The stage is set for the book of Jeremiah by introducing person, place, event, and historical time (1:1–3). The person is Jeremiah, whose name probably means “the Lord is exalted.” He is from a priestly line. It is unclear whether Jeremiah came from the family of Abiathar, a priest exiled by David to Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26–27). The place is Anathoth, the modern Anata, two to three miles northeast of Jerusalem. The event is the coming of the word of God, which means that the subsequent book has a divine quality to it.

The time frame extends from Josiah through Jehoiakim to Zedekiah, Judah’s last king. This list omits two three-month reigns: Johoahaz (609) and Jehoiachin (598–597). Jeremiah’s life coincides with the final years of Judah and its collapse. The prophet lives through Josiah’s …