Jeremiah 35:1-11

The Rekabites

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

2 “Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the LORD and give them wine to drink.”

3 So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites.

4 I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.

5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab^[a] son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.

7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’

8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine

9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.

10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us.

11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian^[b] and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

Jeremiah 35:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 35

In this chapter the disobedience of the people of the Jews unto God is aggravated by the obedience of the Rechabites to their father; and the one are threatened with the judgments of God upon them, and the other have a promise of the divine blessing. The time of this prophecy is observed; Jer 35:1; an order to bring the Rechabites into one of the chambers of the temple, which was done accordingly, Jer 35:2-4; wine is set before them to drink; which they refuse; alleging the command of their father to the contrary, Jer 35:5-7; which they had carefully and constantly obeyed in every part of it, excepting that which respects their dwelling in tents; for which they give a reason, Jer 35:8-11; by this instance of filial obedience to parents, the disobedience of the Jews towards their Father, which is in heaven, is aggravated; who, though he gave them laws and commandments, and sent his prophets to put them in mind of them, and exhort them to obedience, yet hearkened not to them, Jer 35:12-15; wherefore the Lord threatens to bring all the evil on them he had pronounced, Jer 35:16,17; and promises the sons of Rechab that there should be always some of them that should minister unto him, Jer 35:18,19.

Cross References

• 1. S 2 Chronicles 36:5
• 2. S 2 Kings 10:15; 1 Chronicles 2:55
• 3. S 1 Kings 6:5
• 4. S Deuteronomy 33:1
• 5. 1 Chronicles 9:19
• 6. S 2 Kings 12:9; S 2 Kings 23:4
• 7. S 2 Kings 10:15
• 8. S Leviticus 10:9; Numbers 6:2-4; S Luke 1:15
• 9. Hebrews 11:9
• 10. S Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:2-3
• 11. Proverbs 1:8; Colossians 3:20
• 12. 1 Timothy 6:6
• 13. 2 Kings 24:1
• 14. S Joshua 10:20; Jeremiah 8:14

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew "Jonadab" , a variant of "Jehonadab" ; here and often in this chapter
• [b]. Or "Chaldean"