What is the historical setting for the “word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah”?

Jeremiah 25:1–38 is one of the clearest examples of how the material in the book of Jeremiah was rearranged and compiled over time. The English translations of the Old Testament that we read today are based primarily on Hebrew text found in the Masoretic Text (MT). The MT was completed in the tenth century by the Masoretes, Jewish Scribes who carefully preserved the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament. The MT is viewed by translators as the most accurate and faithful copy of the original Hebrew Old Testament. The Septuagint (LXX) is the earliest translation of the Old Testament into another language. It is a Greek translation that was compiled for Greek speaking Jews in the second and third century BC. The LXX is therefore much older than the MT and is based on earlier versions of the original Hebrew text. This means that there are some differences between the LXX and the MT. One of the biggest differences is the book of Jeremiah. In the MT, and modern English translations, the oracles of judgment against the nations occur in Jeremiah 46:1–51:64 while in the LXX these chapters are placed directly after Jeremiah 25:13a. Since the LXX is based on much older Hebrew texts it probably reflects an older version of Jeremiah, while the MT reflects a later version in which the material has been rearranged and additions made. The most likely explanation is that before the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC, Jeremiah did preach the oracles of judgment against the nations (Jeremiah 46:1–51:64) in the same context mentioned in Jeremiah 25:1. But when Baruch, under the guidance of Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 36:1–26), compiled the final form of the book after the fall of Jerusalem the oracles of judgment were moved to later in the book and new material was added. Jeremiah 25:1–38 was probably also significantly changed in that process as well. As will be seen in the comments below, one of the most likely changes is that Babylon is clearly named as the enemy from the north.¹

There are a number of ways in which Jeremiah 25:1–38 connects with Jeremiah 1:1–19. Jeremiah 25:3 repeats the date for the start of Jeremiah’s ministry that is mentioned inJeremiah 1:2, the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign. In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord calls Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations and in Jeremiah 25:15–38 we see Jeremiah carrying out this task. These, and other literary connections with Jeremiah 1:1–19 have led most commentators to conclude that Jeremiah 1:1–19 and Jeremiah 25:1–38 form an inclusio or brackets around this first major section of the book.² What marks this section out is that it contains most of Jeremiah’s prophecies of judgment against Judah³

The historical setting for the word that came to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 25:1–14 is the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. The year was 605 BC. The fact that this is about 8 years after the date given for the message in Jeremiah 24:1–10 is another indication that the material in Jeremiah has not been arranged according to chronology but rather thematically. That does not mean that the theme in Jeremiah 25:1–38 is very different from what we have seen so far in the book. It continues with the Lord’s judgment of Judah because of covenant unfaithfulness. However, the focus in Jeremiah 25:1–38 is not just the Lord’s judgment of Judah, but the fact that his judgment is coming to all nations, including Babylon. The chapter therefore shows that the Lord’s dealings with Judah must be seen in the light of the fact that he is indeed the Lord Almighty who created the whole world, rules over it, judges it and will ultimately save it.

The other important aspect of the historical setting for Jeremiah 25:1–14 that is mentioned is the fact that it was also the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The importance of mentioning Nebuchadnezzar as the rising force in the region is that the real power in Judah no longer lies in the hands of Jehoiakim, but in Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord’s instrument of judgment.⁴