Jeremiah 29:8-18

8 For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: "Don't let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, and don't listen to the dreams you elicit from them,

9 for they are prophesying falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them." [This is] the Lord's declaration.

10 For this is what the Lord says: "When 70 years for Babylon are complete,^[a] I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place.

11 For I know the plans I have for you"^[b]-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

12 You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.^[c]

13 You will seek Me^[d] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

14 I will be found by you"-the Lord's declaration-"and I will restore your fortunes^[e][f]and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you"-the Lord's declaration. "I will restore you to the place I deported you from."

15 You have said, "The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon!"

16 But this is what the Lord says concerning the king sitting on David's throne and concerning all the people living in this city-that is, concerning your brothers who did not go with you into exile.

17 This is what the Lord of Hosts says: "I am about to send against them sword, famine, and plague^[g] and will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad.

18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth-a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations where I will have banished them.^[h]

Jeremiah 29:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 29

Thus chapter contains a letter of Jeremiah to the captives in Babylon; and gives an account of another sent from thence by Shemaiah to the people at Jerusalem; and is closed with threatening him with punishment for so doing. Jeremiah's letter concerns both the captives at Babylon, and the people left at Jerusalem, The persons to whom and by whom it was sent, and the time of writing and sending it, are mentioned in Jer 29:1-3; and though the prophet was the amanuensis, God was the author of it, as well as of their captivity, Jer 29:4; the contents of, it, respecting the captives, are advices to them to provide for their comfortable settlement in Babylon, and not think of returning quickly, by building houses, planting gardens, marrying, and giving in marriage, Jer 29:5,6; and to seek and pray for the prosperity of the place where they were; in which their own was concerned, Jer 29:7; to give no heed to their false prophets and diviners, Jer 29:8,9; and to expect a return to Jerusalem at the end of seventy years; which they might be assured of, since God had resolved upon it in his own mind, Jer 29:10,11; and especially if they called upon him, prayed to him, and sought him heartily, Jer 29:12-14; the other part of the letter respects the Jews in Jerusalem; concerning whom the captives are directed to observe, that both the king and people should suffer much by sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity, with the reason of it, Jer 29:15-19; particularly it is foretold, that Ahab and Zedekiah, two lying prophets, should be made an example of vengeance; and a proverbial curse should be taken of them, because of their villany, lewdness, and lies, Jer 29:20-23; next follows some account of Shemaiah's letter from Babylon, to the people and priests at Jerusalem, stirring them up against Jeremiah the prophet; which came to be known, by the priests reading it to him, Jer 29:24-29; upon which Shemaiah is threatened with punishment, and his seed after him, Jer 29:30-32.

Footnotes

• [a]. Jr 25:12; Dn 9:2
• [b]. Jr 26:3; 36:3; Ps 33:10
• [c]. Jr 3:12; Dt 30:1-10
• [d]. Dt 4:29; 1 Ch 28:9; 2 Ch 15:2
• [e]. Or will end your captivity
• [f]. Jr 30:3; 32:44; Jb 42:10
• [g]. Jr 14:12; 21:9; 24:10
• [h]. Jr 8:3; 16:15; Dt 30:1