'Hear the Word of the Lord!': The Structure of Jeremiah 29 and its Communicative Implications

In this synchronic, reader-oriented approach to Jeremiah 29, the syntactical structure of this text-passage and its implications for the communication with the reader are examined, to surprising result. Vv. 20-23 prove far more important in Jeremiah’s letter in vv. 4-23 than usually thought in the exegetical literature. Vv. 24-32 turn out to be a narrative text unit, in which the Lord addresses Jeremiah about a letter before that letter is actually read to Jeremiah. Through intricate communicative strategies, the reader is drawn into this narrative, and encouraged to take sides with Jeremiah in his conflicts with other prophets.