Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 64:3 (Sep 2021)
Article: “As I Commanded Your Fathers”: The Decalogue In Jeremiah
Author: E. Coye Still IV

JETS 64:3 (September 2021) p. 495

“As I Commanded Your Fathers”: The Decalogue In Jeremiah

E. Coye Still IV*

^* E. Coye Still IV is a PhD student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2825 Lexington Rd., Louisville, KY 40280. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: This paper argues that the Decalogue is foundational for Jeremiah’s preaching. At one point, scholars generally agreed that the Ten Commandments exerted an impact on prophetic literature. More recently, however, Daniel I. Block, Yair Hoffman, and others have denied that the Ten Words have a discernible impact on the Hebrew Bible outside the Pentateuch. To demonstrate the influence of the Decalogue on Jeremiah, this article engages in an analysis of the final form of the Ten Words and the final form of Jeremiah. In particular, it gives focused attention to Jeremiah 1:16, 7:9, 9:1–9, 16:11, 17:19–27, 31:33, and 32:18. Beyond exegesis of specific texts, this article catalogs indictments throughout Jeremiah that hint at the influence of the Ten Words. Along the way, implications are drawn regarding the history and theology of both the Decalogue and Jeremiah.

Key words: Decalogue, Ten Words, Ten Commandments, Jeremiah 7:9, Jeremiah 17:19–27, Torah, Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, prophets, inner-biblical exegesis

The Decalogue is a foundational text in both Jewish and Christian tradition.1 It occupies a prominent place in the Pentateuch (Exod 20:1–21; Deut 5:6–21),2 early Jewish literature,3 and early Christian writings (e.g., Matt 19:18–19; Rom 2:21–22; 7:7; 13:9; Eph 6:2–3).4 Do, however, the Ten Commandments exert influence on the Hebrew Bible outside the Pentateuch? Engaging with that question, I will take the book of Jeremiah as a test case and argue tha...