Jeremiah24

The LORD showed Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs before the temple, after Nebuchadrezzar had carried away Jeconiah and others to Babylon. One basket held very good figs, while the other contained very evil, uneatable figs. The good figs represented the captives in Babylon, whom the LORD would restore and bless, while the evil figs symbolized King Zedekiah and those remaining in Judah or fleeing to Egypt, destined for severe judgment.

The Vision of the Two Baskets of Figs

1
It was after N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel had carried Y'khanyahu the son of Y'hoyakim, king of Y'hudah, along with the leaders of Y'hudah, the artisans and the skilled workers into exile from Yerushalayim and brought them to Bavel, that ADONAI gave me a vision. There, in front of the temple of ADONAI, two baskets of figs were placed. ​
2
One of the baskets had in it very good figs, like those that ripen first; while the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they were inedible. ​
3
Then ADONAI asked me, "Yirmeyahu, what do you see?" I answered, "Figs - the good figs are very good; but the bad ones are very bad, so bad they are inedible."

The Good Figs: Promise of Restoration

4
The word of ADONAI came to me:
5
"Here is what ADONAI the God of Isra'el says: 'I will regard the exiles from Y'hudah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Kasdim, as good, just as I do these good figs. ​
6
"'I will look after them for their good, I will bring them back to this land; I will build them up and not tear them down, plant them and not pull them up. ​
7
I will give them a heart to know me that I am ADONAI. They will be my people, and I will be their God; for they will return to me with all their heart.' ​

The Bad Figs: Judgment on the Remnant

8
"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. ​
9
Everywhere I drive them I will make them an object of horror, repulsive to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace, a byword, a laughingstock and a curse; ​
10
and I will send sword, famine and plague among them until they have disappeared from the land I gave them and their ancestors.'" ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 24

Verse 1

This vision is precisely dated immediately following the first major deportation (597 BC), when King Jeconiah, the elite, and skilled workers were taken to Babylon. This historical marker is crucial, as the exiles are surprisingly designated as the 'good' remnant.

Verse 2

The contrast between the 'very good figs' (like those first ripe, highly desirable) and the 'very naughty figs' (inedible) establishes the sharp theological distinction God is making between two groups of Judahites.

Verse 5

The surprising declaration is that the deported people, who might seem cursed, are declared 'good.' God states He sent them to Babylon 'for their good,' establishing the concept that exile was a purifying discipline, not merely punishment.

Verse 6

The phrases 'build them' and 'plant them' use classic restoration language found throughout Jeremiah, signifying God’s promise of active, positive engagement and the reversal of the judgment of destruction and uprooting.

Verse 7

This verse contains a miniature summary of the New Covenant promise (cf. Jer. 31:33–34). The ultimate goal of restoration is a renewed, intimate relationship where the people receive 'an heart to know me' and return to covenant faithfulness.

Verse 8

The 'bad figs' include King Zedekiah, the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem, and those who fled to Egypt (against God's command). They were judged to be spiritually worse off than the exiles, trusting in false security and ignoring prophetic warnings.

Verse 9

To be 'a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse' signifies complete national disgrace and failure in the eyes of the surrounding nations, reversing the covenant blessings and making them objects of scorn.

Verse 10

The 'sword, the famine, and the pestilence' are the three traditional curses of the covenant, confirming that this group will face utter consumption and removal from the promised land, in sharp contrast to the good figs who will be replanted.

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