Answer
The book of Jeremiah holds significant importance in the history of Israel and the redemptive narrative of Scripture. It is classified as a Major Prophet in the Old Testament—due to its length—or one of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. The prophet Jeremiah wrote the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1).
The opening line of the book of Jeremiah establishes the authorship: “These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin” (Jeremiah 1:1, NLT). At least some of Jeremiah’s prophecies were dictated to his secretary, Baruch son of Neriah: “Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll” (Jeremiah 36:4; cf. verses 17–18). The author’s use of the first person in several sections (for example, Jeremiah 1:4–19), further supports the traditional attribution.
The prophet Jeremiah began prophesying at a young age, his initial reluctance being overcome by God’s reassurance (Jeremiah 1:5–8). Composed during the final years of Judah before the Babylonian exile, the book served as a final effort in admonishing the Israelites to repent. However, rather than listen to God’s prophet, the residents of Judah persecuted Jeremiah. He was beaten and put in stocks (Jeremiah 20:2); he was mocked (Jeremiah 20:7); the scroll he wrote was burned (Jeremiah 36:23); people clamored for his death (Jeremiah 26:11); and he was thrown into a cistern and left to die (Jeremiah 38:1–13).
Through Jeremiah, the author of the book, God teaches us more about Himself, His expectations, and His judgment. Jeremiah also foreshadows Jesus in many ways. Not only did Jeremiah’s sufferings and endurance presage the demeanor of Christ, but his prophecies pointed to the relationship God would initiate through Christ and the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34).
Jeremiah, the son of a priest from Anathoth, a small town in Judah, likely held a priestly role himself. Called by God to prophesy to Judah of their coming fall to Babylon, he faced persecution, people’s hard-heartedness, and conflicts with false prophets and corrupt priests who spread misleading proclamations of peace. Due to these challenges—and perhaps his youth—Jeremiah’s message carried an emotional depth that earned him the nickname “the weeping prophet.”
