THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 29

1Jeremiah by letter adviseth the captives in Babylon to live quietly there, 8and not to believe the illusions of their false prophets: 10he assureth them of a gracious return after seventy years, 15and foretelleth the destruction of those that remained at Jerusalem. 20He sheweth the fearful end of two of their lying prophets. 24Shemaiah having written a letter from Babylon against Jeremiah, 30his doom is likewise foretold.


1NOW these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto 1the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;

1 Hebr. the residue of the elders of the captive carrying away. As verses 4, 22 and 31; Jer. 28:4.

2(After that Jeconiaha the king, and the queen, and the 2eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the 3carpenters, and the smiths, were 4departed from Jerusalem;)

a 2 Kings 24:12, etc.

2 Or, chamberlains. See Gen. 37 on verse 36.

3 Hebr. the carpenter and the smith. See Jer. 24 on verse 1.

4 See 2 Kings 24:12, 14.

35By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) 6saying,

5 This depends on these words of the first verse: that Jeremiah the prophet sent, by the hand, etc., that is, by the ministry. These ambassadors took the letter along with them.

6 Namely, in the letter, as follows. Also verses 25 and 28, etc.

4Thus saith the LORD of 7hosts, the God of Israel, unto all 8that are carried away captives, whom 9I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

7 See 1 Kings 18 on verse 15.

8 Hebr. unto all the captives carried away; as verse 1.

9 The Lord.

5Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

6Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

7And seek the 10peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the 11peace thereof shall ye have peace.

10 That is, wealth and prosperity. See Gen. 37 on verse 14.

11 When it goes well with it, then it will also go well with you.

8¶For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, 12deceiveb you, neither hearken to your 13dreams which ye 14cause to be dreamed.

12 Making you believe that within two years ye shall be delivered.

b Jer. 14:14; 23:21; 27:15.

13 Or, dreamers. Hebr. dreams. See Jer. 27 on verse 9.

14 Which you give occasion by your vanity and credulity and cause to deceive you by false dreams.

9For they prophesy 15falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

15 Hebr. in or with falsehood.

10¶For thus saith the LORD, That 16after seventy years be accomplished 17at Babylon I will 18visit you, and 19perform my 20good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

16 Hebr. at or according to the month of being or becoming accomplished. This place is very remarkable for the opinion of those who begin to count the seventy years captivity not from the destruction of Jerusalem under the reign of king Zedekiah, but from the carrying away of king Jeconiah, and many other Jews (of which verse 2), who were now in captivity when Jeremiah sent this letter to them. Compare Ezek. 1:2; 33:21; 40:1, with the annotations.

17 Or, on, with Babel, that is, when ye shall have been there seventy years, or, when Babel shall have kept you so long in captivity.

18 Understand in mercy. See Gen. 21 on verse 1.

19 Or, confirm, stablish, cause to stand.

20 That is, fulfil My good, gracious and comfortable promises concerning your deliverance.

11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of 21peace, and not of evil, to give you an 22expected 23end.

21 Corporal and spiritual blessing, and not the contrary. See Gen. 37 on verse 14.

22 That is, an issue which I have promised and ye may assuredly expect from Me, or, the expected end, the end that ye have looked for, or desired.

23 Hebr. hindmost, last, that is here, end. See Psalm 37 on verse 37; Jer. 31 on verse 17, and compare 1 Peter 1:9.

12Then shall ye callc upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

c Daniel 9.

13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14And I will be 24found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gatherd you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

24 Or, show myself ready or available. Compare Psalm 46 on verse 1.

d Jer. 23:3.

15¶Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets 25in Babylon;

25 Other, to Babylon, that is, because ye persuade yourselves that God, notwithstanding that He caused you to be carried away captive to Babylon, yet He also sent prophets thither to comfort you, with a promise that God would preserve and continue the kingdom of Judah, and deliver you within the space of two years, and bring you again to Jerusalem. Therefore hear now what the Lord says concerning this matter, that ye may abandon the vain hope, which your prophets give you, and may keep close to the prophecies which I here render unto you in the Name of God, and are related in the following words. Others annex this verse unto the previous thus: When ye shall have said: the LORD hath raised us up, etc.; that is, this deliverance shall come, when ye shall confess with true sincere repentance that I and other faithful prophets, being raised up by God, have told you the very truth that you must go to Babylon, and not be delivered before the time by God appointed.

16Know that thus saith the LORD 26of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this 27city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;

26 Hebr. el, which is sometimes taken for of. See verses 21 and 31; Job 42 on verse 7; Psalm 2 on verse 7; Jer. 30:4.

27 Jerusalem, that is, who have remained here, to which city you look to return in peace very shortly, as the false prophets do make you believe.

17Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them thee sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like 28vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

e Jer. 24:8, 10.

28 See Jer. 24:8, etc.

18And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will 29deliverf them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an 30astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

29 See Deut. 28 on verse 25: Jer. 15:4, etc.

f Deut. 28:25, 37; Jer. 15:4; 24:9, etc.

30 Other, desolation, fearful wildness.

19Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up 31early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.

31 See Jer. 7 on verse 13.

20¶Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all 32ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

32 Hebr. the whole captive carrying away. As verse 1.

21Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy 33a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall 34slay them before your eyes;

33 Or, a falsehood, falsely.

34 That is, cause them to be slain, as is expounded in the sequel.

22And of 35them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like 36Ahab, whom the king of Babylon 37roasted in the fire;

35 Namely, the captive Jews shall take of these false prophets and use still a formulary or custom of cursing when they want to execrate someone. Compare Isa. 65:15; Jer. 42 on verse 18.

36 Or, Echab.

37 That is, caused to be roasted.

23Because they have committed 38villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken 39lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.

38 See Gen. 34 on verse 7.

39 Or, a false word, a word that was falsehood or a lie, that is, they taught and prophesied falsehood, misusing My Name and command for that purpose.

24Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the 40Nehelamite, saying,

40 This seems to be a name of descent or birthplace; but some are of the opinion that Jeremiah or God Himself gave him this name in a mocking way, because of his dreams, for, chalam signifies to dream, verse 8. Verses 31 and 32 are also Nehelamite.

25Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in 41thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah 42the priest, and to all the priests, 43saying,

41 By thine own authority, not by My command, as thou falsely boastest.

42 The second priest. See 2 Kings 25:18, and compare Jer. 20 on verse 1.

43 As verse 3.

26The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of 44Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be 45officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is 46mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in 47prison,g and in the 48stocks.

44 Some are of the opinion that he means the high priest Jehoiada (of whose excellent acts we may read 2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 23), to flatter him, according to the manner and custom of the false prophets. Others conceive that it was another Jehoiada, who was either dead or had been also carried away to Babel, so that Zephaniah in order succeeded in his place.

45 Or, commanders.

46 This he points to Jeremiah. Compare 2 Kings 9 on verse 11.

47 Of the Hebrew word see Jer. 20 on verse 2.

g Jer. 20:1, 2, 3.

48 The Hebrew word tsinok is only found here, so that it is uncertain what kind of prison or chains and fetters, or also punishment by death, it does properly signify. Some compare it with zikkim, which also signifies chains and fetters. Others conceive that it is a compound of tsi, which is, a ship, and janak, that is, to suck, and render it sucking ship or sucking boat, which was among the Persians (and peradventure among other adjacent nations also) a most cruel capital punishment, when a man was laid as it were packed in between two boats placed one upon another, only his head, hands and feet sticking out, and so left, being fed among others with honey and milk (which he was forced to suck in), his face always being turned towards the sun, being plagued outside by flies and inside by worms and filthiness, and died most miserably in the end.

27Now therefore why hast thou not 49reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?

49 And consequently punished him according to his desert.

28For 50therefore he 51sent unto us in Babylon, saying, 52This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

50 To show that he is a prophet. Or, thus he sent, etc.

51 Namely, a letter, as above.

52 Or, It (the captivity) shall last long, it shall be long lasting. Hebr. It or she, long or long lasting.

29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

3053Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

53 Here is now continued what was started in verse 25.

31Send to all them of the 54captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the 55Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust inh a lie:

54 Hebr. the captive carried away, as verse 1.

55 Or, Nechlamite. See verse 24 Nehelamite. See there.

h Jer. 28:15.

32Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will 56punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he 57behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught 58rebellioni against the LORD.

56 By punishment. See Gen. 21 on verse 1.

57 That is, not live to see and to enjoy. See Job 7 on verse 7.

58 Or, apostasy. See Jer. 28 on verse 16.

i Jer. 28:16.