Study notes

Jeremiah 29

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

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.

29:1–23

Jeremiah sent a letter to the Hebrew exiles in Babylon. People read his letter many times in different settlements to reach all the scattered Israelites.

29:2

had been exiled from Jerusalem: This refers to the exile in 597 BC.

29:5–7

Jeremiah encouraged the exiled people to prepare for a long stay in Babylon. God wanted them to become productive citizens, caring for and praying to the Lord for the well-being of the Babylonian communities where they lived. This would help their population grow. They should not listen to false prophecies like Hananiah's, which promised a quick return home.

29:8–9

The next divine command warned against false prophets and people who claim to tell the future.

29:10

The exiled people of Judah would stay in Babylon for seventy years; this was not new information (see Jeremiah 25:11), but Jeremiah's audiences in Jerusalem had not believed him. Now that they were in exile, they needed to accept reality.

29:11

The Lord planned to help the exiled people prosper and return to Judah, giving them a future and hope. This promise was for the exiles in Babylon, but it has also given hope to millions of God's people in tough situations.

29:12–13

Through Jeremiah, the Lord reminded the exiled people that if they searched for him sincerely, they would find him. The Exile taught the Israelites to reject false gods and devote themselves fully to the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4–6). It also inspired a new commitment to God's revealed word.

29:15

False prophets were among the exiles. They promised that Jerusalem would survive and the Exile would end soon.

29:16–18

The Lord reminded the exiles in Babylon that those left in Jerusalem would also face disaster. The bad figs in Jerusalem would experience horror later (see Jeremiah 24:6–10).

29:24–32

A prophet in Babylon named Shemaiah disagreed with Jeremiah's advice that the exiles should accept a long exile (Jeremiah 29:4–23). Shemaiah sent a letter to a leading priest in Jerusalem, urging action against Jeremiah. In response, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles condemning Shemaiah.

29:29

Zephaniah wisely showed Jeremiah the letter from Shemaiah.

29:30–32

Shemaiah did not have a commission from the Lord, so he was a liar. He tried to convince the exiles that their exile would be short. Using the Lord's authority three times (see study note on Jeremiah 2:2), Shemaiah was charged, found guilty, and sentenced to execution.

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