MIQRA Institute of Biblical Stud

Sepharim 'al ha-miqra’: Books about the Scriptures (Jeremiah)

Brueggemann, W. A Commentary on Jeremiah. Eerdmans, 1998 (502 pp.). There isn’t much that B hasn’t written about. Why not a commentary on Jeremiah? If one thing can be said of B, it is that he is able to juggle the literary features of the text, along with the historical and sociological issues raised by it, together with the theological reflection for which the text exists, and weave the lot into a readable exposition. This may be why many find B so useful for preaching and teaching. No less is this the case in his Jeremiah commentary. And B is the kind of author who allows the text free reign to exert pressure on nerve endings--an important feature when handling a book like Jeremiah. Worth its weight on the desk.

Craigie, P., et al. Jeremiah. 2 Vols. WBC. Word, 1991/1995 (792 pp.). A standard feature of the WBC is its well laid out textual notes (i.e., translational issues--and there are many in books like Isaiah and Jeremiah--are nicely listed after the translation itself). This is a particularly important part of being resourceful if you are going to call yourself a commentary. The commentary itself may struggle for a voice, since it is written by six different authors. This is not a publisher’s oversight, but the result of Craigie’s untimely death, at which point various scholars came together to bring the project to completion. And it is worth the work, if for no other reason than that it is by definition a community interpretation, which is how the Bible intends to be read in the first place.

Fretheim, T. E. Jeremiah. Smyth & Helwys, 2002 (684 pp). This is a tome; large (though some of it is taken up in margin space--a handy feature for scribbling notes), involved, and varied, with inset text boxes explaining anecdotal points of interest, artwork, and archeological photographs. The work--for all it includes--is well laid out, and F is an accomplished practitioner of OT exegesis and theology. So it is handy in terms of its use as a resource, even if it may not be F’s strongest contribution. And even if the price doesn’t help, it does rank among those that ought to be consulted in paper writing.

McConville, G. Judgment and Promise. Eisenbrauns, 1993 (208 pp). Not a commentary per se, but a reading of the book. M is deft. That’s probably the best way to put it. There is in Brueggemann a willingness to pursue each angle in a book like Jeremiah--regardless of internal tensions--in the interest of letting the book speak on its own agenda at any given moment. But the book is a book, not a stream of consciousness. M, on the other hand, faces competing voices squarely, at the same time, since the book is a package which delivers them that way. This makes for an interesting and satisfying treatment. It is, however, a bit more technical than the others here. Reader beware.

Stulman, L. Jeremiah. AOTC. Abingdon, 2005 (400 pp.). Both in its literary shape (the way the book is composed--which in Jeremiah often seems chaotic) and in its content (exile, the razing of the land, and dispersion, which also seem chaotic), S argues for a sense of surprising coherence. This accords with his larger thesis that there is an orderliness about God’s ways in the midst of pervasive confusion. In S’s view, then, Jeremiah contains an underlying question about theodicy: How is God’s goodness vindicated in the midst of so much evil? An intriguing contribution to Jeremiah study from an important voice at the table.

Thompson, J. A. The Book of Jeremiah. NICOT. Eerdmans, 1980 (819 pp.). Touted by some as the most comprehensive treatment of the book (always a debatable point), it is in any case an important part of the collection. If the commentary had a shortcoming, it might be the hermeneutical weight it rests on the joist of historical questions as preamble to exegesis--with conservative concerns about authorship and dating sometimes seeming to drive the program. This is an issue both Brueggemann and McConville adjudicate well, and perhaps better (though differently, see above). However, T does offer a close reading that will be found informative by those in pursuit of a greater knowledge of this important book.