very interesting points both of comparison and contrast. Both, during a long series of years, were laboring at the same time and for the same object. The representations of both, far separated as they were from each other, are in substance singularly accordant; yet there is at the same time a marked difference in their modes of statement, and a still more striking diversity in the character and natural disposition of the two. No one who compares them can fail to perceive that the mind of Jeremiah was of a softer and more delicate texture than that of his illustrious contemporary. His whole history convinces us that he was by nature mild and retiring, highly susceptible and sensitive, especially to sorrowful emotions, and rather inclined, as we should imagine, to shrink from danger than to brave it. Yet, with this acute perception of injury, and natural repugnance from being 'a man of strife,' he never in the least degree shrinks from publicity; nor is he at all intimidated by reproach or insult, or even by actual punishment and threatened death, when he has the message of God to deliver. He is, in truth, as remarkable an instance, though in a different way, of the overpowering influence of the divine energy, as Ezekiel. The one presents the spectacle of the power of divine inspiration acting on a mind naturally of the firmest texture, and at once subduing to itself every element of the soul; while the other furnishes an example, not less memorable, of moral courage sustained by the same divine inspiration against the constantly opposing influence of a love of retirement and strong susceptibility to impressions of outward evil. </p> <p> The style of Jeremiah corresponds with this view of the character of his mind; though not deficient in power, it is peculiarly marked by pathos. He delights in the expression of the tender emotions, and employs all the resources of his imagination to excite corresponding feelings in his readers. He has an irresistible sympathy with the miserable, which finds utterance in the most touching descriptions of their condition. He seizes with wonderful tact those circumstances which point out the objects of his pity as the objects of sympathy, and founds his expostulations on the miseries which are thus exhibited. His book of Lamentations is an astonishing exhibition of his power to accumulate images of sorrow. The whole series of elegies has but one object—the expression of sorrow for the forlorn condition of his country; and yet he presents this to us in so many lights, alludes to it by so many figures, that not only are his mournful strains not felt to be tedious reiterations, but the reader is captivated by the plaintive melancholy which pervades the whole. </p> <p> The genuineness and canonicity of the writings of Jeremiah in general are established both by the testimony of ancient writers, and by quotations and references which occur in the New Testament. </p> <p> The principal predictions relating to the [[Messiah]] are found in;; . </p>