Jeremiah

Author, Date, and Format

• Author: Jeremiah (1:1)
• Written over the period from 13^th year of Josiah (628 BC, 1:2) until after the destruction of Jerusalem (~ 585 BC, 41:1, 1:3)
• History (generally prose) and prophecy (generally poetry) interspersed.

Old Testament Citations of Jeremiah

• Prophesied that Israel would serve Babylon 70 years (25:11-12, 29:10).  That prediction was recalled by three inspired writers: Daniel 9:2, 2 Chronicles 26:21-22, Ezra 1:1.

New Testament citations of Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 6:16 (Matthew 11:29)  Jesus applied the image of “the ancient paths” to Himself.
• Jeremiah 7:11 (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46)  This is the other half of Jesus’ statement concerning the cleansing of the Temple.
• Jeremiah 9:23 – 24 (1 Corinthians 1:31, 2 Corinthians 10:17)   Paul uses Jeremiah’s concept of boasting.
• Jeremiah 31:15  (Matthew 2:18)  Jeremiah 40:1 records that the Israelites were collected by the Babylonians at Ramah for deportation.  The slaughter in Bethlehem is likened to the deaths of many innocent parties in the fall of Jerusalem.
• Jeremiah 31:31 – 34  (Hebrews 8:8 – 12)  The author of Hebrews used this passage to remind Jewish people that a new covenant implies the end of an old one, based on better promises.  Hebrews 10:16 – 17 carries the passage further to imply one perfect sacrifice.

Chapter 1

• Summary: Jeremiah called as a youth.  He was from a priestly family.  Anathoth was allocated to the Levites in Joshua 21:18.
  • (5)  God told Jeremiah that He had identified Jeremiah to be a prophet before he was born.
  • (6)  Jeremiah objected because, at the time when God began to speak to him, he was “a youth.”  “Youths” were those under thirty.
  • (7 – 10)  God rejects Jeremiah’s objection because God will be doing the talking.  God gave Jeremiah a characterization of His message.
  • (11 – 12)  God shows Jeremiah a branch of an almond tree.  The Hebrew name for that tree can be translated “wakeful.”  Further, the almond tree buds in January, the first to do so.  God was illustrating that He was alert and “budding forth” to accomplish His word.
  • (13 – 16)  God shows a boiling cauldron facing to the south to illustrate the calamity that is about to “cook” Judah from the north as a judgment against their wickedness and idolatry.
  • (17 – 19)  God exhorts Jeremiah to deliver the messages confidently because God will deliver him from any repercussions.

Chapter 2

• Summary:  God’s charges against Judah are enumerated in 2:1 through 2:1.
  • (2 – 13)  Remember the origin of the nation and its “betrothal” to God in the Exodus, in the Wilderness, and in the conquest of Canaan.  (5) “What injustice have you found in Me?”  Yet, Israel opted for idolatry.  (10 – 11)  Cyprus represents the nations to the north and west.  Kedar in Arabia represents the nations to the south and east.  “Has any nation changed its gods for that which is not a god?”
  • (14 – 25)  God reminds Judah of their failed alliances with Egypt and, previously, Assyria.  (19) “The fear of Me is not in you.”  God further reminds Judah of the times when God rescued them, they promised to be righteous, but then turned back to iniquity and idolatry.  God likens them to wild donkeys who cannot be contained when they catch the scent of a donkey in heat.
  • (26 – 30)  God ridicules Judah for appealing to Him after their idols have failed. 
  • (31 – 37)  God ridicules Judah’s claims to innocence (“I have not sinned.”).  (36)  Judah was depending on a political alliance with Egypt to protect them from the Babylonians.  God tells them that this alliance will fail just like the one with Assyria about a century earlier.

Chapter 3

• Summary:
  • (2 – 3)  God points out the illogic of rejecting God (divorcing God) and marrying idols, then trying to return to her first husband, which is prohibited in Deuteronomy 24:1 – 4.  The abundance of idols in Judah in this period is mentioned in 2 Kings 23:4 – 20 and Ezekiel 16:25.  Their lust for idolatry was compared to the lust of the Arabians to plunder travelers and caravans that passed through their territory.  As a result, God had withheld the rains.  Yet, they showed no embarrassment over being caught in this idolatry, much like a prostitute stops blushing when accosted about her profession.
  • (4 – 5)  God suggests an appropriate response, but remembers their habits.
  • (6 – 10)  God explained to Jeremiah that Judah had failed to learn from what happened to Israel, again using the divorce image.  Further, the religious revival during the time of Josiah was pretense.
  • (11 – 22a)  God solicits Israel to return, despite the divorce image and Deuteronomy 24:1 – 4.  God announces that Israel (now in captivity) has displayed more righteousness than Judah (see Ezekiel who worked mostly among the captives of Israel, not Judah).  If Israel will only acknowledge their errors, He will take them back.  The “remnant” idea is in (14).  Proper shepherds will be appointed (15).  The ark of the covenant will no longer be the access point to God (16).  “All nations”: so this must be the Messianic kingdom (17).  Israel and Judah will be re-united (18)_.
  • (22b – 25)  Jeremiah gives the appropriate response: repentance.

Chapter 4

• Summary:
  • (1 – 2)  The close of the prophesy that began in 2:1, “The nations shall bless themselves in Him and in Him they shall glory.” 
  • (3 – 4)  Breaking up fallow ground implies repeated plowing to remove old tree roots and to kill weeds and brambles.  Seeding after an initial plowing of fallow ground will produce poorly due to lack of aeration and the crop being competed out by the weeds.  So, put in the effort to do the repentance right.  The circumcision of the heart is from Deuteronomy 10:16.  The ceremonies of the Law are to be heart-felt enactments of symbols rather than magical rituals.
  • (5 – 9)  Jeremiah announces that great devastation is on the way, so they need to re-orient themselves toward God.
  • (10)  Jeremiah asks, “But you were just talking about peace.  What is this devastation?”  God will explain further from 4:11 through 6:30.
  • (11 – 13)  Devastation is coming like a strong wind.
  • (14)  A brief call to repentance.
  • (15 – 26)  This devastation is the result of the wickedness of Judah who did not learn from what happened to Israel (15).
  • (27 – 31)  Yet I will not make a full end (27)

Chapter 5

• Summary:
  • (1)  If you can find one righteous man in Jerusalem, I will spare her.
  • (3 – 5)  Jeremiah tries to give excuses, “surely they did not know,” but proves himself wrong.
  • (6 – 11)  A review of their wickedness and idolatry.
  • (12 – 13)  A review of the messages of the false prophets.
  • (14 – 17)  By a nation whose language you do not know, you will fall.
  • (18)  But I will not make a complete end of you.
  • (19 – 31)  Another review of the wickedness in Judah.

Chapter 6

• Summary:
  • (1)  When the nation of Israel divided, Benjamin and Simeon stayed with Judah.  Within a few years, when Jeroboam introduced golden-calf worship and opened up the priesthood to all, most of Levi moved to Judah, also.  Due to the impending devastation, Jeremiah advises Benjamin to go back to their mountains.  Tekoa was a city between Jerusalem and Hebron that had been fortified by Rehoboam.  Beth Haccerem was between Jerusalem and Tekoa, visible from both places, so was an information relay station (signal fires).
  • (2 – 5)  Jeremiah predicts war against Zion (Jerusalem).
  • (6 – 15)  God instructs the invaders to construct siegeworks (cut down trees).  Then He recounts the iniquity of Judah and the fact that they refuse to listen.
  • (16 – 20)  God appeals to Judah to go back to the old ways (the Law), but Judah refuses.  God tells them that their sacrifices are unacceptable.
  • (21 – 30)  The appeals of God will become stumbling blocks to the people  This devastation is compared to a refinery in which the dross (impurity) is drawn off the surface of the liquid precious metal.  But the dross (the wicked) are not separating, so Judah is like rejected silver.

Chapter 7

• Summary:
  • (1 – 2)  Jeremiah was to stand in the gate between the Court of the Gentiles and the Court of the Women (the only place where there is just one gate) and deliver the following message.
  • (3 – 7)  God calls on Judah to “amend their ways”, resulting in protection from the invasion.  The populace instead trusted in the Temple itself as a magical place which could not be taken.
  • (8 – 15)  God accuses Judah of committing iniquity and idolatry, then coming to the Temple and claiming their behavior was justified.  God compares it to a den of thieves, as Jesus repeated in the two cleansing of the Temple scenes (Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:17, John 2:16).  He reminds them of Shiloh, the first place where the tabernacles was erected in the Promised Land (Joshua 18:1), and what happened when they treated the ark of the covenant as magical rather than symbolic (1 Samuel 4:10 – 11).  God tells them to learn from what happened to Israel (15).
  • (16 – 20)  God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people because they are still practicing idolatry.
  • (21 – 26)  God reminds Judah that, even in the exodus, He did not command practices (like sacrifice) but obedience to His voice.  Apparently, they had turned the practices into magic arts and trusted in that rather than in God.  The prophets had reminded them of this to no avail.
  • (27)  God lets Jeremiah know that he will not have a good response, much like in Isaiah 6:6 – 10.
  • (28 – 34)  Due to their idolatry, Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed.  The casualties will be so great that the bodies will fill the Valley of Hinnom.  This was the garbage dump along the south side of the city.  As the language changed over the next six centuries, it was called Gehenna (Ge = Valley of).

Chapter 8

• Summary:
  • (1 – 2)  In the plundering that happens after sieges, the tombs will be ransacked.  The wealthy and powerful often are buried with jewelry and other valuables.
  • (3 – 22)  God recounts, again, the iniquity of Judah and the devastation to come.  No one repents, but rather claims, “What have I done?” (6)  Even the wild animals have the sense to follow their nature, implying that a good nature is built in to each person. (7)  But, a cry will arise from the future captives, “Is not the Lord in Zion?” (19)  “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (22)

Chapter 9

• Summary:
  • (1 – 6)  Jeremiah weeps for Israel despite their many vices.
  • (7 – 11)  God announces that He will “refine” them with this desolation.
  • (12 – 16)  The wise will understand why the land must perish, because of they forsook the Law and followed idols.  Therefore, they will be scattered among the Gentiles and pursued by violence.
  • (17 – 22)  Mourning for Israel is the appropriate response.
  • (23 – 24)  Paul borrowed this idea for 1 Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 10:17.  Do not stake your importance on wisdom, power, or wealth, but in the fact that you know and understand God.
  • (25 – 26)  Five nations are listed as circumcised.  Some notable historians of in the last few centuries before Jesus recorded the same.  God’s point is that they were performing the rite but forgetting the symbolism.

Chapter 10

• Summary:
  • (1 – 16)  .Having declared that Israel would be scattered among the Gentiles in 9:16, God reminds the survivors that they must not adopt the culture of those same Gentiles.
  • (17 – 22)  This devastation may be blamed on dull-hearted leaders.  The invasion by Assyria may be heard in the distance.
  • (23 – 25)  Verse 23 has been used to validate the position that God controls everything, that people only imagine they have free will.  Of course, such a position is illogical because God asks people throughout the Bible to make choices.  If they cannot, then God is deceiving them by making them believe that they can.  Instead, Jeremiah’s point is that people cannot figure out how be reconciled to God, so Jeremiah asks that God correct them.  In the New Testament, these unknowable facts are described as “mysteries.”  In every case, the revealing of the mystery follows immediately after its description.  Jeremiah’s point is that people cannot solve their own relationship problems.  They require God’s help.
    • Romans 11:25  Why Israel responded to Jesus in small numbers at first.
    • Romans 16:25-26  The mystery has been made known to all nations
    • 1 Corinthians 2:7  The mystery are the things of the Spirit
    • 1 Corinthians 15:51  How judgment day will happen and how we will live forever
    • Ephesians 1:9  How redemption would work
    • Ephesians 3:3-9  What about the Gentiles?
    • Ephesians 5:32  The nature of marriage
    • Ephesians 6:19  To make known the mystery of the gospel
    • Colossians 1:26-27  What about the Gentiles?

Chapter 11

• Summary:  The broken covenant is the theme.  God reminds them of the covenant to which their ancestors had agreed when He brought them out of Egypt.
  • (8)  “I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant.”  The Law of Moses had many penalty clauses.  The most concise section of these is Deuteronomy 27.
  • (11)  “Though they cry out to Me, I will not listen.”  The Captivity is a certainty.
  • (12)  “Cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them in their time of trouble.”  Israelite history is replete with rescues of Israel from calamity, yet they turn to idols who have no track record.
  • (13)  “According to the number of your cities were your gods…according to the number of your streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars of that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.”  That’s a lot of gods and altars.
  • (14)  “Do not pray for this people.”
  • (21 – 23)  Jeremiah’s life was threatened by his relatives in his home town, Anathoth, in an effort to frighten Jeremiah into silence.  In response, God promised to protect Jeremiah and predicted death in battle for the men as well as death by starvation for the rest, and that the clan would be totally wiped out.

Chapter 12

• Summary:
  • (1)  “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?”  Psalms 37 and 73 address the same issue.
  • (2)  “You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.”
  • (3 – 13)  God replies that He has forsaken His people.
  • (13)  “They have sown wheat but reaped thorns; they have put themselves to pain but not to profit.”
  • (15)  “Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back…”
  • (17)  “But, if they do not obey. I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation.”

Chapter 13

• Summary:
  • (1 – 14)  Jeremiah was instructed by God to get and wear a linen sash for a time (“Do not put it in water” means he is not to wash it).  Then, he is to travel all the way to the Euphrates (perhaps 300 miles) and bury the sash by the river among some rocks.  “After many days,” Jeremiah was instructed to go back and dig it up.  God summarized, “In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.”  First, I suggest that Jeremiah had an audience.  Second, the point was to ruin their pride, not the nation itself.  The captivity, which would begin in chapter 25, was characterized as a lesson in humility.
  • (17)  “But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears because the Lord’s flock as been taken captive.”
  • (19)  Captivity is promised.
  • (22)  “If you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things come upon me?’ for the greatness of your iniquity…”
  • (23)  “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?  May you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.”

Chapter 14

• Summary:  Concerning the droughts.
  • (2 – 6)  A description of the calamity of drought.
  • (7 – 9) A prayer that God relent, despite 11:14.  “Do it for Your Name’s sake.”  See also 14:11.
  • (10 – 12)  God’s answer, “No.”
  • (13 – 16)  Many prophets of the day predicted peace and safety.  Jeremiah predicted that they would die by sword and famine.
  • (17 – 18)  The people, prophets, and priests will be broken.
  • (19 – 22)  “Have you utterly rejected Judah?”  Jeremiah pleads for healing of the nation and remembers the greatness of God.  “Therefore we will wait for You.”

Chapter 15

• Summary:  More condemnation of Judah
  • (1)  “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people.  Cast them out of My sight…”
  • (2)  Some will die by the sword (actually turned out to be about 90%), some will die in the famine, and some will go into captivity.
  • (4)  Some of the punishment was in response to the behavior of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah (2 Kings 21).
  • (6)  “I am weary of relenting.”
  • (11)  But, to Jeremiah, God promises, “Surely it will be well with your remnant; surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you in the time of adversity…”  This came true in 39:11 – 40:6 when Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to find Jeremiah and bring him to him.  Nebuchadnezzar gave Jeremiah the choice of Babylon as his guest, staying in Judah, or anything else he might want.
  • (15 – 18)  Jeremiah pleads to be remembered by God because he was faithful.
  • (19 – 21)  God promises to protect Jeremiah, although he will experience severe opposition.

Chapter 16

• Summary: 
  • (1 – 4)  Jeremiah is not to marry or have children because all the wives and children are soon to die.
  • (5 – 9)  Jeremiah is not to participate in funeral rites.
  • (10 – 12)  The people ask what they did.  God tells them (again).
  • (13 – 15)  Captivity is certain, but restoration also is guaranteed.

Chapter 17

• Summary:
  • (1 – 6)  The sin of Judah has been written with a diamond-tipped iron pen.
  • (7 – 8)  He who trust in the Lord is like a tree planted by the waters
  • (9 – 13)  “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.”  This does not describe all people, but only the wicked.  The righteous are in verse 7 and 8.
  • (14 – 18)  Jeremiah classed himself among the righteous and encouraged God to go ahead and bring the promised destruction.
  • (19 – 27) Jeremiah is to announce in the city gates that God will relent if they keep the Sabbath.  Surely there was more wrong than this, but if they would not do this one simple thing, there was to be no hope.

Chapter 18

• Summary:
  • (1 – 6)  The potter.  Paul used a similar illustration in Romans 9:20 – 21, but not an exact quotation.  The point of the illustration was that God, as the potter, has the right to start over if the clay does not form as desired.
  • (7 – 17)  Remember history.  God relents if the condemned repent.
  • (18 – 23)  A plot is formed against Jeremiah.  To this point, the threats are only verbal.  Jeremiah asks God to bring the promised devastation quicker.

Chapter 19

• Summary:
  • (1 – 13)  Jeremiah used a pottery jar as an illustration.  First he announced the destruction of Judah (again), then broke the flask to illustrate it.  The Valley of Hinnom was the garbage dump (Gehenna – an illustration of hell).  Broken pottery was discarded at the potsherd gate in case anyone needed Post-It notes.
  • (14 – 15)  Then Jeremiah repeated the gist of the story in the Temple courtyard.

Chapter 20

• Summary:
  • (1 – 6)  Pashhur, a chief priest, had Jeremiah put in stocks.  Jeremiah gave him a new name, Fear on Every Side, and repeated the promise of total destruction and captivity in Babylon.
  • (7 – 18)  Jeremiah laments his task before God. 

Chapter 21

• Summary:
  • (1 – 10)  King Zedekiah (the last king) sent two officials to ask Jeremiah about the invasion by the Babylonians that had just begun.  This is a different Pashhur than 20:1.  God’s reply is that God will fight with the Babylonians, and that most will die by sword, famine, or pestilence, and the rest will be deported.  Defectors will preserve their lives in so doing.
  • (11 – 14)  God’s summary includes another appeal for repentance.

Chapter 22

• Summary:
  • (1 – 5)  Jeremiah is sent to the king with another appeal for repentance
  • (6 – 10)  Other nations will marvel that the God of Israel destroyed them.  But they knew why.  God reminds them that those who go into captivity will not return, but will die in a foreign land.
  • (11 – 17)  The son of Josiah, Shallum (renamed Jehoahaz) was captured and deposed by the Egyptians (who had killed Josiah in battle). They installed Jehoahaz’s brother, Jehoiakim, as king.  Jehoahaz died in captivity in Egypt.  Jeremiah was told to predict this result because Jehoahaz was evil, in contrast to his father.
  • (18 – 23)  Jeremiah announced that Jehoiakim was no better and would not be honored when he died.  The outcome is recorded in 36:30.
  • (24 – 30)  Coniah (Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son) was not going to be any better, predicting that he would die in exile in Babylon, and that none of his descendants would sit on the throne of David.  In verse 30, he had sons (1 Chronicles 3:17 – 20), but none became king.  The verse says, “Write him down as childless,” not “He was childless.”  He was in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:11 – 12), but this context is about a literal throne (the prosperity of Coniah would be earthly), and it is the throne of Judah, not Israel.  Note that Jeremiah predicted the outcomes for all the kings over a 20-year span, in advance.

Chapter 23

• Summary:
  • (1 – 4)  The leadership is blamed for the downfall of the nation.  God promised to bring the captives back and give them good shepherds.
  • (5 – 8)  The Branch had been mentioned in Isaiah 2:4 and 11:1.  Jeremiah will mention Him again in 33:15.  After the Captivity, Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12 repeats the same promise.  The ancient rabbis generally understood this Branch to be the Messiah.  The Restoration will become more important or noteworthy than the Exodus.
  • (9 – 40)  Against the false prophets of that time.

Chapter 24

• Summary:  Parable of the two baskets of figs.  God promises to protect and aide the righteous captives, but to continue to bring disaster on the unrighteous.

Chapter 25

• Summary:
  • (1 – 11)  Jeremiah announces that, despite 23 years of preaching, none have repented.  Therefore, God will utterly destroy them by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
  • (12 – 14)  Jeremiah announces that they will serve Babylon 70 years, at which time God will destroy Babylon and it will be a perpetual desolation.
  • (15 – 33)  Through various prophets, punishments had been announced on surrounding nations (e.g., Isaiah 13 – 19).  Jeremiah was to send these messages to the various kings.
  • (34 – 38)  The condemnation of the bad leadership of Judah is repeated.

Chapter 26

• Summary:
  •  

26 – 29     Persecution of Jeremiah

30 – 33     Consolation: a return is promised

34 – 36     Examples of obedience and disobedience

37 – 39     Last days of Jerusalem

40 – 44     More trouble after the fall; flight to Egypt despite warning

45             Comfort for Baruch

46             Against Egypt

47             Against Philistia

48             Against Moab

49             Against Ammon, Edom, Syria, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam

50 – 51     Against Babylon

52             Historical account of the last days of Jerusalem