Background of the Book of Jeremiah

The Book of Jeremiah is the second book of the “Latter Prophets” in the Hebrew Bible’s Old Testament. This book is an edited collection of several units of text, without a strict chronological or thematic order. It gathers and compiles all relevant material, recording the important words spoken or actions performed by the prophet Jeremiah, and also includes biographical material about the prophet, often related in the third person. The content of the book is primarily from the prophet Jeremiah’s own words, but some portions may have been recorded by his assistant, Baruch.

The book is set against the backdrop of Judah’s final years. At that time, under the influence of King Manasseh, Judah was steeped in idolatry and evil practices, and God’s wrath was unceasing. Although the royal court undertook sweeping religious reforms in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign (cf. 2 Kings 22-23), these reforms unfortunately remained superficial, failing to penetrate the actual worship life of the common people. The populace did not genuinely repent and turn to God; instead, they became superstitious about the Temple, believing it to be the ultimate guarantee of national security. The entire nation fell into a false sense of security, with everyone from prophets to priests engaging in deceit.

When the prophet Jeremiah was called, Judah was still subservient to the gradually declining Assyrian Empire. In 612 BC, Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, was captured by the combined forces of Babylon and Media. In 609 BC, Pharaoh Necho of Egypt led his army north to aid Assyria, and King Josiah of Judah marched out to intercept the Egyptian army, but tragically died in battle. His son Jehoahaz succeeded him but reigned for only three months before Necho took him to Egypt. Necho then installed Jehoahaz’s brother, Jehoiakim, as king, and from then on, Judah became a vassal of Egypt.

In 605 BC (Jeremiah 25:1; 46:2), King Nebuchadnezzar first attacked Jerusalem. King Jehoiakim and some Temple vessels were taken captive (2 Chronicles 36:6-7), and the prophet Daniel was also taken in this first exile (Daniel 1:1, 6). Jehoiakim was later released. In 597 BC, Jerusalem fell after a three-month siege, and King Jehoiachin and all the Judean elite were exiled; the prophet Ezekiel was also taken captive during this event (Ezekiel 1:1-2). In 586 BC, Jerusalem was captured, the Temple destroyed, most of the remaining populace was exiled, and the Kingdom of Judah came to an end.