Evaluation

Overall Score: 8.0/10

A weighty technical guide to Jeremiah 1 to 25 that strengthens faithful exposition through careful text work.

Publication Date(s): 1991

Pages: 438

ISBN: 9780849902253

Faithfulness to the Text: 8.6/10

We find this commentary consistently attentive to Jeremiah's wording and argument, with technical work that serves careful, text governed preaching.

Christ Centredness: 7.9/10

This is not a sermon driven volume, but it strengthens the exegesis that makes Christward proclamation more faithful and more controlled by the passage.

Depth of Insight: 8.7/10

We are helped by sustained engagement with difficult sections and by careful reasoning through interpretive options.

Clarity of Writing: 7.6/10

Clear for a technical commentary, though it rewards patient reading and repeated consultation.

Pastoral Usefulness: 7.8/10

Most useful as an exegetical foundation alongside a more directly pastoral commentary for sermon shape and application.

Readability: 7.2/10

Best used in focused study blocks rather than rushed preparation.

Summary

At a Glance

Length: 438 pages
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Theo. Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Overall score: 8 / 10
Strength: Detailed exegesis that keeps us close to the text.
Limitation: Less direct help with sermon outlines and immediate application.

We find Peter C. Craigie, Page H. Kelley, Joel F. Drinkard’s Jeremiah 1-25 a substantial technical guide to the opening half of Jeremiah. It keeps us close to the text, helps us weigh difficult interpretive decisions, and gives careful attention to structure and flow so we are not preaching isolated fragments.

Because it is written for serious study, it serves us best when we are doing patient preparation. It is not a ready made sermon handbook, but it strengthens the sort of exegesis that makes proclamation clearer, steadier, and less driven by guesswork.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this commentary when we want technical help that improves accuracy. Jeremiah can be dense, emotionally charged, and full of repeated themes, and a careful technical companion helps us keep context, argument, and emphasis in view.

We also benefit when a resource forces us to slow down and give reasons for our conclusions. That discipline guards the pulpit. It helps us speak with confidence that rises from the passage, not from habit or borrowed impressions.

For Reformed preaching, the value is often indirect but real. Strong text work supports more faithful Christward proclamation, especially in a book where judgement, covenant, and newness of heart demand theological clarity.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this as an advanced technical companion for those who teach Jeremiah with some regularity. Pair it with a more directly pastoral commentary for sermon shape and application, and let this one do its best work in the detailed exegesis that keeps us honest and grounded.

As pastoral next steps, use the Bible Book Overview to stay oriented in Jeremiah, browse Top Recommendations to strengthen your shelf, and consult the Reformed Commentary Index for a wider set of trusted options.

Where to buy

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