The Meaning and Function of Jeremiah 22:20–23

Abstract

Jeremiah 22:20–23 forms part of a cycle of oracles regarding the Judean kings in the period before and during the Babylonian exile. This poetic section addresses a second person female subject without identifying who it may be. The general view is that it is addressed to Jerusalem personified. This article explores the possibility that the female subject is the queen mother, acting in a time between the reigns of King Jehoiakim and King Jehoiachin. On the basis of the available data, whether or not the section refers to the queen mother remains inconclusive. In addition to this question, the meaning and the placement of this poem in the cycle of oracles is discussed in terms of Jeremiah’s ideological views. The poem is both a lament and a judgement announcement due to failed leadership.