1And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar took captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2(After Jeconiah the king, and the queen mother, and the officials, the rulers of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, had departed from Jerusalem.) 3The letter came by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah the king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I caused to be taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6Take wives and beget sons and daughters. And take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters, that you may be multiplied there and not diminished. 7And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be exiled, and pray to Jehovah for it. For in its peace you shall have peace. 8For thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your fortune-tellers in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you dream. 9For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says Jehovah. 10For thus says Jehovah, When according to My Word seventy years have been fulfilled at Babylon, I will visit you and carry out My good Word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the thoughts which I am planning for you, says Jehovah; thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14And I will be found by you, says Jehovah; and I will bring you back from your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says Jehovah. And I will bring you back into the place from where I caused you to be taken captive. 15Because you have said, Jehovah has raised up prophets for us in Babylon; 16thus says Jehovah concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brothers who have not gone out with you into captivity; 17thus says Jehovah of Hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like overripe figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and will make them objects of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and a waste, and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19because they have not heeded My Words, says Jehovah, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not obey, says Jehovah. 20Therefore hear the Word of Jehovah, all you exiles, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon; 21thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall kill them before your eyes. 22And a curse shall be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, May Jehovah make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, 23because they have done disgraceful things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them; for I am He who knows and is a witness, says Jehovah. 24You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because you have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26Jehovah has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be officers in the house of Jehovah over every madman who prophesies, that you should put him in prison and in the stocks. 27Now therefore why have you not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesies to you? 28For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long. Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet. 30And the Word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, saying, 31Send to all the captives, saying, Thus says Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he caused you to trust in a lie, 32therefore thus says Jehovah, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his seed. He shall not have a man to dwell among this people; nor shall he behold the good which I shall do for My people, says Jehovah, because he has taught rebellion against Jehovah.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 LETTER OF JEREMIAH TO THE CAPTIVES IN BABYLON, TO COUNTERACT THE ASSURANCES GIVEN BY THE FALSE PROPHETS OF A SPEEDY RESTORATION. (Jer. 29:1-32)
residue of the elders--those still surviving from the time when they were carried to Babylon with Jeconiah; the other elders of the captives had died by either a natural or a violent death.
2 queen--Nehushta, the queen mother, daughter of Elnathan (
2Kgs 24:8,
2Kgs 24:15). (Elnathan, her father, is perhaps the same as the one mentioned in
Jer 26:22). She reigned jointly with her son.
princes--All the men of authority were taken away lest they should organize a rebellion. Jeremiah wrote his letter while the calamity was still recent, to console the captives under it.
3 Zedekiah . . . sent unto Babylon--In
Jer 51:59, Zedekiah himself goes to Babylon; here he sends ambassadors. Whatever was the object of the embassy, it shows that Zedekiah only reigned at the pleasure of the king of Babylon, who might have restored Jeconiah, had he pleased. Hence, Zedekiah permitted Jeremiah's letter to be sent, not only as being led by Hananiah's death to attach greater credit to the prophet's words, but also as the letter accorded with his own wish that the Jews should remain in Chaldea till Jeconiah's death.
Hilkiah--the high priest who found the book of the law in the house of the Lord, and showed it to "Shaphan" the scribe (the same Shaphan probably as here), who showed it to King Josiah (
2Kgs 22:8, &c.). The sons of Hilkiah and Shaphan inherited from their fathers some respect for sacred things. So in
Jer 36:25, "Gemariah" interceded with King Jehoiakim that the prophet's roll should not be burned.
5 Build . . . houses--In opposition to the false prophets' suggestions, who told the captives that their captivity would soon cease, Jeremiah tells them that it will be of long duration, and that therefore they should build houses, as Babylon is to be for long their home.
6 that ye . . . be . . . not diminished--It was God's will that the seed of Abraham should not fail; thus consolation is given them, and the hope, though not of an immediate, yet of an ultimate, return.
7 (
Ezra 6:10;
Rom 13:1;
1Tim 2:2). Not only bear the Babylonian yoke patiently, but pray for your masters, that is, while the captivity lasts. God's good time was to come when they were to pray for Babylon's downfall (
Jer 51:35;
Ps 137:8). They were not to forestall that time. True religion teaches patient submission, not sedition, even though the prince be an unbeliever. In all states of life let us not throw away the comfort we may have, because we have not all we would have. There is here a foretaste of gospel love towards enemies (
Matt 5:44).
8 your dreams which ye caused to be dreamed--The Latin adage says, "The people wish to be deceived, so let them be deceived." Not mere credulity misleads men, but their own perverse "love of darkness rather than light." It was not priests who originated priestcraft, but the people's own morbid appetite to be deceived; for example, Aaron and the golden calf (
Exod 32:1-
Exod 32:4). So the Jews caused or made the prophets to tell them encouraging dreams (
Jer 23:25-
Jer 23:26;
Eccl 5:7;
Zech 10:2;
John 3:19-
John 3:21).
10 (See on
Jer 25:11;
Jer 25:12;
Dan 9:2). This proves that the seventy years date from Jeconiah's captivity, not from the last captivity. The specification of time was to curb the impatience of the Jews lest they should hasten before God's time.
good word--promise of a return.
11 I know--I alone; not the false prophets who know nothing of My purposes, though they pretend to know.
thoughts . . . I think-- (
Isa 55:9). Glancing at the Jews who had no "thoughts of peace," but only of "evil" (misfortune), because they could not conceive how deliverance could come to them. The moral malady of man is twofold--at one time vain confidence; then, when that is disappointed, despair. So the Jews first laughed at God's threats, confident that they should speedily return; then, when cast down from that confidence, they sank in inconsolable despondency.
expected end--literally, "end and expectation," that is, an end, and that such an end as you wish for. Two nouns joined by "and," standing for a noun and adjective. So in
Jer 36:27, "the roll and the words," that is, the roll of words;
Gen 3:16, "sorrow and conception," that is, sorrow in conception. Compare
Pro 23:18, where, as here "end" means "a happy issue."
12 Fulfilled (
Dan 9:3, &c.). When God designs mercy, He puts it into the hearts of His people to pray for the mercy designed. When such a spirit of prayer is poured out, it is a sure sign of coming mercy.
go--to the temple and other places of prayer: contrasted with their previous sloth as to going to seek God.
13 (
Lev 26:40-
Lev 26:42,
Lev 26:44-
Lev 26:45).
14 to be found-- (
Ps 32:6;
Isa 55:6).
turn . . . captivity--play upon sounds, shabti . . . shebith.
15 Because--referring not to the preceding words, but to
Jer 29:10-
Jer 29:11, "Jehovah saith this to you" (that is, the prophecy of the continuance of the captivity seventy years), "because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon," namely, foretelling our speedy deliverance (this their prophecy is supposed, not expressed; accordingly,
Jer 29:16-
Jer 29:19 contradict this false hope again,
Jer 29:8-
Jer 29:9,
Jer 29:21). He, in this fifteenth verse, turns his address from the godly (
Jer 29:12-
Jer 29:14) to the ungodly listeners, to false prophets.
16 people . . . in this city . . . not gone forth--So far from your returning to Jerusalem soon, even your brethren still left dwelling there shall themselves also be cast into exile. He mentions "the throne of David," lest they should think that, because David's kingdom was to be perpetual, no severe, though temporary, chastisements could interpose (
Ps 89:29-
Ps 89:36).
17 vile figs--Hebrew, "horrible," or nauseous, from a root, "to regard with loathing" (see
Jer 24:8,
Jer 24:10).
18 removed to all . . . kingdoms-- (
Jer 15:4;
Deut 28:25).
curse, &c.-- (
Jer 29:6;
Jer 18:16;
Jer 19:8).
21 Zedekiah--brother of Zephaniah (
Jer 29:25), both being sons of Maaseiah; probably of the same family as the false prophet under Ahab in Israel (
1Kgs 22:11,
1Kgs 22:24).
22 shall be taken . . . a curse--that is, a formula of imprecation.
Lord make thee like Zedekiah--(Compare
Gen 48:20;
Isa 65:15).
roasted in the fire--a Chaldean punishment (
Dan 3:6).
23 villainy--literally, "sinful folly" (
Isa 32:6).
24 A second communication which Jeremiah sent to Babylon, after the messenger who carried his first letter had brought a letter from the false prophet Shemaiah to Zephaniah, &c., condemning Jeremiah and reproving the authorities for not having apprehended him.
Nehelamite--a name derived either from his father or from a place: alluding at the same time to the Hebrew meaning, "a dreamer" (compare
Jer 29:8).
25 in thy name--without sanction of "the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel," which words stand in antithesis to "thy name" (
John 5:43).
Zephaniah--the second priest, or substitute (Sagan) of the high priest. He was one of those sent to consult Jeremiah by Zedekiah (
Jer 21:1). Slain by Nebuchadnezzar at the capture of Jerusalem (
2Kgs 25:18-21). Zephaniah was in particular addressed, as being likely to take up against Jeremiah the prophet's prediction against his brother Zedekiah at Babylon (
Jer 29:21). Zephaniah was to read it to the priests, and in the presence of all the people, in the temple.
26 thee . . . in the stead of Jehoiada--Zephaniah's promotion as second priest, owing to Jehoiada's being then in exile, was unexpected. Shemaiah thus accuses him of ingratitude towards God, who had so highly exalted him before his regular time.
ye should be officers . . . for every man--Ye should, as bearing rule in the temple (see on
Jer 20:1), apprehend every false prophet like Jeremiah.
mad--Inspired prophets were often so called by the ungodly (
2Kgs 9:11;
Acts 26:24;
Acts 2:13,
Acts 2:15,
Acts 2:17-
Acts 2:18). Jeremiah is in this a type of Christ, against whom the same charge was brought (
John 10:20).
prison--rather, "the stocks" (see on
Jer 20:2).
stocks--from a root, "to confine"; hence rather, "a narrow dungeon." According to
Deut 17:8-
Deut 17:9, the priest was judge in such cases, but had no right to put into the stocks; this right he had assumed to himself in the troubled state of the times.
27 of Anathoth--said contemptuously, as "Jesus of Nazareth."
maketh himself--as if God had not made him one, but he himself had done so.
28 Referring to Jeremiah's first letter to Babylon (
Jer 29:5).
29 Zephaniah . . . read . . . in the ears of Jeremiah--He seems to have been less prejudiced against Jeremiah than the others; hence he reads the charge to the prophet, that he should not be condemned without a hearing. This accords with Shemaiah's imputation against Zephaniah for want of zeal against Jeremiah (
Jer 29:26-
Jer 29:27). Hence the latter was chosen by King Zedekiah as one of the deputation to Jeremiah (
Jer 21:1;
Jer 37:3).
30 This resumes the thread of the sentence which began at
Jer 29:25, but was left there not completed. Here, in this thirtieth verse, it is completed, not however in continuity, but by a new period. The same construction occurs in
Rom 5:12-
Rom 5:15.
32 not . . . a man to dwell-- (
Deut 28:18).
not . . . behold the good--As he despised the lawful time and wished to return before the time God had expressly announced, in just retribution he should not share in the restoration from Babylon at all.
rebellion--going against God's revealed will as to the time (
Jer 28:16).