Description
Jeremiah is one of the greatest prophets of ancient Israel, but is also one of the least understood. Jeremiah among the Prophets introduces the Biblical book of Jeremiah and is designed to give the reader a foundation of knowledge about the book and the prophet.
Jack R. Lundbom makes a careful study of Jeremiah from chapter one to fifty-one, with an accessible but comprehensive interpretation of the book, analysis of the life of the prophet, and consideration of the context of the Old Testament. Lundbom sets out careful exposition of key issues. The dreams and prophecies of Jeremiah are examined with an astute eye for signature rhetorical and textual devices; this is taken with a view of the lamentations found within the book of Jeremiah, which earned Jeremiah the nickname of ‘the weeping prophet’. The work of ancient scribes and scribal practices are shown to have contributed to the transmission of Jeremiah’s wisdom to the present, helping us to understand the nature of the text and prophet.
Jeremiah among the Prophets will enthral anyone who wants to learn about Jeremiah – the prophet and the books of the Bible associated with him – making the book ideal for the casual reader.
About the Author
Jack R. Lundbom is currently Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois. He is author of Jeremiah: A Study in Ancient Hebrew Rhetoric (1975; 1997), a three-volume Jeremiah in the Anchor Bible Commentary series (1999; 2004), and Deuteronomy: A Commentary (2013).
Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
1. Jeremiah’s Call and Commission (1:4-12, 13-19; 15:16-17)
2. Devotion in the Wilderness, Abandonment in the Land (2:1-3, 4-9, 10-13)
3. If You Return, to Me Return (3:1-5, 19-20, 21-25; 4:1-2)
4. The Foe from the North (4:3-4, 5-8, 23-26; 5:14b-17)
5. Pardon for Jerusalem? (5:1-9)
6. Temple Oracles and a Day in Court (7:1-7, 8-11, 12-15; 26:1-24)
7. Laments and Weeping (8:18-21; 8:22-9:2; 9:20-22; 14:17b—15:3)
8. Droughts Without and Within (14:2-6, 7-9, 10-16; 15:15-18, 19-20)
9. Prisons Without and Within (19:1-13; 19:14-20:6; 20:7-10, 11-13)
10. Cursed Be the Day, Cursed Be the Man (20:14-18)
11. Woe to the Kings! (21:1-23:8)
12. Woe to the Prophets! (23:9-40)
13. Cupbearer at Banquet for the Nations (25:15-29; 46-51)
14. Jeremiah Meets Hananiah (27:1-28:17)
15. Letters to the Good Figs in Exile (24; 29:1-32)
16. Rechabites Faithful, Zedekiah and Judah Unfaithful (34-35)
17. The New and Eternal Covenant (31:31-34; 32:38-40)
18. Jeremiah Buys a Field (32)
19. Suffering, Imprisonment, and Rescue (37-38; 39:11-14; 40:1-6)
20. Scribes of the Jeremiah Book (36:1-8; 45; 51:59-64)
Bibliography
Scripture Index
Endorsements and Reviews
Jack Lundbom has long since established himself as a foremost interpreter of Jeremiah, capable of a rich flow of technical erudition. . . . He is a reliable interpreter who invites the reader into the key issues and claims of the text. This book is a chapter-by-chapter exposition with a conclusion that reflects on the scribal formation of the book of Jeremiah. Lundbom shows the reader the compelling ways in which this ancient tradition merits our continuing attention.
Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary
An accessible but comprehensive interpretation of the book, analysis of the life of the prophet, and consideration of the context of the Old Testament. Lundbom sets out careful exposition of key issues. The dreams and prophecies of Jeremiah are examined with an astute eye for signature rhetorical and textual devices.
Walter Brueggemann, in The American Journal of Biblical Theology, Vol 14, No 19
What we have here is a mature distillation of Lundbom’s wide knowledge of the book of Jeremiah presented in such a way as to invite non-specialists into the complex and multifaceted interpretive world this text inhabits. Lundbom is a wise, patient, and easy-to-follow guide. This book is a welcomed gift from a seasoned scholar for those in the church and seminary settings.
Bacho V. Bordjadze, in Reviews in Religion and Theology, Vol 21, No 1
Lundbom wrote the 3-volume Anchor Bible commentary on Jeremiah (1999-2004), and here performs the commendable task of mediating his understanding of the book to a general audience, with not a footnote in sight. … This would make an excellent introduction to a serious read-through of the book.
Richard Briggs, in Biblical Studies Bulletin, June 2013
… an excellent material and pastoral tool for beggining students and general readers of the prophet Jeremiah.
Michael Ufok Udoekpo, Sacred Heart School of Theology, in Theological Book Review, Vol 25, No 2
This slim volume contains a condensed and popular version of Lundbom’s substantial research on the book of Jeremiah … I enjoyed reading the book. It is well written and eminently accessible. It manages to give a chronological and coherent outline of Jeremiah’s life, an accomplishment indeed given the structure of the book of Jeremiah.
Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, in Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament, 2014
Lundbom is a knowledgeable commentator and gracefully explores the poetic, rhetorical and theological particularities of Jeremiah.
William L. Kelly, in The Expository Times, Vol 127, No 10
Lundbom easily shows that he has dwelt in the land of Jeremiah for a long time. Rather than getting into complicated discussions of who wrote what part of Jeremiah, Lundbom examines the logic of Jeremiah’s message, who he’s talking to, and why they need to hear it. … If you are studying Jeremiah, you should have one of Lundbom’s books (at least).
Spencer Robinson, at https://spoiledmilks.wordpress.com, October 2017
