Albert Barnes Commentary Jeremiah 1

The words of Jeremiah - The usual title of the prophetic books is “the Word of the Lord,” but the two books of Amos and Jeremiah are called the words of those prophets, probably because they contain not merely prophecies, but also the record of much that belongs to the personal history of the writers. This title might therefore be translated as “the life of Jeremiah” or “the acts of Jeremiah,” though some understand it as a collection of the prophecies of Jeremiah. One derivation of Jeremiah’s name is “God exalts.”

Hilkiah may have been the high priest of that name.

That were - Or, who was, that is, dwelt. The meaning is that Jeremiah was a priest who dwelt at Anathoth.

Came - literally, was ; the phrase implies that Jeremiah possessed God’s word from that time onward, not intermittently as coming and going, but constantly.

The thirteenth year of his reign - According to the ordinary reckoning, this would be 629 b.c., but if the Ptolemaic canon is right in putting the capture of Jerusalem at 586 b.c., it would be two years later, namely 627 b.c. However, according to the Assyrian chronology, it would be 608 b.c. It was the year after that in which Josiah began his reforms.

The whole period contained in this verse is no less than 40 years and 6 months, namely, 18 years under Josiah, two periods of 11 years each under Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, and 3 months under each of the omitted kings, Jehoahaz and Jeconiah.

In the fifth month - The capture of Jerusalem took place in the fourth month, but its destruction was in the fifth month (see the marginal references), the ninth day of which was subsequently kept as a fast-day (Zechariah 7:3).

This history of Jeremiah’s call to his office formed a part of his first address to the people. He claimed to act by an external authority, and to speak not his own words but those of Yahweh; and this even when resisting the divine call (Jeremiah 20:7, Jeremiah 20:14–18).

Rather, “Before I formed thee in the belly.” I approved of you (as one fit for the prophetic office), and “before thou camest forth from the womb” I made you holy (dedicated you to holy uses); I have appointed you (now by this public call to be) “a prophet unto the nations.”

Unto the nations — The privileges contained in this verse are so great as in their full sense to be true only of Christ Himself, while to Jeremiah they belong as he was in so many particulars a type of Christ.