Jeremiah Bible Notes Chapters 5-7

A Sinful Society Condemned (HBH) Chapter 5 reiterates why judgment was impending. Without exception the residents of Jerusalem had resisted the LORD's discipline and rebelled against His commandments. Idolatry and sexual immorality were prevalent throughout the land. The people believed the false prophets' message of security. Rich, powerful men exploited others and neglected the cause of the weak and oppressed. Instead of repenting and recognizing GOD as the source of their blessings, the people stubbornly continued in their sinful ways. Judgment was inevitable for such a nation. The fearsome Babylonians would devour their crops and herds, kill their children, and destroy their cities. Since GOD's people insisted on acting like pagans, they serve pagans in a pagan land.

Jer. 5:1-6 Jeremiah is told to run through the streets of Jerusalem and try to locate someone who practices justice. If he finds such a man, GOD will forgive the residents of the city. Jeremiah begins with the poor, but fails (v.4). Then he speaks to the great (the leaders), but has no success. They all break the yoke, that is, they rebel (2:20); therefore GOD will send wild animals to punish their disloyalties (KJV-backslidings).

Jer. 5:1 Man: Hyperbole used to illustrate Jerusalem's unholiness. If a man who seeks truth appears, GOD will pardon the city (see Gen. 18:32). Justice and truth define what GOD expects of Judah.

Jer. 5:2 The LORD lives: See 4:2. They swear falsely: They perjure themselves (see Lev. 19:12). The phrase, "You shall not take the name of Jehovah in vain" (Exod. 20:7), expresses the same concept.

Jer. 5:3 See section 1 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Jeremiah.

Jer. 5:3 Your eyes: Alludes to GOD's sovereign dominion over every living thing (see Judges 2:11; Job 36:7; Psa. 33:18). They harden their faces more than a rock: Vivid expression of rebellion.

Jer. 5:6 Savage animals were considered instruments of divine judgment. See Leviticus 26:22; II Kings 17:25,26; Ezekiel 14:15.

LITERARY RICHES

Jer. 5:6 disloyalties (KJV-backslidings), meshubah; Strong #4878: Turn around, separate oneself, desert, infidelity, apostasy, disloyalty; revert to falling, backslide. This substantive is found 12 times in the Old Testament and nine appear in Jeremiah alone. The other three references are Proverbs 1:32; Hosea 11:7; 14:4. Its root is shub, a verb that means "to turn, return or repent". If repentance implies "turning", apostasy reflects "separating oneself" or "turning one's back" to GOD. GOD mercifully invites the apostate in Jeremiah 3:12,15,22. In this final verse, GOD considers apostasy as a condition that requires healing.

Jer. 5:7-9 Idolatry is presented as flagrant adultery, like well fed horses who whinny after other mens' wives. GOD promises to punish such sins.

Jer. 5:12,13 The false prophets deny Jehovah, and contradict Jeremiah's message saying, "and no evil will come upon you:. See the note for 4:10.

Jer. 5:14-17 By not having repented Judah will make it so that robust people (KJV-a mighty nation) eat what their land produces and destroy it.

Jer. 5:14 Jeremiah's words will be like fire which consumes, in comparison to the wind (v.13) which represents the false prophets.

Jer. 5:21 Eyes and ears: See Isaiah 6:10.

Jer. 5:24 Who gives early and late rain in his time: See 3:3. We keep the times established for the harvest: The seven weeks between Passover and Pentecost.

Jer. 5:26-30 Unholy men have placed the destitute in cages like birds, and in opposition to "orthodox" theology, the unholy have prospered. They deprive others of their rights in order to amass riches for themselves. But this is a provisional thing, because GOD will make His vengeance fall upon them.

Jer. 5:27 Deceit: The wealth that they have accumulated by their deceptions.

Jer. 5:28 Their attitude toward the orphan and the poor serves as a measure of their conduct. Kings, princes and all the rest, are obligated to the needs of those who suffer, according to GOD's desire (see 22:16; Deut. 10:18; James 1:27).

Jer. 5:30 Terrifying and nasty (KJV-wonderful and horrible): Defines the people's acceptance of the ministries of false prophets and unholy priests, whom, in fact, they desired to continue with this farce (see 6:13-15).

Jer. 5:31 See section 2 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Jeremiah.

Jerusalem Attacked (HBH). The invasion threatened in chapters 4 and 5 now takes on even more frightening proportions as the coming siege of Jerusalem is depicted. In succession one hears the LORD's call of alarm to the residents of Benjamin and Judah, the enemy army's call to war, the LORD's summons to this army, a warning to Jerusalem, and the LORD's authorization of foreigners to "glean" His people (6:1-9).

The prophet then interjected a word. Though the people were obstinate and rejected his message of judgment, he was compelled to continue preaching it. GOD encouraged him to persevere in his proclamation of coming wrath because judgment was inevitable for such a corrupt nation. Even the religious leaders were greedy and deceitful. They glossed over the nations' dire situation and proclaimed a message of false hope. The people refused to obey GOD's law or to listen to His prophets. Their empty sacrifices would not prevent the coming disaster. The mighty northern army would march relentlessly forward, causing terror and grief among the people. In conclusion the LORD compared Jeremiah's role to that of a metal tester. Having seen the people's moral character revealed in their response to his ministry, Jeremiah observed that they were rebels in need of the hot, purifying fires of divine judgment.

Jer. 6:1 In 4:6 the people are warned to take refuge in Jerusalem. Now, they are urged to flee Jerusalem, because no place will be sufficiently secure to resist the invaders. Benjamin was the tribal territory situated just north of Jerusalem. Tekoa was 18 km (10.8 mi.) from the city. Beth-hacce-rem is modern Ramat Rajel, 3 km (1.8 mi.) south of Jerusalem. Play (KJV-blow) ...in "Tekoa" is a play-on-words. Send up smoke as a signal (KJV-set up a sign of fire) is also a play-on-words.

Jer. 6:3 Shepherds and their flocks: Represents rulers and those who are governed.

Jer. 6:4,5 The invaders speak.

Jer. 6:4 Announce The Hebrew root of this word is the same as "proclaim" (see Joel 3:9; Mic. 3:5). Preparing themselves for war included a religious ritual (see I Sam. 21:4,5). Noon: An element of surprise was exploited since attacks were normally launched in the morning.

Jer. 6:5 Night: Indicates the soldiers' enthusiasm, since almost every battle was halted at dusk.

Jer. 6:6 Preparation for a siege included cutting down trees and the raising of a mound, or ramps to access the city.

Jer. 6:9 They will thoroughly seek out (KJV-thoroughly glean): See Isaiah 17:5,6 and the note for Ruth 2:1. Remnant: an important concept of the prophetic message (see 11:23; 23:3; 31:7; 40:11,15; 42:2,15,19; 43:4; 44:12,14,28; and the note for Zeph. 2:7).

Jer. 6:10-15 The prophet speaks. He alternately invokes GOD's wrath, His mercy and compassion. Here the wrath predominates.

Jer. 6:20 See section 2 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Jeremiah.

Jer. 6:11 wrath (see 25:15): It is poured out upon all; children, youths, the husband, the wife and the very old.

Jer. 6:12-15 Is repeated with some variations in 8:10-12.

Jer. 6:12 The image of the extended hand is repeated on several occasions (21:5; 27:5; 32:17,21) and represents the power of GOD to save (Exod. 6:6), to punish (21:5), and here to destroy (see 15:6).

Jer. 6:14 The peace of which the false prophets spoke was the absence of war and calamities, a concept far removed from the shalom of the Old Testament, which emphasizes the integrity and profundity of peace. True peace implies an intimate communion with GOD and a fraternal relationship with other persons. It has more to do with attitudes and character than with external circumstances.

Jer. 6:16-23 The LORD speaks and warns His people to walk in the old ways of righteousness, but in their stubbornness they refused to do so.

Jer. 6:16 See section 4 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Jeremiah.

Jer. 6:17 Watchmen: One of the terms utilized for true prophets. See the notes for Ezekiel 3:17; 33:1-9; Habakkuk 2:1.

Jer. 6:20 The formalities of religious ritual are not sufficient to please GOD. The prophets of the 8th century B.C. also emphasize this (see Isaiah 1:10-17; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8). Sheba: A place in Arabia known for its spices (Isaiah 60:6). Fragrant cane: Calamus, an aromatic plant (see Exod. 30:23; Song 4:14; Is. 43:24). It's also known as Sweet Flag.

Jer. 6:21 Putting stumblingblocks in front of the blind was prohibited by Leviticus 19:14. Judah's spiritual blindness has placed stumblingblocks before the nation, the Babylonians.

Jer. 6:22-24 This is repeated with a minor variation in 50:41-43; although there "Babylon" appears instead of Zion and the "King of Babylon" instead of we have heard of his fame.

Jer. 6:24-26 Jeremiah speaks to the people or in the name of the people.

Jer. 6:25 There is fear everywhere: A favorite expression of Jeremiah to indicate the danger that is stalking them (20:10; 46:5; 49:29).

Jer. 6:26 Sackcloth and ash: Symbols of mourning (see the note for 4:8).

Jer. 6:27-30 GOD speaks to Jeremiah and assigns him the task of examining the people, like a tower that rises above the people.

Jer. 6:28 Bronze and iron (KJV-brass and iron): Compared the silver and gold these are crude metals.

Jer. 6:29,30 In the process of refining silver, lead was added to the mineral. The lead was consumed and the slag separated. The process fails here because the mineral has many impurities. Then, the people are like rejected silver (KJV-reprobate silver).

Jer. 6:29 BELLOWS (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)
"The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire." The use of the bellows in the East is confined now, as it was in ancient times, to the workers in metals, ordinary fires being regulated by fans. The ancient bellows consisted of a leathern bag in a wooden frame, with a long mouthpiece of reed tipped with metal to preserve it from the action of the fire. The operator stood with a bellows under each foot. In each hand, attached to the instrument under foot. In each hand, attached to the instrument under foot, was a string, by which he lifted the bag of skin when it became exhausted of air by the pressure of the foot.

[NOTE - The Spanish word used here, escoria, is the equivalent of the English "scoria", which means "slag", the refuse from melting metals". It comes from the Greek word, skoria, which means "excrement"].

Jer. 7:1-10:25 Hypocrisy and Idolatry Condemned
False Confidence (HBH) The people of Judah believed they were safe because the temple, the LORD's dwelling place, was in their midst. The LORD denounced this false confidence, pointing out that only genuine repentance could save such unjust, violent, and idolatrous people. He reminded them of the example of Shiloh, a former dwelling place of the LORD which had not been spared destruction when GOD judged His wicked people. Though the people brought Him sacrifices, the LORD rejected them as meaningless and hypocritical. He demanded loyalty, not empty ritual. While the people gave the LORD lip service, they also prepared offerings for the "Queen of Heaven" (the Babylonian goddess Ishtar). They sacrificed their children in the Valley of Ben Hinnom south of the city and worshiped the sun, moon, and stars. Apart from repentance, judgment was inevitable. The Valley of Ben Hinnom would be called the Valley of Slaughter, for there the carcasses of the idolaters would be devoured by scavengers. The invaders would desecrate the tombs of the city, leaving the bones exposed to the light of the heavenly bodies the deceased once worshiped.

Jer. 7:1-8:3 This sermon, pronounced at the entrance to the Temple, constitutes a denunciation of the corrupt practices of those who said that the city of Jerusalem was inviolable because the Temple of Jehovah was built there (7:4). This belief was based on something that occurred more than 100 years earlier, when Isaiah prophesied that the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, would not touch the city (Is. 37:6,7,29). But the times had changed. GOD now wanted the city and the Temple to be destroyed (Jer. 7:14), unless the people repented and changed their ways (7:3).

Jer. 7:4 The triple repetition of Temple of Jehovah is a literary practice used to underline a phrase or concept (see 22:29; 23:30-32; Is. 6:3). The mere repetition of the phrase represents trusting in lying words, since GOD's protection and blessings only come if one lives in accordance with His will.

Jer. 7:5 In order to receive GOD's blessing it's necessary to make justice between man and his neighbor prevail.

Jer. 7:6 Protecting the stranger, the orphan and the widow is an essential ingredient for divine social order. This concern is often emphasized in Scripture (see Deut. 16:11,14; 24:19-21; 26:12,13; 27:19; Job 31:16; Psa. 94:6; Is. 1:17; James 1:17). The practice of true faith in our time requires assuming an attitude of social commitment to the needy.

Jer. 7:11 The merely formal practice of attending the house of GOD was condemned by Jesus. See Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46.

Jer. 7:12 Shiloh: Place where the Ark of Jehovah was deposited during the period of the Judges (I Sam. 4:3). When the Ark was captured by the Philistines, it wasn't sent back to Shiloh, and in Jeremiah's time the city was in ruins.

Jer. 7:13 Early: This idiom has the connotation of "repeatedly and seriously" or "time and again" (see v.25; 11:7; 25:3,4; 26:5; 29:19; 32:33; 35:14,15; 44:4).

Jer. 7:15 The whole generation of Ephraim: All the inhabitants of the northern kingdom, Israel, were forced to march into exile (I will cast them out of my presence) in 722 B.C.

Jer. 7:16 Perhaps the events to which chapter 26 alludes belong to verses 15 and 16. Jeremiah is asked not to pray for these people, as corresponds to a prophet (see 27:18; Exod. 32:31,32; I Sam. 12:23). There exists virtually no hope for this people because of their constant rebellions. Nevertheless, Jeremiah did pray for them (see 18:20).

Jer. 7:18 the entire family participated in worshiping the queen of heaven, the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. This type of offering was also presented to other gods.

Jer. 7:20 The people's sin corrupted them and brought GOD's judgment not only upon them, but upon all creation. See 5:17; Rom. 8:20-22.

Jer. 7:21-23 These verses don't constitute a rejection of the Old Testament sacrifices, but emphasize the fact that the sacrifices are worthless if they aren't an expression of a devout heart (see 6:20 and the note that accompanies it; I Sam. 15:22,23; Psa. 40:6-8; Amos 5:24). GOD's mandate was hear my voice.

Jer. 7:25, 26 Obeying the LORD, not a preoccupation with ritual practices, should be Israel's principle concern. In the present situation they should eat the flesh of their burnt offerings. Sending them early and without ceasing: Time and again GOD sent prophets (see v.13).

Jer. 7:28See section 2 of "TRUTH IN ACTION" at the end of Jeremiah.

Jer. 7:29 Cut your hair: A sign of sorrow. See Job 1:20; Micah 1:16.

Jer. 7:31 Tophet: A "high place" in the Valley of Hinnom, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where children were sacrificed on the altar of Molech. Jeremiah predicted that it would become a cemetery (v.32; 19:6,11-14).

Jer. 7:34 This is repeated with a minor variation in 16:9 (see 25:10 and compare with 33:10,11).

Jer. 7:84 MIRTH AT MARRIAGES (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)
"Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride." Marriages in the East are celebrated by processions of friends, who throng the streets and give noisy demonstrations of their joy. Singers and musicians accompany them, and the shouts and music are heard afar off. Miss Rogers gives a lively account of a wedding party she once met not far from Mount Carmel. "Pleasant sounds of voices, songs, bells, and laughter reached us, and we saw an animated little party approaching, mounted on camels, whose modding heads and necks were decorated with beads, shells, crimson tassels, and strings of little tinkling bells". - Domestic Life in Palestine, p. 94.

Among the Mohammedans no marriages are allowed during the month of Ramadan, which is their solemn annual fast. The troubles to come upon Judah are represented in the text by the prediction of utter silence in the streets. See also Jeremiah 16:9; 25:10; 33:11; Revelation 18:23.

Weeping for Jerusalem: a Characterization of the Prophet and His Message (Jeremiah 1-33 and Lamentations) ("Exploring the Old Testament" by C. E. Demaray, PhD, Donald S. Metz, D.R.E. and Maude A. Stuneck, PhD; edited by W. T. Purkiser, PhD; published 1967 by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City)
In the account of the prophet's call (chapter 1) we have an interesting characterization of Jeremiah. He appears as a timid, sensitive youth, anxious to perform the will of GOD, but conscious of the difficulty of his task: "Ah, LORD GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child" (v.6). Reluctantly he accepted the call of GOD, but when he had once yielded, he carried out his commission with a holy zeal.

(1) A Type of Christ. There are a tenderness and an emotional quality in the prophecies of Jeremiah that remind us strongly of Hosea, and in the bitter tears that he shed for Jerusalem he becomes an outstanding type of Christ. Like Hosea, however, and like Christ, he was able under the influence of the Spirit of GOD to rebuke sternly and to speak fearlessly the message of GOD to the people.

(2) Pleading and Warning. In his earlier sermons the call to repentance is predominant. Even the heathen are faithful to their gods; but Israel has exchanged the living GOD for worthless idols. "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (2:13). The reformation under Josiah was insincere: "Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly" (3:10). "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?" (4:14).

Partial remedies will not suffice: "They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace" (6:14). The time of divine forbearance is slipping past rapidly; soon will be the cry, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved" (8:20). The prophet utters a cry of distress as he sees in a vision the enemy approaching: "My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I cannot hold my peace; because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war" (4:19, A.R.V.).

(3) Hope Amid Despair. Jeremiah's grief becomes more intense as he discovers that Judah's sin is incurable. He longs for comfort against sorrow. He sometimes wishes that his eyes were a fountain of tears. He is tempted even to flee from his people and find a lodge in some wilderness (8:18-9:16).

One of his greatest trials was the knowledge that GOD could not hear his prayers for the people, since their hearts were hardened and they would not repent. More than once the LORD forbade him to pray (7:16-18; 11:14; 14:11), but he could not refrain. The spirit of intercession seizes him and he pleads with the LORD not to abhor his people (14:19-22).

In the later chapters of this section (25:29) there is a settled conviction that the destruction of the city and the captivity of the people are inevitable, as they refuse to repent year after year. The prophet urges them to submit to the chastening of GOD; and desiring to make the lot of those already exiled as bearable as possible, he writes a letter to them urging them to settle down in their foreign homes and wait with patience for GOD's time of deliverance. Even yet there is hope, when through suffering they have learned to give their hearts wholly to GOD: "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (29:13).

(4) The Book of Lamentations. The "Lamentations of Jeremiah," which follow the Book of Jeremiah in our English Bible, were anonymous in the Hebrew Scriptures and included with the Hagiographa. However a very strong tradition ascribes these laments to the weeping prophet himself, and they are very much in the spirit of Jeremiah's own sorrowful utterances and follow well upon the tragic description of the fall of Jerusalem given in Jeremiah 52. For the theme of this little book is the capture and destruction of the Jewish capital with the terrible sufferings of its defenders, a catastrophe brought on by the sins and rebellion of the people. The first four chapters are acrostic poems composed, in the original, of twenty-two verses, each beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the English version chapter 3 has sixty-six verses, each verse of the original expanded to three in the translation. The last chapter, which also contains twenty-two verses, each beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the English version chapter 3 has sixty-six verses, each verse of the original expanded to three in the translation. The last chapter, which also contains twenty-two verses but is not an acrostic, is a prayer of forgiveness and restoration. The book as a whole is a poem of merit; and chapter 3:22-26 is a psalm the beauty and charm of which are seldom equaled in Sacred Writ, a true ray from the Cross, shining through unrelieved gloom of deep tragedy.

3. The Book of the Prophecies of Jeremiah (Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Contents and Arrangement. - The prophecies of Jeremiah divide themselves, in accordance with their subjects, into those that concern Judah and the kingdom of GOD, and those regarding foreign nations. The former come first in the book, and extend from Jer 1-45; the latter are comprised in Jer 46-51. The former again fall into three groups, clearly distinguishable by their form and subjects. So that the whole book may be divided into four sections; while Jer 1 contains the account of the prophet's consecration, and Jer 52 furnishes an historical supplement.

The first section occupies Jer 2-20, and comprises six lengthy discourses which contain the substance of Jeremiah's oral preaching during the reign of Josiah. In these the people is brought face to face with its apostasy from the LORD into idolatry; its unrighteousness and moral corruption is set before it, the need of contrition and repentance is brought home, and a race of hardened sinners is threatened with the devastation of their land by a barbarous people coming from afar: while to the contrite the prospect of a better future is opened up. By means of headings, these discourses or compilations of discourses are marked off from one another and gathered into continuous wholes. The first discourse, Jer 2:1-3:5, sets forth, in general terms, the LORD's love and faithfulness towards Israel. The second, Jer 3:6-6:30, presents in the first half of it (3:6-4:2) the fate of the ten tribes, their dispersion for their backsliding, and the certainty of their being received again in the event of their repentance, all as a warning to faithless Judah; and in the second half (4:3-6:30), announces that if Judah holds on in its disloyalty, its land will be ravaged, Jerusalem will be destroyed, and its people cast out amongst the heathen. The third discourse, Jer 6-10, admonishes against a vain confidence in the temple and the sacrifices, and threatens the dispersion of Judah and the spoliation of the country (Jer 7:1-8:3); chides the people for being obstinately averse to all reformation (8:4-9:21); shows wherein true wisdom consists, and points out the folly of idolatry (9:22-10:25). The fourth discourse, Jer 11-13, exhibits the people's disloyalty to the covenant (11:1-17); shows by concrete examples their utter corruptness, and tells them that the doom pronounced is irrevocable (11:18-12:17); and closes with a symbolical action adumbrating the expulsion into exile of the incorrigible race (Jer. 13:1). The fifth, Jer 14-17, "the word concerning the droughts," gives illustrative evidence to show that the impending judgment cannot be turned aside by any entreaties; that Judah, for its sins, will be driven into exile, but will yet in the future be brought back again (14:1-17:4); and closes with general animadversions upon the root of the mischief, and the way by which punishment may be escaped (17:5-27). The sixth discourse, Jer 18-20, contains two oracles from GOD, set forth in symbolical actions, which signify the judgment about to burst on Judah for its continuance in sin, and which drew down persecution, blows, and harsh imprisonment on the prophet, so that he complains of his distress to the LORD, and curses the day of his birth. All these discourses have this in common, that threatening and promise are alike general in their terms. Most emphatically and repeatedly is threatening made of the devastation of the land by enemies, of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of Judah amongst the heathen; and yet nowhere is it indicated who are to execute this judgment. Not until the threatening addressed to Pashur in Jer. 20:4 are we told that it is the king of Babylon into whose hand all Judah is to be given, that he may lead them away to Babylon and smite them with the sword. And beyond the general indication, Jer. 3:6, "in the days of Josiah," not even the headings contain any hint as to the date of the several prophecies or of portions of them, or as to the circumstances that called them forth. The quite general character of the heading, Jer. 3:6, and the fact that the tone and subject remain identical throughout the whole series of chapters that open the collected prophecies of Jeremiah, are sufficient to justify Hgstbg. (as above, p. 373) in concluding that "we have here before us not so much a series of prophecies which were delivered precisely as we have them, each on a particular occasion during Josiah's reign, but rather a resumé of Jeremiah's entire public work as prophet during Josiah's reign; a summary of all that, taken apart from the special circumstances of the time, had at large the aim of giving deeper stability to the reformatory efforts Josiah was carrying on in outward affairs." This view is not just, only it is not to be limited to Jer 2-7, but is equally applicable to the whole of the first section of the collected prophecies.

The second section, Jer 21-32, contains special predictions; on the one hand, of the judgment to be executed by the Chaldeans (Jer 27-29); on the other, of Messianic salvation (Jer 30-33). The predictions of judgment fall into three groups. The central one of these, the announcement of the seventy years' dominion of the Chaldeans over Judah and all nations, passes into a description of judgment to come upon the whole world. As introductory to this, we have it announced in Jer. 21:1-14 that Judah and its royal family are to be given into the hands of the king of Babylon; we have in Jer 22 and Jer. 23:1 the word concerning the shepherds and leaders of the people; while in Jer. 24:1 comes the statement, illustrated by the emblem of two baskets of figs, as to the character and future fortunes of the Jewish people. The several parts of this group are of various dates. The intimation of the fate awaiting Judah in Jer. 21:1 is, according to the heading, taken from the answer given to Zedekiah by Jeremiah during the last siege of Jerusalem, when the king had inquired of him about the issue of the war; the denunciation of the people's corrupt rulers, the wicked kings and false prophets, together with the promise that a righteous branch is yet to be raised to David, belongs, if we may judge from what is therein said of the kings, to the times of Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin; while the vision of the two baskets of figs in Jer. 24:1 dates from the first part of Zedekiah's reign, shortly after Jehoiachin and the best part of the nation had been carried off to Babylon. As this group of prophecies is a preparation for the central prediction of judgment in Jer. 25:1, so the group that follows, Jer 26-29, serves to show reason for the universal judgment, and to maintain it against the contradiction of the false prophets and of the people deluded by their vain expectations. To the same end we are told in Jer. 26:1 of the accusation and acquittal of Jeremiah on the charge of his having foretold the destruction of Jerusalem: this and the supplementary notice of the prophet Urijah fall within the reign of Jehoiakim. The same aim is yet more clearly to be traced in the oracle in Jer. 27:1, regarding the yoke of the king of Babylon, which GOD will lay on the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Phoenicia, on King Zedekiah, the priests and people of Judah; in the threatening against the lying prophet Hananiah in Jer. 28:1; and in Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon in Jer. 29:1, dating from the earlier years of Zedekiah's reign. From the dark background of these threatenings stands out in Jer 30-33 the comforting promise of the salvation of Israel. The prediction of grace and glory yet in store for Israel and Judah through the Messiah occupies two long discourses. The first is a complete whole, both in matter and in form. It begins with intimating the recovery of both houses of Israel from captivity and the certainty of their being received again as the people of GOD (Jer 30:1-22), while the wicked fall before GOD's wrath; then Jer 31 promises grace and salvation, first to the ten tribes (vv. 1-22), and then to Judah (Jer. 31:23-36); lastly, we have (Jer. 31:27-40) intimation that a new and everlasting covenant will be concluded with the whole covenant people. The second discourse in Jer 32 and Jer. 33:1 goes to support the first, and consists of two words of GOD communicated to Jeremiah in the tenth year of Zedekiah, i.e., in prospect of the destruction of Jerusalem; one being in emblematic shape (Jer. 32:1), the other is another explicit prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem, and of blessings yet in store for the race of David and for the Levitical priesthood (23). The third section of the book, Jer 34-44, has, in the first place, brief utterances of the prophet, dating from the times of Zedekiah and Jehoiachin, together with the circumstances that called them forth, in Jer 34-36; secondly, in Jer 37-39, notice of the prophet's experiences, and of the counsels given by him during the siege in Zedekiah's reign up till the taking of the city; finally, in Jer 40-45 are given events that happened and prophecies that were delivered after the siege. So that here there is gathered together by way of supplements all that was of cardinal importance in Jeremiah's efforts in behalf of the unhappy people, in so far as it had not found a place in the previous sections.

In the fourth section, Jer 46-51, follow prophecies against foreign nations, uttered partly in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, or rather later, partly in the first year of Zedekiah. And last of all, the conclusion of the whole collective book is formed by Jer 52, an historical supplement which is not the work of Jeremiah himself. In it are notices of the destruction of the city, of the number of the captives taken to Babylon, and of what befell King Jehoiachin there.

b. Origin of the Compilation or Book of the Prophecies of Jeremiah - Regarding the composition of the book, all sorts of ingenious and arbitrary hypotheses have been propounded. Almost all of them proceed on the assumption that the longer discourses of the first part of the book consist of a greater or less number of addresses delivered to the people at stated times, and have been arranged partly chronologically, but partly also without reference to any plan whatever. Hence the conclusion is drawn that in the book a hopeless confusion reigns. In proof of this, see the hypotheses of Movers and Hitzig. From the summary of contents just given, it is plain that in none of the four sections of the book has chronological succession been the principle of arrangement; this has been had regard to only in so far as it fell in with the plan chiefly kept in view, which was that of grouping the fragments according to their subject-matter. In the three sections of the prophecies concerning Israel, a general chronological order has to a certain extent been observed thus far, namely, that in the first section (Jer 2-20) are the discourses of the time of Josiah; in the second (Jer 21-33), the prophecies belonging to the period between the fourth year of Jehoiakim and the siege of Jerusalem under Zedekiah; in the third (Jer 34-45), events and oracles of the time before and after the siege and capture of the city. But even in those passages in the second and third sections which are furnished with historical references, order in time is so little regarded that discourses of the time of Zedekiah precede those of Jehoiakim's time. And in the first section the date of the several discourses is a matter of no secondary importance that, beyond the indefinite intimation in Jer. 3:6, there is not to be found in any of the headings any hint of the date; and here, upon the whole, we have not the individual discourses in the form in which they were under various circumstances delivered to the people, but only a resumé of his oral addresses arranged with reference to the subject-matter.

The first notice of a written collection of the prophecies occurs in Jer 36. Here we are told that in the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign, Jeremiah, by divine command, caused his assistant Baruch to write in a roll all the words he had spoken concerning Israel and Judah and all nations from the day he was called up till that time, intending them to be read by Baruch to the assembled people in the temple on the approaching fast. And after the king had cut up the roll and cast it into the fire, the prophet caused the words Baruch had taken down to his dictation to be written anew in a roll, with the addition of many words of like import. This fact suggests the idea that the second roll written by Baruch to Jeremiah's dictation formed the basis of the collected edition of all Jeremiah's prophecies. The history makes it clear that till then the prophet had not committed his prophecies to writing, and that in the roll written by Baruch they for the first time assumed a written form. The same account leads us also to suppose that in this roll the prophet's discourses and addresses were not transcribed in the precise words and in the exact order in which he had from time to time delivered them to the people, but that they were set down from memory, the substance only being preserved. The design with which they were committed to writing was to lead the people to humble themselves before the LORD and turn from their evil ways (Jer. 36:3, Jer. 36:7), by means of importunately forcing upon their attention all GOD's commands and warnings. And we may feel sure that this parenetic aim was foremost not only in the first document (burnt by the king), but in the second also; it was not proposed here either to give a complete and authoritative transcription of all the prophet's sayings and speeches. The assumption of recent critics seems justifiable, that the document composed in Jehoiakim's reign was the foundation of the book handed down to us, and that it was extended to the compass of the canonical book by the addition of revelations vouchsafed after that time, and of the historical notices that most illustrated Jeremiah's labours. But, however great be the probability of this view, we are no longer in a position to point out the original book in that which we have received, and as a constituent part of the same. At first sight, we might indeed be led to look on the first twenty chapters of our book as the original document, since the character of these chapters rather favours the hypothesis. For they are all lengthy compositions, condensed from oral addresses with the view of reporting mainly the substance of them;

(Note: As to the putting together of the seven pieces which occupy Jer 2-24, Ewald (Proph. ii. S. 81, der 2 Ausg.) aptly remarks: "In tracing out these pieces from memory, the prophet manifestly started from a discourse, important in itself or its consequences, which he had delivered in some particular place; this remembrance then became the center of the piece to be written, and to it he was easily able to attach much that was of kindred import.")

nor is there in them anything that certainly carries us beyond the time of Josiah and the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign, except indeed the heading of the book, Jer. 1:1-3, and this was certainly prefixed only when the book was given forth as a whole. But according to the statement in Jer. 36:2, the original manuscript prepared by Baruch contained not only the words of the prophet which he had up to that time spoken concerning Israel and Judah, but also his words concerning all nations, that is, doubtless, all the prophecies concerning the heathen he had till now uttered, viz., Jer 25:15-31; 46:1-49:33. Nor can the most important discourse, Jer 25, belonging to the beginning of the fourth year of Jehoiakim, have been omitted from the original manuscript; certainly not from the second roll, increased by many words, which was put together after the first was burnt. For of the second manuscript we may say with perfect confidence what Ewald says of the first, that nothing of importance would be omitted from it. If then we may take for granted that the discourse of Jer 25 was included in the book put together by Baruch, it follows that upon the subsequent expansion of the work that chapter must have been displaced from its original position by the intercalation of Jer. 21:1-14 and Jer. 24:1-10, which are both of the time of Zedekiah. But the displacement of Jer 25 by prophecies of Zedekiah's time, and the arrangement of the several fragments which compose the central sections of the book now in our hands, show conclusively that the method and nature of this book are incompatible with the hypothesis that the existing book arose from the work written down by Baruch to Jeremiah's dictation by the addition and interpolation of later prophetic utterances and historical facts (Ew., Graf). The contents of Jer 21-45 were unmistakeably disposed according to a definite uniform plan which had regard chiefly to the subject-matter of those chapters, even though we are no longer in a position confidently to discriminate the several constituent parts, or point out the reason for the place assigned to them. The same plan may be traced in the arrangement of the longer compositions in Jer 2-20.

The consistency of the plan goes to show that the entire collection of the prophecies was executed by one editor at one time. Ew., Umbr., and Graf conclude that the original book attained its final form by a process of completion immediately after the destruction of the city and the deportation of the people; but it is impossible to admit their conclusion on the grounds they give, namely, the heading at Jer. 1:3 : "until the carrying away of Jerusalem in the fifth month;" and the fact that what befell the prophet, and what was spoken by him after the city was destroyed, have found a place immediately after Jer 39 in Jer 40-44. Both circumstances are sufficiently explained by the fact that with the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah's work as a prophet, though not absolutely finished, had yet anticipatively come to an end. His later labours at Mizpah and in Egypt were but a continuation of secondary importance, which might consequently be passed over in the heading of the book. See the Comment. on Jer. 1:3. We are not sure that the period between the fifth and seventh months, Jer. 41:1, during which Jeremiah and Baruch remained with the governor Gedaliah at Mizpah, was more suitable than any other for looking back over his work which had now extended over more than forty-one years, and by expanding the book he had at an earlier period written, for leaving behind him a monument for posterity in the record of his most memorable utterances and experiences - a monument that might serve to warn and instruct, as well as to comfort in present suffering means of the treasure of hopes and promises which he has thus laid up (Graf). But, judging from Jeremiah's habit of mind, we imagine that at that time Jeremiah would be disposed rather to indite the Lamentations than to edit his prophecies.

Arguments for repeated editings and transformations of particular chapters have been founded partly on the subject-matter, partly on peculiarities in the form of certain passages, e.g., the alternation, in the headings, of the formulas (Hebrew words here that I can't translate) or (more Hebrew words) and (Hebrew phrase here) and the title , which occurs only in certain chapters, Jer. 20:2; Jer. 25:2; Jer. 28:5-6, and often, Jer. 29:1, Jer. 29:29; Jer. 32:2. But on deeper investigation these arguments appear inconclusive. If we are desirous not to add by new and uncertain conjectures to the already large number of arbitrary hypotheses as to the compilation and origin of the book before us, we must abide by what, after a careful scrutiny of its subject-matter and form, proves to be certainly established. And the result of our examination may be epitomized in the following propositions: - 1. The book in its canonical form has been arranged according to a distinct, self-consistent plan, in virtue of which the preservation of chronological order has been made secondary to the principle of grouping together cognate subjects. 2. The book written by Baruch in the fifth year of Jehoiakim's reign, which contained the oracles spoken by Jeremiah up till that time, is doubtless the basis of the book as finally handed down, without being incorporated with it as a distinct work; but, in accordance with the plan laid down for the compilation of the entire series, was so disposed that the several portions of it were interspersed with later portions, handed down, some orally, some in writing, so that the result was a uniform whole. For that prophecies other than those in Baruch's roll were straightway written down (if they were not first composed in writing), is expressly testified by Jer. 30:2; Jer. 29:1, and Jer. 51:60. 3. The complete edition of the whole was not executed till after the close of Jeremiah's labours, probably immediately after his death. This work, together with the supplying of the historical notice in Jer 52, was probably the work of Jeremiah's colleague Baruch, who may have survived the last event mentioned in the book, Jer. 52:31., the restoration of Jehoiakim to freedom after Nebuchadnezzar's death, b.c. 563.