The Message of Jeremiah

The Bible Speaks Today: Old Testament

by Derek Kidner

The prophet Jeremiah and King Josiah were born at the end of the longest, darkest reign in Judah's history. Human sacrifice and practice of the black arts were just two features of the wickedness that filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with innocent blood. As outspoken prophet and reforming king, these two men gave their country its finest opportunity of renewal and its last hope of surviving as the kingdom of David. The book of Jeremiah is full of turmoil and national tragedy, the story of key people like Baruch, Gedaliah and Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, and the drama of rediscovering the forgotten book of Mosaic law. National events interweave with the lives of individuals; the rediscovered book of God's law transforms Josiah, Jeremiah and the future of the world. Derek Kidner, with careful attention to the text, reveals its startling relevance to our own troubled time.

Genres: Reference, Biblical Studies, Theology, Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, Old Testament

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 1987

About the author

Frank Derek Kidner (1913-2008) was a British Old Testament scholar, best known for writing commentaries.

Reviews

[Jared Saltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this book--it's extremely short, and it covers the longest book (by word count) in the Bible. It's hard to do what Kidner is tasked with doing, and I think he does it about as well as he could, but it still isn't terribly great. It's a good quick read if you're totally unfamiliar with Jeremiah, but once you get past that level it's not terribly useful? So, hard to rate. But definitely not my favorite Kidner volume or Jeremiah commentary.

[C.H. Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are times that Kidner's words in this brief commentary rise beyond mere explanations to profound observations. I was repeatedly delighted with his applications of biblical truth.

If you're looking for a technical commentary, this one isn't it. If you are a busy individual looking for a popular level commentary, something concise to keep you on the guardrails of responsible, orthodox interpretation, Kidner's commentary is what you need. The book of Jeremiah is fifty-two chapters long: an academic treatment would run to over 600 pages. Kidner does an excellent job with the text in 176 pages.

For the layman, the turbulent period of Jeremiah's ministry can be very difficult to untangle from a historical perspective, a task made more difficult because the swinging door of Judah's throne is complicated by the use of multiple names for the same monarch (e.g. Jehoiachin is Coniah is Jeconiah; Shallum is Jehoahaz is Joahaz). The organization of the Hebrew text of Jeremiah's prophecy reflects that tangled sense. Kidner does a great job helping the reader to sort things out and place them in the proper historical context.

Sometimes commentaries lose the big picture of the movement of the text, getting lost in arcane details. Kidner does an excellent job of tracking the overall direction of the text, never losing sight of its main thrusts, and pointing the reader to ultimate fulfillments in Christ. Five stars, highly recommended.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a deep commentary on the book of Jeremiah. We read it along with our Wed. night Bible studies in Jeremiah from Dec. of 2021 through the end of June, 2022. At times it seemed way over my head, and other times it was helpful. It was only when I FINISHED it that I realized that it has an appendix in the back that puts the book in Chronological order. The book of Jeremiah skips ALL over the place and is NOT in chronological order at all which made it confusing, even though my Bible has dates at the beginning of each chapter. So when we realized by the dates of each chapter that it was out of order, then some things made more sense in hindsight. I kept wondering if Jeremiah knew he would be a prophet for nearly 40 years to a people who refused to listen to him, if he'd even have begun his journey. I guess it's a good thing he had NO idea. I have great admiration for Jeremiah. And Jeremiah seems to have HUGE relevance to these crazy times we're living in at this time, in 2020-2022.

[Brian Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derek Kinder has the rare talent of packing a great deal of pertinent observation into a small space. This commentary on Jeremiah succinctly captures the message of the book in a running exposition that is meant to be read through from cover to cover. Throughout Kidner makes brief but pointed applications to the present. In this way the book lives up to both its title—it gives us the message of Jeremiah—and its series title—it speaks that message to us today.

[Keith Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as commentaries go this one is great. Kidner has a fantastic voice and is never too preachy or too scholarly as to be stuffy at any point. Really helps to understand the historical background behind the prophecies and points out the passages that can be applied to the Christian life where appropriate. If you have read Jeremiah a few times before and are looking for a deeper love and understanding of the book, then this is the commentary I would recommend.

[Spencer R · Rating 3 out of 5]

During his lifetime, Derek Kidner (1913-2008) was a prolific commentator for the TOTC and BST series. He wrote commentaries on Genesis, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Ezra & Nehemiah, Hosea, and two volumes on Psalms. His pastor’s heart and his OT scholarship come out in all of his commentaries. He’s pithy, wise, discerning, and easily draws his readers to look to Christ in the NT.

Kidner has Old Testament wisdom/skill (ḥokmâ) when it comes to exegesis and application. One can observe his pithiness in this commentary—Kidner explains Jeremiah’s 1,364 verses in only 150 pages! While many other commentaries explain everything almost to the point that you no longer need to look at the biblical text itself, a reading of Kidner requires an open Bible.

Kidner divides Jeremiah into 3 main units according to historical dates.

Prologue (1)
From Josiah to the first year of Nebuchadnezzar (2–20)
From Josiah’s successors to the captivity (21–45)
Oracles concerning the nations (46–51)
Epilogue (52)

Kidner also provides three appendices:
1. Sin, judgment, repentance, grace and salvation in the preaching of Jeremiah
2. The chapters of the book in their chronological setting
3. A table of dates

At 150 pages, Kidner’s Introduction is a mere 9 pages, though it gives the surrounding historical context. That context is vitally important in a book that dates many of its passages, they just aren’t usually in chronological order. Knowing the dates and the historical events in Kings and Chronicles (references also given throughout this volume) brings more life to Jeremiah.

His proverbial twists and applicable thoughts express, in a nutshell, God’s words to Jeremiah, his Jerusalem audience, his Babylonian audience, and his present day audience and exhorts and encourages both God’s people and God’s preachers today. In Jeremiah 17.17–18, Kidner writes,
“Jeramiah (sp) recalls the warning he received at his commissioning… for dismay [1.17, and ‘terror’ in 17.17] is the word he now dwells on… but we should not miss the note of ‘fear and trembling’ (cf. 1 Cor. 2:3) which was the cost of his outspokenness. It silently rebukes the blandness of the safe preacher” (74).

As with Hetty and Wright, there is no Scripture index.

Recommended?
While Kidner’s volume isn’t strong in detailed exegesis, and it won’t be the go-to commentary for many because of it’s brevity, those brief comments give you a taste of each section’s distinct meaning and, ultimately, of all of Jeremiah. Kidner would be best used for both the Bible study and in sermon prep. He’s strong on the historical events of Jeremiah, drawing in the NT, and summarizing the main idea(s) in a section of Scripture.

Disclosure: I received this book free from IVP Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still growing in my use of commentaries to augment my study of scripture by incorporating perspectives from multiple Biblical scholars, so I don't have set criteria upon which to objectively evaluate commentaries.

I found this commentary easy to use as I reread Jeremiah. I recommend that you've done several readings of Jeremiah prior to using the commentary. Additionally, you will want to do a full reading of Jeremiah as a preface to working through the commentary, and then re-read the noted text as you work through the commentary. This second, more methodical reading of Jeremiah will highlight aspects of the text that you may have glossed over. The commentary helps you to slow down and engage with the text more critically. Sometimes the author unpacks a single verse while at other times, the author reflects upon several chapters.

[Jason Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeremiah’s journey is a searing one through Israel’s downfall, but in It all is personal renewal, challenge and redemptive promise. Given the size of the book this commentary could be more comprehensive - I think a new one is in process- but it’s fairly informative and applicatory.

[Paul Dubuc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent exposition of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah. It makes great companion reading. Derek Kidner not only clarifies the context of the message, but also relates it to other books of the Old and New Testaments as well as applying parts of its message to our own day.

[Milan Homola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and devotional in content.

[Landon Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, brief, and somewhat limited. Nevertheless, this is a solid resource for those teaching and preaching through the book of Jeremiah.