The Bible, King James version, Book 24: Jeremiah — Themes and Context

(0 User reviews) 33

In Category - Theology

Authors: Anonymous Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2005 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Bible. Jeremiah Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 45,845

Reading time 200 min

Text sections 6

The Bible, King James version, Book 24: Jeremiah — Themes and Context can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 45,845 words, 3 hr 20 min estimated reading time, and 6 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 31.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Bible. Jeremiah,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #8024

This editorial note examines how the catalog subject 'Bible. Jeremiah' relates to the King James Version text, focusing on the prophet's commissioning, the use of symbolic visions, and the promise of restoration in chapters 30–31.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg8024

Read the Text

This eBook was produced by David Widger with the help of Derek Andrew's text from January 1992 and the work of Bryan Taylor in November 2002.

24:001:001 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

24:001:002 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

24:001:003 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

24:001:004 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

24:001:005 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

24:001:006 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

24:001:007 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

24:001:008 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

24:001:009 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

24:001:010 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

24:001:011 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

24:001:012 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

24:001:013 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.

24:001:014 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

24:001:015 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

24:001:016 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

24:001:017 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

24:001:018 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

24:001:019 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

24:002:001 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

24:002:002 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

24:002:003 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

24:002:004 Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:

24:002:005 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

24:002:006 Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

24:002:007 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

24:002:008 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

Continue Reading →

The catalog entry for this Project Gutenberg eBook lists only "Bible. Jeremiah" as its subject, yet the text itself is a specific translation—the King James Version—and a particular biblical book. The excerpts reveal a work that is both a prophetic indictment and a collection of oracles of hope. The opening chapter establishes Jeremiah's reluctant call: "I cannot speak: for I am a child" (1:6), a detail that immediately characterizes the prophet as an unwilling messenger. The visions of an almond rod and a seething pot (1:11–13) are not merely decorative; they function as divine object lessons, with the Lord interpreting each symbol for the prophet. This interplay between the visual and the verbal is a structural feature of the book, one that the catalog subject alone does not capture.

The Prophet's Commissioning and Its Rhetorical Force

The opening chapter of Jeremiah presents a commissioning narrative that is both personal and political. The Lord's words to Jeremiah—"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee" (1:5)—assert a preordained role, yet the prophet's protest, "I am a child" (1:6), introduces a note of human reluctance. The divine response, "Say not, I am a child" (1:7), immediately overrides this objection, and the subsequent touching of the mouth (1:9) symbolizes the transfer of authority. The commission's scope is sweeping: "to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant" (1:10). This pairing of destruction and restoration is a pattern that recurs throughout the excerpts. The catalog subject does not indicate that the book's rhetoric is built on such binary oppositions, nor does it hint at the dramatic tension between the prophet's hesitation and the divine imperative.

Symbolic Visions and Their Interpretation

Two visions appear in quick succession in chapter 1: a rod of an almond tree and a seething pot facing north (1:11–13). The Lord's question, "Jeremiah, what seest thou?" (1:11), invites the prophet to describe what he sees, and then the Lord supplies the meaning. The almond rod, associated with the Hebrew word for "watching," becomes a sign that God will "hasten" his word (1:12). The seething pot, its face toward the north, portends an evil breaking forth from the north upon Jerusalem (1:14–15). These visions are not isolated; they are part of a pattern in which the prophet's perception is guided by divine interpretation. The catalog subject "Bible. Jeremiah" does not convey that the book uses everyday objects—a rod, a pot—as vehicles for prophetic messages. The specificity of the almond tree and the direction of the pot's face are details that ground the oracles in concrete imagery.

Restoration Language in Chapters 30–31

Later excerpts shift from judgment to restoration. In chapter 30, the Lord promises to "multiply" the people and "glorify" them (30:19), and the covenant formula appears: "ye shall be my people, and I will be your God" (30:22). Chapter 31 extends this hope with vivid images: the virgin of Israel will again "be adorned with thy tabrets" and "go forth in the dances" (31:4); the people will "plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria" (31:5). The language of gathering is prominent: the Lord will bring them "from the north country" (31:8), including "the blind and the lame, the woman with child" (31:8). A striking note is the weeping of Rachel for her children (31:15), followed by the command to "refrain thy voice from weeping" (31:16). These passages show that the book contains a substantial vein of consolation, balancing the earlier threats. The catalog subject does not indicate this thematic shift or the poetic richness of the restoration oracles.

Readers approaching this text through the catalog subject "Bible. Jeremiah" should be aware that the King James Version's language shapes the prophetic voice in distinctive ways—its archaic pronouns and verb forms, its rhythmic parallelism. The excerpts show a book that moves between personal call narrative, symbolic vision, and oracles of both judgment and hope. The catalog entry, while accurate, does not capture the literary texture or the emotional range of the text. Engaging with the actual wording reveals a work that is more varied and more specific than its subject heading suggests.

I have spent many quiet evenings with Jeremiah, hearing that low cry against ruin, the stubborn hope buried in the clay. It always makes me think of a worn volume upstairs, Galileo Galilei and the Roman Curia From Authentic Sources — Background and Themes, where another voice, equally certain of what it witnessed, stood firm amid its own long exile. Both whisper of standing alone with the truth.

There are no reviews for this eBook.

0 out of 5 (0 User reviews )

Add a Review

Your Rating *

Name*

Your Review*

David Bell - 1 month ago

{'type': 'negative', 'content': 'This is just another plain KJV text of Jeremiah with no added value. The formatting is bland, and there are no notes, cross-references, or introductions to help the reader understand the historical context. For those seeking deeper insight, this book is a disappointment. There are many superior study Bibles available.'}

George Hamilton - 3 weeks ago

{'type': 'positive', 'content': "This edition of Jeremiah from the King James Version is a powerful and poetic rendering of one of the most emotionally charged prophetic books. The language is majestic, and the raw passion of Jeremiah's lamentations and warnings comes alive. A timeless treasure for anyone seeking spiritual depth and the beauty of the KJV."}

Angela Harris - 3 weeks ago

{'type': 'neutral', 'content': "A solid reproduction of the book of Jeremiah in the classic King James Version. The text is faithful, and the typeface is readable. However, there is no commentary or study aids, so those new to the Bible may find the context challenging. Still, it's a reliable copy for reading or study."}