Jerome (c. 347–419), one of the West's four doctors of the church, was recognized early on as one of the church's foremost translators, commentators and advocates of Christian asceticism. Skilled in Hebrew and Greek in addition to his native Latin, he was thoroughly familiar with Jewish traditions and brought them to bear on his understanding of the Old Testament. In 405 Jerome completed his Latin translation of the Old Testament, based on the Hebrew text, and not long afterward began to work on commentaries devoted to the major prophets—Daniel (407), Isaiah (408–410), Ezekiel (410–414), culminating with Jeremiah but reaching only through chapter 32 before his death in 419.

Throughout the commentary Jerome displays his familiarity with both Hebrew and Greek texts of Jeremiah, often establishing the literal meaning through the Hebrew text and offering a spiritual interpretation that draws on the Septuagint. He frequently interacts with other translations known from Origen's Hexapla. Jerome's extensive education in the classics and Jewish tradition as well as in both Antiochene and Alexandrian exegesis shine through the commentary at every point. Here for the first time Michael Graves supplies readers with a highly readable translation in English, useful textual notes and a helpful introduction.