Jeremiah35

The LORD commanded Jeremiah to offer wine to the Rechabites in the temple, but they steadfastly refused, citing their ancestor Jonadab's perpetual command to abstain from wine and live a nomadic life. The LORD then used their unwavering obedience to a human command to highlight Judah's profound disobedience to His divine instructions. Consequently, the LORD promised judgment for Judah and an enduring blessing for the faithful Rechabites.

The LORD Tests the Rechabites

1
The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, ​
2
Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the LORD’s house, into one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink. ​
3
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;
4
and I brought them into the LORD’s house, into the room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the room of the princes, which was above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold. ​
5
I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, Drink wine!
6
But they said, We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons, forever: ​
7
neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land in which you live. ​
8
We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters;
9
nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
10
but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
11
But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, we said, “Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Kasdim, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we will dwell at Jerusalem.” ​

Judah Contrasted with Rechabite Obedience

12
Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
13
Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Go, and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction to listen to my words? says the LORD. ​
14
The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father’s commandment: but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; and you have not listened to me.
15
I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and don’t go after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me. ​
16
Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me;
17
therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered. ​

A Blessing Upon the House of Rechab

18
Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you;
19
therefore thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me forever. ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 35

Verse 1

The setting is the reign of Jehoiakim (c. 609–598 BC), a period marked by political instability and moral decline leading up to the first Babylonian invasion.

Verse 2

The Rechabites were a conservative, non-Israelite group (likely Kenites) known for their fierce devotion to Yahweh and their commitment to a simple, nomadic lifestyle (cf. 2 Kings 10:15).

Verse 4

The specificity of the location, a chamber within the Temple complex, emphasizes the official nature of the test and ensures public witness to the Rechabites' adherence to their ancient vow.

Verse 6

Jonadab ben Rechab issued this command approximately 250 years earlier during the time of King Jehu, demonstrating the remarkable longevity and strictness of their adherence to family tradition.

Verse 7

The command to reject agriculture and urban life was a commitment to the simple desert ideal, perhaps rooted in a desire to avoid the moral and religious contamination of settled Canaanite culture.

Verse 11

Their temporary move to Jerusalem was a necessary deviation driven by military threat (the Chaldean army), illustrating that their commitment was to the spirit of the vow, not rigid self-destruction.

Verse 13

This marks the prophetic pivot. God uses the Rechabites’ perfect obedience to a human command to shame Judah for their persistent failure to obey the divine covenant.

Verse 15

The phrase 'rising up early and sending them' is a common metaphor in Jeremiah, emphasizing God's diligence, frequency, and earnestness in sending prophets to warn His people.

Verse 17

Because Judah refused the instruction and failed to heed God's warnings, the judgment ('all the evil that I have pronounced') is now confirmed and inevitable.

Verse 19

The promise that Jonadab’s descendants will always have a man 'to stand before me' is a rare and significant blessing, guaranteeing the perpetual existence of this lineage for their remarkable faithfulness.

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