Jeremiah/Lamentations

Question 1

Jeremiah 1:10?

Answer 1

“See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”

Question 2

The prophetic principle

Answer 2

If destruction is announced it can be averted by repentance; however, if a nation is to experience good but does evil, God will punish him instead.

Question 3

When is Jeremiah called?

Answer 3

As a youth/child (na’ar); probably 17

Question 4

What is the longest book of the Bible by scroll length?

Answer 4

Jeremiah

Question 5

Is most of Jeremiah’s work positive or negative?

Answer 5

negative (Jeremiah 1:10)

Question 6

When is Jeremiah born? called?

Answer 6

born in 645c, and called in 627

Question 7

Who attempts to kill jeremiah?

Answer 7

His cousins attempt an assassination as an honor killing in response to Jeremiah’s supposed treason regarding his message about Babylon.

Question 8

What are the last things known about Jeremiah?

Answer 8

He is still noted in time of Gedaliah and his assassination. Then he is kidnapped by Judeans and hightailed to Egypt for safety from Babylon. Jeremiah says “you will be killed in Egypt” and it is assumed 580 is the latest possibility for his death around 65 years old.

Question 9

What is the significance of Anathoth?

Answer 9

Jeremiah’s birth place in Benjamite territory. Levites lived in Anathoth, a clan descended from priest of time of David’s exile located on the slopes of the Mount of Olives.

Question 10

Ancient tradition attributes Lamentations to what author?

Answer 10

Jeremiah. Both the Septuigant (Greek OT) and Vulgate (Latin OT) call it the Lamentations of Jeremiah but no Hebrew text does.

Question 11

Meaning of the word metaphor?

Answer 11

A non-literal linguistic expression that carries meaning beyond dictionary definition (meta=beyond; pheso=carry)

Question 12

How many voices/characters are there in Lamentations?

Answer 12

Seven (narrator, Jerusalem, children, mockers/nations, man, group, the lord)

Question 13

Who does N designate?

Answer 13

Narrator, unknown poet, and survivor of Jerusalem’s fall

Question 14

Who does JW designate?

Answer 14

Jerusalem the Widow/Woman, Lady Zion, the woman who is a metaphor for the city. She used to be rich, happy, married, and a mother; now she is poor, grieving, widowed, and bereft.

Question 15

What one sentence does the narrator of Lamentations quote from God?

Answer 15

Lam. 3:57 “You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” This is the most common command in all the Bible.

Question 16

Who are the man and group speakers of Lamentations?

Answer 16

The community of surviving Judean lamenters. Could either be: 1) directly written by or quoted from real people, or 2) characters made up by the narrator and what he believed was accurate to what they would say.

Question 17

What type of poetry is the book of Lamentations?

Answer 17

5 Hebrew acrostic poems each with 22 verses (22 letters in alphabet), with the exception of chapter 3 which has 66 verses (aaabbbccc). Second most intense acrostic to Psalm 119.

Question 18

What proof is there in Lamentations that Jeremiah is not the true author?

Answer 18

Verse 2:9 “Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law s no more, and her prophets no longer find visions from the LORD.” Jeremiah would most likely not say this as he insists on the legitimacy of his word, and as the only true prophet who has been in the heavenly courts. Also 4:20 refers to Zedekiah as the Lord’s anointed, which would be out of character for Jeremiah.

Question 19

How does Lamentations end?

Answer 19

With the people acknowledging God’s right to anger and his freedom to forgive or not forgive. However, the Lord has covenanted that the Exile will not last long, and that he will be faithful and just to forgive.

Question 20

How much of the Bible is written in Aramaic?

Answer 20

1/3 Ezra, 1/2 Daniel, and 1 sentence in Jeremiah. The international “business” language of the world at that time, and spoken in all surrounding pagan countries. Jews would have known Aramaic.

Question 21

Is Jeremiah arranged chronologically or thematically?

Answer 21

Thematically and with catchword organization which is unique.

Question 22

What is the final event of the book of Jeremiah?

Answer 22

The release of King Jehoiachin from prison by Evil-Merodach of Babylonia.

Question 23

Which prophet is called to singleness and why?

Answer 23

Jeremiah 16:1-4 says he was called to not marry because had he his wife and children would die of diseases, sword, and famine, and their bodies would not be buried but eaten by animals.

Question 24

Which false prophet said that all of the exile would end within two years and that Jehoiachin would return with temple articles?

Answer 24

Hananiah. However, he spoke with lies and he soon died for his false assertion while Jeremiah’s prediction of 70 years stood true.