Jeremiah (7th-6th century BC)
Filed under the name Jeremiah · June 15, 2026
Jeremiah got the nickname "the weeping prophet" because his writings don't hide the grief in them, don't dress up hard news to make it easier to swallow, and there's something about that honesty that's stuck with me more than a lot of scripture I half-remember from childhood. I've done a fair amount of driving alone with my own thoughts over twenty-two years on the road, and I've come to respect people who tell the truth about hard things even when a softer version would go down easier. My first marriage fell apart from all the nights I was gone, and I've written about that pretty plainly over the years instead of glossing it into something prettier than it was. Jeremiah's whole reputation is built on refusing to do that kind of glossing, staying honest about loss and disappointment even when it wasn't popular to say so out loud. That kind of straight talk doesn't always feel good going down. But it's usually the only version worth remembering afterward.