Study notes

Jeremiah 26

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

26:1–24

Jeremiah went on trial in front of the priests and prophets. The trial focused on the Temple's holiness because Jeremiah said the Lord would destroy both the Temple and Jerusalem.

26:1–29:32 Section

While Jehoiakim was king, a group of priests, prophets and officials almost killed Jeremiah. While Zedekiah was king, Hananiah tried to prove that Jeremiah was telling lies. Hananiah was a false prophet. He spoke a message that went against Jeremiah’s messages. Shemaiah was also a false prophet. He lived in exile in Babylon. He told the Jews in Babylon messages that went against Jeremiah’s messages.

These examples show something about the people and leaders of the southern kingdom. They strongly opposed Jeremiah and his messages. They did this before and after the Babylonian government took control of the southern kingdom. Jeremiah’s letter was to people from the southern kingdom living in Babylon. They were the first group of Jews that Nebuchadnezzar had forced to leave Judah.

Jeremiah explained how God wanted the Jews to live during the exile. God wanted them to accept that the exile was the judgement he had promised to bring. He wanted them to accept how long it would last. They would show they accepted these things by making Babylon their home. They would make it their home by building houses, having families and planting gardens. They would make it their home by working hard there and praying for the city. God planned for them to have success in Babylon. They didn’t need to fear that God would bring them harm while they were there. He wanted them to have hope during their time in exile.

His people would find him when they looked for him with all their heart. This was true even though they were far from Jerusalem and from the temple. Solomon had prayed about this when the temple was set apart for God (1 Kings 8:46–51). God also wanted his people to have hope for when the exile would end. He wanted them to trust that he would bring them back to Judah. God would do that after 70 years.

But the Jews in Babylon didn’t want to accept these things. They wanted to pretend that they would be back in Judah very soon. They wanted to pretend that life in Judah would be better than life in Babylon. This was a way of pretending that God wasn’t bringing judgement against his people. It was a way of pretending that they hadn’t sinned against God. This is what it meant that the Jews in Babylon had not listened.

26:2

Jeremiah stood in the Temple courtyard because the people of Judah gathered there for the yearly festivals.

26:3

The Lord gave the people a choice about their future. If they turned from their evil ways, the Lord would reconsider. The standard of judgment was his covenant with Israel (see Deuteronomy 5:1–21; 27:1–28:68). When Israel obeyed the covenant, the Lord blessed them. When Israel persistently and stubbornly disobeyed, the Lord eventually punished them.

26:4–6

The ancestors of the people chose disobedience, which led to the destruction of their sanctuary at Shiloh, north of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7:12–15; 1 Samuel 1–4). In the same way, if the people in Jeremiah's time continued to disobey the covenant commands, the Temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed.

26:7–9

The crowd at the Temple wanted to kill Jeremiah for blasphemy because he spoke against the Temple. This charge carried the death penalty (Leviticus 24:16). The prophet's opponents argued that the Lord's holy Temple could not be destroyed. The priests and prophets believed the pagan idea that temples were indestructible because gods lived in them.

26:10–15

Court trials usually took place at a city gateway. At this time, city gateways were covered and had multiple chambers. This location was busy with city commerce. The city elders gathered here to offer their wisdom on legal conflicts. In this case, the officials were fair and allowed each party to present its side of the dispute.

26:12–13

Jeremiah said the Lord sent him to speak against the city and the Temple. He added that disaster would not happen if the people of Jerusalem obeyed the Lord.

26:14–15

Jeremiah calmly accepted the authority and trusted the officials with his life. However, he warned them they would be responsible if they killed an innocent man.

26:16

Jeremiah successfully defended himself. He convinced the officials and people of his innocence because he spoke for the Lord.

26:17–19

  • In the ancient Near East, societies greatly respected wise old men. Few people lived to old age, and those who did had valuable memories.

  • Micah of Moresheth lived during King Hezekiah's reign, from 728 to 686 BC, over 100 years earlier. Micah wrote a small collection of prophecies. The elders quoted a verse (Micah 3:12) predicting the destruction of Mount Zion and Jerusalem. These elders advised the people to follow Hezekiah's example by turning from sin and worshiping the Lord. Although the people of Judah decided not to harm Jeremiah, they ignored the second part of the elders' advice.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources