Jeremiah, book of

The longest prophetic book in the Old Testament. Even though the book of Isaiah has more chapters, they are shorter than the chapters in the book of Jeremiah. It was written by the prophet Jeremiah about many events in his life and in the history of Judah (the southern kingdom) between 625 and 580 BC. The book also gives many of the prophecies of Jeremiah. However, the events were not written in the order in which they occurred. The book seems to be arranged roughly this way: prophecies and sermons about Judah (chapters 1–25); events in the life of Jeremiah (chapters 26–45); prophecies about other countries (chapters 46–51); and the fall of Jerusalem and events that followed (chapter 52).

Although Jeremiah’s prophecies were usually about the bad things that would happen to Judah and other countries, he also wrote about a new agreement God would make with His people. This new agreement is mentioned in several places in the New Testament.