JEREMIAH (c. 640–580 BCE), or, in Hebrew, Yirme-yah(u); biblical prophet. Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, was born in Anathoth, some 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Jerusalem. The English name Jeremiah is based on the Greek Hieremias from the Septuagint and not on the received Hebrew Masoretic text. The Septuagint reflects a correct original Hebrew Yarim-Yahu ("Yahveh grants"), a name type whose antecedents can be traced to the third millennium BCE.

The Book of Jeremiah and the Biography of Jeremiah

Most of our knowledge about Jeremiah's life comes from the biblical Book of Jeremiah. The book is not arranged chronologically, with the result that contemporary scholarly reconstructions of the prophet's life are highly subjective. Important background information is found in the Hebrew scriptures, in 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Obadiah. Other important sources are the Hebrew letters from Lachish, primary documents from Egypt and Mesopotamia, and the histories of...