Name
Scholars debate the meaning of the name “Jeremiah.” Suggested meanings include “Yahweh establishes,” “Yahweh exalts,” and “Yahweh hurls down.”
Author
Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, identifies himself as the author of Jeremiah’s book (v. 1). Jeremiah was a priest from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. Anathoth was a small town approximately 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem, allocated by Joshua to the priests (Josh. 21:15-19).
Genre
Prophecy
Literary Form
Primarily poetry, with some transitional prose between chapters, as well as significant prose sections in chapters 23-29, 32-45, and 52.
Time Frame
Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry lasted approximately 41 years from about 627 BC (Josiah’s thirteenth year, 1:2) to 586 B.C. (the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign when Jerusalem fell, and the people were exiled to Babylon).
A timeline of the major events during Jeremiah’s time from The Expositor’s Bible Commentary include:
627 B.C. Call of Jeremiah
612 B.C. Fall of Nineveh (Assyrian capital)
609 B.C. Death of King Josiah (at Megiddo)
605 B.C. Fall of the Assyrian Empire
605 B.C. First siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel exiled to Babylon)
597 B.C. Second siege of Jerusalem
588-586 B.C. Final siege of Jerusalem (and the Babylonian Captivity)
Emphasis
Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry is directed to the southern kingdom of Judah and specifically to Jerusalem. Jeremiah calls on the people of Judah to repent of their sins and return to God. Without this repentance, Jeremiah prophesies that God will judge Judah’s people, the Gentile nations, and describes the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians.
Outline
- Jeremiah is called to his prophetic ministry by the Lord (1:1-1:19).
- Jeremiah calls Judah to repent (2:1-25:38).
- Jeremiah remains strong despite harassment (26:1-36:32).
- Jeremiah prophesies the destruction of Judah (37:1-45:5).
- Jeremiah prophesies against foreign nations (46:1-51:64).
- Jeremiah describes the fall of Jerusalem (52:1-52:34).
The book of Jeremiah and Jeremiah’s prophecies are not arranged in chronological order. The chart below from the Bible Knowledge Commentary provides a depiction of the chronology of Jeremiah:
