Commentaries on Jeremiah

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Order of Contents

Best  1
Commentaries  7+
Early & Medieval  8
Jeremiah Generally  2
Life & Times of  5
Messianic Portions  1
Chapters  7
Authenticity  2


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The Best Commentary on Jeremiah

Lange’s Commentary – Jeremiah  by Dr. C.W. Nagelsbach  1800’s
*** – “Whoever becomes possessed of this great work will have, in a comprehensive form, the results of all ancient and modern exegesis, with an apparatus criticus of surprising copiousness.” – British Quarterly Review, as quoted by Spurgeon


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Commentaries on Jeremiah

Simple, Practical & Devotional, 1900’s

Erdman, Charles – The Book of Jeremiah & Lamentations: an Exposition  Buy  Ref  (F.H. Revell, 1955)  126 pp.

‘A clear analysis of both books.’ – Cyril J. Barber

Morgan, G. Campbell – Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah  Buy  (London: Oliphants, 1931)  285 pp.  ToC

‘Expository messages by one of the great preachers of all time.  Amillennial.’ – Cyril J. Barber

Thomson, John G.S.S. – “The Word of the Lord in Jeremiah”  Buy  (Tyndale Press, 1959)  20 pp.

‘A thematic study.’ – Cyril J. Barber

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Intermediate

1700’s

Lowth, William – Commentary on Jeremiah  (1718)

** – “This forms a part of what is known as Bishop Patrick’s Commentary.  Orme says that Lowth is ‘one of the most judicious commentators on the prophets, and he never prophesies of himself.’  We wish we could say this of all writers on prophetic subjects.” – Spurgeon

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1800’s

Smith, Payne – Jeremiah  in Speaker’s Commentary, ed. F.C. Cook  (1875)

“We would call special attention to the volume of the Speaker’s Commentary upon this book.  It is by Dr. Payne Smith, Dean of Canterbury, and deserves much praise.” – Spurgeon

Von Orelli, Conrad – The Prophecies of Jeremiah  (1889)  406 pp.  Reprinted by Klock & Klock  Advanced observations are kept to the footnotes.

‘A moderately conservative exegetical and expository work.’ – Cyril J. Barber

On his work on prophecy:  “By one of the best German commentators and a contributor to ISBE [The International Standard Bible Encyclopdia].  Fairly reliable, but makes some concessions to those who espouse liberal views.” – Cyril J. Barber

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1900’s

Laetsch, Theodore – Bible Commentary: Jeremiah  Buy  (Concordia, 1952)  410 pp.  ToC

Laetsch was a conservative Lutheran.

‘An adequate explanation of the indictment upon Judah for her corruption, immorality, materialism, idolatry, covetousness, and indifferent.’ – Cyril J. Barber

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Advanced

Blayney, Benjamin – Jeremiah & Lamentations, New Translation, with Notes  (1836)  The commentary begins on p. 221.

**  “Blayney belonged to a past school of clever men, too apt to suggest new readings, and more able to appreciate literary beauties than spiritual teachings.  He was a zealous follower of Lowth, but he lacked the fine taste and poetic genius of his master.” – Spurgeon

Keil, C.F. – Commentary on Jeremiah

** – “We have already indicated the direction in which Keil is serviceable.  For exact interpretation he is esteemed, but he is too cold and formal ever to be a favorite.” – Spurgeon


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The Early Church on Jeremiah

Compilations

Wenthe, Dean – Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Jeremiah, Lamentations  Buy

Callaway, Mary C. – Jeremiah Through the Centuries  Pre  (Blackwell)  ToC

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Many Fathers

The Ordinary Gloss – On Jer. 1:1-13  at Patristic Bible Commentary

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Individuals

Origen

Homilies on Jeremiah & Homily on 1 Kings 28  trans. John C. Smith  in The Fathers of the Church, vol. 97  Pre  Buy  (Catholic University of America Press, 1998)  340 pp.  ToC

Origen (c. 185 – c. 253)

‘Homily 12 on Jeremiah’  in Origen  ed. Joseph W. Trigg  Ref  (Routledge, 1998)

Jerome

Commentary on Jeremiah  trans. Michael Graves  in Ancient Christian Texts  Pre  Buy  (IVP Academic, 2011)  220 pp.  ToC  Latin

Jerome (c. 342–347 – 420)

Preface to Jeremiah  at Patristic Bible Commentary

Theodoret of Cyrus – Commentaries on the Prophets, vol. 1: Jeremiah, Baruch, Lamentations  trans. Robert C. Hill  Buy  (Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2007)  252 pp.

Theodoret (c. 393 – c. 458/466)

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The Medieval Church

Compilation

ed. Schroeder, Joy A. – The Book of Jeremiah  in The Bible in Medieval Tradition  Pre  (Eerdmans, 2017)  300 pp.  ToC

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Individual

Aquinas, Thomas – Commentary on the Prophet Jeremiah  at Aquinas.cc

Aquinas (1224/25–1274)

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On Jeremiah Generally

Godet, Frederic – ‘Jeremiah’  (1882)  6 pp. in Studies in the Old Testament, pp. 155-61

Payne, J. Barton – “The Arrangement of Jeremiah’s Prophecies,”  Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 7.4 (Fall 1964), pp. 120-30

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The Life & Times of Jeremiah

Devotional

Meyer, F.B. – Jeremiah: Priest & Prophet  200 pp.

Meyer (1847–1929) was an English, baptist pastor who wrote numerous, very good devotional works.

Whyte, Alexander – Jeremiah  in Bible Characters  d. 1921

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Intermediate

Smith, Thornley – The Prophet of Sorrow; or, Life & Times of Jeremiah  (1875)  340 pp.

** – “Not a commentary; but as it casts light on the character and times of the prophet it deserves a place here.” – Spurgeon

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Advanced

Cheyne, T.K. – The Life & Times of Jeremiah  (Fleming H. Revell, 1888)  220 pp.  ToC

Cheyne was a liberal Oxford professor.

‘Liberal.  Contains a considerable amount of valuable material.’ – Cyril J. Barber

Keil, C.F.

‘The Person of the Prophet’  10 pp. in ‘Introduction’ to The Prophecies of Jeremiah

Keil was generally conservative.

‘The Times of Jeremiah’  10 pp.

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The Messianic Portions of Jeremiah

Hengstenberg, E.W. – ‘Messianic Predictions in Jeremiah’  1856  112 pp.  in The Christology of the Old Testament, vol. 2, pp. 361-473  Hengstenberg comments on chs: 3:14-17; 23:1-8; 31:31-40; 33:14-26


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Chapters in Jeremiah

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Jeremiah 1-5

Calvin, John – Two & Twenty Lectures upon the Five First Chapters of Jeremiah, with Prayers Annexed at the End of Every Lecture  (London, 1620)

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Jeremiah 5

Cooper, Thomas – The Exposition upon the 5th Chapter of Jeremiah  in A Brief Exposition of such Chapters of the Old Testament as Usually are Read in the Church at Common Prayer on the Sundays  d. 1594  English reformer

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Jeremiah 14-18

On Jer. 14:19 – 18:23

Calvin, John – Sermons on Jeremiah  trans. Blair Reynolds  in Texts & Studies in Religion series, vol. 46  Buy  (The Edwin Mellen Press, 1990)  299 pp.

This includes twenty-five sermons.  The font is a fixed-width font clearly meant for academic studies and not very attractive.  This comprises all the known surviving sermons upon Jeremiah.  Originally preached from 14 June through 16 August 1549.

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Jeremiah 22

Cooper, Thomas – The Exposition upon the 22nd Chapter of Jeremiah  in A Brief Exposition of such Chapters of the Old Testament as Usually are Read in the Church at Common Prayer on the Sundays  d. 1594  English reformer

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Jeremiah 23

Luther, Martin – ‘Of the Kingdom of Christ’  in A Fruitful & Godly Exposition and Declaration of the Kingdom of Christ and of the Christian Liberty...  ([London, 1548])

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Jeremiah 35

Cooper, Thomas – The Exposition upon the 35th Chapter of Jeremiah  in A Brief Exposition of such Chapters of the Old Testament as Usually are Read in the Church at Common Prayer on the Sundays  d. 1594  English reformer

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Jeremiah 36

Cooper, Thomas – The Exposition upon the 36th Chapter of Jeremiah  in A Brief Exposition of such Chapters of the Old Testament as Usually are Read in the Church at Common Prayer on the Sundays  d. 1594  English reformer


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The Authenticity of Jeremiah

Allis, O.T. – A Modernistic View of Jeremiah  (1925)  51 pp.

Keil, C.F. – ‘The Genuineness of the Book & the Integrity of the Masoretic Text’  6 pp.  in ‘Introduction’ to The Prophecies of Jeremiah

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Related Pages

Whole Bible Commentaries

Old Testament Commentaries

New Testament Commentaries