The Book of Jeremiah (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament | NICOT)
Of the Major Prophets, Jeremiah is perhaps the least straightforward. It is variously comprised of stories about the prophet Jeremiah, exchanges between Jeremiah and Yahweh, and messages directly from Yahweh—meaning a consciousness of form is essential to the understanding of its content. At times it is written in poetry, resembling Isaiah, while at other times it is written in prose, more similar to Ezekiel. And it is without doubt the darkest and most threatening of the Major Prophets, inviting comparisons to Amos and Hosea.
John Goldingay, a widely respected biblical scholar who has written extensively on the entire Old Testament, navigates these complexities in the same spirit as other volumes of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series—rooted in Jeremiah’s historical context but with an eye always trained on its meaning and use as Christian Scripture. After a thorough introduction that explores matters of background, composition, and theology, Goldingay provides an original translation and verse-by-verse commentary of all fifty-two chapters, making this an authoritative and indispensable reference for scholars and pastors as they engage with Jeremiah from a contemporary Christian standpoint.
- Explores Jeremiah’s historical context with an eye on its meaning and use as Christian Scripture
- Provides a thorough introduction that explores matters of background, composition, and theology
- Features an original translation and verse-by-verse commentary
Introduction
- Background
- Unity of Composition
- Authorship and Date
- Place of Origin, Occasion, and Destination
- Canonicity
- The Hebrew Text
- Theology
- Main Themes and Their Implications
- Analysis of Contents
Text and Commentary
- Prologue: An Introduction to the Scroll (1:1–19)
- Part One: Confrontation, Exhortation, Warning (2:1–6:36)
- Part Two (7:1–24:10)
- An Interim Conclusion (25:1–38)
- Part Three: The Die Cast and/or the Possibility of Restoration (26:1–36:32)
- Part Four: The Calamity and the Aftermath (37:1–45:5)
- Part Five: Messages about Other Peoples (46:1–51:64)
- Epilogue (52:1–34)
Top Highlights
“Because of who he is, he could change his mind in order to do something more generous than he said, but not something meaner. The fulfillment of these promises in Jer 33:14–18 is of that kind. The promises to David and to Levi are more than fulfilled as Yahweh implements through Jesus his original intention for Israel as a whole to be a royal priesthood.” (Page 702)
“Yahweh delights in him, like a vineyard owner delighting in the plants he tends in order to get them to grow fruitfully” (Page 643)
“The political story that holds together the narrative implied by the Jeremiah scroll is thus the story of three kings, Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah, followed by the fall of Jerusalem and the aftershocks in Mizpah, of which we will read in Jeremiah.” (Page 3)
“They came ‘from Yahweh’s mouth,’ not from Jeremiah’s mind (23:16)” (Page 4)
“the within might apply to the people corporately or individually.” (Page 653)
In this landmark commentary on Jeremiah, John Goldingay succeeds in mingling the best of textual and critical scholarship with freshness of insight and theological relevance. His mastery of the arts of biblical interpretation and his knowledge of critical scholarship are unparalleled, yet he frees the reader from entanglement in arcane jargon. He has a unique knack for conveying complex matters in ways that are fresh and compelling. Above all, the prophet Jeremiah is not allowed to become a creature of literary process but emerges as one who has had an experience of God and who has bequeathed an immense theological legacy in the book that bears his name. This commentary is an immensely valuable resource for all serious readers of the Old Testament.
— J. Gordon McConville, University of Gloucestershire
Drawing from a well of interpretation two millennia deep, Goldingay provides to beginning students as well as experts a coherent, accessible commentary on Jeremiah as a book of Scripture. His discussions of the diction and structure, poetry and rhetoric of the Hebrew text enable readers to join him in investigating Jeremiah with empathetic historical imagination.
— Pamela J. Scalise, Fuller Theological Seminary
With a refreshing approach to the commentary genre, Goldingay outstandingly leads his audience to navigate the depth, complexity, and ambiguity of the Jeremiah scroll. Using lucid, reader-friendly, and empowering rhetoric, he has eloquently demonstrated the power of imagination with fresh angles of perception. Readers are invited to engage in pursuing this complex book with pointers and directives provided by the author.
— Barbara M. Leung Lai, Tyndale University
- Title: The Book of Jeremiah
- Author: John Goldingay
- Series: New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2021
- Pages: 1033
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. O.T. Jeremiah › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780802875846, 080287584X
- Resource ID: LLS:NICOT24GOLDINGAY
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-05-17T01:28:06Z