Jeremiah 1:2 says that God’s word started coming to Jeremiah — A.K.A. he began his ministry — in the thirteenth year of King Josiah’s reign.
The Start of Jeremiah’s Ministry
The thirteenth year of Josiah was 627 BC. Josiah’s reign started in about 641 BC.
The Start of Jeremiah’s Life
Some say that the year when Josiah began his reign was also the year in which Jeremiah was born.
Dr. Thomas Constable says that Jeremiah was born in 643 BC, but allows for a few years of flexibility.
Jeremiah’s Age When He Started His Ministry
If that is the case, and Jeremiah was born somewhere between 641 and 643 BC, then Jeremiah was somewhere around thirteen to sixteen years old when the Lord started giving him his word.
Jeremiah’s Youth in Relation to His Call
If you haven’t realized before how young Jeremiah really was when he started his ministry, you might have just gained some new insight into the excuse that Jeremiah makes in Jeremiah 1:6.
Remember? God calls him to be a prophet to the nations . How does Jeremiah reply? “But Lord I’m just a kid!”
If Jeremiah is forty years old when he says that, that’s a lot different than if he’s thirteen. That’s my point.
If Jeremiah is in his early-to-middle teens then that might explain why God doesn’t seem to chide Jeremiah about his response to the call.
Summary
So, I’m going on the assumption that Jeremiah was born in the year that Josiah began to reign. And that was 641 BC.
And by the way, Josiah himself was really young when he began to reign. Remember — he was eight years old when he was made king. So thirteen or sixteen is a ripe old age compared to eight!
Alright, so that’s when Jeremiah began his ministry – in the thirteenth year of Josiah. 627 BC.
Explaining The Book 
What message did God give Jeremiah to deliver to the children of Israel?
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The Lord said to Jeremiah, ” Go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.” Jeremiah was afraid and felt he was too young to do as the Lord asked. But the Lord touched his mouth and “put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth to do the speaking.
The Lord appointed Jeremiah over the nations and Kingdoms to uproot, tear down, destroy and overthrow, then to build and to plant. Jer. 1:4
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…typo 627? born and began ministry?
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Thank you for catching that and mentioning it. I fixed that.
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Every prophet has been appointed before his or her birth
God is awesome
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thank you so much for the insight!!!
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I truly thank God for this information on the age of Jeremiah. I love studying the prophets and learning different things about them so my understanding might be a little more enlightened.
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Thank you kindly for your age estimation of Jeremiah. It brings to light that at any age, particularly a tender one, God is willing to use us, if we are!
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Thanks so much for this information
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Pastor I have no comment about when Jeremiah began his ministry, personally I feel confident that he was just a boy when he was called. But I do have questions about church. I was raised Baptist and I love the people and the powerful fellowship but I don’t know that I agree with all their doctorines. How does one go about deciding a denomination? It seems so important that I’d just as soon create my own denomination because I have a great many bones to pick with all the churches elders. Saturday Sabbaths, women in positions of authority, recognition of Enoch as holy scripture, the holidays that celebrate celestial activities ie Christmas (the winter solstice), Easter (the spring equinox), Halloween (the halfway point between autumn equinox and winter solstice). Easter actually being the name of an ancient pagan cult of shrine prostitution. Everyone knows Easter but how many people know the name Yahweh? God has a name and it’s the job of all Christians to publish his name and make his name famous and associated with implementing impossible miracles and accomplishing unbelievable new lives and his prophesied salvation. His name should be synonymous with these types of things but most churches don’t even acknowledge his glorious name. I don’t know I was just looking for some advice on the subject. Sorry to ramble on like this….
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Matt,
I get what you’re saying, but we don’t want to create our own denomination. If a group of people are wrong, what’s to stop you from being wrong?
The Christian Sabbath is on Sunday – the day of the new creation Christ started with his resurrection. Women ought not usurp authority over men in the Church. The Church has never recognized Enoch as scripture. Churches do well to abide by the regulartive principle of worship – we do it only if the Bible positively commands it.
I wouldn’t get hung up on the literal name of God. I would advise finding a Reformed Baptist Church if possible. Try to find a confessional church that sticks to tested and true confessions of faith of the Church. https://gracereformednetwork.org/ can help. Our church subscribes to the 1689 London Confession.
Paul
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