Jeremiah
Prophet of Judah’s last decades. He warned that Babylon would destroy Jerusalem, was imprisoned for it, lived through the city’s fall, and promised a new covenant written on the heart.
Jeremiah came from a priestly family at Anathoth and was called in the thirteenth year of King Josiah (Jeremiah 1:1–10). For forty years he warned that Judah’s unfaithfulness would bring conquest from the north (Jeremiah 1:13–16), and he urged King Zedekiah to submit to Babylon (Jeremiah 27:12–13). He was beaten, tried and imprisoned for it (Jeremiah 26:7–16) (Jeremiah 37:11–21).
He wrote to the exiles of 597 BC, telling them to settle and to expect a return after seventy years (Jeremiah 29:1–14). After the city fell he was taken to Egypt by a group he had warned not to go there (Jeremiah 42:19; 43:4–7). His promise of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34) is quoted at length in the New Testament (Hebrews 8:6–13).
In the timeline
- 627 BC, estimated dateThe Call of Jeremiah
In the thirteenth year of King Josiah, Jeremiah, of a priestly family at Anathoth, is called to be a prophet to the nations. For some forty years he warns Judah of disaster from the north, and he promises a new covenant written on the heart.
- 587/586 BC, estimated dateThe Fall of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple
After a long siege the Babylonian army breaches Jerusalem, burns Solomon’s temple and the city, and deports most of the remaining people. The kingdom of Judah comes to an end.