The MAJOR & MINOR Prophets - The 16 Writing Prophets Of The Hebrew Canon

-HUHPLDK·V WURXEOHG OLIH VSDQQHG RQH RI WKH PRVW WURXEOHVRPH SHULRGV LQ +HEUHZ KLVWRU\ WKH decades leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C., followed by the Babylonian exile. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. And Jeremiah was in the middle of all of it, sticking it out, praying and preaching, suffering and striving, writing and believing. He lived through crushing storms of hostility and furies of bitter doubt. Every muscle in his body was stretched to the limit by fatigue; every thought in his mind was subjected to questioning; every feeling in his heart was put through fires of ridicule. He experienced it all agonizingly and wrote it all magnificently. 7 The opening three-verse summary (1:1-3) is a concise, comprehensive statement of the call and ministry of Jeremiah the prophet. The historical context clearly links him with Josiah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, three of the last five kings who governed Judah; the short reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin are not mentioned because of their brevity. Jeremiah came from Anathoth, a special town in Benjamin three miles north of Jerusalem set aside for the priests and their families (Joshua 21;18). Apparently, Jeremiah was a priest, but nothing other than this one sentence connects him with the priesthood. In fact, Jeremiah seemed WR EH LQ FRQVWDQW FRQIOLFW ZLWK WKH SULHVWV DQG WKH SURIHVVLRQDO ´SURSKHWVµ HYHQ ZLWK WKH members of his own priestly family (12:6). -HUHPLDK·V FDOO FDPH in the thirtee QWK \HDU RI -RVLDK·V UHLJQ SUREDEO y 626 or 627 B.C. 8 Note WKDW -HUHPLDK·V FDOO FDPH ILYH \HDUV EHIRUH WKH %RRN RI WKH /DZ ZDV IRXQG :RRG FRPPHQWV ´-HUHPL ah, no doubt, held a close relationship with Josiah and one need not be surprised at the FKURQLFOHU·V LQGLFDWLRQ WKDW ZKHQ WKH NLQJ GLHG ¶-HUHPLDK ODPHQWHG· IRU KLP ,, &KURQ µ 9 7KH PHDQLQJ RI -HUHPLDK·V QDPH is uncertain. The following various verb suggestions are given by Hebrew scholars. The titles ´7KH /25'µ RU ´

‡ (VWDEOLVKHV , appoints or sends ‡ 7KURZV [in the sense of laying down a foundation] ‡ +XUOV 11 ‡ ([DOWV ‡ /RRVHQV (the womb).

Jeremiah was certainly appointed and established, and part of His assignment was to throw down nations as well as build them up.

7 The Message, p. 1020. 8 Sometimes there is an inconsistency among the commentators in dating the kings and prophets. Leon J. Wood (p. 329) and John 0DF$UWKXU S IRU LQVWDQFH GDWH -HUHPLDK¶V VWDUWLQJ PLQLVWU\ GDWH DW % & DQG VR GRHV WKH Zondervan Encyclopedia, Vol. 6 ( p. 435) ; The NIV Study Bible SODFHV WKH GDWH DW % & S %ODFNZRRG GDWHV -HUHPLDK¶V call at 626 B.C. (p. 19), as does +D\IRUG¶V %LEOH +DQGERRN (p. 188). 9 Leon J. Wood, The Prophets of Israel, p. 333. 10 ³

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