What do you think?
Rate this book
ירמיהו: גורלו של חוזה
A new way to look at the book of Jeremiah, written by Binyamin Lau.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2009
25 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 4, 2017
a well written translation of wonderful detailed explanation of Jeremiah and his prophesies. What makes this very special is the historical details and connection to current day Israel.
September 22, 2020
Lucid, passionate engagement with the life of the prophet and rational reorganisation of the story in the book into chronological order.
October 31, 2017
You can read the full review on my blog, Spoiled Milks (9/29/17).
Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible, and it is certainly one of the most complex. Its timetable jumps around (think Memento after being put into a blender). Rabbi Dr. Binyamin Lau, an Israeli community leader, educator, and social activist, has undertaken a study of Jeremiah, “disassembled… and reconstructed it according to the chronology of Jeremiah’s life and the development of his prophecy” (xxii).
Lau divides Jeremiah into three main units.
1. The Reign of Josiah (640-609 BCE)
2. The Reign of Jehoiakim (609-598 BCE)
3. The Reign of Zedekiah (597-586 BCE)
He includes two indexes at the end of his book;
1. The Chapters of Jeremiah — Original Order
2. The Chapters of Jeremiah — Chronological Order
Lau claims not to have “inserted any ideas not found in the text” (xxii). Yet I disagree, even if he didn’t insert his own ideas on purpose. Lau takes Huldah’s prophecy from 2 Kings 22.16–17 and says Josiah “is trapped. The prophetess has condemned Jerusalem to destruction, leaving no possibility for the repairs and reforms he advocates” (45). Where’s the nuance? Lau leaves out vv. 18–20 where God tells Josiah that he will die in peace because of his humble heart. This doesn’t mean this kind of death can’t happen to (some) other Israelites who would repent, nor would continuing his reform mean he was “rebelling” against Huldah’s prophecy (45).
I was surprised not to see certain topics explained at all, especially with the new covenant. Lau covers Jeremiah 31 pretty early in the book (I do not know why, nor do I know why he separated it from chapter 30). Lau quotes big blocks of verses from Jeremiah 31 (as he does in the rest of the book), but he stops at v. 27. He makes no mention of the new covenant, a pivotal prophesy in Jeremiah (considering it comes within the “Book of Consolation” in the canonical order). It is one of the few uplifting prophecies in the book.
There is more detail than necessary, even if it does make the “story” more interesting. After Hanamel sells his land to Jeremiah, upon Hanamel’s leaving Lau remarks, "Once his transaction with Jeremiah has been completed, Hanameel takes his leave. He is surely pleased to have earned some extra money during what was undoubtedly an unprecedentedly steep downturn in the local real estate market. He considers the stupidity of his crazy cousin, who has fallen prey to his swindle, and takes his leave" (178).
Perhaps this is all true, but how would we know? The text does not tell us. The Babylonians were in Anathoth, but was Hanamel intentionally swindling Jeremiah? Was he considering the stupidity of this sale? In Jeremiah’s prayer to God in 32:16–25, was Jeremiah accusing “God of tormenting him” (179)? It doesn’t seem like it. These sound like “ideas not found in the text” (xxii).
When it comes to Lau’s reconstruction chronology, he doesn’t always explain how he arrived at that conclusion. It just is that way, and he’s able to make a story from it. However, I’m not convinced. Chapters 47, 48, 50, and 51 are also not included in Lau’s book.
Recommended?
It’s only once in a blue moon that I don’t recommend a book, and I’m happy about that. I’m going against the flow of everyone else on Amazon about this book, so I could very well be wrong. I found Lau to be of little help in my study with Jeremiah. I usually didn’t know why he ordered Jeremiah the way he did, and his speculations were hard to believe. This doesn’t mean that other commentators don’t speculate, they are just more ready to admit to their speculations when it comes to “ideas not found in the text” (xxii). For more helpful commentaries, see Lalleman, Wright, and Kidner.
Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible, and it is certainly one of the most complex. Its timetable jumps around (think Memento after being put into a blender). Rabbi Dr. Binyamin Lau, an Israeli community leader, educator, and social activist, has undertaken a study of Jeremiah, “disassembled… and reconstructed it according to the chronology of Jeremiah’s life and the development of his prophecy” (xxii).
Lau divides Jeremiah into three main units.
1. The Reign of Josiah (640-609 BCE)
2. The Reign of Jehoiakim (609-598 BCE)
3. The Reign of Zedekiah (597-586 BCE)
He includes two indexes at the end of his book;
1. The Chapters of Jeremiah — Original Order
2. The Chapters of Jeremiah — Chronological Order
Lau claims not to have “inserted any ideas not found in the text” (xxii). Yet I disagree, even if he didn’t insert his own ideas on purpose. Lau takes Huldah’s prophecy from 2 Kings 22.16–17 and says Josiah “is trapped. The prophetess has condemned Jerusalem to destruction, leaving no possibility for the repairs and reforms he advocates” (45). Where’s the nuance? Lau leaves out vv. 18–20 where God tells Josiah that he will die in peace because of his humble heart. This doesn’t mean this kind of death can’t happen to (some) other Israelites who would repent, nor would continuing his reform mean he was “rebelling” against Huldah’s prophecy (45).
I was surprised not to see certain topics explained at all, especially with the new covenant. Lau covers Jeremiah 31 pretty early in the book (I do not know why, nor do I know why he separated it from chapter 30). Lau quotes big blocks of verses from Jeremiah 31 (as he does in the rest of the book), but he stops at v. 27. He makes no mention of the new covenant, a pivotal prophesy in Jeremiah (considering it comes within the “Book of Consolation” in the canonical order). It is one of the few uplifting prophecies in the book.
There is more detail than necessary, even if it does make the “story” more interesting. After Hanamel sells his land to Jeremiah, upon Hanamel’s leaving Lau remarks, "Once his transaction with Jeremiah has been completed, Hanameel takes his leave. He is surely pleased to have earned some extra money during what was undoubtedly an unprecedentedly steep downturn in the local real estate market. He considers the stupidity of his crazy cousin, who has fallen prey to his swindle, and takes his leave" (178).
Perhaps this is all true, but how would we know? The text does not tell us. The Babylonians were in Anathoth, but was Hanamel intentionally swindling Jeremiah? Was he considering the stupidity of this sale? In Jeremiah’s prayer to God in 32:16–25, was Jeremiah accusing “God of tormenting him” (179)? It doesn’t seem like it. These sound like “ideas not found in the text” (xxii).
When it comes to Lau’s reconstruction chronology, he doesn’t always explain how he arrived at that conclusion. It just is that way, and he’s able to make a story from it. However, I’m not convinced. Chapters 47, 48, 50, and 51 are also not included in Lau’s book.
Recommended?
It’s only once in a blue moon that I don’t recommend a book, and I’m happy about that. I’m going against the flow of everyone else on Amazon about this book, so I could very well be wrong. I found Lau to be of little help in my study with Jeremiah. I usually didn’t know why he ordered Jeremiah the way he did, and his speculations were hard to believe. This doesn’t mean that other commentators don’t speculate, they are just more ready to admit to their speculations when it comes to “ideas not found in the text” (xxii). For more helpful commentaries, see Lalleman, Wright, and Kidner.
August 22, 2013
This book is amazing for what it is, it takes Jeremiah-one of the most challenging and hard to read books in the bible and places it within the narrative of what is happening during the roughly fifty five years of history in which the writings occur. By placing Jeremiah in conversation with the remembered history in books like 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles in combination with the writing of Babylonia and other archeological finds and finally other contemporary prophets Rabbi Lau narrates the heartbreaking story of the prophet and the people of Judah as they move from the optimism of the beginning of King Josiah's reign to the utter desolation of the Babylonian exile. It is not a book for everyone, and it is not a commentary on the book of Jeremiah, but it is a phenomenal resource in bringing the book of Jeremiah, the prophet and the time to life.
October 13, 2011
Rabbi Lau (Binyamin, not Israel Meir) presents an interesting look at the book of Jeremiah. He draws from biblical, archeological, Talmudic and other sources, along with historical knowledge to give the reader a feel for the times that the prophet was forced to live through. I recommend it as a good, depressing Tisha Be'Av read.
Read
March 26, 2016This book tells the story of the prophet Jeremiah.
June 14, 2015
Good history recap.
This book a written to explain and give background to the history before during and after the life of Jeremiah.
This book a written to explain and give background to the history before during and after the life of Jeremiah.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews