Texts in Conversation
Jeremiah uses Deuteronomy’s language about choosing life or death but reshapes it for a setting of war and exile. In Deuteronomy, the choice is about obedience and blessing, and in Jeremiah it becomes an ironic choice where survival depends on surrender.
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Deuteronomy 30:15
Hebrew Bible
13 And it is not across the sea, as though one must say, ‘Who will cross over to the other side of the sea and get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ 14 For the thing is very near you—it is in your mouth and in your mind so that you can do it. 15 “Look! I have set before you today life and prosperity on the one hand, and death and disaster on the other. 16 What I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to obey his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances. Then you will live and become numerous and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are about to possess. 17 However, if you turn aside and do not obey, but are lured away to worship and serve other gods,
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Jeremiah 21:8
Hebrew Bible
6 I will kill everything living in Jerusalem, people and animals alike. They will die from terrible diseases. 7 Then I, the Lord, promise that I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and any of the people who survive the war, starvation, and disease. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will slaughter them with the sword. He will not show them any mercy, compassion, or pity.’ 8 “But tell the people of Jerusalem that the Lord says, ‘I will give you a choice between two courses of action. One will result in life; the other will result in death. 9 Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives. 10 For I, the Lord, say that I am determined not to deliver this city but to bring disaster on it. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... This echoes Deuteronomy 30:19, where Israel is urged to “choose life.” The allusion is ironic because in this case the choice is between death and a life of captivity and exile. The phrase in the next verse, “his life shall become booty,” means booty to the Chaldeans ..."
Alter, Robert
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary
(p. 3234) W. W. Norton & Company, 2018
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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