Jeremiah29

Jeremiah sends a letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, instructing them to settle, build, marry, and seek the peace of their captor city, for their own welfare. He warns against false prophets and promises their return to Jerusalem after seventy years, affirming the LORD's plans for their peace and a hopeful future. Meanwhile, judgment is pronounced upon false prophets in Babylon and those remaining in Jerusalem who reject the LORD's word.

Jeremiah Sends a Letter to the Exiles

Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,

(after that Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths, had departed from Jerusalem),

by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), saying,

Instructions for Life in Exile

Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat their fruit.

Take wives, and father sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and don’t be diminished.

Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you shall have peace.

Warning Against False Hope and Promise of Return

For thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Don’t let your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, deceive you; neither listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name: I have not sent them, says the LORD.

For thus says the LORD, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.

I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD; and I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.

Judgment on Jerusalem and False Prophets

Because you have said, the LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon;

thus says the LORD concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven’t gone with you into captivity;

thus says the LORD of Hosts; Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that can’t be eaten, they are so bad.

I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them;

because they have not listened to my words, says the LORD, with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear, says the LORD.

Hear therefore the LORD’s word, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall kill them before your eyes;

and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, the LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;

because they have worked folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn’t command them; and I am he who knows, and am witness, says the LORD.

The Condemnation of Shemaiah the Nehelamite

Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,

Thus speaks the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

The LORD has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the LORD’s house, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.

Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,

because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long: build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat their fruit?

Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,

Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I didn’t send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie;

therefore thus says the LORD, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he see the good that I will do to my people, says the LORD, because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.

Study Notes for Jeremiah 29

Verse 1

This chapter is one of the most important pieces of correspondence in the Old Testament, sent by Jeremiah to the first wave of exiles deported to Babylon in 597 BC, including King Jeconiah (v. 2).

Verse 2

The first deportation included not only the royal family and officials but also essential skilled workers (carpenters and smiths), effectively neutralizing Judah's ability to wage war or rebuild.

Verse 3

The letter was delivered by messengers sent by King Zedekiah, likely to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, giving Jeremiah a secure channel to reach the captives in Babylon.

Verse 4

God explicitly states that He initiated the deportation. This emphasizes the theological point that Babylon’s victory was not a failure of Israel’s God, but an instrument of His sovereign judgment.

Verse 5

The command to 'build' and 'plant' was radical. It directly countered the false prophets who promised an immediate return, forcing the exiles to accept that their stay would be long and require establishing a permanent, though temporary, life.

Verse 7

This is a profound ethical and theological instruction. The exiles were commanded to seek the 'shalom' (peace/welfare) of their pagan captors, recognizing that their own well-being was inextricably linked to Babylon’s stability.

Verse 8

The exiles were being constantly agitated by prophets both in Jerusalem and among the captives who offered deceptive messages of imminent deliverance, undermining the necessary submission to God's decree.

Verse 10

The prophecy of 'seventy years' established a clear, fixed timeline for the duration of the exile, providing a definitive end to the immediate crisis and serving as a crucial anchor for the exiles’ faith.

Verse 11

This famous passage is a foundational theological statement. God reassures the traumatized exiles that His ultimate plan involves their restoration and prosperity ('peace' or shalom), not perpetual disaster.

Verse 13

The promise of finding God is conditional upon the people seeking Him 'with all your heart.' The exile was intended to purify their faith and bring about true repentance.

Verse 15

This verse marks a shift in focus, addressing the specific false claims made by prophets among the exiles, contrasting their lies with the severe judgment awaiting those left in Jerusalem.

Verse 17

The fate of those who remained in Jerusalem is likened to 'vile figs' (cf. Jer. 24), signifying that they were utterly worthless and destined for destruction by sword, famine, and pestilence.

Verse 21

Jeremiah pronounces specific judgment on two false prophets, Ahab and Zedekiah, who were actively misleading the exiles in Babylon, showing that God's justice reaches His people even in captivity.

Verse 22

The execution of these prophets by Nebuchadnezzar (who 'roasted' them) was so infamous that their names would become a standard curse formula used among the Babylonian exiles.

Verse 23

Their 'villany' included both prophetic lies and moral corruption (adultery), demonstrating that true prophecy requires both faithfulness to God’s word and personal integrity.

Verse 24

This section introduces a separate prophetic conflict, detailing how Shemaiah wrote a counter-letter from Babylon demanding that the authorities in Jerusalem imprison Jeremiah.

Verse 26

Shemaiah appeals to the priestly official (Zephaniah) to use his authority to confine anyone acting like a madman or false prophet—the very charge others had leveled against Jeremiah.

Verse 28

Shemaiah quotes Jeremiah’s letter (v. 5) as evidence that Jeremiah was a dangerous agitator who deserved imprisonment for encouraging acceptance of a long exile.

Verse 32

Shemaiah's judgment is severe and familial: he and his descendants will be cut off. His sin is defined as teaching 'rebellion' (sarah) against the sovereign will of the LORD, who had decreed the length of the exile.

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Jeremiah29

Jeremiah Sends a Letter to the Exiles

Instructions for Life in Exile

Warning Against False Hope and Promise of Return

Judgment on Jerusalem and False Prophets

The Condemnation of Shemaiah the Nehelamite

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