Jeremiah (Hebrew: יִרְמְיָהוּ, Standard Yirməyáhu, frequently
misspelled as Yirmiyáhu Tiberian Yirməyāhū ;
"the Lord will raise", Arabic: 'Eremia' (ارمیا) ) was one of the 'greater prophets' of the Hebrew Bible. He was the son of Hilkiah, a priest of Anathoth.
His writings are collected in the book of Jeremiah and, according to tradition, the Book of Lamentations. Jeremiah is also famous as "the broken-hearted prophet" (who wrote or
dictated a "broken book", which has been difficult for scholars to put into chronological order), whose heart-rending life, and
true prophecies of dire warning went largely unheeded by the people of Judah. God told Jeremiah, "You will go to them; but for
their part, they will not listen to you".
He remained in Jerusalem, uttering from time to time his words of warning, but without much effect. He was there when
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon besieged the city (Jer. 37:4, 5), 588 BCE, as Jeremiah had prophesied before-hand. The rumour of the approach of the Egyptians to aid the Jews in
this crisis induced the Babylonians to withdraw, and to return to their own land. However, this siege was raised for only a short
time. The prophet, in answer to his prayer, received a message from God, stating that "the Babylonians would come again, and take
the city, and burn it with fire" (37:7, 8). The princes, in their anger at such a message by Jeremiah, cast him into prison
(37:15-38:13). He was still in confinement when the city was taken (586 BCE). The Babylonians released him, and showed him great
kindness, allowing Jeremiah to choose the place of his residence, according to a Babylonian edict. Jeremiah accordingly went to
Mizpah in Benjamin with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea.
Johanan succeeded Gedaliah, who had been assassinated by an
Israelite prince in the pay of Ammon "for working with the Babylonians". Refusing to listen to
Jeremiah's counsels, Johanan fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch ben Neriah, Jeremiah's faithful scribe and servant with
him (Jer. 43:6). There, the prophet probably spent the remainder of his life, still seeking in vain to turn the people to the
Lord, from whom they had so long revolted (44). Some believe he was murdered in Egypt by those angered by his prophecies. It is
known that he lived into the reign of Evil-merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar, and may have been about ninety years of age at his
death. We have no authentic record of his death. He may have died at Tahpanes, or, according to a tradition, may have gone to
Babylon with the army of Nebuchadnezzar.
==Introspection==
anger and frustration he feels. He is not depicted as a man of iron, and yet he continues in preaching and praying for God's people.
Rabbinic literature
In Jewish rabbinic literature, especially the aggadah, Jeremiah and Moses are often mentioned together; their life and works being presented in parallel
lines. The following ancient midrash is especially interesting, in connection with Deut. xviii.
18, in which "a prophet like Moses" is promised: "As Moses was a prophet for forty years, so was Jeremiah; as Moses prophesied
concerning Judah and Benjamin, so did Jeremiah; as Moses' own tribe [the Levites under Korah] rose up against him, so did
Jeremiah's tribe revolt against him; Moses was cast into the water, Jeremiah into a pit; as Moses was saved by a female slave
(the slave of Pharaoh's daughter); so, Jeremiah was rescued by a male slave [Ebed-melech]; Moses reprimanded the people in
discourses; so did Jeremiah."
Christianity
The Christian legend (pseudo-Epiphanius, "De Vitis Prophetarum"; Basset, "Apocryphen Ethiopiens," i. 25-29), according to
which Jeremiah was stoned by his compatriots in Egypt because he reproached them with their evil deeds, became known to the Jews
through Ibn Yaḥyà ("Šalšelet ha-qabbālāh," ed. princeps, p. 99b.)
This account of Jeremiah's martyrdom, however, may have come originally from Jewish sources. Another Christian legend narrates
that Jeremiah by prayer freed Egypt from a plague of crocodiles and mice; for which reason his name was for a long time honored
by the Egyptians (pseudo-Epiphanius and Yaḥya, l.c.). He is commemorated as a prophet in the
Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod on June 26. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical
calendar, his feast day is May 1. He is also commemorated as a saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church, where his feast falls on 5 Pashons.
Islam
In some Islamic narrations Ezra or Jeremiah is the person who mentioned in this verse:
[Quran 2:259] Consider the one who passed by a ghost town and wondered, "How can GOD revive this after it had died?" GOD then
put him to death for a hundred years, then resurrected him. He said, "How long have you stayed here?" He said, "I have been here
a day, or part of the day." He said, "No! You have been here a hundred years. Yet, look at your food and drink; they did not
spoil. Look at your donkey - we thus render you a lesson for the people. Now, note how we construct the bones, then cover them
with flesh." When he realized what had happened, he said, "Now I know that GOD is Omnipotent."
It is told that the town is Jerusalem after destroying and Ezra or Jeremiah is the person that asked God how this town will be
alive according to promises.
Writings and authorship
Traditional perspectives
Jeremiah is traditionally credited with authoring the Book of Jeremiah 1 Kings, 2
Kings and the Book of Lamentations with the assistance and under the editorship of
Baruch ben Neriah, his scribe and disciple.
Critical perspectives
Jeremiah is considered by some modern scholars to have written, or redacted much of the Old Testament, as we have it
today.[citation needed] His language in "Jeremiah" and
"Lamentations" is quite similar to that in Deuteronomy and the "Deuteronomistic History" of Joshua, Judges,
the Books of Samuel, and the Books of
Kings.[citation needed]
Contemporary commentary
Jewish
Commentator Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote that the book is written as if
Jeremiah not only heard as words but personally felt in his body and emotions the experience of what he prophesized, that the
verse
- Are not all my words as fire, sayeth the LORD, and a hammer that shatters rock
was a clue as to how difficult the overwhelming, personality-shattering experience of being a vehicle for Divine revelation
was, on one of the most difficult task ever assigned, and how difficult it was to be able to see, in advance, ones own
failure.
Nebo-Sarsekim Tablet
In July 2007, Assyrologist Michael Jursa translated a cuneiform tablet dated to 595
BCE, as describing a Nabusharrussu-ukin as "the chief eunuch" of Nebuchadnezzar II of
Babylon. Jursa hypothesized that this reference might be to the same individual as the
Nebo-Sarsekim mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3. [1][2]
Cultural influence
Jeremiah was a popular name in the United States during the 1970s, as well as among the early Puritans, who often took the
Biblical names of the prophets and apostles.
Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 is also known as "Jeremiah." Its three movements are Prophecy, Profanation, and
Lamentation.
Bertold Hummel named his Symphony No. 3 "Jeremiah". Its four movements are I. Anathot
II. Babylon III. Lamentationes Jeremiae and IV. Hymnus-Lakén Jeremiah
Sting also made a reference to the prophet on his album The
Soul Cages with his song Jeremiah Blues (Part 1).
Notes
See also
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References
This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible
Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
External links
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