Jeremiah

Jer·e·mi·ah

noun \-ˈmī-ə\

Definition of JEREMIAH

1

: a major Hebrew prophet of the seventh and sixth centuries b.c.

2

: person who is pessimistic about the present and foresees a calamitous future

3

: a prophetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture — see bible table

Origin of JEREMIAH

Late Latin Jeremias, from Greek Hieremias, from Hebrew Yirmĕyāh

First Known Use: 14th century

Rhymes with JEREMIAH

Hezekiah, jambalaya, Nehemiah, Obadiah, Surabaya, Zechariah, Zephaniah

Jeremiah

biographical name    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Jeremiah, detail from a fresco by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, c. 1512—Alinari/Art Resource, New York

(born probably after 650, Anathoth, Judah—died c. 570 BC, Egypt) Hebrew prophet and reformer, author of the book of Jeremiah. Born into a priestly family in a village near Jerusalem, he began to preach c. 627 BC, charging his fellow citizens with injustice and false worship and calling on them to reform. He accurately predicted the destruction of Judah by Babylonia. After Jerusalem fell in 586 and much of its population was carried into exile, he remained behind under the protection of its new governor. When the governor was assassinated, Jeremiah was taken to Egypt by Jews who feared reprisals, and he remained there until he died. His most significant prophecy looked to a time when God would make a new covenant with Israel.