Jeremiah 28:4-14

4 I will also bring back the king of Judah, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, along with all of the people of Judah who went into exile in Babylonia. Yes, I will break the power of the king of Babylonia. I, the Lord, have spoken."
5 Then in the presence of the priests and of all the people who were standing in the Temple, I said to Hananiah,
6 "Wonderful! I hope the Lord will do this! I certainly hope he will make your prophecy come true and will bring back from Babylonia all the Temple treasures and all the people who were taken away as prisoners.
7 But listen to what I say to you and to the people.
8 The prophets who spoke long ago, before my time and yours, predicted that war, starvation, and disease would come to many nations and powerful kingdoms.
9 But a prophet who predicts peace can only be recognized as a prophet whom the Lord has truly sent when that prophet's predictions come true."
10 Then Hananiah took the yoke off my neck, broke it in pieces,
11 and said in the presence of all the people, "The Lord has said that this is how he will break the yoke that King Nebuchadnezzar has put on the neck of all the nations; and he will do this within two years." Then I left.
12 Some time after this the Lord told me
13 to go and tell Hananiah: "The Lord has said that you may be able to break a wooden yoke, but he will replace it with an iron yoke.
14 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has said that he will put an iron yoke on all these nations and that they will serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. The Lord has said that he will make even the wild animals serve Nebuchadnezzar."

Jeremiah 28:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 28

Thus chapter relates a false prophecy of Hananiah, who broke off the yoke from Jeremiah; but in return the people are threatened with an iron yoke, and he with death; which came to pass. The time, place, and substance of his prophecy, are in Jer 28:1-4; Jeremiah's answer to it, Jer 28:5-9; Hananiah breaks Jeremiah's yoke, and explains the meaning of it to the people, Jer 28:10,11; Jeremiah prophesies that iron yokes should be given instead of wooden ones, Jer 28:12-14; and foretells the death of the false prophet, Jer 28:15-17.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. [One ancient translation] he; [Hebrew] you.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.