Who exactly was Jeremiah? Well, we’re told at least three things about him in his prophecies’ first two verses: he was a priest; he lived in Anathoth; and he was the son of a certain Hilkiah. Below, we’ll consider these facts in a bit more detail. Let’s start with Anathoth. To a casual reader, ‘Anathoth’ is just a name. But Anathoth wasn’t just any old city; it was a highly significant one. It was allotted to the descendants of Aaron, i.e., the descendants of Israel’s high priest (Josh. 21.13ff.). As a result, it was where Eli lived. That’s why when Solomon deposed Abiathar the priest—who was the son of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli (I Sam. 14.3, 22.9ff., 22.20, 23.6, 30.7)—, he sent him back to his ‘estate’ in Anathoth (I Kgs. 2.26–27). The city of Anathoth even (uniquely) came to acquire the suffix ‘-iah’ (i.e., a Yahwistic suffix), hence it’s referred to as ‘Anthothiah’ in I Chronicles 8.24.
Jeremiah & the Priesthood
Jeremiah & the Priesthood
Jeremiah & the Priesthood
Who exactly was Jeremiah? Well, we’re told at least three things about him in his prophecies’ first two verses: he was a priest; he lived in Anathoth; and he was the son of a certain Hilkiah. Below, we’ll consider these facts in a bit more detail. Let’s start with Anathoth. To a casual reader, ‘Anathoth’ is just a name. But Anathoth wasn’t just any old city; it was a highly significant one. It was allotted to the descendants of Aaron, i.e., the descendants of Israel’s high priest (Josh. 21.13ff.). As a result, it was where Eli lived. That’s why when Solomon deposed Abiathar the priest—who was the son of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli (I Sam. 14.3, 22.9ff., 22.20, 23.6, 30.7)—, he sent him back to his ‘estate’ in Anathoth (I Kgs. 2.26–27). The city of Anathoth even (uniquely) came to acquire the suffix ‘-iah’ (i.e., a Yahwistic suffix), hence it’s referred to as ‘Anthothiah’ in I Chronicles 8.24.