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
The LORD showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs set before the LORD’s temple, after that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. ​
2
One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. ​
3
Then the LORD said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that can’t be eaten, they are so bad.

The Good Figs: Promise of Restoration

4
the LORD’s word came to me, saying,
5
Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Kasdim, for good. ​
6
For I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. ​
7
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return to me with their whole heart. ​

The Bad Figs: Judgment on the Remnant

8
As the bad figs, which can’t be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus says the LORD, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt, ​
9
I will even give them up to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them. ​
10
I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, until they be consumed from off the land that I gave to them and to their fathers. ​

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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