Meaning of the Name Jeremiah
The etymology of Jeremiah is not certain and remains debated. Many proposals connect it with a divine action such as "YHWH exalts" or "YHWH appoints/establishes," while other explanations have also been suggested. For that reason the name should not be presented as though one solution were certain.
Origin
The name Jeremiah is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Jeremiah in the Bible?
Jeremiah is the prophet who ministers in Judah's final years. Before Jerusalem's fall he calls the people to repentance, announces coming judgment, and also voices the hope of a new covenant. Others bear the name, but the prophet of the book of Jeremiah is by far the best known.
The story of Jeremiah in the Bible
Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah of the priests at Anathoth, served as a prophet during Judah's final decades. The LORD's call came to him in the days of King Josiah; when he protested that he was only a youth, the LORD assured him that his words had been placed in his mouth and that he would be with him. Standing at the temple gate, Jeremiah urged the people toward genuine repentance, declaring that trusting in the temple building while continuing in injustice would save no one. For years he announced the coming Babylonian invasion, and for it he was beaten, the scroll he dictated was burned, and he was thrown into prison and into a waterless cistern. Still he could not stay silent; the LORD's word was like fire within him. Even in the darkest days he carried hope, foretelling the days when the LORD would make a new covenant and write his Law on hearts. After Jerusalem fell he remained among the people left in the land, and was later taken to Egypt against his will.
Is Jeremiah mentioned in the Quran?
The name Jeremiah does not appear in the Quran, though later Islamic literature knows stories of a figure called Irmiya; in the Bible he is the prophet of the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament.
Verses where Jeremiah appears
- Jeremiah 1:1 —
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
- Jeremiah 7:2 —
“Stand in the gate of Yahweh’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear Yahweh’s word, all you of Judah, who enter in at these gates to worship Yahweh.’”
- Jeremiah 31:31 —
Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: