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The book of Jeremiah is the twenty-fourth book of the Old Testament and thus of the Bible. This book chronicles the life and prophecies of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, a Levite living within the tribe of Benjamin. It covers the period from the prophet's call in the twentieth year of the reign of King Josiah of Judah[1] to Jeremiah's time among the Jewish refugees in Egypt after the destruction of Jerusalem.[2]
The prophecies predict the fall of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem, as well as judgment to come upon those nations around Judah. Throughout the book, Jeremiah is persecuted for his uncompromising stand to the veracity of God's revealed word to himself. As a prophet and priest, Jeremiah had access to the royal family, though latter kings imprisoned him and sought his death.
Finally, as Jerusalem was under siege, conspirators who had killed the military governor put in place by Nebuchadnezzar kidnapped Jeremiah and took him with them as they fled to Egypt.
Authorship
After the "title page" of the book (1:1-3), the prophet Jeremiah writes in the first person describing his call to the ministry.[3] Though the narrative reverts to third person for most of the book, the context and content indicate events to which the prophet was a participant or eyewitness. Parts of the last chapter, an historical appendix, seem to be a report sent to Jeremiah, or to his faithful scribe Baruch. The individual scrolls, that contained the prophecies and narratives, have been assembled differently through time, but the Hebrew construction seems to be the best.
Outline
I. Call and Commission
- A. Introduction (1:1-3)
- B. Call and Commission (1:4-19)
II. Prophecy Against Judah
- A. Judgment Announced (2:1-3:5)
- B. Judgment Prophesied (3:6-24:10)
III. Prophecy Against the Nations
- A. God's Power (25:1-38)
- B. God's Program for His People
- 1. Controversy (26:1-29:32)
- 2. Consolation (30:1-33:26)
- 3. Conflict (34:1-45:5)
- 1. Controversy (26:1-29:32)
- C. God's Program for the Nations (46:1-51:64)
IV. Historical Appendix (52:1-34)