Jeremiah 27:2-12

2 Thus the LORD said to me: 1"Make yourself straps and 2yoke-bars, and put them on your neck.
3 Send word[a] to the king of 3Edom, the king of 4Moab, the king of the sons of 5Ammon, the king of 6Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
4 Give them this charge for their masters: 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters:
5 "It is I who 7by my great power and my outstretched arm 8have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, 9and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.
6 10Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, 11my servant, 12and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him.
7 13All the nations shall serve him and 14his son and 15his grandson, 16until the time of his own land comes. 17Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.
8 "'"But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, 18and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation 19with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the LORD, until I have consumed it by his hand.
9 So 20do not listen to your 21prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your 22fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.'
10 23For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish.
11 24But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the LORD."'"
12 To 25Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: 26"Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and 27serve him and his people and live.

Jeremiah 27:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 27

This chapter contains a prophecy of the subjection of the king of Judah, with five neighbouring kings, to the king of Babylon; signified by bonds and yokes on the prophet's neck, which they are exhorted patiently to bear, as being most for their good; and not to give heed to false prophets, who would persuade them to the contrary. The date of the prophecy is in Jer 27:1; the order to make the yokes, and send them to the several neighbouring princes by their messengers at Jerusalem, Jer 27:2,3; what they should say to their masters from the God of Israel, who is described from his power in the creation of the earth, and the disposal of it, Jer 27:4,5; as that he had given all their lands into the hand of the king of Babylon, whom they should serve, or it would be worse for them, Jer 27:6-8; and therefore should not hearken to their prophets, who prophesied lies; if they did, it would be to their hurt; whereas, if they quietly submitted, they would dwell in their own land, Jer 27:9-11; particularly Zedekiah king of Judah is exhorted to submit; and both he, and the priests and the people, are advised not to hearken to the false prophets, Jer 27:12-15; particularly as to what they said concerning the speedy return of the vessels of the temple, which were carried away to Babylon; but might assure themselves they should remain there; and the rest also should be taken, and not returned until the end of the seventy years, Jer 27:16-22.

Cross References 27

  • 1. [1 Kings 22:11; Ezekiel 7:23]
  • 2. Jeremiah 28:10, 12, 13; See Leviticus 26:13
  • 3. Jeremiah 25:21, 22
  • 4. Jeremiah 25:21, 22
  • 5. Jeremiah 25:21, 22
  • 6. Jeremiah 25:21, 22
  • 7. See Jeremiah 21:5
  • 8. Psalms 115:15; Isaiah 45:12
  • 9. Psalms 115:16; Dan. 4:17, 25, 32
  • 10. [Ezekiel 30:21, 25]
  • 11. See Jeremiah 25:9
  • 12. Jeremiah 28:14; Daniel 2:38
  • 13. [Daniel 2:37, 38]
  • 14. Jeremiah 52:31
  • 15. Daniel 5:1, 30
  • 16. See Jeremiah 25:12
  • 17. See Jeremiah 25:14
  • 18. ver. 11, 12; [Jeremiah 30:8]
  • 19. See Jeremiah 14:12
  • 20. [Jeremiah 14:14]
  • 21. [Jeremiah 29:8]
  • 22. [Deuteronomy 18:10; Isaiah 2:6]
  • 23. See Jeremiah 5:31
  • 24. [ver. 2, 8]
  • 25. Jeremiah 28:1; [ver. 1]
  • 26. [See ver. 11 above]
  • 27. ver. 17; [Jeremiah 38:17]

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.