The Book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah, the 'weeping prophet,' warned Judah of coming exile while promising a new covenant written on the heart. Few prophets paid such a personal price for their message.
- Testament
- Old (52 chapters)
- Type
- Major Prophet
- Author
- Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, with his scribe Baruch.
- Date
- Active roughly 626-580 BC, through the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
The cost of telling the truth
Jeremiah is beaten, imprisoned, lowered into a cistern to die, and ultimately taken to Egypt against his will. His 'confessions' (chapters 11-20) are some of the most raw prayers in Scripture, full of God-wrestling honesty.
The new covenant
Against the rubble of the old, Jeremiah promises a new covenant in which God's law is written on the heart (31:31-34). The New Testament reads this as the covenant Christ inaugurated at the Last Supper — 'this cup is the new testament in my blood' (Luke 22:20).
Key verses (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 29:11 (KJV)
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.” — Jeremiah 31:31 (KJV)
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” — Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV)
How to read Jeremiah
Jeremiah is long and not chronologically ordered. Read chapters 1 (the call), 7 (the Temple sermon), 18-20 (the potter and Jeremiah's lament), 29 (the letter to the exiles), 31 (the new covenant), and 52 (the fall of Jerusalem) first.
Read Jeremiah on your iPhone
Read the full book of Jeremiah in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
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