Jeremiah

by John Bright, David Noel Freedman (Editor)

Jeremiah, like most of the prophetic books, is an anthology containing a wide variety of literary forms. This remarkable diversity gives the work a special appeal for students of literature, who find here striking parallels to later writings; for example, in the 'confessions' one hears a voice not unlike John Donne's in the Holy Sonnets, & in the war poetry, one is reminded of pieces written two & a half millennia after Jeremiah, the war poems of Stephen Crane.
The life of Jeremiah (c.627-580) spanned a particularly crucial period in the history of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Except for a brief period of independence under Josiah she was under successive vassalages to Assyria, Egypt & Babylonia. In his introduction, Bright elucidates the historical background of the events described in Jeremiah & clarifies the importance of Jeremiah's role to the history of Israel.
The Book of Jeremiah poses extraordinary difficulties for the translator. In addition to coping with the usual--& formidable--problem of converting the classical Hebrew into modern English, the author had also to capture the different stylistic techniques used in the original. This John Bright has succeeded admirably in doing, The result is a translation notable not only for its accuracy of phrase, but also for its fidelity to style. This volume thereby accomplishes one of the major aims of The Anchor Bible: to rediscover the original, to know its importance & to feel its impact as immediately as those who first read, or heard, its story.

Genres: Reference, Biblical Studies, Theology, Old Testament

528 pages, Hardcover

First published December 22, 1964

About the author

John Bright was an American biblical scholar, the author of several important books including the influential A History of Israel, currently in its fourth edition. He was closely associated with the American school of Biblical criticism pioneered by William F. Albright, which sought to marry archaeology to a defence of the reliability of the Bible, especially the earlier books of the Old Testament.

Reviews

[Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great commentary for reading through Jeremiah.

The introduction alone is worth the price of admission. It provides an excellent overview of the historical context, the overall themes of Jeremiah, and a sketch of his life. The introduction begins with an overview of the role of the prophets in the life of Israel and includes a section on the text and the various recensions.

The commentary itself rearranges the material in Jeremiah rather than following the canonical order. This approach makes sense, given that the book of Jeremiah is clearly an anthology of his work. The passages are arranged into categories: judgments against Judah, episodes from the life of Jeremiah, the Book of Consolation, judgments against foreign nations, and an appendix. This format may make it easier to discern the overall themes in the book. I found it an effective way to read through Jeremiah.

Each passage includes a translation, which is particularly well done. The translation is smooth, literary, and modern—excellent for reading. Footnotes address any textual issues. Following the translation, there are a few pages of notes, primarily focused on lexical, geographical, and historical aspects to aid in understanding. These are followed by comments that elucidate the overall themes of the passage. I found this format conducive to reading. It's the format used in all Anchor Bible commentaries.

In terms of exposition, the commentary is balanced and reliable. It is neither overly skeptical nor naive. The comments are helpful in grasping the meaning of Jeremiah. The message of Jeremiah feels timely given the current cultural situation. It suggests that it may be time to abandon political resistance and accept a period of cultural exile, during which we work for the good of the city we are in and wait for a future restoration. But first, a period of humiliation and powerlessness may be necessary to reestablish the core of faith.

This commentary is an excellent way to read through the book of Jeremiah. Highly recommended

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/4 of the book is a helpful introduction that covers a lot of good historical context.  The next 3/4 is a translation of Jeremiah with notes that range in their helpfulness, many focused on translation choices and some on how to understand the text.  If you're going to read a commentary on Jeremiah, while this was likely good for its time, I'm pretty sure there are better options currently out there.

[Cannon Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright’s is a faithful but lucid translation of a jumbled text. Sometimes he is cautious to a fault in his commentary and boring.

[Michael Joosten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremiah is my favourite of the Major Prophets (despite a lingering feeling that I actually like Ezekiel better or that Isaiah *ought* to have first place), and much of this is because he looms over the end of the First Temple period, unabashedly longing to see his people saved while being compelled to warn them incessantly of their doom. End-of-an-age moments are dramatically moving, all the more so when they end in clearly avoidable tragedy. Jeremiah is the prophet who seems most suitable to a Shakespearian play, and I find that appealing.

I also find the jumbled state of the Book of Jeremiah attractive--it is a transparent evidence of the book's antiquity and almost a puzzle to be solved. Bright's introduction and commentary are worthwhile reads both to introduce the text and to help decipher it, made enjoyable both because Bright helps unfold the difficulties as far as they CAN be unfolded and because his own text is clear and engaging.

As a translator, it is clear that he seeks both readability and fidelity to both the words and content of the original. As a scholar, he is cautious--in a good way. Bright attempts to never make a statement that cannot be reasoned toward and he is naturally conservative in the sense that he is willing to concede the probability of a direct connection to the prophet for most elements of the book, even where he demonstrates that it was probably reworked (either during the prophet's lifetime or after).

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the introductory chapters to be the most interesting part of this commentary. John Bright has a way of making something potentially boring (which most of the Old Testament is, to be honest) both engaging and comprehensible to the modern reader. I appreciate his dedication to a "responsible" interpretation of the text based on historical context and adding a caveat to the entire "translation" insofar as any "translation" is an awkward, bumbling transposition of the original Hebrew.

It was a struggle to make it through the actual text, which is separated into chapters of Bright's translation of the book of Jeremiah followed by commentary. It's still worth it, though, and I'm interested in reading more commentaries like it on other Old Testament prophets. Jeremiah comes across as painfully flawed and human, and yet is both called and set apart by God. I like Jeremiah because he at times rejects, disdains and seeks to disown his calling. Gutsy and totally relatable.

[Michael Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much a commentary as a translation with notes and a summary of the message/meaning of the passages. However, the Introduction by itself is well worth the cost of the book (if you're buying). Bright's characteristically lucid prose is a real pleasure to read.