BIBLE FILM GUIDE

Jeremiah

Name: Jeremiah
Released: 1998

Film · 1998 · 91 min

The film follows the young prophet Jeremiah from his calling to his warnings of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, set just before the nation's fall.

BibleVibe Editorial · AI-assisted, human-reviewed

What the story covers

According to the overview, the film follows Jeremiah from his youth in a priest's family in the village of Anathoth, near Jerusalem. God appears to him in different human guises and makes clear that he has been chosen to deliver God's message to the people of Jerusalem. The overview also notes that Jeremiah urged Judah to repent, faced persecution because he proclaimed only judgment, and after Judah's destruction went to Egypt where he continued to prophesy and was martyred.

This story sits in the book of Jeremiah, which spans the prophet's ministry before and during the fall of Jerusalem. The biblical passages highlighted for this guide are Jeremiah 1, which records his calling, and Jeremiah 36-39, which covers the writing and public reading of the scroll of his prophecies and the events leading up to Judah's collapse.

Biblical figures:Jeremiah

Where it is in the Bible

Jeremiah 1 Jeremiah 36–39

Jeremiah 1:5In this verse God tells Jeremiah that before he was formed in the womb He knew him, sanctified him, and appointed him as a prophet to the nations. The passage establishes Jeremiah's calling as something decided by God before birth, which the film links to Jeremiah's youth in Anathoth and his selection to announce God's message to Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 36:1-12This passage records the Lord telling Jeremiah to write all His words on a scroll, Jeremiah dictating them to Baruch, and Baruch reading them publicly in the house of the Lord on a fast day. It shows how the prophetic word was preserved in writing and brought before officials such as Elishama, Delaiah, Elnathan, Gemariah, and Zedekiah, which the film depicts as Jeremiah proclaims judgment against Judah.

How it differs from the Bible

The overview states that in the film God appears to Jeremiah 'in different human guises on several occasions,' which is a departure from the biblical text. In Jeremiah 1 the prophet describes the Lord's presence as a direct word, not as a series of encounters with human figures. When watching, it may help to note how the film visualizes the call described in the first passage and whether it preserves the sense that Jeremiah is set apart 'before he was born.'

The overview also summarizes events that the highlighted scripture passages only partially cover: Jeremiah's post-fall ministry in Egypt and his martyrdom are not contained in Jeremiah 1 or Jeremiah 36-39. Viewers may want to compare how the film portrays the scroll-reading scene in Jeremiah 36:1-12 with what the passage actually reports, including who is present in the chamber and how Baruch reads the words of the Lord.

Discussion questions

1
How does Jeremiah describe his own calling before he has even spoken a word to the people?
In Jeremiah 1:5, God says He knew and sanctified Jeremiah before he was born and appointed him a prophet to the nations, so the calling precedes any public ministry.
2
Why does Jeremiah have Baruch read the scroll publicly instead of reading it himself?
According to Jeremiah 36:1-12, Jeremiah says he is shut up and cannot go into the house of the Lord, so he commands Baruch to read the words of the Lord in the ears of the people there on the fast day.
3
Who hears Baruch's reading, and what is the purpose of making the prophetic words public?
Jeremiah 36:1-12 records that Baruch reads in the house of the Lord before all the people and before officials in the scribe's chamber, so that the house of Judah may hear the evil God intends and turn from it, that God may forgive their iniquity and sin.

Jeremiah guide All Bible films