Another Bible Commentary: Jeremiah

Jeremiah was a prophet for 40 years (627 to 587 BC). He lived during the times that were predicted by Isaiah. Zephaniah and Jeremiah preached to the reformer Josiah. Zephaniah was a descendant of Hezekiah, who had enacted similar reforms to what Josiah would do. Jeremiah preached from the days of Josiah to Zedekiah, like a reverse Moses leading the people into exile. After Josiah’s reforms, Babylon beat Assyria, Judah was Egypt’s vassal, Babylon beat Egypt, Judah was Babylon’s vassal, Judah revolted, and it did not end well. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet (and he had good reasons like Jeremiah 10:20); Jesus wept for Jerusalem, too.

1:1 “Hilkiah” was the re-discoverer of the Law. See 2 Chronicles 34:14 and 2 Kings 22:4. Coming from Benjaminite territory may have affected the way this family’s admonishments to Davidic kings were received. The land deal involving Levites in Jeremiah 32 is okay because of Joshua 21:13-19.

1:4 “The Word” See John 1.

1:6 See Exodus 4:10. This is a hint that Jeremiah is a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-22). Of course, Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that. Jesus has a lot in common with Jeremiah (like weeping for Jerusalem and predictions of doom for Jerusalem and the Temple, but I’m getting ahead of myself).

1:9 like Isaiah 6:7.

1:11-12 In Hebrew, “almond tree” sounds like “watching”.

1:14 This is stated as an inevitability. See Jeremiah 15:4 and 2 Kings 23:25-26.

1:15 Again, “northern” can connote “hidden” or spooky/ominous and/or an attack from Jerusalem’s vulnerable northern face. Spoiler alert: it was Babylon.

2:1-2 “bride” like Isaiah 62:4-5.

2:3 See Genesis 12:3.

2:7 “inheritance” 1 Peter 1:4 says ours is safe.

2:8 “priests”, “leaders”, and “prophets” – More bad shepherds. I know I beat this drum regularly, but this will help us understand Jesus’ words better. See Isaiah 9:16 and Jeremiah 3:15.

2:10 Instead of compass directions, Hebrew texts frequently use place names for geographical reference instead. It would be like an American saying “Canada” for north and “Mexico” for south.

2:13 Both here and Jeremiah 17:13, God is a “spring of living water”. Now, think about what Jesus said in John 7:38. As Christians, God lives in us. For “dug their own cisterns”, this is saying Isaiah 50:10-11 in a different way.

2:14-15 See 2 Kings 17.

2:16 Although there are other events this could mean, the fact that prophets can speak of future events in the past tense leads me to 2 Kings 23.

2:18 See Deuteronomy 17:16 and Isaiah 31:1-3.

2:20 The prostitution image for them committing adultery against their Husband (Isaiah 57:8) appears frequently in the prophets.

2:21 See Isaiah 5:1-7, Isaiah 27:2-6, Ezekiel 17, Romans 11, and John 15.

2:23 See Jeremiah 7:31 and 2 Kings 23:10.

2:28 Since the petty pagan gods allegedly cared for those who brought them gifts, it is no surprise that every town had its own god (similar to but distinct from sports mascots). Even “brand name” gods got localized (Baal Melqart, Baal of Samaria, etc.).

2:29 “all” See Psalm 14:1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20, and Isaiah 9:17. The solution is explained in Romans 3.

2:33 “love” is more like “lovers” in context.

2:34 references Exodus 22:2.

2:36 “disappointed by Egypt” They killed Josiah and they didn’t stop Babylon.

3:1 Despite Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 5:32, there are valid applications of Deuteronomy 24:1-4. God taking these people back in verse 12 is fine (in context, as we’ll see, with regard to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19); “she” didn’t remarry (for there is no other true god). Rather, “she” just whored around a lot like in Hosea.

3:2 “roadside” like Genesis 38:14.

3:3 Since Baal was allegedly a storm god, they had no rain.

3:8 Not all Deuteronomy 24:1-4 divorces are forbidden because, as you can see, God got one. Since there is only one God (Isaiah 45:5), there was no second marriage to complicate things, and 1 Corinthians 7:11 ensued. When Jesus said “for any reason” in a discussion of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 in Matthew 19, His hearers in that day knew that clause to be Hillel’s divorce “for any reason” at all, like burnt toast, rather than limiting divorce to sexual immorality or the abandonment, abuse, etc., we discussed earlier in Exodus 21. God never broke faith; the person that files paperwork because the real divorce already happened when the covenant was broken is not at fault. God didn't marry a different people group to replace them forever; He took them back (Isaiah 54:6-7) and added us (“grafted us in”) as well in Romans 9 through Romans 11. Also, notice the word “sister”; God is portrayed as a sororal polygamist, so marrying sisters (and polygamy in general) isn’t what is prohibited in Leviticus 18:18. God, who does not sin (Leviticus 19:1-2), is portrayed as married to sisters in Jeremiah 3:8 and Ezekiel 23. A better way to read the rule was “do not take your wife’s sister as a wife to vex her”; they were actually to take their wives’ feelings into consideration and not marry rival sisters that would cause fights. Minimizing the grumpiness level in your tent is a good thing.

We are called to live in peace (1 Corinthians 7:15).

3:11 Judah even got the Temple involved in the idolatry (Ezekiel 8).

3:12 Compare God’s perma-anger in Jeremiah 17:4 toward Judah with this non-contradictory statement about the northern kingdom of Israel.

3:15 compared to the ones in Jeremiah 2:8.

3:17 like Isaiah 2:2-4, Isaiah 66:18,23, Micah 4:3, and Zephaniah 2:11.

3:18 “northern” Hidden/obscure. They didn’t see the Gentiles coming.

3:22 “backsliding” The word translated as “backsliding” is “turning away”, which is what they did with regard to God. “Repenting” is “turning around” or “changing your mind” so it’s turning back to God. We don’t “backslide” because we don’t climb. Jesus came down and got us. We can’t get out of His hand. Even if we could slide, we are united with Him, so He’d come with us. Believer, notice that sin’s just not as fun as it used to be anymore because He is with you now.

4:1-2 like Isaiah 56:7. By the way, did they perfectly repent and “no longer go astray”? No. Jesus came anyway. Grace.

4:3 The text pivots from the northern kingdom of Israel to the southern kingdom of Judah. These images remind me of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 and Luke 8.

4:4 Their notion of “heart” or “soul” encompassed what we would classify as psychology: mind, will, emotions, etc. Since believers in Christ have had what was hinted at in Deuteronomy 30:6 and promised in Ezekiel 36:26 already done for us, this verse is like Romans 12:2. Let how you think be transformed by what God did for you. As for “no one to quench it”, Josiah’s reforms delayed the inevitable catastrophe (coming because of what happened during Manasseh’s reign) but were never going to avert it completely.

4:10 God is mistakenly accused of lying here, but see Jeremiah 14:14 and Jeremiah 23:16-17 for clarification about the unauthorized prophecies here.

4:22 “fools” like the godless in Psalm 14:1.

4:23 like if Creation were undone (Genesis 1, Zephaniah 1). Keep going, it’s about Babylon attacking Judah.

4:30 like Jezebel. See also Revelation 17:16.

4:31 like Isaiah 26:17-18. The prophets used similar imagery. Death in childbirth was common.

5:1 The Genesis 18:23-33 bar is down to “one” person.

5:6 See Leviticus 26:22. Other prophets’ beasts will get more elaborate as we read.

5:7-8 See Jeremiah 2:25. The sexual metaphors depict adultery against God as Husband with “gods that are not gods”. This does not mean that adultery is okay, in case anyone is looking for loopholes.

5:10 See Jeremiah 6:9, Isaiah 5:1-7, Isaiah 27:2-6, Ezekiel 17, Romans 11, and John 15.

5:14 like Isaiah 11:4 and Revelation 11:5.

5:15 like Isaiah 28:11.

5:19 Serving foreign gods at home led to serving foreigners away.

5:21 like their idols (Isaiah 6:9-10).

5:22 reminiscent of the nature argument from Job.

5:28 Lack of care for the fatherless and poor leads to wrath for children in Jeremiah 6:11 (like Isaiah 9:17). His ways are not our ways.

6:1 See the proximity of Benjamanite land to Jerusalem on a map.

6:2 similar to, but not directly comparable to, Deuteronomy 21:18-21. The paterfamilias was the ruler of the family unit in the ancient world and had this power.

6:4 Dawn was the customary attack time for maximum daylight. Only very confident aggressors started later in the day.

6:8 See also Leviticus 26:31 and Micah 3:12.

6:9 “again” There were several deportations.

6:11 like Isaiah 9:17. Jeremiah experienced the effects of this in Jeremiah 10:20 and Lamentations 2:22.

6:13 “greedy” and “deceit” See Jeremiah 5:26-28, Jeremiah 6:14, Jeremiah 7:21, Micah 3:5, and Micah 3:11.

6:16 “ask for the ancient paths” Jeremiah 18:15 clarifies that this means worshiping God instead of idols.

6:19 like Proverbs 1:31.

6:20 See Isaiah 66:3 note.

6:23 See Jeremiah 50:42. Jeremiah’s prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem is similar to Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (predictions of doom in Matthew 24, Matthew 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21).

Jeremiah 7 – Compare with Jeremiah 26. There will be those who use passages like these to say that our message of grace is “false peace”. They discount that these sinners thought they were fine on their own merit, and that we, unlike them, have a Savior. These critics, whether they mean to or not, call Him a liar (John 3:16-17, John 5:24, John 6:28-29). See also Hebrews 7:25 and Hebrews 10:14.

7:3,7 These verses speak about returning from exile, because Jeremiah 15:4 was a done deal even before Jeremiah started preaching.

7:4 They thought they would be safe like in Hezekiah’s reign. See also Psalm 46:5.

7:6 “oppress” by overworking/underpaying/overtaxing as in Exodus 3:9 and Deuteronomy 24:14.

7:9-11 “den of robbers” in the sense of a hideout to flee to after committing crimes. Jesus referenced this verse when He cleansed the Temple in Matthew 21:12-13.

7:14 See 1 Samuel 4 if you need a refresher.

7:18 Terra cotta cake molds (like those found in Cyprus) were used to make fertility-goddess-shaped raisin cakes. For more sins they were committing, see 2 Kings 21.

7:21 Jeremiah 8:8 suggests how they got away with this. See also 1 Samuel 15:22.

7:24 See Jeremiah 3:22 note.

7:30 like Ezekiel 8.

7:31 See Leviticus 18:21. Isaac wasn’t to be burned to death, either.

7:32 You may have heard of the Valley of Ben Hinnom by the name Gehenna. It was a burning trash heap outside Jerusalem that had been used for child sacrifice. It is mentioned a few times in the Gospels as a way to talk about the judgment of God and/or Hell.

8:1-2 This meant no rest for the dead according to their reckoning. Assyrians did this to treaty violators.

8:8 See Zephaniah 3:4 and Ezekiel 22:26 as well as the issues already raised in Jeremiah 7:4, Jeremiah 8:10-11, and Jeremiah 7:21.

8:10-12 contains Jeremiah 6:13-15 again.

8:13 Jesus referenced this when He cursed a fig tree as an object lesson predicting the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD (Matthew 21:19, Mark 11:13-14).

8:14 “poisoned water” like the test for an unfaithful wife in Numbers 5.

8:17 like in Numbers 21.

9:2 “desert” The Essenes, John the Baptist, etc., moved out there.

9:10 Prophets may speak of future events in the past tense.

9:11 “jackals” were abhorred as scavengers and therefore as spreaders of ritual uncleanliness.

9:15 Again, like the test for an unfaithful wife in Numbers 5.

9:16 This was not a new idea (Leviticus 26:33); they knew the stakes the whole time.

9:23-24 What do we have that is not from God (1 Corinthians 4:7)? Note especially “kindness (hesed loyal actions), justice (not cheating people), and righteousness (tzedakah variant, including ~charity)” as things He values.

9:25-26 Many other cultures practiced circumcision (often on teens or adults) with no relationship with the Law of Moses for reasons ranging from rite of passage ordeal to infection prevention or cleanliness (for those who can’t remember to wash it, I guess). Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians about why this practice is not meant for Gentile Christians; see Galatians 5:1-6 for a summary.

10:3-4 Do craftsmen shape Christmas trees with chisels? Therefore, this is about gilded idols (verse 8).

10:12-16 is Jeremiah 51:15-19, too.

10:21 See Ezekiel 34.

11:16 See John 15:6 and Romans 9 through Romans 11.

11:21-23 “Anathoth” See Jeremiah 1:1 and Luke 4:24.

12:6 like Mark 3:21.

12:7-8 A Roman poet, Catullus, famously wrote “odi et amo” (“I hate and I love”).

12:14-17 seems to have been on Paul’s mind in Romans 11:17.

13:1-7 “Go buy some expensive priest underwear, ruin them on a 700 mile round trip, then go back and collect them.”

13:11 They were meant to be as close to Him as His drawers (that’s underwear, for the uninitiated).

13:12 Their first assumption would be a message of prosperity like Micah 2:11.

13:18 See 2 Kings 24:8-12

13:22 like Isaiah 47:3.

13:23 Trying hard doesn’t work. Only the Resurrection fixes people. Begin with Jesus’ grace and continue with Jesus’ grace (Galatians 3:3).

13:26 like Isaiah 47:3. God doesn’t tempt people to sin (James 1:13), even metaphorically, so baring His unfaithful wife’s bits for public viewing as a punishment cannot be morally injurious to a bystander; you don’t have to leap behind the couch and grope for the remote just because someone forgot to wear clothes on the set of a depressing prestige cable show. Appreciating and coveting are different, etc.

14:12 “sword, famine, and plague” This refrain is seen generally in Deuteronomy 28 and more specifically in Leviticus 26:25-26.

14:22 like Isaiah 45:7. Jesus took the bad stuff for us.

15:1 “Moses and Samuel” were two successful intercessors (Exodus 32 and 1 Samuel 7:5-11). Jesus is better (Hebrews 7:25).

15:3 The prophets all rhyme, so to speak; there are Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6.

15:4 “abhorrent” as promised in Deuteronomy 28:37. See also 2 Kings 21:10-12 and 2 Chronicles 33:9-10.

15:6 See Jeremiah 3:22 note.

15:7 This verse was probably on John the Baptist’s mind in Matthew 3:12.

15:8 They pushed the Father to the fatherless and the Defender of widows (Psalm 68:5) this far. The Old Covenant’s “unfailing love” that goes away and comes back, permanent anger that’s less than permanent, and unconditional love with conditions are all ironed out in Christ, who resolved the paradox of perfect love and perfect holiness.

15:12 like Jeremiah 28:10-14.

15:16 See Deuteronomy 8:3. See also Ezekiel 3:1-3 and Revelation 10:9. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-18) and the Bread (John 6:35) that sustains us; we remember His death for us when we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

15:17 like Jeremiah 16:8-13.

15:19 “repent” of the whining and disbelief in Jeremiah 15:18.

15:20 like Jeremiah 1:17-19.

16:1-4 is reminiscent of Jesus’ predictions of doom around Matthew 24:19 and Luke 21:23.

16:5 See Ezekiel 24:15-17. Regarding “I have withdrawn My blessing” and Romans 11:29, it is restored in Jeremiah 16:15.

16:6 like Deuteronomy 14:1.

16:8-13 like Jeremiah 15:17.

16:15 like in Deuteronomy 30:4-5.

16:16 Here, the “fishermen” are a threat, coming to get them for their sins. Later, other fishers of men would spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

16:18 God is not unjust. Exodus 20:3-6 told them not to make idols in the likeness of animals. Since the animals they weren’t supposed to have were found in their possession (Exodus 22:9), they were open to double penalties.

16:19 like Isaiah 2:2-4 and Jeremiah 3:17.

17:4 Our inheritance is safe in Heaven where we can’t mess it up (1 Peter 1:4). Judah was guiltier than Israel for even involving God’s Temple in the idolatry, so God’s anger in this verse is “forever” (Jeremiah 3:12); Judah still gets restored in Jeremiah 23:6. See Romans 5:20 if you ever think it’s possible to sin more than God’s grace can handle.

17:5 See Isaiah 2:22 and don’t trust your own works or good behavior to save you.

17:6 “bush” Forgive me for a bit more biblical botany. Specifically, this is the ar’ar whose fruit looks good externally but is deceptively hollow/empty and lacking juice. As for the “salt land”, see Deuteronomy 29:23.

17:7 Faith saves.

17:8 “tree” like Psalm 1; “never fails to bear fruit” See John 15:5. If you have invited Jesus to live in you (which is all “abide” really means), then He’s producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in you (Galatians 5:22-23). People characterized as rocky soil or weedy ground in Matthew 13:5-7 need to trust Him more.

17:9 Here’s an Old Covenant verse that gets quoted out of context frequently to scare New Covenant people, often along with Genesis 8:21 and Jesus’ commentary about the heart in Mark 7. The New Covenant (coming soon in this book in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and also described in Ezekiel 36:26-27) that Jesus gave us through His death and resurrection that we share with Him includes a new heart, a new human spirit, and the Holy Spirit. Now, on this side of the Cross, God makes you want to do good and empowers you do to good (Philippians 2:13). Unless you’re being fooled by Sin into doing what it wants instead, being led by the Spirit feels a lot like you doing what you want to do as a saint.

17:10 “deeds deserve” Jesus made this a group project for Himself and for us in John 17. He’s got us. The deed to get right is in John 6:28-29.

17:13 “spring of living water” God lives in us (John 7:38). Turning from God in the Old Testament has been frequently portrayed as adultery; those astray here are “written in the dust”. What follows John 7? John 8, in which Jesus writes things in the dust, and judgmental people stand down.

17:14 He heals us, and He saves us. We don’t do either of those ourselves.

17:18 Perhaps those in Jeremiah’s hometown; see Jeremiah 11:21 for context.

17:20-27 Again, the Sabbath is for those under the Law of Moses (Ezekiel 20:12). Jeremiah is addressing people failing at the Old Covenant. God gave them a last-minute offer: They could have spared themselves by taking a day off. (This does not contradict Jeremiah 15:4, because God is omniscient. No, knowing what they would do is not the same as causing it any more than knowing a movie spoiler affects the ending.) Their brick-making ancestors would have loved a day off, and that’s why they got one.

18:2 You know something like Isaiah 45:9, Isaiah 64:8, Romans 9:21, etc., is coming.

18:6 Not surprising given Genesis 2:7.

18:7-10 Individualism comes later in Ezekiel 18.

18:11 mirrors Jeremiah 21:10 and Amos 9:4; things get sunnier in Jeremiah 29:11.

18:12 like Isaiah 45:9.

18:18 See Jeremiah 11:21. Jesus was ignored and had to deal with false witnesses, too.

18:23 After similarly predicting the end of Jerusalem, Jesus forgave His own killers.

19:9 See Lamentations 2:20, Lamentations 4:10, and historical accounts of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC and again in 70 AD.

19:11-15 When Matthew 23:33 says “How shall you escape from the sentence of Gehenna?”, this is the judgment being referenced. While Gehenna/Topheth is a fine symbol for Hell, Jesus told the political and religious leaders of His people that Rome would wreck everything just like Jeremiah had warned them about the Babylonians. One biblical generation, 40 years, was even granted for them to acknowledge Him. Jeremiah 19:11 also contrasts the burial of their enemies in Ezekiel 39.

20:7 If your translation says “deceived”, then Jeremiah needed to read Job 1:22. I think it’s “persuaded” because of the irresistible quality of verse 9.

20:14 Job used the same tactic to avoid directly cursing his parents or God.

20:18 Jeremiah’s dangerously close to Isaiah 45:9-10.

21:1 Including the parentage distinguishes this Pashhur from the one in Jeremiah 20:1. This is not a movie or television show in which the writers limit the use of “Steve” to one character.

21:2 “Nebuchadnezzar” or “Nebo (god) protect the crown”.

21:7,9 See Jeremiah 14:12 note. Jeremiah likes the phrase “sword, famine, and plague” and variations thereof (Leviticus 26:25-26). Bending the knee to God’s instrument is obedience, not treason. Jeremiah’s original audience considered him a Babylonian sympathizer.

21:10 See Jeremiah 18:11 note.

21:12 The oppressed/robbed here include the victims of the land thieves in Isaiah 5:8 as well as the overtaxed and overworked in Jeremiah 22:13.

22:3 The “aliens, orphans, and widows” were all mentioned as especially in need of care in Deuteronomy.

22:5 God, being omniscient, knew that verse 5 would be chosen instead of verse 4 and therefore there is no contradiction with Jeremiah 15:4.

22:10 “dead king” Josiah and “exiled” Jehoahaz aka Shallum.

22:12 fulfilled in 2 Kings 23:34.

22:13 Having dealt with Jehoahaz/Shallum, a new section about Jehoiakim begins here. It looks like the heavy taxation of 2 Kings 23:35 was too good for him to stop. See Leviticus 19:13 and Deuteronomy 24:14-15.

22:17 “innocent blood” see Jeremiah 26:20-23 and 2 Kings 24:4.

22:24 A new section about Jehoiachin begins here (2 Kings 24:8).

22:25 Babylon was wicked, but Judah knew better. Habakkuk had concerns about God’s chosen instrument.

22:30 Haggai 2 reverses this curse and Jeremiah 18:5-10 explains why God’s apparent flip-flopping is okay.

23:1 More bad shepherds.

23:4 “nor will any be missing” comes around again a few times, like in John 6:37 and John 17:2. You’re safe with the Good Shepherd.

23:5 The Branch – For more on this common prophetic theme, see Isaiah 4:2, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5 (you’re here, but it’s included for completeness), Jeremiah 33:15, Zechariah 3:8, and Zechariah 6:12. Since the Hebrew for “branch” amounts to the consonants “nzr”, Jesus growing up in Nazareth was not random.

23:6 As many translations put it, “The LORD is Our Righteousness” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

23:8 This new Exodus of sorts was promised back in Deuteronomy 30:4-5.

23:10 In the language of the Old Testament prophets, the adulterers are likely idol worshipers.

23:11 “even in my temple” like under Manasseh (2 Kings 21:4) and forward.

23:14 like Jeremiah 8:10. See also Genesis 19.

23:15 The adulterers/idolaters from verse 10 were given the Numbers 5:11-31 unfaithful wife test metaphorically.

23:17 “stubbornness of their hearts” especially with regard to idols (Jeremiah 25:4-6).

23:25 like Jude 8.

23:33-40 Based on Jeremiah 23:13-14, they were prophesying on behalf of Baal (lord). In some translations, you can see Hebrew wordplay based on the similarity between the words for burden and oracle. This section is comparable to Ezekiel 13.

24:1 in 2 Kings 24:12-14.

24:5 These “good figs” were the leaders and the skilled sent in the 597 BC early deportation. They help out in Jeremiah 26 and Jeremiah 36.

24:7 There’s that New Covenant new heart promise again.

25:1 in 605 BC.

25:3 And, as we will see, God spoke the same message through many prophets. A significant portion of the Old Testament is devoted to warning about/predicting/defending God’s actions with regard to 586 BC.

25:5-6 The “evil ways” and “evil practices” here are specifically regarding idolatry. I’m not saying we all can’t make better choices, but not angering the Supreme Being by casting Him aside in favor of other gods outweighs our other errors of behavior/speech/thought.

25:11 The promise of Deuteronomy 30:4-5 aside, promising a do-over after 70 years was pretty bold given how permanent 722 BC seemed. As for “these nations” serving the king of Babylon for 70 years, in 609 BC Babylon beat Assyria to attain supremacy and in 539 BC Cyrus conquered Babylon, just like God said he would.

25:15-16 See Job 12:24-25, Jeremiah 51:7-8, and Isaiah 51:23.

25:17-18 When Peter, a Jew speaking to Jews, said that judgment begins with the household of God (1 Peter 4:17), this passage (see verse 29, too) and Ezekiel 9:6 seem to be likely antecedents. However, believers in Christ already took the plea bargain and are done with judgment (John 5:24). Judgment has begun with us, but will encompass all humanity. Look to Jesus.

25:26 In the short term, Babylon conquered many and then fell to Persia. Sheshak is an atbash cipher for Babylon. Since Babylon is named openly in Jeremiah, for the futurists (the popular view that much of Bible prophecy pertains to future events to look for in the headlines) this is “Mystery Babylon” (Revelation 17:5), our killers, a corrupt world system ruled by Satan as far back as Cain’s first city and especially since the peoples were divided under the rulership of Watchers after the Tower of Babel incident (Genesis 11:9, Deuteronomy 32:8). For preterists (who tend to believe many or most of the Bible’s prophecies were relevant to their original audiences and have been subsequently fulfilled as further proof of the Bible’s trustworthiness), “Mystery Babylon” is first century Jerusalem, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

25:30 “tread the grapes” See Isaiah 63:3 and Revelation 19:13.

25:33 Even the dead enemies in Ezekiel 39 are eventually buried.

25:34-36 Bad shepherds.

26:1 Compare this passage’s threats of Temple destruction with Jeremiah 7 and Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (predictions of doom in Matthew 24, Matthew 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21).

26:3 This does not contradict Jeremiah 15:4, because God is omniscient. Plus, the old Jeremiah 18 flip-flop is always legitimate in the Old Testament.

26:18 See Micah 3:12. Leviticus 26:31 was an early promise.

26:24 “Ahikam son of Shaphan” was one of the reformers in 2 Kings 22.

28:9,17 See Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and its note.

29:7 like 1 Timothy 2:1-2.

29:8-9 This does not refer to Ezekiel. See Jeremiah 29:21.

29:11 This (promise to Jews returning from exile hundreds of years before Christ) is the most-memorized verse of Jeremiah among Gentile Christians. It reverses the Amos 9:4-like position from earlier in Jeremiah and is like Zechariah 8:11,15.

29:22 This burning punishment comes up again in Daniel 3.

29:25 This is probably not the prophet Zephaniah.

30:7 The Day of the Lord is whenever He visits to punish or to save. See Isaiah 2:12 note.

30:21 “bring him near” Jesus ascended back to Heaven and sat down with the Father.

31:2 Remember how Jeremiah 2:2 spoke of the Exodus.

31:4 After all the adulterous whoring, He calls her Virgin Israel. See Hebrews 8:12.

31:9 Remember, firstborn is a role and an inheritance rather than a strictly chronological title.

31:15 Ramah was a staging area for deportation (Jeremiah 40:1-4). Thanks to Rachel’s forgiveness in Genesis 30, she was spoken of as a mother to all Israel. Rabbis said she wept in Abraham’s bosom at the sight of this. See also Matthew 2:16-18.

31:16 “for your work will be rewarded” Rachel forgave, and God forgave.

31:21 Even after Isaiah 57:8, Jeremiah 2:20, and the divorce of Jeremiah 3 God said “Virgin Israel” with a straight face and welcomed “her” back. Everyone has a past. No Christian’s past matters (Hebrews 8:12). The “perpetual adultery” talk on Christian radio is Jewish Law leftovers. Under the New Covenant, God wants His children to live in peace (1 Corinthians 7:15) with regard to relationships, assuming there is no freakiness to which Noah or Paul would take exception.

31:29-30 Individualism as seen in Ezekiel 18.

31:31-34 “new covenant” This is really important. It was new to them, but old to Abraham (Genesis 15:6) – it’s the one and only path to salvation for everyone, especially the Gentiles. See Galatians 3. Thanks to Jesus, God totally forgave us and gave us new hearts (Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 24:7, Colossians 2:11), new human spirits, and the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 11:19-20, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Isaiah 59:21, John 14:16). The wishes behind 1 Kings 8:57-61, Psalm 51:10, and Numbers 11:29 are fulfilled; God works within us to produce what He wants (Jeremiah 32:38-41) and leads us by the Spirit (Isaiah 30:21, Isaiah 32:3, and Isaiah 54:13). He remembers your sins no more. He didn’t just forget the old ones; He stopped keeping track because the performance-based ledger is gone (Colossians 2:13-14). It’s important to understand what the Old was (thanks for reading the Old Testament along with me) to distinguish what the New means, but the Old is gone (Hebrews 8:7-13) from where we stand (Romans 7:4, Romans 10:4).

31:40 “never again” Since the events of 70 AD transpired, the indestructible city is the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, the Church, aka Christians who have been raised to life incorruptible through faith in Jesus Christ. He accomplished everything for us.

32:2 Jeremiah was thought to be a Babylonian sympathizer (Jeremiah 37:13).

32:7 Before anyone objects to a land deal involving Levites that were to remain without property, see Joshua 21:13-19 and Leviticus 25:25,32-34.

32:17 like Genesis 18:14.

32:18 like Exodus 20:5.

32:29 like towns engaging in idolatry in Deuteronomy 13.

33:21 Day and night were disturbed at the Cross, so these guys are not the deal anymore. The Crucifixion and the Resurrection together is the most important event in all of history. See the “forever, but” in 1 Samuel 2:30. There were still Jewish believers zealous for the Law of Moses after the Cross (Acts 21:20), you say? See Hebrews 8:13.

34:4-5 See Jeremiah 21:7 and 2 Kings 25:1-7. Only Zed’s eyes were put to the sword and he died peacefully in captivity, so the promises were kept. Prophecies can be tricky, like wishing from an overly-literal genie.

34:8 New kings often cleared debts to gain popular support; run to King Jesus while He’s still on His Good News tour. It seems that Zedekiah cleared these slaves’ debts to have more troops for the siege.

34:14 See Exodus 21:2 and Deuteronomy 15:12.

34:16 “profaned my Name” by swearing falsely when they “proclaimed freedom” in verse 15.

35:1 Notice the ruler to see that this is a flashback.

35:2-11 See 2 Kings 10:15-27. The teetotalling Rekabites helped avenge Naboth (1 Kings 21) the winemaker (in the same geographic area) and helped Jehu end Baal worship. Being nomadic prevented planting. There is no mention of their hair length, death avoidance (clearly with the 2 Kings 10 killings), or divine calling, so they were distinct from Nazirites (Numbers 6). The issue here in Jeremiah 35 is how well these people obeyed an ancestor versus how the people of Judah disobeyed God rather than drinking alcohol per se.

35:3 This is a different Jeremiah.

36:1 This is set in 605 BC, the same year in which Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Assyria’s Egyptian allies at the Battle of Carchemish.

36:4 There is an apocryphal book attributed to Jeremiah’s secretary Baruch. Details like saying that it was written from Babylon instead of from where they ended up according to the Bible (Egypt) keep it out of our canon.

36:11 See 2 Kings 22 if you need a refresher on who these people were.

36:23 When Josiah’s son was read to by Hilkiah’s son’s secretary, the reaction was totally different than what happened in 2 Kings 22.

37:2 like 2 Chronicles 36:12.

37:13 “Hananiah” the false prophet in Jeremiah 28.

37:15 This was much like how Jesus was treated.

38:1 “Pashhur” from Jeremiah 20:1-4. The pro-Egypt officials supported rebellion against Babylon.

38:5 Pilate washed his hands, too.

38:6 like Joseph in Genesis 37.

38:7-10 Jeremiah was to be saved by a Gentile. Zedekiah had expected a politically expedient death and cover-up for Jeremiah rather than a potential trigger for palace plots.

38:21 Fleeing isn’t surrendering.

38:24-27 As there is a credible death threat, this suborned perjury is fine. Pikuach nefesh.

39:12 God can make people be good to you (Jeremiah 42:12).

39:14 The names of these good guys have context over in 2 Kings 22.

39:16-18 from Jeremiah 38:7. “Trust” or faith saves.

40:14 Power grabs happen in perceived vacuums. Gedaliah was too good to live (Isaiah 57:1-2) in those times, so to speak, and trusted an old coworker with good breeding (Jeremiah 41:1).

41:1 “royal blood” See 2 Samuel 5:13-16; “son of” can be “descendant of”.

41:2-3 Violations of table fellowship. Contrary to God’s will, a “son of” David made a play for the throne. Gedaliah could have tried asking Jeremiah rather than blindly trusting people (Isa 2:22, Jeremiah 17:5).

41:5 “cut themselves” like Deuteronomy 14:1.

42:17 “all who are determined to go to Egypt” Being taken against your will like Jeremiah and Baruch didn’t count. God can save faithful individuals even amidst a general pronouncement of doom (Jeremiah 39:18, Jeremiah 45:5).

42:22 Jeremiah’s still singing the hits (Leviticus 26:25-26).

43:10-13 See Ezekiel 29:20. The Heliopolis (“Temple of the Sun” or “City of the Sun”) of verse 13 is in Genesis 41:45 and Isaiah 19:18. Heliopolis, also known as “On”, is the city of the Ra cult where the phoenix was said to be reborn, symbolic of Joseph’s comeback.

44:1-10 If you play Canaanite games, don’t be surprised if you win Canaanite prizes.

44:30 The historian Herodotus confirms this.

45:1 We’re in 605 BC again.

45:4-5 like 1 Timothy 6:7 and Ecclesiastes 5:15.

Jeremiah 46 – Chapters 46 through 51 elaborate on Jeremiah 25:15-38. Prophecies of return from exile and warnings to the nations remind me of Exodus 15:11-18.

46:2 Josiah’s killer.

46:8 A bit ironic given Exodus 14:28.

46:10 like Isaiah 34:6.

46:11 like Jeremiah 8:22.

46:22 “serpent” The royal insignia of Egypt.

46:25 like Exodus 12:12.

46:26 Comparable to Isaiah 19.

46:28 We, however, walk scot free (1 John 2:2).

47:1 Ezekiel 25 says they ran afoul of Genesis 12:3.

47:3 Nebuchadnezzar invaded Philistia in 604 BC.

48:1 Jeremiah 48:27 and Ezekiel 25 say they ran afoul of Genesis 12:3.

48:10 Even with talk like this, He’s not happy about it (Jeremiah 48:31-32).

48:11 “aroma is unchanged” Those ancient international excursions were a common way to introduce new false religions, like new varieties of golden calf worship like Samaritanism, Platonic and Zoroastrian-flavored Judaism, etc. Moab hadn’t moved yet, so they were still into the same old sacrificing babies to Chemosh.

48:13 “Bethel” was a site of the golden calf cult. Righteous Lot’s descendants worshiping Chemosh was a betrayal of YHWH, too.

48:26 “drunk” Think of their origin in Genesis 19:30-38.

48:28 “cave” Again, remember their origin.

48:36 God loves His enemies despite sometimes killing them to protect us.

48:40 “eagle” Babylon.

48:42-44 like Isaiah 25:10-12.

48:45 References Numbers 21:28-30 about King Sihon’s old home.

49:1 Ezekiel 25 says they ran afoul of Genesis 12:3.

49:4 Righteous Lot’s descendants worshiping Molek was a betrayal of YHWH.

49:7 Edom is addressed by Obadiah. Also, Ezekiel 36:5 says they stole some of the Promised Land in addition to the Genesis 12:3 violation stated in Ezekiel 25.

49:9 like Obadiah 5.

49:10 Rome fulfilled this.

49:14 like Obadiah 1.

49:16 Petra is just a tourist attraction now.

49:18 Sodom, Zoar, etc., were on later Edomite land, so the reputation for being inhospitable was not new.

49:23 Aram.

49:28 Arab tribes.

49:34 “Elam” was within Persia. Nebuchadnezzar invaded in 597 BC. There are people that get bored reading about all of this old stuff, but let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture that God “talked a lot of mess” through His prophets and then proceeded to “back it up”. Then, many more prophecies can be seen fulfilled in the life of Jesus. The Bible is unique among the books men call holy in that it contains so many verifiable fulfilled prophecies.

49:39 indeed; see Jeremiah 50:3.

Jeremiah 50 – For more about Babylon and “Babylon”, see Isaiah 13, Isaiah 14, Isaiah 21, and Revelation 18. Christians are God’s Temple now, so those who attempt to destroy us are “Babylon”. This Jeremiah passage is about the historical Babylonian Empire that destroyed the Temple in 586 BC.

50:3 Persia. This “north” is either more “hidden” wordplay or an attack from the vulnerable north face of the city of Babylon depending on whom you read. Cyrus the Great of Persia allowed the return from exile. Also for the people lacking poetry in their souls insisting on the literal words, this version of the city of Babylon has been an unoccupied ruin since 10 BC.

50:4 The mass conversion in Acts 2:41 (seeking the LORD and coming together under the rule of King Jesus) was within a generation of the destruction mentioned in Jeremiah 50:3. Prophecies can be fulfilled multiple times.

50:8 “the goats that lead the flock” Read that again. Okay, one more time. Make sure it sticks for when we get to Matthew 25.

50:9 The Persian Empire.

50:17 “crush their bones” to extract the marrow.

50:20 You are saved and kept by His grace.

50:28 Christians are God’s Temple now, so those who attempt to destroy us are “Babylon”.

50:41-43 references Jeremiah 6:22-24 with a different subject. As to “the king”, Nabonidus (father of Belshazzar from Daniel 5) worshiped a moon god named Sin, but basically the rest of the Babylonian government were bigger fans of Marduk. Some officials welcomed Cyrus the Great of Persia’s invasion during Belshazzar’s reign for the promise of religious freedom, which he also granted to the Jews to return to their homeland. The relatively peaceful transition in power compared to the fiery rhetoric in the prophets suggests God’s mercy (since He explicitly relents from many proposed punishments in the prophets, like with Nineveh in Jonah), poetic speech for loss of empire, and/or a whiff of future fulfillment.

51:1 In the short term, Babylon fell to Persia. Leb Kamai is a cryptogram for Chaldea aka Babylon. Since Babylon is named openly in Jeremiah, for the futurists this is “Mystery Babylon” (Revelation 17:5), our killers, a corrupt world system ruled by Satan as far back as Cain’s first city and especially since the peoples were divided under the rulership of Watchers after the Tower of Babel incident (Genesis 11:9, Deuteronomy 32:8). For preterists, “Mystery Babylon” is first century Jerusalem, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

51:6 Despite “come out from her” threats of getting mixed up in others’ punishment (Genesis 19:15, Revelation 18:4), Genesis 19:22 makes it clear that the righteous have to be out of the way before the beatings commence, so to speak.

51:7 like Revelation 18:3 and Jeremiah 25. In this instance, instead of passing out they’re liquored up and ready to fight (Jeremiah 50:41-42).

51:9 “high as the heavens” like Revelation 18:5.

51:11 “vengeance for His temple” The martyrs are avenged in Revelation.

51:13 “many waters” like Revelation 17.

51:15-19 is Jeremiah 10:12-16.

51:24 Everything done to God’s people by humans (even if it is a punishment from God) gets paid back. This principle carries over to Rome, etc.

51:25 Maybe remember this when we get to Revelation 8:8 and Revelation 18:21.

51:27 “Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz” Armenians, Kurds, and Scythians were among the troops of the Persian Empire. (Historical note: The Ashkenazi Jews were named for this old region they lived in during the Middle Ages; they’re not in this verse.)

51:35 like Revelation 6:10.

51:36 like Revelation 21:1.

51:42 Rising sea but dryness? See verse 55 for waves of enemies. We read all that poetry first for a reason.

51:46 like Matthew 24:6.

51:48 like Revelation 18:20.

51:63-64 like Revelation 18:21.

52:6 on July 18th, 586 BC.

52:8 “plains of Jericho” The nation experiences a chapter ending in defeat at the site of a victorious beginning.

52:12-30 As to the “nineteenth” year versus the “eighteenth” being attributed to an inconsistent reckoning of the accession year, or whether “seventh” is really “seventeenth”, or whether the different numbers of exiles in 2 Kings 24 owes to only counting men here, etc., the only person still alive now from this story is God. Maybe He’ll sort it out for us some day if it matters enough then.

52:31 “Jehoiachin” the deposed king living in exile was Jesus’ ancestor (Matthew 1:11).

52:33 like Genesis 41:14.

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