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
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. ​
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Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house. ​
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For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Why do you prophesy, and say, Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
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and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Kasdim, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall see his eyes;
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and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he shall be there until I visit him, says the LORD: though you fight with the Kasdim, you shall not prosper?
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Jeremiah said, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

The Symbolic Purchase of the Field

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Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle shall come to you, saying, Buy my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is yours to buy it. ​
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So Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the LORD’s word, and said to me, Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself. Then I knew that this was the LORD’s word. ​
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I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. ​
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I subscribed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. ​
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So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and that which was open;
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and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who subscribed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the guard.
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I commanded Baruch before them, saying,
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Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, this deed of the purchase which is sealed, and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel; that they may continue many days. ​
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For thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall yet again be bought in this land. ​

Jeremiah's Prayer of Faith and Doubt

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Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying,
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Ah Lord GOD! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for you, ​
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who show loving kindness to thousands, and recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God, the LORD of Hosts is his name;
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great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
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who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, both in Israel and among other men; and made yourself a name, as in this day;
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and brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
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and gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
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and they came in, and possessed it, but they didn’t obey your voice, neither walked in your law; they have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do: therefore you have caused all this evil to come upon them. ​
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Behold, the mounds, they have come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Kasdim who fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence; and what you have spoken has happened; and behold, you see it. ​
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You have said to me, Lord GOD, Buy the field for money, and call witnesses; whereas the city is given into the hand of the Kasdim. ​

The Lord's Answer: Judgment Confirmed, Restoration Promised

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Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
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Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? ​
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Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Kasdim, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:
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and the Kasdim, who fight against this city, shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses, on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. ​
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For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says the LORD.
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For this city has been to me a provocation of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even to this day; that I should remove it from before my face,
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because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
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They have turned to me the back, and not the face: and though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.
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But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.
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They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through fire to Molech; which I didn’t command them, neither did it come into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. ​
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Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, about which you say, It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence:

The Promise of Everlasting Covenant

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Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries, where I have driven them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them again to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: ​
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and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: ​
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and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their good, and of their children after them: ​
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and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from following them, to do them good; and I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me. ​
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Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. ​
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For thus says the LORD: Like as I have brought all this great evil on this people, so will I bring on them all the good that I have promised them. ​
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Fields shall be bought in this land, about which you say, It is desolate, without man or animal; it is given into the hand of the Kasdim.
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Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe the deeds, and seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South: for I will cause their captivity to return, says the LORD. ​

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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