Jeremiah32

During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, Jeremiah, imprisoned for prophesying the city's fall, is divinely commanded to purchase a field in Anathoth from his cousin. This seemingly illogical act, performed with legal precision, serves as a symbolic promise of future restoration. Though judgment is imminent due to Israel's sin, the LORD assures a future return from captivity and the repopulation of the land. God's dual message combines severe judgment with an ultimate promise of hope and renewal.

Jeremiah Imprisoned During the Siege

1
This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu from ADONAI in the tenth year of Tzidkiyahu king of Y'hudah, which was the eighteenth year of N'vukhadretzar. ​
2
At that time the army of the king of Bavel was besieging Yerushalayim; and Yirmeyahu the prophet was imprisoned in the guards' quarters attached to the king of Y'hudah's palace, ​
3
where Tzidkiyahu king of Y'hudah had imprisoned him after demanding, "How dare you prophesy that ADONAI says, 'I will hand this city over to the king of Bavel, and he will capture it;
4
Tzidkiyahu king of Y'hudah will not escape from the Kasdim but will certainly be handed over to the king of Bavel, who will address him face to face, with their eyes meeting;
5
and he will lead Tzidkiyahu to Bavel, where he will stay until I remember him,' says ADONAI, 'and even if you fight the Kasdim, you will fail'?"
6
Yirmeyahu said, "This word of ADONAI came to me:

The Symbolic Purchase of the Field

7
'Hanam'el, the son of your uncle Shalum, will approach you and say, "Buy my field at 'Anatot; you have next-of-kin's right to redeem it; so buy it."'" ​
8
AS ADONAI had said, my cousin Hanam'el came to me in the guards' quarters and said, "Please buy my field at 'Anatot, in the territory of Binyamin; because you will inherit it, and you have next-of-kin's right to redeem it, so buy it for yourself." Then I was certain that this was ADONAI's word. ​
9
So I bought the field at 'Anatot which belonged to my cousin Hanam'el and weighed out the money for him, seven ounces of silver shekels. ​
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I signed on the purchase contract, sealed it, called witnesses and weighed out the money for him on a balance scale. ​
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I took the purchase contract, both the sealed copy with the terms and conditions, and the unsealed copy,
12
and gave the purchase contract to Barukh the son of Neriyah, the son of Machseyah, in the presence of my cousin Hanam'el, the witnesses who had signed the purchase contract and the people from Y'hudah sitting by the guards' quarters.
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In their presence I instructed Barukh as follows:
14
"Here is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: 'Take these contracts, both the sealed and unsealed copies, and place them in a clay jar, so that they can be preserved for a long time.' ​
15
For ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says that one day homes, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land." ​

Jeremiah's Prayer of Faith and Doubt

16
After giving the purchase contract to Barukh son of Neriyah, I prayed to ADONAI:
17
"ADONAI, God! You made heaven and earth by your great power and outstretched arm; nothing is too hard for you. ​
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You display your grace to thousands but also repay the guilt of the fathers into the lap of their children who follow them. Great, powerful God, whose name is ADONAI-Tzva'ot,
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great in counsel, mighty in deed! Your eyes are open to all the ways of human beings in order to repay each one according to his ways, according to the consequences of what he does.
20
You gave signs and performed miracles in the land of Egypt which continue to this day, also in Isra'el and among other people; thus you made yourself the reputation you have today.
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You brought your people of Isra'el out of the land of Egypt with signs and miracles, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror.
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Then you gave them this land, which you had sworn to their ancestors that you would give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
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They entered and took possession of it; but they did not pay attention to your voice, did not live according to your Torah, and did nothing of all you ordered them to do. Therefore you made this complete disaster befall them - ​
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the siege-works are already there; they have come to the city to capture it; and the city, by means of sword, famine and plague, is being handed over to the Kasdim fighting against it. What you foretold is being fulfilled; here, you see it, yourself. ​
25
Yet you, ADONAI, God, have said to me, 'Buy the field for money, and call witnesses; even as the city is being turned over to the Kasdim!'" ​

The Lord's Answer: Judgment Confirmed, Restoration Promised

26
Then this word of ADONAI came to Yirmeyahu:
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"Look, I am ADONAI, the God of every living creature; is there anything too hard for me? ​
28
Therefore, here is what ADONAI says: 'I will hand this city over to the Kasdim and to N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel; and he will capture it.
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The Kasdim who are fighting against this city will enter and set this city on fire; they will burn it down, including its houses, on whose roofs they offered to Ba'al and poured out drink offerings to other gods, in order to make me angry. ​
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For from their youth, the people of Isra'el and the people of Y'hudah have done only what is evil from my perspective; the people of Isra'el have done nothing but provoke me with what their hands make,' says ADONAI.
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'This city has so provoked my anger and fury from the day they built it to this day that I ought to remove it from my presence,
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because of all the evil that the people of Isra'el and the people of Y'hudah have done in order to make me angry - they, their kings, their leaders, their cohanim, their prophets, the men of Y'hudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.
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They have turned their backs on me, not their faces; and although I taught them, taught them frequently, they have not listened so as to receive instruction.
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Instead they put their detestable idols in the house that bears my name, to defile it;
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and they built the high places for Ba'al which are in the Ben-Hinnom Valley, to burn alive their sons and daughters to Molekh - something I did not order them to do, it never even entered my mind that they would do such an abominable thing - and thus they caused Y'hudah to sin.' ​
36
"Therefore, thus says ADONAI the God of Isra'el concerning this city, of which you say that it is handed over to the king of Bavel by sword, famine and plague:

The Promise of Everlasting Covenant

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'I will gather them out of all the countries where I drove them in my anger, fury and great wrath; and I will bring them back to this place and have them live here in safety. ​
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They will be my people, and I will be their God. ​
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I will give them singleness of heart and singleness of purpose, so that they will fear me forever - this will be for their own good and for the good of their children after them. ​
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I will make with them an everlasting covenant not to turn away from them, but to do them good; I will put fear of me in their hearts, so that they will not leave me. ​
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I will take joy in them, so as to do them good. I will plant them in this land truly, with my whole heart and being.' ​
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For here is what ADONAI says: 'Just as I have brought this complete disaster on this people, so likewise I will bring on them all the good I have promised them. ​
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Fields will be bought in this land, even though you say about it that it is desolate, devoid of human beings or animals, and given over to the Kasdim.
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Yes, people will buy fields for money, sign the purchase contracts, seal them and call witnesses, in the territory of Binyamin, in the areas around Yerushalayim, in the cities of Y'hudah, in the cities of the hill-country, in the cities of the Sh'felah and in the cities of the Negev. For I will cause their exiles to return,' says ADONAI." ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 32

Verse 1

This prophecy occurs in 588/587 BC, the tenth year of Zedekiah, just before the final fall of Jerusalem. Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) was the Babylonian king.

Verse 2

Jeremiah was confined because his prophecies of surrender were considered treasonous and demoralizing to the city's defense (cf. Jer. 37:11-21).

Verse 7

Hanameel was Jeremiah’s cousin, and Anathoth was the prophet’s hometown, located only three miles northeast of Jerusalem and already occupied by the Babylonians.

Verse 8

The 'right of redemption' (Hebrew: *go’el*) required a near relative to buy back family land that had been sold due to poverty (Lev. 25:25). Jeremiah’s compliance was an act of faith, confirming God’s promise of future return.

Verse 9

Seventeen shekels of silver was a small sum, reflecting the desperation of the seller and the current worthlessness of the land while under siege.

Verse 10

The detailed legal procedure—weighing the money, subscribing the evidence, and taking witnesses—emphasizes the validity and permanency of the transaction despite the political chaos.

Verse 14

Placing the deeds in an 'earthen vessel' was a common practice for preserving documents in the ancient world. Symbolically, this action guaranteed that the legal record of restoration would survive the long years of exile.

Verse 15

This verse provides the divine interpretation of the symbolic act: although the land is currently lost, God guarantees that normal life, including property ownership, will eventually be restored.

Verse 17

Jeremiah begins his prayer by affirming God’s omnipotence as Creator. He uses this theological premise to set up his subsequent question regarding the strange command to buy land.

Verse 23

Jeremiah acknowledges that the catastrophe is a direct, righteous consequence of Israel’s persistent covenant disobedience, confirming that the judgment is deserved.

Verse 24

The 'mounts' refer to the siege ramps or earthworks built by the Babylonians to breach the city walls. The prophet confirms that God’s prior warnings of judgment are now fulfilled.

Verse 25

This verse contains Jeremiah’s honest lament. He questions the apparent paradox: why command a purchase based on future hope when the immediate reality is certain destruction?

Verse 27

This rhetorical question answers Jeremiah’s underlying doubt (v. 25). God’s power is absolute, meaning He is capable of both executing the imminent judgment and accomplishing the promised future restoration.

Verse 29

The burning of the city is linked directly to the idolatry practiced on the rooftops, where pagan sacrifices and incense were offered to false gods.

Verse 35

The Valley of the Son of Hinnom (Gehenna) was the site of the horrific practice of sacrificing children to Molech. This supreme abomination symbolized the depth of Judah's moral corruption.

Verse 37

This verse marks the pivot from judgment to salvation. God promises a universal regathering of the exiles from all the places He had scattered them.

Verse 38

This reciprocal formula ('they shall be my people, and I will be their God') is the central expression of the covenant relationship and is often associated with the Messianic age.

Verse 39

The promise of 'one heart and one way' points toward the internal transformation of the New Covenant (Jer. 31:33), ensuring permanent obedience and unity.

Verse 40

The 'everlasting covenant' is God’s guarantee that He will never abandon His people. He promises to instill the fear of the Lord in their hearts, ensuring their future faithfulness.

Verse 41

God uses anthropomorphic language ('whole heart and with my whole soul') to convey the depth of His sincere commitment and joy in restoring and blessing His people.

Verse 42

This parallelism confirms that God’s faithfulness is demonstrated equally in judgment and in restoration. His promises of good are as certain as His warnings of evil.

Verse 44

The prophecy concludes by reaffirming the literal meaning of the symbolic act (v. 9). The return of commercial life and security will be the tangible sign of God's fulfilled promise.

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