Jeremiah and Lamentations

Tyndale Old Testament Commentary #21

by Hetty Lalleman-de Winkel

Despite the themes of doom and destruction, the primary message of Jeremiah is one of the love and grace of a God who never gives up on those he has called to be his own. The prophet's life is characterized by suffering, but he points to a new beginning, a new covenant and a new hope, eventually made possible through the unique Suffering Servant. Lamentations powerfully expresses personal and national suffering. Yet, even in these utterances of desperate grief, there are glimpses of hope. Lifting out these significant but understated themes in Jeremiah and Lamentations, this commentary by Hetty Lalleman opens our eyes to an important chapter in salvation history.

Genres: Christian

373 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2013

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the glaring weaknesses of many/most Bible commentaries is that they seem to always miss the forest for the trees. Perhaps this comes from the tendency in Bible scholars to drill down into minutiae so often, or perhaps seminaries need to require a couple of English lit classes as part of the curriculum. At any rate, this commentary suffers from the myopia of the immediate.

It's not a bad commentary, the author has done their homework, has a good grasp of Hebrew and the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures), does an adequate job of identifying people/places/ things in the text, and is blessedly in the stream of historical Christianity in terms of interpretation. My two big complaints/suggestions would be:

1. Incorporate more of the forest in your commentary. What are the grand themes of Jeremiah and how do they run through the book? Were the different passages just stitched together haphazardly, or is there some order here and reason a passage was placed in that particular position? Most of all, what is the author preaching about in any particular passage? Why does he form it the way he did, use the words he chose, and make the points he made? You won't really find out from reading this commentary. It's just not in the author's wheelhouse to ask these questions.

2. The author will stop every so often and point out how a particular passage fits into the Christian faith after the coming of Christ. This is all well and good, and certainly something to consider. My complaint is that these points just seem to be made haphazardly, as if the author suddenly noticed, "here is something that is applicable to the Christian faith now." I wish the author would have spent more time considering how the entire particular passage fits into the faith in light of the cross. This just didn't seem to be a consideration.

Not a bad commentary, but not a great one either.

[Spencer R · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my full review on SpoiledMilks (9/18/17)

New discoveries of ancient Near Eastern artifacts and texts increasingly give a sharper understanding of the Old Testament, 75% of the Bible which too often goes unnoticed. However, a significant reason the OT is often ignored is because, being so far removed from today’s reader, it is difficult to understand.

It’s should be no surprise that Jeremiah takes up the bulk of this volume (299 pages) with Lamentations running at 55 pages. There are three parts to each section of the commentary—context, comment, and meaning. "Context" sets the new text within the flow of the book. "Comment" is the exegetical portion where Lalleman emphasis repeated themes, rhetorical questions, the שׁוּב motif of “repenting”/“returning”/“turning away,” Jeremiah’s laments, chiastic structures, what makes a prophet true or false, and contrasts. While she doesn’t comment on everything (though that's not a drawback), she does draw the reader back and forth to many other places in Scripture.

Finally, the "Meaning" section draws the main points of the passage together into a brief paragraph so that the reader can get his bearings. Lalleman doesn’t speak much about the NT, but it does come up, and especially when there is messianic language. This strength is seen more in the volumes by Kidner and Wright. The primary purpose of the TOTC volumes is to discuss what the OT text is saying. It’s the job of the TNTC (NT commentaries) to take the OT information and show its fulfillment in Christ.

Unfortunately, as with Kidner and Wright, there is no Scripture index.

Recommended?
Lalleman has helped explain the big picture and the nuances of Jeremiah to me. She has sat with me for a number of Sunday mornings and has guided me through this long, foreign, and bewildering text, and I wouldn’t want to be far away from her volume when I study this book. A good expositional companion to Lalleman on Jermeiah would be Christopher Wright’s BST volume, and a good companion commentary on Lamentations would be Parry’s THOTC volume.

Lalleman’s volume is good to use as preparation for a Bible study, for a sermon, and for teaching in a Bible college/seminary atmosphere. She gives enough detail without being overbearing, and that makes her volume a delight to use in all settings.

Disclosure: I received this book free from IVP Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series produced by IVP academic, is a highly respected Commentary series for the educated Layman on up. In the last decade IVP has begun a vast revision of this celebrate series. One of the newer volume in this sweeping revision is the Jeremiah and Lamentations, by Hetty Lalleman. Lalleman has taken the mantel from R. K. Harrison who authored the previous volume. It might seem nigh impossible to replace this theological giant yet Lalleman uses her masterful understanding of the Hebrew combined with cunning wit to explore these interconnected books for the glory of God.

With regard to the introduction to the commentary, Lalleman, does not spend a good deal of time on the authorship or introductory matters on the Jeremiah and Lamentations yet in a stark contrast she spends over 36 pages on the introduction to judges. Sadly it seems that’s the entire commentary on the Jeremiah and Lamantations as a whole is very weak. This does not mean that it is not helpful, rather it seems to be a short summary of greater and just as recently published works, without many new theological insights or application points. While there are a few instances which I disagree with Lalleman on in regards to her study on this wisdom book, she keeps the correct theological view in how to interpret this somewhat perplexing book of scripture.  I recommend this commentary to Layman as a great tool in preparation for teaching Sunday school as well as a great introduction for the pastor, yet I would use in in conjunction with a volume which would dive deeper into the themes as well as meaning of this love letter.

This book was provided to me free of charge from IVP Academic for the purposes of a unbiased review.

[James Tetley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations I had the privilege of being taught Hebrew by Hetty. Helpful insights into the text especially where the Hebrew is unclear. I valued the latter chapters in the Oracles Against the Nations which had some really useful background to the surrounding nations who were also overcome by Babylon. Hetty captured the loneliness of the prophet. Who even at the end gets dragged off to Egypt despite having prophesied against going there!! I would have valued a little more on the fulfillment in Christ, but perhaps that's the role of the sermon and not the commentary.