


Jeremiah 29:6
Bible Versions
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
Take {H3947} ye wives {H802}, and beget {H3205} sons {H1121} and daughters {H1323}; and take {H3947} wives {H802} for your sons {H1121}, and give {H5414} your daughters {H1323} to husbands {H582}, that they may bear {H3205} sons {H1121} and daughters {H1121}; that ye may be increased {H7235} there, and not diminished {H4591}.
Choose women to marry, and have sons and daughters. Choose wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage to men, so that they can have sons and daughters - increase your numbers there, don't decrease.
Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters: and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.
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Genesis 28:1
¶ And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. -
Genesis 28:4
And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. -
Genesis 29:19
And Laban said, [It is] better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. -
Genesis 24:51
Behold, Rebekah [is] before thee, take [her], and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken. -
Judges 12:9
And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, [whom] he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. -
Genesis 24:3
And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: -
Genesis 24:4
But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
Jeremiah 29:6 is a pivotal verse from a letter sent by the prophet Jeremiah to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. It conveys God's surprising instructions for His people during their long period of captivity, urging them to embrace normalcy and growth despite their circumstances.
Context of Jeremiah 29:6
The historical backdrop for Jeremiah 29:6 is the Babylonian exile, which began with King Nebuchadnezzar's first deportation of Judahites in 597 BC. Many of the Jewish captives, including King Jehoiachin and prominent citizens, were in Babylon. False prophets among the exiles were spreading messages of an imminent return to Jerusalem, giving the people false hope. Jeremiah's letter, delivered by messengers from Jerusalem, directly contradicted these lies, informing the exiles that their captivity would last for 70 years. This verse, along with others in the letter, outlines how God wanted them to live during this extended period away from their homeland.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insights
The KJV phrasing "that ye may be increased there, and not diminished" is a clear and direct translation of the Hebrew intent. The word translated "increased" (רָבָה, ravah) means "to be great, numerous, multiply." The word "diminished" (מָעַט, ma'at) means "to be small, few, diminish." Together, they emphasize God's desire for the exiles to experience demographic growth and continued vitality, counteracting the natural tendency for a captive population to decline due to despair or assimilation.
Practical Application
Jeremiah 29:6 offers profound lessons for believers today. It teaches us about: