Jeremiah
From Bible Exegesis
Raised up or appointed by YHWH.
(1.) A Gadite who joined David in the wilderness (1 Chronicles 12:10).
(2.) A Gadite warrior (1 Chronicles 12:13).
(3.) A Benjamite slinger who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:4).
(4.) One of the chiefs of the tribe of Manasseh on the east of Jordan (1 Chronicles 5:24).
(5.) The father of Hamutal (2 Kings 23:31), the wife of Josiah.
(6.) One of the “greater prophets” of the Old Testament, son of Hilkiah (q.v.), a priest of Anathoth (Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 32:6). He was called to the prophetical office when still young (Jeremiah 1:6), in the thirteenth year of Josiah (628 B.C.). He left his native place, and went to reside in Jerusalem, where he greatly assisted Josiah in his work of reformation (2 Kings 23:1-25). The death of this pious king was bewailed by the prophet as a national calamity (2 Chronicles 35:25).
During the three years of the reign of Jehoahaz we find no reference to Jeremiah, but in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the enmity of the people against him broke out in bitter persecution, and he was placed apparently under restraint (Jeremiah 36:5). In the fourth year of Jehoiakim he was commanded to write the predictions given to him, and to read them to the people on the fast-day. This was done by Baruch his servant in his stead, and produced much public excitement. The roll was read to the king. In his recklessness he seized the roll, and cut it to pieces, and cast it into the fire, and ordered both Baruch and Jeremiah to be apprehended. Jeremiah procured another roll, and wrote in it the words of the roll the king had destroyed, and “many like words” besides (Jeremiah 36:32).
He remained in Jerusalem, uttering from time to time his words of warning, but without effect. He was there when Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city (Jeremiah 37:4, Jeremiah 37:5), 589 B.C.. The rumour of the approach of the Egyptians to aid the Jews in this crisis induced the Chaldeans to withdraw and return to their own land. This, however, was only for a time. The prophet, in answer to his prayer, received a message from God announcing that the Chaldeans would come again and take the city, and burn it with fire (Jeremiah 37:7, Jeremiah 37:8). The princes, in their anger at such a message by Jeremiah, cast him into prison (Jeremiah 37:15 - 38:13). He was still in confinement when the city was taken (588 B.C.). The Chaldeans released him, and showed him great kindness, allowing him to choose the place of his residence. He accordingly went to Mizpah with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea. Johanan succeeded Gedaliah, and refusing to listen to Jeremiah's counsels, went down into Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch with him (Jeremiah 43:6). There probably the prophet spent the remainder of his life, in vain seeking still to turn the people to the Lord, from whom they had so long revolted (Jeremiah 44). He lived till the reign of Evil-Merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar, and must have been about ninety years of age at his death. We have no authentic record of his death. He may have died at Tahpanhes, or, according to a tradition, may have gone to Babylon with the army of Nebuchadnezzar; but of this there is nothing certain.
Jeremiah (1)
jer-ē̇-mī´a ((a) ירמיהוּ, yirmeyāhū, or (b) shorter form, ירמיה, yirmeyāh, both differently explained as “Yah establishes (so Giesebrext), whom Yahweh casts,” i.e. possibly, as Gesenius suggests, “appoints” (A. B. Davidson in HDB, II, 569a), and “Yahweh looseneth” (the womb); see BDB): The form (b) is used of Jeremiah the prophet only in Jeremiah 27:1; Jeremiah 28:5, Jeremiah 28:6, Jeremiah 28:10, Jeremiah 28:11, Jeremiah 28:12, Jeremiah 28:15; Jeremiah 29:1; Ezr_1:1]]; Dan_9:2]], while the other is found 116 times in Jeremiah alone. In 1 Esdras 1:28, 32, 47, 57; 2 Esdras 2:18, English Versions of the Bible has “Jeremy,” so the King James Version in 2 Macc 2:1, 5, 7; Mat_2:17]]; Mat_27:9]]; in Mat_16:14]], the King James Version has “Jeremias,” but the Revised Version (British and American) in 2 Maccabees and Matthew has “Jeremiah.”
(1) The prophet. See special article. Of the following, (2), (3) and (4) have form (a) above; the others the form (b).
(2) Father of Hamutal (Hamital), the mother of King Jehoahaz and King Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:31; 2 Kings 24:18 parallel Jeremiah 52:1).
(3) A Rechabite (Jeremiah 35:3).
(4) In 1 Chronicles 12:13 (Hebrew 14), a Gadite.
(5) In 1 Chronicles 12:10 (Hebrew 11), a Gadite.
(6) In 1 Chronicles 12:4 (Hebrew 5), a Benjamithe?) or Judean. (4), (5) and (6) all joined David at Ziklag.
(7) Head of a Manassite family (1 Chronicles 5:24).
(8) A priest who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:2), probably the same as he of Nehemiah 12:34 who took part in the procession at the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem.
(9) A priest who went to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel from exile and became head of a priestly family of that name (Nehemiah 12:1).
