Jeremiah 24:8

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:

Complete Jewish Bible:

"But concerning the bad figs that are so bad as to be inedible, ADONAI says: 'I will make Tzidkiyahu the king of Y'hudah and his leaders resemble them, likewise the rest of Yerushalayim remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.

Berean Standard Bible:

But like the bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.

American Standard Version:

And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus saith Jehovah, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt,

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And as the evil{H7451} figs{H8384}, which cannot be eaten{H398}, they are so evil{H7455}; surely thus saith{H559} the LORD{H3068}, So will I give{H5414} Zedekiah{H6667} the king{H4428} of Judah{H3063}, and his princes{H8269}, and the residue{H7611} of Jerusalem{H3389}, that remain{H7604} in this land{H776}, and them that dwell{H3427} in the land{H776} of Egypt{H4714}:

Cross-References (KJV):

Jeremiah 43:1

  • ¶ And it came to pass, [that] when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, [even] all these words,

Jeremiah 44:1

  • ¶ The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,

Jeremiah 24:2

  • One basket [had] very good figs, [even] like the figs [that are] first ripe: and the other basket [had] very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.

Jeremiah 29:16

  • [Know] that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, [and] of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;

Jeremiah 29:18

  • And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

Jeremiah 37:17

  • Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there [any] word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

Jeremiah 39:2

  • [And] in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth [day] of the month, the city was broken up.

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Commentary for Jeremiah 24:8

Jeremiah 24:8 is part of a larger prophetic vision in the book of Jeremiah, where the prophet uses the imagery of two baskets of figs to symbolize the fate of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. In this vision, one basket contains very good figs, representing the exiles who have been taken to Babylon, while the other basket holds very bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten. These bad figs symbolize King Zedekiah, his officials, and the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem who were not taken into exile, as well as those who had fled to Egypt.

The historical context of this verse is set during the final years of the kingdom of Judah, after the Babylonians had already besieged Jerusalem and taken many of its inhabitants into exile, including the young King Jehoiachin. Zedekiah was installed as a vassal king by the Babylonians, but he later rebelled. Jeremiah's prophecy speaks to the consequences of this rebellion and the disobedience of the people who remained in Judah and Jerusalem, as well as those in Egypt.

In speaking specifically to the text of Jeremiah 24:8, the LORD, through Jeremiah, declares that just as the bad figs are inedible and destined to be thrown away, so too will Zedekiah and those who remain in the land or have fled to Egypt face divine judgment. This judgment includes the destruction of their nation, their city, and their lives as a result of their continued idolatry and disregard for God's laws and prophets. The verse underscores themes of divine justice, the consequences of sin, and the sovereignty of God over the nations and their rulers. It also reflects the broader theme in Jeremiah of the remnant, where the true faithful of Israel are seen as those who are taken into exile, while those who remain behind face destruction for their failure to heed God's warnings.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

  1. Strong's Number: H7451
    There are 623 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: רַע
    Transliteration: raʻ
    Pronunciation: rah
    Description: from רָעַע; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral); adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, [phrase] displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), [phrase] exceedingly, [idiom] great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), [phrase] mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, [phrase] not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).
  2. Strong's Number: H8384
    There are 35 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: תְּאֵן
    Transliteration: tᵉʼên
    Pronunciation: teh-ane'
    Description: or (in the singular, feminine) תְּאֵנָה; perhaps of foreign derivation; the fig (tree or fruit); fig (tree).
  3. Strong's Number: H398
    There are 825 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אָכַל
    Transliteration: ʼâkal
    Pronunciation: aw-kal'
    Description: a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively); [idiom] at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, [idiom] freely, [idiom] in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, [idiom] quite.
  4. Strong's Number: H7455
    There are 19 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: רֹעַ
    Transliteration: rôaʻ
    Pronunciation: ro'-ah
    Description: from רָעַע; badness (as marring), physically or morally; [idiom] be so bad, badness, ([idiom] be so) evil, naughtiness, sadness, sorrow, wickedness.
  5. Strong's Number: H559
    There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אָמַר
    Transliteration: ʼâmar
    Pronunciation: aw-mar'
    Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet.
  6. Strong's Number: H3068
    There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יְהֹוָה
    Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
    Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
    Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה.
  7. Strong's Number: H5414
    There are 1816 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: נָתַן
    Transliteration: nâthan
    Pronunciation: naw-than'
    Description: a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.); add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] without fail, fasten, frame, [idiom] get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), [idiom] have, [idiom] indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), [phrase] lie, lift up, make, [phrase] O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, [idiom] pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), [phrase] sing, [phrase] slander, strike, (sub-) mit, suffer, [idiom] surely, [idiom] take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, [phrase] weep, [phrase] willingly, [phrase] withdraw, [phrase] would (to) God, yield.
  8. Strong's Number: H6667
    There are 62 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: צִדְקִיָּה
    Transliteration: Tsidqîyâh
    Pronunciation: tsid-kee-yaw'
    Description: or צִדְקִיָּהוּ; from צֶדֶק and יָהּ; right of Jah; Tsidkijah, the name of six Israelites; Zedekiah, Zidkijah.
  9. Strong's Number: H4428
    There are 1922 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מֶלֶךְ
    Transliteration: melek
    Pronunciation: meh'-lek
    Description: from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal.
  10. Strong's Number: H3063
    There are 754 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יְהוּדָה
    Transliteration: Yᵉhûwdâh
    Pronunciation: yeh-hoo-daw'
    Description: from יָדָה; celebrated; Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory; Judah.
  11. Strong's Number: H8269
    There are 368 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שַׂר
    Transliteration: sar
    Pronunciation: sar
    Description: from שָׂרַר; a head person (of any rank or class); captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord,(-task-)master, prince(-ipal), ruler, steward.
  12. Strong's Number: H7611
    There are 66 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שְׁאֵרִית
    Transliteration: shᵉʼêrîyth
    Pronunciation: sheh-ay-reeth'
    Description: from שָׁאַר; a remainder or residual (surviving, final) portion; that had escaped, be left, posterity, remain(-der), remnant, residue, rest.
  13. Strong's Number: H3389
    There are 600 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם
    Transliteration: Yᵉrûwshâlaim
    Pronunciation: yer-oo-shaw-lah'-im
    Description: rarely יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; a dual (in allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of the former reading, seems to be that of יְרוּשָׁלֵם)); probably from (the passive participle of) יָרָה and שָׁלַם; founded peaceful; Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine; Jerusalem.
  14. Strong's Number: H7604
    There are 123 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שָׁאַר
    Transliteration: shâʼar
    Pronunciation: shaw-ar'
    Description: a primitive root; properly, to swell up, i.e. be (causatively, make) redundant; leave, (be) left, let, remain, remnant, reserve, the rest.
  15. Strong's Number: H776
    There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֶרֶץ
    Transliteration: ʼerets
    Pronunciation: eh'-rets
    Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.
  16. Strong's Number: H3427
    There are 980 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יָשַׁב
    Transliteration: yâshab
    Pronunciation: yaw-shab'
    Description: a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry; (make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, [idiom] fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, [idiom] marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(-tle), (down-) sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.
  17. Strong's Number: H4714
    There are 602 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מִצְרַיִם
    Transliteration: Mitsrayim
    Pronunciation: mits-rah'-yim
    Description: dual of מָצוֹר; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt; Egypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.