Customer Reviews

Jeremiah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament)

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Thompson's commentary is a beautiful combination of scholarship and devotion. Of the commentaries and study guides I have used in preparing sermons on Jeremiah, this has been the richest source of help. I appreciate this series of commentaries for its evangelical commitments as well as its willingness to deal with most of the critical issues surrounding each book, and Thompson handles those issues deftly while keeping an eye on the pastoral angle of Jeremiah. In my opinion, this is a "must have" for the serious pastor or student working their way through Jeremiah.

This was the first time I have done a thorough reading of the Book of Jeremiah and J.A. Thompson's book was very informative. One got a true sense of what the text was saying and when it occurred, but since the pattern of the Biblical book was pretty much on a singuglar topic, J.A. Thompson's work became repetitious. One came to expect what was going to happen next in response to who did what. Thonpson truly stayed within the bounds of the text, only dealing with that which was pertinent, yet on one or two occassions greater application could have been drawn.

This commentary, unlike many, offers interpretation without making ridiculous applications to modern day events and attempts to interpret from the view of the reader in Jeremiah's day. I recommend the book to any serious student of scripture.

This is my second favorite commentary on Jeremiah (Charles Feinberg's is my very favorite because I favor his dispensational perspective). The strength of this commentary is that it interprets Jeremiah verse by verse from an evangelical perspective and is, in some ways, more thorough. Thompson interacts well with the text. Highly interpretative (which makes for a good commentary). A must have if you are studying Jeremiah.

The book of Jeremiah was one book I found perplexing but with the help of this book I was able to understand it much better. The author was able to offer better clarity to me in reading the poetic sections and there were some terrific insights into the narrative sections that particularly struck me.

Jeremiah is one of the more difficult books to interpret. Since the book is not in a chronological or logical order it is difficult to place each of Jeremiah's sermons within the time frame that it was written. The author has given us a scholarly understanding of Jeremiah, yet in a form that is enjoyable to read. This is by far the best commentary on Jeremiah I have read.

Thompson's work on Jeremiah is both technical and pastoral in how he writes the commentary. It was technical in that he gives good background on much of the original language and a lot of historical background into what was happening in and around Israel and Judah during the life of Jeremiah.

The first 135 pages of the commentary are just background information on what is happening in Israel and Judah that leads to Jeremiah's calling as a prophet and then his subsequent ministry. After that introduction Thompson then goes into a section by section commentary on the actual book of Jeremiah. He does a great job of giving us insight into how Jeremiah is feeling, how he is in anguish because of the sins of Israel, but also how much he loves the people and intercedes for them with the Lord.

The book of Jeremiah is highly complex. It seems disjointed at times because it jumps around from time period to time period. But Thompson does a good job of helping you navigate through those time frames and the different styles of writing. He fully explains what is happening and why the change in writing style.

He also gives good insight for Pastor's on how to help their congregation learn lessons for today from this work.

I really have enjoyed this work and have found that it is one of the most useful works that I have used in preparing my lessons for Jeremiah. If you enjoy technical commentaries you will enjoy this. Please understand it is not a quick easy read. It requires your attention and devotion to wanting to study deeply, but you won't be disappointed if you put the effort into reading, thinking and understanding the word of the Lord as presented in Jeremiah.

Enjoy!

I used this commentary as a resource to lead a Bible school course on Jeremiah. It was the most useful of all the works I consulted, and yielded many valuable insights.