Historical Setting
The final days of Judah constitute the historical setting that sets the stage for Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry. Jeremiah was born into a world of violent changes and intense power struggles. Two very significant events frame the stage upon which Jeremiah will act as God’s mouthpiece. The first one can be characterized as the process by which the center of ancient Near Eastern power shifts from Assyria to Babylonia. This shift allowed Judah a certain degree of freedom, albeit short-lived, to carry out important religious and political reforms. The second event, the fall of Jerusalem, produced a profound and irreversible scar in the life and identity of ancient Israel. The political, economic, social and religious realities of the period in between these two hallmark events are the ones that surround the core of Jeremiah’s prophetic activity.
Literary Setting
The literary features of the book of Jeremiah are complex. One is immediately struck by the amount of prose present in Jeremiah, whereas other prophets (e.g., Isaiah) present less prose and more poetry. Historical narrative is part of the Jeremiah prose material. The prophet also expresses his message through poetry that is powerful and full of metaphors, images and words of action. Within this poetry one encounters what has been identified as the oracles against foreign nations. To this we can add other literary features such as vision reports, symbolic actions reports, biography, confessions and laments. ◆
Key Concepts
• The presence of the temple will not shield the people of Judah from God’s judgment through the Babylonians.
• The covenant was broken and judgment (covenant curses) will come about.
• Restoration will not come for Israel until after judgment.
• The new covenant continues God’s revelation of himself by providing forgiveness of sin.