After the Invasion: A Reading of Jeremiah 40-44
Keith Bodner
Abstract
The last act of Jeremiah’s eventful career takes place in the wake of Babylonian destruction, as he is part of a contingent left behind in the land of Judah after the invasion. Jer 40–44 is not among the most popular sections of the Hebrew Bible, but a remarkable story is contained in these chapters. Despite the trauma of Jerusalem’s collapse, the community who remain have every reason for cautious optimism about their future: they are provided with reasonable leadership, the Babylonians seem unexpectedly benevolent, and the prophet Jeremiah resides in their midst. But any sanguinity disintegr ... More
The last act of Jeremiah’s eventful career takes place in the wake of Babylonian destruction, as he is part of a contingent left behind in the land of Judah after the invasion. Jer 40–44 is not among the most popular sections of the Hebrew Bible, but a remarkable story is contained in these chapters. Despite the trauma of Jerusalem’s collapse, the community who remain have every reason for cautious optimism about their future: they are provided with reasonable leadership, the Babylonians seem unexpectedly benevolent, and the prophet Jeremiah resides in their midst. But any sanguinity disintegrates in the midst of factionalism, unsubstantiated rumors of covert foreign involvement, and then, more darkly, murder, carnage, and a hostage crisis that results in an armed clash among the remnant. So, in these chapters there is an internal war after the external invasion, prompting the reader to ask how matters go so terribly awry. In this book the narrative of Jer 40–44 is subject to a literary reading that analyzes a powerfully composed story that features a host of stylistic devices and deftly sketched characters.
Keywords:
Jeremiah,
prophet,
destruction of Jerusalem,
Babylonian exile,
Gedaliah,
Jeremiah 40–44,
factionalism,
murder,
hostage crisis,
war
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780198743002 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: August 2015 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198743002.001.0001 |
