Commentary on the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah
The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library, Volume 6
By Peter Martyr Vermigli
Edited by Daniel Shute
$33.95 $23.95
Published November 18, 2025
About this book
Prophetic Lament and Divine Consolation: Vermigli’s Biblical Hebraism
This sixth volume of The Peter Martyr Library presents Vermigli’s masterful Hebrew commentary on Lamentations, written during his tenure at Zurich. Drawing directly from the Masoretic Text and medieval Jewish commentators like Rashi and Ibn Ezra, this work demonstrates the Italian reformer’s extraordinary command of Hebrew scholarship and his pioneering integration of Jewish exegetical traditions with Protestant theology.
Trained in Renaissance Catholic Hebraism, Vermigli moved consciously away from the allegorical interpretations of the Middle Ages toward the newer, more philological methods of interpretation. His commentary reveals deep engagement with the 1525 Bomberg Rabbinic Bible, showing how Christian scholars could learn from Jewish grammatical and textual insights without compromising their theological convictions.
This commentary showcases Vermigli’s unique position as one of the most accomplished Christian Hebraists of his generation. He expected his students to follow his citations of Jewish grammarians’ discussions of difficult Hebrew constructions, making this work a bridge between Jewish and Christian biblical scholarship. The result is both scholarly rigor and pastoral sensitivity to the themes of judgment, suffering, and divine mercy that resonate through Jeremiah’s lament over fallen Jerusalem.
Modern readers will find in Vermigli’s exegesis a model for how linguistic precision and theological depth can work together, offering insights that remain valuable for contemporary biblical interpretation and preaching.
Paperback | 348 pages | 6×9 | Published November 18, 2025 | ISBN-10 1-949716-48-1 | ISBN-13 978-1-949716-48-1
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FROM THE BOOK
“How does she sit alone, a city full of people? An adverb that begins a sentence has considerable force to express excitement. First is described how empty of people and how isolated was the city which previously had been flourishing and populous. If she has been abandoned and is without inhabitants, she is not a city. This is because a city is a large group of united citizens, ruled by proper laws.”
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
General Editors’ Preface
Translator’s Preface
Translator’s Introduction
Commentary on the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah
Alphabet, Chapter 1
Alphabet, Chapter 2
Alphabet, Chapter 3
Alphabet, Chapter 4
Chapter 5- The Prayer of Jeremiah
Index of Scripture References
Subject Index
Praise for this work
“Peter Martyr Vermigli was everywhere in the sixteenth century—abbot of a monastery in Naples, teacher and colleague of Cranmer in Oxford, pastor and theologian in Zurich. His erudition was immense, from Aristotle and Augustine and Aquinas to Bucer and Zwingli, not to mention his biblical commentaries. These nine volumes will be a major resource for all who seek to learn from the leading figures of the sixteenth century and, in our own context, to foster ecumenical conversations rooted in the love and truth of Christ.”
– Matthew Levering
James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary
“Legend has it that Peter Martyr Vermigli wandered out of the Italian Alps as the ‘ready-made reformer,’ a fact confirmed by the respect he commanded among sixteenth-century Reformed churches. A theologian of the first order, trained in catholic theology and fully committed to the Reformation, students of Scripture would do well to read, mark, and meditate upon the biblically faithful, theologically insightful, and practically oriented work of this great theologian.”
– J. V. Fesko
Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi
“Peter Martyr is a name too little known and appreciated, but his clarity, rigor, and meaningful contribution to early Reformation theology make his work well worth our time. Whether he is carefully navigating the hypostatic union, the eucharist, or questions about justification, this powerful Reformer helps us better appreciate not only 16th-century Reformed distinctives, but why it all might matter for Christian life. I am thrilled that the Davenant Institute is now making these significant volumes available as high-quality hardback reprints. I hope they will fill the shelves of many personal and professional libraries.”
– Kelly M. Kapic
Professor of Theological Studies, Covenant College
“There are few servants of the Reformation era who had such theological insight and widespread influence as Peter Martyr Vermigli. Yet his labours have never truly received either the attention or the appreciation that they deserve. It is therefore a delight to see this stunning new edition of his works come to publication, which will hopefully inspire fresh engagement with his ideas and his legacy. There are treasures here – for Christians and for churches – that will amply reward careful reading and judicious reflection.”
– Professor Paul T. Nimmo
King’s Chair of Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen
“This is a wonderful collection from an exemplary Hebraist, exegete, preacher, theologian and controversialist. Forced to move between the Continent and British Isles following his conversion to the Reformation, Vermigli impressed people wherever he went and will undoubtedly impress readers today. The Florentine was a trained Dominican and Renaissance humanist. He exhibited deep familiarity with the Patristic, Classical, and Scholastic corpora. He is not for the faint-hearted, but the effort of reading him will be rewarded 1000-fold.”
– Christina Larsen
Associate Professor of Theology, Grand Canyon Theological Seminary & College of Theology
“The very fact that Peter Martyr Vermigli has become something of a household name in Reformed theology is due in large part to the Davenant Institute’s republication of his various works at a reasonable price. The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library covers a whole panoply of this Italian Reformer’s writings, ranging from exposition of Aristotle’s moral philosophy to the catechetical theology of his commentary on the Apostles’ Creed. Vermigli—more so than Calvin—represents the intellectual and theological high-mark of early, 16th century Reformed orthodoxy. This collection has and will continue to provide theologians, ministers, or even those simply interested in Reformational Protestantism a one-stop shop for early modern theological, philosophical, and biblical reflection. With pleasure I say: Tolle lege!”
– Michael Lynch
Professor of Christian History, Davenant Hall
“Peter Martyr Vermigli was one of the preeminent theologians of the Protestant Reformation. For far too long his contributions to the development of Reformed theology have been neglected. With the publication of this library, his rich, thoughtful, and textured theology and philosophy will finally be widely available!”
– Gayle Doornbos
Associate Professor of Theology, Dordt University
“Peter Martyr Vermigli must be listed among the most remarkable men who shaped one of the most remarkable centuries in the long span of human history. The fact that the man and his writings have been barely known is a scandal and that is why the publication of The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library is such good news. Vermigli was one of the most important figures in the Protestant Reformation and, strangely enough, in the formation of what became the English constitutional tradition. The Peter Martyr Vermigli Library represents a great recovery and is to be celebrated.”
– R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
President & Centennial Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“This is a wonderful collection from an exemplary Hebraist, exegete, preacher, theologian and controversialist. Forced to move between the Continent and British Isles following his conversion to the Reformation, Vermigli impressed people wherever he went and will undoubtedly impress readers today. The Florentine was a trained Dominican and Renaissance humanist. He exhibited deep familiarity with the Patristic, Classical, and Scholastic corpora. He is not for the faint-hearted, but the effort of reading him will be rewarded 1000-fold.”
– Jon Balserak
Visiting Lecturer, University of Illinois at Chicago (History dept), Senior Research Fellow, University of Bristol
About the Editor
The Reverend Dr. Daniel Shute earned his B.A. at the University of Guelph, the M.L.S. from McGill University, the M.Div. from Knox College in Toronto, and the Ph.D. from Dr. Joseph McLelland at McGill University. Dr. Shute is an ordained minister of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and has served in a pastoral charge in New Brunswick. Shute has been librarian of the Presbyterian College at McGill since 1979. His teaching appointments include seminars on preaching and Presbyterianism at McGill University, and Hebrew at Facultré de Théologie Evangélique. His research interest is focused on the Italian Reformer, Peter Martyr Vermigli.
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