You shall Certainly Drink!'

Abstract

"The oracles against the nations in the book of Jeremiah ()er. 46-51) bring along with them many exegetical and theological problems. This article deals with some of these problems: the rationale behind the structure and order of this collection, the discussion about the unity and authenticity of these oracles, a survey of the presumed 'Sitz im Leben' (cult, warfare, thinking in terms of treaties), and the troublesome issue of the different placement in the Septuagint and the Massoretic text. By dealing with these problems a brief 'Forschungsgeschichte' of this controversial part of the book of Jeremiah is given as well. Finally, a terse 'theology' of these oracles against the nations is offered. The function and meaning of these texts are to be found in the proclamation of the sovereign reign of the King of Zion at a juncture, which turned out to be crucial for the ancient Near Eastern nations"