- The prophet identifies his ancestry. From what group of Jews does he descend? What is his tribe? What is his “home city”?
- Yirmiyahu’s father is named Hilkiyahu. Breaking the word down into its three constituent elements it would be Hilki (my portion) Yah (God) Hu (he is) or properly presented, “my portion (that is my lot and my destiny) is Yah” — is (with) God. Consequently, would that help to explain why the son is called Yirmi Yah Hu — and what might that mean?
- Is there any relationship between the father of the prophet and the Kohen Hilkiyah in II Kings 22?
- According to Jeremiah 1:2, when does the prophet first “receive the word of God,” and where?
- How, then, does Jeremiah 1:3 coalesce with the chronology of verse 2?
- And further, according to verse 3 was this particular volume written before or after the “exiling from Jerusalem”?
- And, in verse 3, do you see any similarity in naming with the names Tzidkiyahu and Yoshiyahu?
- How explain the shift from third person (through verse 3) to the first person in Jeremiah 1:4?
- According to Jeremiah 1:5, what is the charge given to Jeremiah — a prophet to Israel or a prophet per se?
- Does verse 5 indicate that the “calling” of Jeremiah was attendant upon his achieving maturity or was he “destined”?
- Verse 5 includes the word “hikdashtikha”. What does this word imply — “made you holy “or” uniquely assigned you a responsibility” or some other definition?
- Based upon Jeremiah 1:6, would it appear that the call to the prophet was when he was young or older?
- When, in verse 6, Jeremiah notes that “I do not know how to speak”, is this a reference to the Mosaic tradition or, rather, to his own estimate of his oratorical ability?
- What assurance does Divinity provide to the prophet in terms of his hesitations?
- In Jeremiah 1:9, there is an anthropomorphic reference. Or is this to be taken literally? And, if not, what is the poetic symbolism?
- Does the sequence of verbs in Jeremiah 1:10 indicate a particular “philosophy” as to how future improvement is to unfold? Or is the sequence of verbs addressed to two different constituencies, the one to be destroyed and the other to be built?
- Does Jeremiah 1:11 indicate that this is a new “dialogue” between Divinity and the prophet or is this a sequential part of the original exchange?
- And, in comparing this with the Burning Bush vignette in Shmot, what are the similarities, including the “makeyl”? Are these similarities (if such they be) deliberate or happenstancial?
- The first vision (of the staff), in the pun involving noun and verb, indicates time or event?
- In Jeremiah 1:13, the open vessel pointing northerly indicates what eventuality?
- What are the northern kingdoms to which reference is made in Jeremiah 1:15?
- Essentially, according to Jeremiah 1:16, what is the signal transgression and “the desertion “of Divinity?
- Jeremiah 1:17-19 provide the prophet with assurance that he is not to fear them. Who is the “them”?
- Is the prophet to be “flexible” in addressing his responsibility to those whom he is to castigate?
- And if the prophet is to prevail, what is it that will assure his success (Jeremiah 1:19)?
