It is impossible, within the limits assigned to this article, even to notice all the attempts which have been made to account for the apparent dis order of Jeremiah's prophecies. Blayney speaks of their present disposition as a preposterous jumbling together of the prophecies of the reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekial,' and concludes that the original order has, most probably, by some accident or other, been distributed' (Notes, p. 3). Eichhorn says that no other explanation can be given than that the prophet wrote his oracles on single rolls, larger or smaller as they came to his hand, and that, as he was desirous to give his countrymen a copy of them when they vvent into captivity, he dictated them to an amanuensis from the separate rolls without attending to the order of time, and then preserved the rolls in the same order (Ein/. iii. 134). Later critics have at tempted in different ways to trace some plan in the present arrangement. Thus Movers supposes the whole collection to have consisted of six books —the longest being that written by Baruch (Jer. xxxvi. 2, 32), which was taken by the collector as his foundation, into which lie inserted the other books in such places as seemed, on a very slight glance at their contents, to be suitable. All such theories, however, proceed on the presumption that the present arrangement is the work of a com piler, which, therefore, we are at liberty to alter at pleasure ; aud though tbey offer boundless scope for ingenuity in suggesting a better arrange ment, they serve us very little in respect to the explanation of the book itself. Ewald adopts another principle, which, if it be found valid, can not fail to throw much light on the connection and meaning of the predictions. Ile maintains that the book, in its present form, is, from ch. i. to ch. xlix., substantially the same as it came from the hand of the prophet, or his amanuensis, and seeks to discover in the present arrang,ement some plan according to which it is disposed. He finds that various portions are prefaced by the same formula, The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord' (vii. ; xi. ; xviii. ; xxi. ; xxv. ; xxx. ; xxxii. ; xxxiv. t, ; xxxv. ; xl. ; xliv. 1), or by the very similar expression, The word of the Lord which came to Jereroiah ' (xiv. t ; xlvi. ; xlvii. ; xlix. 34). The notices of time distinctly mark some other divisions which are more or less historical (xxvi. ; xxvii. ; xxxvi ; xxxvti. 1). Two other portions are in themselves sufficiently distinct ithout such indica tion (xxix. ; xlv. 1), whilst the general introduc tion to the book serves for the section contained in ch. i. There are left two sections (ch. ii. iii.), the former of which has only the shorter introduction, which generally designates the commencement of a strophe ; while the latter, as it now stands, seems to be iinperfect, having as an introduction merely the word saying.' Thus thc book is divided into twenty-three separate and independent sections, which, in the poetical parts, are again divided into strophes of from seven to nine verses, frequently distin,quished by such a phmse as The Lord said also unto me.' These separate sections
are arranged by Ewald so as to form five distinct books :—I. The introduction, ch. i. ;—II. Re proofs of the sins of the Jews, ch. ii.-xxiv., con sisting of seven sections, viz.—I. ch. ii., 2. ch. iii.-vi., 3. ch. vii.-x., 4. ch. xi. -xiii., 5. ch. xiv.-xvii. IS, 6. ch. xvii. 19*-xx., 7. ch. xxi.-xxiv. A general review of all nations, the heathen as well as the people of Israel, consisting of two sections, 1. ch. xlvi.-xlix. (which he thinks have been transposed), 2. ch. xxv., and an historical appendix of three sections, 1. ch. xxvi., 2. ch. xxvii., and 3. ch. xxviii.-xxix. ;—IV. Two sections picturing the hopes of brighter times, 1. ch. xxx. xxxi., and 2. C11. XXXii.-XXXiii., to which, as in the last book, is added an historical appendix in three sections, t. ch. xxxiv. 1-7, 2. ch. xxxiv. 8-22, 3. ch xxxv. ;—V, The conclusion, in two sections, 1. ch. xxxvi., 2. ch. xlv. All this, he supposes, was arranged in Palestine, during the short inter val of rest between the taking, of the city and the departure of Jeremiah with the remnant of the Jews, to Egypt. In Egypt, after some interval, Jeremiah added three sections, viz., ch. xxxvii. xxxix., and xliv. At the same time, probably, he added ch. xlvi. 13-26 to the previous prophecy respecting Egypt, and, perhaps, made some additions to other parts previously written. We do not profess to agree with Ewald in all the details of this arrangement, but we certainly prefer the principle he adopts to that of any former critic. We may add that Umbreit (Praktischer Comm. i1b a'. yeremia, p. xxvii.) states, that he has found himself more nearly in agreement with Ewald, as to arrangement, than with any one else.
The principal predictions relating to the Mes siah are found in ch. xxiii. 1-8 ; xxxi. 31-40 ; x.xxiii. 14-26 (Hengstenberg's Christologie, vol. iii. pp. 495-619).—F. W. G.
[Literature. — Nagel, Dissert. in var. lectt. 25 Capp. priOrilM yer. ex duobus codd. Hebr. desumptas, Altorf 1772 ; Leiste, Obss. ad ?cr. vati cinia spec. I., Gott. 1794 ; Spohn, yer. Vat. e vers. yideronint Alex. emendatus, Lips, IS24 ; Kiiper, 9er. libb. Sate. interpres et vindex, 1S37 ; Mo vers, De utriusque recensionis vatu-in. yer. indole et origine, 1837 ; Wichelhaus, De 7erem. vers. Alex., 147. Commentaries :—Besides the homi lies of Origen, the Scholia of Theodoret, and the Commentary of Jerome among, the Fathers, and those of Oecolarnpad and Calvin among the Re formers, may be mentioned those of Piscator, 1614 ; Sanctius, 1618 ; Ghislerus, 3 tom. fol., 1623 ; Schmidt, 1685 ; Venema, 2 YO1S. 410, 1784; Blayney, 1784 ; 'Michaelis, 1796 ; Schnurrer, 1793. 97, in Velthusen's Commentationes Theologicce, vol.
; Dahler, 1825, 2 YO1S. ; Rosenmiiller in his Scholia, in Vet. Test. viii.; Ewald, 1840 ; Hitzig, 1841 ; Umbreit, 1842 ; Henderson, 1852. To which may be added Hensler, Bemerk. fiber Stellen in Y'r. Weiss., ISo6; Gaab, schewerer st. in d. 1Veiss. 7er., 1824 ; Hengstenberg, Chris tology, E. T., vol. iii.
For Jeremiah's other writing, see LAMENTA TiONS.