WHO WROTE:  Jeremiah = Jeremiah 1:1.

 

 

WHAT TIME PERIOD IS COVERED:  B.C. 645 - B.C. 614.

 

 

WHEN WRITTEN:  B.C. 647 - B.C. 614.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:  Jeremiah is the author of the Book of Lamentations and as such is known as “the weeping prophet.” See Lamentations 2:11 & 3:48 & Jeremiah 9:1; 13:17.  Therefore, just as our Lord did (John 11:35), so did Jeremiah for the same reasoning.  And Jeremaih was never married (Jer. 16:2).

 

Jeremiah is one of the most autobiographical prophets.  In other words, we know more about the personal Jeremiah than any of the other Old Testament prophets.  He is labeled a traitor for prophesying again the nation.  See Jeremiah 11:18-19 and specifically Jeremaih 37:13.  That Jeremaih was no traitor, when Jerusalem fell he choose to stay in the land of Isreal.

 

Jeremiah prophesied for 40 1/2 years under five different Judean kings (see my note in Jeremiah 1:2-3); if you don’t count the only 3-month reign of Jehoiakim.  Jeremiah was about 20 at the time of our Lord’s calling him.  This would place Jeremaih beginning his ministry in about B.C. 629.  As a point of reference, Ninevah, the Assyrian capital falls to the Babylonians in about B.C. 612, and the fall of the empire follows at the “Battle of Carchemish.” After that Pharaoh Necho is defeated and Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon; or better, king of the then known, king of the world.

 

What is interesting is the archeological find of “The Babylonian Chronicles” and the “Lachish Letters” confirm the Bibles genealogies and chronological events in their order.  In a form we can read them in, I reverence the book “The Chronicles of the Chaldean Kings, 626-889 B.C.,” by D. J. Wiseman.

1) Hezekiah.

2) Josiah - (about) B.C. 639-609.  Jeremiah was about 10-years-old when Josiah began to reign.

3) Jehoahaz; who only reigned for 3 months.

4) Jehoiakim (Eliakim) - (about) B.C. 609-597 (2Ki. 12:30-35; 2Ch. 36:1-4).

5) Jehoiachin (Jeconiah or Coniah) - He gives Jeremiah the toughest opposition.

6) Zedekiah (Mattaniah) - (about) B.C. 597-586.  In a point of reference, Jerusalem falls in B.C. 586.

 

This was the purpose of Jeremiah’s burden, requesting what was left of Israel to repent and not fight with the Babylonians, who would take over the world.  Thus, Jeremiah was considered to be a trader.

 

According to Exodus 15:1, Jeremiah’s name is a derivative of “hath He thrown,” Hebrew, “H7411; ramah,” meaning, “to cast about; to throw.” Thus, his name means, “The Lord hurls; or exalts; or lifts up; or holds high.”

 

Something that we need to take notice of for our own lives, is when the Lord asks us over-and-over again, as He did with Jeremiah, “what seest thou?” Jeremiah 1:11 & 13; 24:3, we need to pay attention.  Also, in the Book of Jeremiah, “Thus sayest the Lord” is found 148 times.

 

In Jeremiah 1:10 we fine the prophet’s mission: “I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out [evil], and to pull down [evil], and to destroy [evil], and to throw down [evil], to build [up the old standards], and to plant [water and maintain].”

 

According to Jeremiah 1:7, “whatsoever I Command thee thou shalt speak.” And according to Jeremiah 1:9, “I have put My Words in thy mouth.” In fact, of the 52 Chapters in the Book of Jeremiah, 51 times Jeremiah mentions that “the Word of the Lord” came to him, or it is because of “the Word of the Lord” that he must give this message to whomever.  Also, 8 times Jeremiah states, “the LORD said unto me.” Therefore, basically every Chapter is straight from God and not Jeremiah’s interpretation of it.

 

HOWEVER, one of the main themes of The Book of Jeremiah is, “I (God) have even sent unto you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened,” Jeremiah 7:25; 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4.  Take note that Moses had the same problem with them -- Exodus 6:12 & Numbers 14:22.
 

Jeremiah is the prophet of whom our Lord instructed him not to marry (Jer. 16:2), for what was to come upon His people, in order to symbolize the coming of calamities on Judea so severe that being single (contrary to the natural order) would be preferable to being married.  We find such similar instruction in the New Testament from our Lord again, and from Paul:  Matthew 24:19; Luke 23:29; First Corinthians 7:8 & 26.  Some have thus concluded that Jeremiah’s principle message is related to this instruction.  However, I believe the main message of all the prophets was to let people see just how bad their evil was, and what the consequences would be if they did not turn away from it.

 

The principal Messianic prophecies found in the Book of Jeremiah are:  Jeremiah 23:1-8; 31:31-40; and Jeremiah33:14-26.

 

Jeremiah uses the word “vain” 14 times in his writings; twice in Lamentations and 12 times in the Book of Jeremiah.  In western society we tend to think of the word as meaning, “proud; elated with a high opinion of one’s own accomplishments, or with things more showy than valuable; conceited.”  However, in Jeremiahs Biblical use of this word, it means, “worthless, useless, fruitless, ineffectual,” and in a secondary sense, “empty, false; deceitful; not genuine; not effectual.” I have found that if I replace Jeremiah’s use of the word “vain,” whenever he uses it, with “worthless,” I am not far off track.

 

In an interesting fact the “LXX” omits:  Jeremiah 10:6-8; 27:19-22; 29:16-20; 33:14-26; 39:4-13; 52:2-3 & 15 & 28-30, among others.  About 2,700 words in all of the original text are omitted.  Jeremaih uses 66 passages from the Book of Deuteronomy, of which Jesus quotes from also more than any Old Testament Book.  Jeremaih also references the Books of Job and Psalms.  Also, the Book of Jeremaih is quoted arguably over 50 times in the New Testament; with most of those occurring in the Book of Revelation.

 

Chapters 46-51 occur before the Fall of Jerusalem, even though Chapter 39 has an event that takes place before that fall.  While Chapters 37-44 appear to remain consecutive. Thus, to attempt to keep the Book of Jeremiah in chronological order, one needs to stay vigilant.

 

For one to better understand the Book of Jeremaih, one should have a good understanding of both Biblical history and secular history that is validated and well documented.  Contemporary prophets during Jeremiah‘s historic period were Ezekiel; Daniel; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Obadiah; and Huldah (2Ki. 22:14; 2Ch. 34:22).  And Jeremaih had 18 points of contact with Ezekiel.