Index: Jeremiah, Lamentations

These are a collection of prophetic oracles and historical narrative. The former were likely delivered orally first before later being combined into a written document.


Jeremiah 3:12, 17:4
Is Jeremiah contradictory about God's anger?
Jeremiah 4:10
Did God deceive people? -- see link within
Jeremiah 7:22
Jeremiah 7:22 and Skeptical Chauvinism
Jeremiah 8:8
This verse is often abused by Muslims (and others) to suggest that the OT text was tampered with. See answers off-site here, here.
Jeremiah 8:17
I will send serpents, and cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they will bite you saith the Lord. Don't let critics use the KJV here; modern translations rightly use the word "viper" here.
Jeremiah 9:11
I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; I will make the cities of Judah desolate without an inhabitant. One Skeptic states: "Jerusalem has never been a den of dragons and Judah has never been uninhabited. Neither has ever been a ruinous heap." Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. He left a remnant in Judah, which made the mistake of rebelling in 581 B.C., and this led to the rest of them being carted off to Babylon. (ZPED, Vol. 3, pp. 724-726). Once again, these are facts that are not in dispute. (What we also have here is another KJV-minded translation; try the modern translation "jackals" in place of "dragons".
Jeremiah 10:2
Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. One Skeptic cites this one against the warning of signs in the heavens in the Gospels, but it is hard to see what the problem is here. Jeremiah instructs Israel not be dismayed at the signs -- Tulbure thinks somehow that this is an issue against looking for signs.
Jeremiah 10:12
Does this verse teach a solid sky?
Jeremiah 15:6
Does God ever get tired?
Jeremiah 17:11
Is Jeremiah wrong about the partridge?
Jeremiah 18:8
Is this verse evidence of malfeasance with the OT text? [Off Site] -- part of a larger article
Jeremiah 18:11
Is God the source of evil?
Jeremiah 19:9
Does this passage endorse cannibalism?
Jeremiah 20:7
Did God deceive Jeremiah?
Jeremiah 22:30
Does this curse affect Jesus' place as Messiah? [Off Site]
Jeremiah 25:27
"Then tell them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.' " Critics accuse God of ordering others to get drunk. The entire oracle, though, refers to the "wine" of God's anger - not literal wine.

Jeremiah 27
Is Nebuchadnezzar's name spelled incorrectly by Jeremiah? Answered as part of an article on Daniel.
Jeremiah 31:29-31
Do children pay for the sins of their fathers, or not?
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Do Christians misuse this passage?
Jeremiah 33:17
David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel...One Skeptic says, "God promised there would always be a Davidic king, but the Davidic line ended with Zedekiah and no king returned to the Davidic throne for 450 years. Moreover, what descendant of David is now ruling in the Middle East?" For starters, Jerry only says that David will always have a descendant available to occupy his throne. Psalm 89, also referred to, only says that his throne will always be established, not always occupied. To illustrate this, let’s use an example from US Civics. Occasionally, one of our Presidents dies in office. At that time, there is no president until the VP in sworn in. During that time, however, the office of the President still exists, even if no one is occupying it, and even though there is someone waiting to take it. In Luke 1:32, the angel tells Mary that God will GIVE Jesus David’s throne, not RE-ESTABLISH it. And of course, Christ occupies it forever.

Jeremiah 36:30
Who was Jehoiakim's successor? 2 Kings 24:6 says his son reigned; this says he shall have none to sit on the throne of David. His son reigned a total of three months! In response I offer the words of Glenn Miller: "I might consider this a 'bouncing' on the throne, but certainly not 'sitting on it'!"
Jeremiah 39:3
Historical confirmation of this verse
Jeremiah 42:17
All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; they shall have no remnant or survivor from the evil which I will bring on them. One Skeptic says that Jews lived and established a cultural center in Alexandria, and this was not fulfilled. But this passage is referring to the specific situation when Babylon was threatening Israel. (v.11) There is no basis for suggesting that this refers to all Israelites at all times.

Jeremiah 49:33
Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation forever, there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it. One Skeptic claims, "People have never stopped living in Hazor and continue to do so." There are two mistakes in this assertion. First of all, Hazor, the city in north Galilee, was destroyed by Tiglath-pileser III in 732 B.C., and there were only small resettlements during the Assyrian, Persian, and Greek periods. (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 3, p. 52) And secondly, this prophecy relates to the people of the east (v. 28), and is mentioned in connection with Kedar, which most believe was an Arabian tribe. So this is a different Hazor that was out in the desert somewhere, and the exact location remains unknown.

Jeremiah 51:25-26
Was this not fulfilled?
Jeremiah 52:12
When did Nebuzardan come to Jerusalem -- on the seventh (per 2 Kings 25:8) or tenth day of the month? There is no clear answer, but given that Kings likely used Jeremiah as a source, because of the close similarity indicating a direct (perhaps literary) dependence, 10 is more likely. Tekton associate Eric Vestrup consulted a table comparing the Hebrew letters as we know them with the corresponding forms of Hebrew letters from the fifth through ninth centuries BC. "Sventh" is listed a shin-beth-ayin-he while "tenth" is ayin-sin-yodh-resh . Beth and ayin look reasonably similar in ancient script, and since the text was unpointed, sin and shin would be indistinguishable, as they differ only by pointing. So the difference between shin-beth and ayin-sin as the first two letters of the words "seventh" and "tenth" seems reasonably explainable as two common errors: confusion of similar letters [ ayin and beth ] because of their visual resemblance and transposition of letters. Both of these copyist errors are common in any manuscript transmission. See our foundational essay on copyist errors for general background.
Jeremiah 52:22-5, 31
Were the chapiters five cubits high, or three (2 Kings 25:17)? Were there five (2 Kings 25:19) men, or seven? And the fifth day, or the seventh (2 Kings 25:27)? Neither is more likely in either case, but we likely have copyist errors in either Kings of Jeremiah. See our foundational essay on copyist errors for general background. The numbers in Hebrew for five and seven look alike except for a horizontal stroke and a bit of a twist; the numbers for three and five are not so alike, but one might suggest a visual confusion among the fives; the same can be said for a five and a seven. See here for a picture.
Lamentations 3:38
Is God the source of evil?
Lamentations 4:3
Is Jeremiah wrong about the ostrich?