Jeremiah

Identity

Jeremiah is the seventh-century-BC prophet of Judah, called by God from his youth at Anathoth. His ministry spanned the last five kings of Judah and the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. He is called by tradition 'the weeping prophet' — a title drawn from the tears of his own book and from the Book of Lamentations (also traditionally his).

Name and titles

'Jeremiah' — Yirmeyahu in Hebrew — means 'the LORD raises up' or 'the LORD exalts.' Called 'a prophet unto the nations' (Jeremiah 1:5). Called 'Jeremy' (the Greek form) in the New Testament (Matthew 2:17; 16:14; 27:9).

Historical period

• c. 645 BC (est.) — Born to a priestly family at Anathoth in Benjamin.
• 627 BC — Called by God 'in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah' (Jeremiah 1:2).
• 609-598 BC — Prophesies under Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim; the temple sermon (Jeremiah 7).
• 597 BC — First deportation to Babylon; Jehoiachin taken captive.
• 597-586 BC — Prophesies under Zedekiah; buys the field at Anathoth as sign of hope (Jeremiah 32).
• 586 BC — Fall of Jerusalem; temple destroyed; Jeremiah remains with the poor of the land.
• c. 585 BC — Taken to Egypt against his will by fleeing Judeans (Jeremiah 42-43).
• c. 570 BC (tradition) — Died in Egypt (Jewish tradition — Talmud).

Scripture appearances

• Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV) 'Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.'
• Jeremiah 1:8 (KJV) 'Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.'
• Jeremiah 20:9 (KJV) '…his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones…'
• Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.'
• Jeremiah 31:31 (KJV) 'Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:'
• Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV) '…I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…'
• Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV) 'It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.'
• Matthew 16:14 (KJV) Christ's disciples say some think Him to be 'Elias; and others, Jeremias.'

Connected Places

• Jerusalem — the city he wept over.
• Babylon — the enemy empire.
• Egypt — the place of his final years.
• Anathoth — his hometown, a few miles north of Jerusalem.

Connected People

• Isaiah — the great prophet of a century earlier.
• Daniel — the contemporary prophet in Babylon.
• Baruch — his scribe and companion.
• Christ Jesus — who wept over Jerusalem as Jeremiah had, and who established the new covenant Jeremiah promised.

Salvation history role

• The prophet whose 'new covenant' promise (Jeremiah 31:31) is the direct scriptural foundation of Christ's words at the Last Supper: 'This cup is the new testament in my blood' (Luke 22:20).
• The proof that God's people can survive the destruction of their institutions if the covenant is written on the heart.
• The model of the prophet who suffers for speaking truth to power.

Christian tradition

• Feast: 1 May (Byzantine); read in Advent as an Old-Testament witness to Christ.
• The Book of Lamentations is read in Holy Week (Tenebrae services).
• 'Great is Thy Faithfulness' (Thomas Chisholm, 1923) — the great Christian hymn drawn from Lamentations 3:23.

Household reflection

Jeremiah teaches the household that Christian honesty includes tears. To weep over a broken city, a broken family, or a broken church is not weakness. It is prophecy in its truest form.

Read Lamentations 3:22-23 at every household morning prayer: 'They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.'

Room connections

Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.

• Read (Library) — Read Jeremiah 31 and Lamentations 3 as the household's Advent readings.
• Pray (Chapel) — Pray Lamentations 3:22-23 every morning.
• Family (Kitchen Table) — On a household anniversary of loss, read Jeremiah 29:11 as a family act of hope.
• Sing (Choir Room) — Sing 'Great Is Thy Faithfulness' (Thomas Chisholm, 1923).
• Learn (Workshop) — Study the connection between Jeremiah 31:31 and the Last Supper.

Further reading

The Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations in the KJV.

Hebrews 8:8-13 — the New Testament citation of Jeremiah 31.

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• Jerusalem
• Babylon
• Daniel
• Isaiah
• Christ Jesus
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.