Jeremiah[a] (c. 650 – c. 570 BC),[2] also called the "weeping prophet",[3] was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, the Books of Kings and the Book of Lamentations,[4] with the assistance and under the editorship of Baruch ben Neriah, his scribe and disciple.
In addition to proclaiming many prophecies of Yahweh, the God of Israel, the Book of Jeremiah goes into detail regarding the prophet's private life, his experiences, and his imprisonment.[5]
Judaism considers the Book of Jeremiah part of its canon, and regards Jeremiah as the second of the major prophets. Christianity and Islam also regard Jeremiah as a prophet. His words are quoted in the New Testament[6] and his narrative is recounted in Islamic tradition.[7]
Jeremiah was active as a prophet from the thirteenth year of Josiah, king of Judah (626 BC[8]), until after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon's Temple in 587 BC.[9] This period spanned the reigns of five kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.[8] The prophetess Huldah was a relative and contemporary of Jeremiah while the prophet Zephaniah was his mentor.[10]
Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, a kohen (Jewish priest) from the Benjamite village of Anathoth.[11] The difficulties he encountered, as described in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, have prompted scholars to refer to him as "the weeping prophet".[12]
Jeremiah was called to prophecy c. 626 BC[13] by God to proclaim Jerusalem's coming destruction[14] by invaders from the north.[15] This was because Israel had forsaken God by worshiping the idols of Baal[16] and burning their children as offerings to Baal.[17] The nation had deviated so far from God's laws that they had broken the covenant, causing God to withdraw his blessings. Jeremiah was guided by God to proclaim that the nation of Judah would suffer famine, foreign conquest, plunder, and captivity in a land of strangers.[18]