An Introduction to the Old Testament - Jeremiah

Dillard, Raymond B. & Longman, Tremper III. "Jeremiah."  An Introduction to the Old Testament.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1994. 285-301.

Jeremiah lived and worked in Jerusalem prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, at which time he went to Egypt.  We can date his work to the time when Assyrian power was waning and Babylonian power was growing.  Jeremiah began his ministry in the thirteenth year of  Josiah (627/626) and was active at least until the reign of Evil-Merodach (562-560).  Some scholars have suggested that Jeremiah was very young and that he was born in the thirteenth year of Josiah, while others have said he simply did not write much about what happened during Josiah's reforms.

Jeremiah does not do well in historical-critical scholarship because his book seems to be a collection of disparate oracles rather than anything that follows a set chronology.  This fragmentary style has led some to assume there were elements of multiple different authors included in one book, while others have assumed Jeremiah simply ordered the text according to topic, drawing from his records developed over many years of work.

THE TEXT OF JEREMIAH

Jeremiah's text is very intriguing because it exists in two significantly different traditions.  The Septuagint is earlier than the earliest existing Masoretic Text.  It is ordered differently and is substantially shorter than the Masorectic Text.  This difficulty was not resolved in the discoveries in Qumran, as both the text in the Masoretic Text and the Hebrew text which was translated in the Seputagint appear to have existed side by side.  We seem to be left with a situation where there are two different versions of the book, both accepted by the Jewish community.

LITERARY ANALYSIS

Due to the concerns cited in the text, it's difficult to come up with a coherent literary analysis of the text.  We do see an emphasis on Jeremiah's faithful prophecy as distinguished from the rejection of the political elite.  We see that Jeremiah uses a large number of object lessons, including objects such as a pot, a scroll, or a linen belt as items which are destroyed. 

THEOLOGICAL MESSAGE

Since Jeremiah tended to avoid categories that would be typical in systematic theology, we have to hunt a little for topics.  Jeremiah presents God as the living God who is absolutely sovereign.  Yet at the same time, Jeremiah presents God as able to remove his hand of protection and allow his world to suffer judgment.  Jeremiah emphasizes the sinfulness of Israel, thus also emphasizing the holiness of God.  All the time, though, Jeremiah reminds his readers that Israel is God's elect, his chosen nation, the people he has called to himself.  God's word is powerful.  It is good for those who believe but destructive for those who do not believe.  Jeremiah presents himself as the one who receives and delivers the word of God, like Moses.  Like Moses, he also points his reader to future hope.

APPROACHING THE NEW TESTAMENT

Jeremiah is quoted directly in the New Testament about forty times.  His lament over the destruction of Jerusalem reminds us of Christ's lament over the coming destruction of Jerusalem, the city that rejects the prophets.  Throughout the book of Jeremiah we can see the coming hope in Christ, rescuing his world from destruction.

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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com