Jeremiah has Bookends

Yes, the text of the book of Jeremiah begins with a clear introduction, and, if understood right, a masterful conclusion.

Introductory bookend:

The first three verses of the book provide its own introductory description. It states that the book of Jeremiah contains the words, messages, and prophesies of Prophet Jeremiah, which were announced over a period of more than 40 years. The period begins in the 13th year of King Josiah's reign (627BCE) and ends with the capture of the last king of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem, the palace and the LORD's Temple, and deportation of the total population (586BCE).

What this means as readers, is that we need to read the book and the messages of Jeremiah not from the perspective of the people on the ground, hearing them audibly when Jeremiah first spoke them, but from the perspective of the initial readers of the completed book. These would be the people living after the events had taken place. The original audience for the Book of Jeremiah were badly displaced Israelis who's land had been conquered and stripped of anything of value. They are a defeated people. They have been taken captive to distant lands, forced to serve masters who speak foreign languages, live by strange laws and expectations, and worship "gods" that the Israelis should never have had anything to do with.

The original audience of the Book of Jeremiah were distressed, displaced, defeated people who may feel abandoned by their God, or are convinced that their "god" was weak and powerless.

How can you place trust in a God who has been defeated and shamed in the eyes of the whole world?

This is one of the major questions and misunderstandings that is being intentionally addressed in the Book of Jeremiah.

Concluding bookend:

Chapter 52 consists of a second description of the fall of Jerusalem. It adds a few details but is mostly repetition of material already given in chapter 39. This serve as a bookend, but it would not at all be masterful. The actual bookend is 52:31-34. It adds new information, dating over 25 years after the fall of Jerusalem. It is clever, it is masterful, But sorry, this blog is not going to get into it until many other things get covered first.