Jeremiah experienced significant events such as the centralization of worship under Josiah, the decline of the Assyrian Empire, and the rise of Babylonian power, as well as the first conquest and ultimate destruction of Jerusalem. His life was a sign, a reflection of his proclamation. To symbolize the impending disaster, he remained unmarried and childless. Thus, he prefigured in his presence what everyone would experience in the future: mourning, lamentation, and judgment. The call to proclaim, which he initially resisted fiercely before accepting, defined his entire life. Jeremiah expressed harsh criticism of his own cult, the priests and prophets, and the sacrifices. His symbolic actions conveyed meaning through signs and interpretive words. They foreshadowed future events symbolically but did not bring them about themselves. Werner H. Schmidt successfully summarizes the complex subject and wealth of research on the prophet Jeremiah, grounding it in the straightforward biblical findings. He paints a vivid picture of the biblical prophet that also provides rich material for vibrant preaching.