told him: “Before I was forming you in the belly I knew you, and before you proceeded to come forth from the womb I sanctified you. Prophet to the nations I made you.” (Jer. 1:2-5) He was therefore one of the few men for whose birth Jehovah assumed responsibility, intervening by a miracle or by a guiding providence, that they might be his special servants. Among these men are Isaac, Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist and Jesus.—See FOREKNOWLEDGE, FOREORDINATION.

When Jehovah spoke to him, Jeremiah showed diffidence. He replied to God: “Alas, 0 Lord Jehovah! Here I actually do not know how to speak, for I am but a boy.” (Jer. 1:6) From this remark of his, and comparing his boldness and firmness during his prophetic ministry, it can be seen that such unusual strength was not a thing inherent in Jeremiah, but actually came from full reliance on Jehovah. Truly Jehovah was with him “like a terrible mighty one” and it was Jehovah who made Jeremiah “a fortified city and an iron pillar and copper walls against all the land.” (Jer. 20:11; 1:18, 19) Jeremiah’s reputation for courage and boldness was such that some during Jesus’ earthly ministry took him to be Jeremiah returned to life.—Matt. 16:13, 14.

STRONG DENUNCIATORY MESSAGE

Even today a lamenting and denunciatory complaint is called a “jeremiad.” But this latter expression does not give a true picture of Jeremiah. He in himself was no chronic complainer. Rather, he showed himself to be loving, considerate and sympathetic. He exercised fine control and marvelous endurance, and was moved to great sadness by the conduct of his people and the judgments they suffered.—Jer. 8:21.

Actually, it was Jehovah who made the complaint against Judah, and justifiably so, and Jeremiah was under obligation to declare it unremittingly, which he did. Also, it must be borne in mind that Israel was God’s nation, bound to him by covenant and under his law, which they were grossly violating. As basis and solid ground for Jeremiah’s denunciations, Jehovah repeatedly pointed to the Law, calling attention to the responsibility of the princes and the people and recounting wherein they had broken the Law. Time and again Jehovah called attention to the things he, through his prophet Moses, had warned them would come upon them if they refused to listen to his words and broke his covenant. (Lev. chap. 26; Deut. chap. 28) Following are some of the laws referred to. The violation of many of these laws brought Jehovah’s anger justifiably upon the nation, resulting in the complete desolation of the land.

OTHER WRITINGS

Jeremiah was a researcher and historian as well as a prophet. He is generally credited with writing the books of First and Second Kings, covering the history of both kingdoms (Judah and Israel) from the point where the books of Samuel left off (that is, in the latter part of David’s reign over all Israel) down to the end of both kingdoms. His chronology of the period of the kings, using the method of comparison or collation of the reigns of Israel’s and Judah’s kings, helps us to establish the dates of certain events with accuracy. After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah also wrote the book of Lamentations.

COURAGE, ENDURANCE, LOVE

Jeremiah’s courage and endurance were matched by his love for his people. He had scathing denunciations and fearful judgments to proclaim, especially to the priests, prophets and rulers and to those who took the “popular course” and had developed an “enduring unfaithfulness.” (Jer. 8:5, 6) Yet he appreciated that his commission was also “to build and to plant.” (Jer. 1:10) He wept over the calamity that was to come to Jerusalem. (Jer. 8:21, 22; 9:1) The book of Lamentations is an evidence of his love and concern for Jehovah’s name and people. In spite of cowardly, vacillating King Zedekiah’s treacherousness toward him, Jeremiah pleaded with him to obey the voice of Jehovah and continue living. (Jer. 38:4, 5, 19-23) Furthermore, Jeremiah had no self-righteous attitude, but included himself when acknowledging the wickedness of the nation. (Jer. 14:20, 21) After his release by Nebuzaradan, he hesitated to leave those being taken into Babylonian exile, seeming to feel that he should share their lot or perhaps having the desire to serve further their spiritual interests.—Jer. 40:5.

At times in his long career Jeremiah became discouraged and required Jehovah’s assurance, but even in adversity he did not forsake calling on Jehovah for help.—Jer. chap. 20.

DRAMATIC ILLUSTRATIONS

Jeremiah performed several small dramas as symbols to Jerusalem of her condition and the calamity to come to her. The well-known visit to the house of the potter is one of these. (Jer. 18:1-11) Another is the incident of the ruined belt. (Jer. 13:1-11) Jeremiah was commanded not to marry. This served as a warning of the “deaths from maladies” of the children who would be born during those last days of Jerusalem. (Jer. 16:1-4) He broke a flask before the older men of Jerusalem as a symbol of the impending smashing of the city. (Jer. 19:1, 2, 10, 11) He repurchased a field from his paternal uncle’s son Hanamel as a figure of the restoration to come after the seventy years’ exile, when fields would again be bought in Judah. (Jer. 32:8-15, 44) Down in Tahpanhes, Egypt, he hid large stones in the terrace of bricks at the house of Pharaoh, prophesying that Nebuchadnezzar would set his throne of state over that very spot.—Jer. 43:8-10.

ASSOCIATIONS

Through all his more than forty years of prophetic service Jeremiah was not abandoned. Jehovah was with him to deliver him from his enemies. (Jer. 1:19) Jeremiah took delight in Jehovah’s word. (Jer. 15:16) He avoided association with those who had no consideration for God. (Jer. 15:17) He found good associates among whom he could do ‘building up’ work (Jer. 1:10), namely, the Rechabites, Ebed-melech, Baruch and others. Through these friends he was assisted and delivered from death, and more than once Jehovah’s power was manifested in protecting him.—Jer. 26:7-24; 35:1-19; 36:19-26; 38:7-13; 39:11-14; 40:1-5.

A TRUE PROPHET

Jeremiah was acknowledged as God’s true prophet by Daniel, who, by a study of Jeremiah’s words concerning the seventy years’ exile, was able to strengthen and encourage the Jews regarding the nearness of their release. (Dan. 9:1, 2; Jer. 29:10) Ezra called attention to the fulfillment of his words. (Ezra 1:1; see also 2 Chronicles 36:20, 21.) The apostle Matthew pointed to a fulfillment of one of Jeremiah’s prophecies in the days of Jesus’ young childhood. (Matt. 2:17, 18; Jer. 31:15) The inspired writer of the letter to the Hebrews spoke of the prophets, among whom was Jeremiah, from whose writings he quoted, at Hebrews 8:8-12. (Jer. 31:31-34) Of these men, the same writer said, “the world was not worthy of them,” and “they had witness borne to them through their faith.”—Heb. 11:32, 38, 39.

7. Son of Habazziniah and father of Jaazaniah; evidently a family head and one of the Rechabites whom Jeremiah tested, at Jehovah’s command, by bringing them into one of the dining rooms of the temple and offering them wine to drink. They refused, in obedience to the command that had been laid upon them more than two centuries previously by their forefather Jonadab (Jehonadab) the son of Rechab. For this, Jehovah promised: “There will not be cut off from Jonadab the son of Rechab a man to stand before me always.”—Jer. 35:1-10, 19.

8. A priest (or one representing the priestly house of that name) who returned from Babylonian exile in 537 B.C.E. with Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Jeshua.—Neh. 12:1.

9. A priest (or one representing a household by that name) among those attesting by seal the “trustworthy arrangement” entered into before Jehovah by Nehemiah and the princes, priests, and Levites (c. 455 B.C.E.), to walk in God’s law. If the name stands for a house rather than an individual, this may be the same as No. 8.—Neh. 9:38; 10:1, 2, 29.

10. A priest (or a priestly house) appointed to one of the thanksgiving choirs walking in procession on the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of the Ashheaps to the right, toward the Water Gate, eventually meeting the other choir at the temple. (Neh. 12:31-37) In the days of Joiakim, Hananiah was head of the paternal house of Jeremiah. (Neh. 12:12) If the name Jeremiah here stands for a house and not for an individual, this may be the same as No. 8.

JEREMIAH, BOOK OF

Jeremiah was commissioned as prophet in the thirteenth year of King Josiah (647 B.C.E.) to warn the southern kingdom, Judah, of her impending destruction. This was less than a century after the prophet Isaiah’s activity and the fall of Israel, the northern kingdom, to the Assyrians.

WHEN WRITTEN

For the most part, the book of Jeremiah was not written at the time he declared the prophecies. Rather, Jeremiah evidently did not put any of his proclamations into writing until he was commanded by Jehovah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim (625 B.C.E.), to dictate all the words given him by Jehovah to date. This included, not only words spoken about Judah in Josiah’s time, but also proclamations of judgment on all the nations. (Jer. 36:1, 2) The resulting scroll was burned by Jehoiakim when Jehudi read it to him. But Jeremiah was ordered to write it over, which he did through his secretary Baruch, with many additional words.—Jer. 36:21-23, 28, 32.

The remainder of the book was evidently added later, including the introduction, which mentions the eleventh year of Zedekiah (Jer. 1:3), and other prophecies that Jeremiah wrote down at the time he was to deliver them (Jer. 30:2; 51:60) and the letter to the exiles in Babylon. (Jer. 29:1) Additionally, the proclamations uttered during the reign of Zedekiah, and the accounts of the events, after Jerusalem’s fall, down to about 580 B.C.E., were added later. It may be that, although the scroll written by Baruch was the basis for a large part of the book, Jeremiah afterward edited and arranged it when adding later sections.

ARRANGEMENT

The book is not arranged chronologically, but, rather, according to subject matter. Dating is presented where necessary, but the majority of the prophecies are applicable to the nation of Judah throughout the general period of the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. God repeatedly told Jeremiah that the nation was incorrigibly wicked, beyond reform. Yet those with right hearts were given full opportunity to reform and find deliverance. As to being prophetic for our day, the arrangement does not affect the understanding and application of Jeremiah’s writings.

AUTHENTICITY

The authenticity of Jeremiah is generally accepted. Only a few critics have challenged it on the basis of the differences in the Hebrew Masoretic text and the Septuagint Version as found in the Alexandrine Manuscript. There are more variations between the Hebrew and the Greek texts of the book of Jeremiah than in any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Septuagint Version is said to be shorter than the Hebrew text by about 2,700 words, or one-eighth of the book. The majority of scholars agree that the Greek translation of this book is defective, but that does not lessen the reliability of the Hebrew text. It has been suggested that the translator may have had a Hebrew manuscript of a different “family,” a special recension, but critical study reveals that this apparently was not the case.

The fulfillment of the prophecies recorded by Jeremiah, together with their content, strongly testifies to the book’s authenticity. Among the numerous prophecies of Jeremiah, some of which he personally saw fulfilled, are the following:

The captivity of Zedekiah and destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Jer. 20:3-6; 21:3-10; 39:6-9)

The dethronement and death in captivity of King Shallum (Jehoahaz) (Jer. 22:11, 12; 2 Ki. 23:30-34; 2 Chron. 36:1-4)

The taking captive of King Coniah (Jehoiachin) to Babylon (Jer. 22:24-27; 2 Ki. 24:15, 16)

The death, within one year, of the false prophet Hananiah (Jer. 28:16, 17)

Some of the Rechabites, and Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, surviving Jerusalem’s destruction (Jer. 35:19; 39:15-18)

Among further fulfillments of Jeremiah’s prophecies are:

Egypt invaded, conquered by Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 43:8-13; 46:13-26)

The return of the Jews and rebuilding of the temple and the city after seventy years’ desolation (Jer. 24:1-7; 25:11, 12; 29:10; 30:11, 18, 19; compare 2 Chronicles 36:20, 21; Ezra 1:1; Daniel 9:2.)

Ammon laid waste (Jer. 49:2)

Edom cut off as a nation (Jer. 49:17, 18) (With the death of the Herods, Edom became extinct as a nation.)

Babylon to become a permanent desolation (Jer. 25:12-14; 50:35, 38-40)

The Christian Greek Scriptures indicate that Jeremiah’s prophecies have a larger, spiritual fulfillment. Among these are the following:

A new covenant made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-13)

David’s house not to lack a man on the throne of the kingdom forever (Jer. 33:17-21; Luke 1:32, 33)

Fall of Babylon the Great an enlargement and symbolic application of Jeremiah’s words against ancient Babylon, as the following comparisons show:

In Jeremiah In Revelation

50:2 14:8

50:8; 51:6, 45 18:4

50:15, 29 18:6, 7

50:23 18:8, 15-17

50:38 16:12

50:39, 40; 51:37 18:2

51:8 18:8-10, 15, 19

51:9, 49, 56 18:5

51:12 17:16, 17

51:13 17:1, 15

51:48 18:20

51:55 18:22, 23

51:63, 64 18:21