Jeremiah 29:1-9 · Bible study
Jeremiah 29:1-9 Commentary: Faithful Living in Exile
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah's letter to the Babylonian exiles commands them to build homes, pray for the city, and reject false hopes of a swift return.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God commands exiles to settle in Babylon, seek the city’s welfare, and reject false prophecies of a speedy return.
- Key words: Peace (shalom, H7965), Seek (darash, H1875), Deceive (nashah, H5377), Prophesy falsely (naba sheqer, H5012 + H8267).
- Main debate: The nature of “dreams which you cause to be dreamed”, some see self-deceived longing, others a textual issue suggesting scribal corruption.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty in exile, faithful presence in a hostile culture, and the call to pray for earthly authorities.
- Best use: Teaching on prayer for leaders, engagement with secular society, and discerning false promises of immediate relief.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the others Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2(This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had been exiled from Jerusalem.)
3The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It stated:
4This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5“Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.
6Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.
7Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
8For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.
9For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,
2(after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem),
3by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon). It said:
4Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5“Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.
6Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished.
7Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”
8For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.
9For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says Yahweh.
KJV King James Version 1769
1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the 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;
2(After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)
3By 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) saying,
4Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
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 peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
8For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
9For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,
2(after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem),
3by 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), saying,
4Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto Babylon:
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: and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.
7And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
8For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
9For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And these are words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the remnant of the elders of the removal, and unto the priests, and unto the prophets, and unto all the people--whom Nebuchadnezzar removed from Jerusalem to Babylon,
2After the going forth of Jeconiah the king, and the mistress, and the officers, heads of Judah and Jerusalem, and the artificer, and the smith, from Jerusalem--
3By the hand of Eleasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkijah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon--to Babylon, saying,
4`Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, to all the removal that I removed from Jerusalem to Babylon,
5Build ye houses, and abide; and plant ye gardens, and eat their fruit;
6Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take for your sons wives, and your daughters give to husbands, and they bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and ye are not few;
7And seek the peace of the city whither I have removed you, and pray for it unto Jehovah, for in its peace ye have peace.
8`For thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Let not your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, lift you up, nor hearken ye unto their dreams, that ye are causing them to dream;
9For with falsehood they are prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, an affirmation of Jehovah.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And these are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
2(after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, had departed from Jerusalem);
3by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkijah (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), saying,
4Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon:
5Build houses, and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
6Take 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; and multiply there, and be not diminished.
7And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
8For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in your midst, nor your diviners deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams, which ye like to dream.
9For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the ancients that were carried into captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nabuchodonosor had carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
2After that Jechonias the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Juda, and of Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the engravers were departed out of Jerusalem:
3By the hand of Elasa the son of Saphan, and Gamarias the son of Helcias, whom Sedecias king of Juda sent to Babylon to Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, saying:
4Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, to all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5Build ye houses, and dwell in them: and plant orchards, 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, and let them bear sons and daughters: and be ye multiplied there, and be not few in number.
7And seek the peace of the city, to which I have caused you to be carried away captives; and pray to the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall be your peace.
8For thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners deceive you: and give no heed to your dreams which you dream:
9For they prophesy falsely to you in my name: and I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 29:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this letter directly counters false prophets who predicted a swift return. Adam Clarke notes that Jeremiah advises 'patience and composure' and urges the exiles to 'prepare for a long continuance.' Calvin observes that God commands them to build houses and plant gardens 'as though they were at home,' yet without settling their hearts on Chaldea, they are still to think of their return. Barnes adds that because the exile was 'God's doing for their good,' they should acquire wealth and influence rather than restlessly wait. Keil and Delitzsch summarize: Jeremiah warns the people 'to prepare for a lengthened sojourn in Babylonia.' The consensus is clear: the letter calls for faithful, engaged living in the place of exile, grounded in God's sovereignty and the reality of a prolonged stay.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jeremiah sent the letter to instruct the exiles to settle in Babylon, seek its welfare, and reject false promises of a quick return, because God had determined a seventy-year exile.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God's sovereignty in the exile | All traditions affirm that Jeremiah presents God as the one who caused the exile (v.4, 7: 'I have caused you to be carried away captive'). | Some emphasize divine judgment for sin; others highlight God's disciplinary and redemptive purpose within the judgment. |
| Command to seek the peace of Babylon | Christians agree the command involves active pursuit of the city’s welfare and prayer for it. | Different traditions apply this variously: Catholic social teaching draws on it for civic engagement; Reformed ethics connect it to common grace; some pacifist traditions use it to reject rebellion. |
| False prophets and dreams | The passage rejects any prophecy that contradicts God’s revealed plan of a seventy-year exile. | The phrase 'dreams which you cause to be dreamed' is understood differently: some take it as the people’s own wishful thinking (Barnes), others suspect a textual corruption (Cambridge Bible) that alters the meaning. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar deported King Jeconiah, the queen mother, court officials, craftsmen, and many others from Jerusalem to Babylon. This first wave of exile left the community in shock. Back in Jerusalem, Zedekiah ruled as a vassal king, and false prophets, both in Judah and among the exiles, fed the people hopes of a quick return within two years (see Jeremiah 28). Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem and wrote this letter to dismantle those deceptions.
The letter was sent through official messengers: Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, who were on a diplomatic mission from Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar. This shows the letter travelled through legitimate, even royal, channels, not subversively.
Culturally, exiles faced a sharp dilemma. Some advocated active resistance; others full assimilation to Babylonian ways. Jeremiah proposes a third path: settle, build, plant, marry, invest in the life of the city. But alongside this, seek its peace and pray for it. The phrase 'whom I have caused to be carried away captive' (v.4, 7) underscores God’s sovereign hand. This is no accident. The exile is divine discipline with a defined purpose, so the appropriate response is faithful presence, not frantic escape.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no major textual variants for Jeremiah 29:1, 9. The Cambridge Bible observes that the MT’s phrase ‘dreams which you cause to be dreamed’ (v.8) has an Aramaic form, and some scholars suspect a scribal error (the accidental repetition of a letter). The sense remains clear: the dreams are either self-generated or provoked by the people’s desire to be deceived. No other significant variants are recorded in the consulted material.
Reception History
From the early centuries, Christians read this passage as a pattern for living in a pagan world, participating in civic life while keeping ultimate loyalty to God’s kingdom. First Peter picks up the language of ‘exiles’ and commends submission to governing authorities. Calvin, in his commentary, draws the principle that believers should willingly obey foreign rulers and pray for them, even when those rulers do not know God. In later history, the passage has been a key text for diaspora communities and for Christians navigating political allegiance. Modern readers often return to it when asking how to be faithful in a society whose values clash with their own, finding in Jeremiah’s letter a life that neither retreats nor assimilates but engages redemptively.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Receive your exile as from God’s hand (vv.4, 6). God takes responsibility for the displacement: “I have caused you to be carried away captive.” The commands to build, plant, and marry are not merely practical, they are acts of trust that God’s plan spans seventy years, not seven days.
- Engage the city for its good (v.7). “Seek the peace of the city” (shalom) means actively pursue the welfare of your host society. Prayer for Babylon is not betrayal of Jerusalem; it is the path to the exiles’ own peace.
- Reject false promises of escape (vv.8, 9). Prophets and dreamers who promise immediate return are lying in God’s name. The community must learn to test prophecy against God’s revealed word.
Five-point outline
- Build houses, invest in the present; don’t live out of suitcases.
- Plant gardens, plan for the future; accept that this is your home for now.
- Marry and multiply, trust God’s covenant promises to Abraham, even in a foreign land.
- Seek the peace of the city, pray for and contribute to the welfare of the place where God has put you.
- Beware deceivers, do not listen to voices that contradict the long view God has revealed.
Illustration hooks
- The long-term missionary. A family moves overseas with a five-year plan; they buy local furniture, enroll children in local schools, learn the language. They aren’t counting days till furlough; they are planting gardens. That is the posture Jeremiah urges.
- The unexpected job transfer. A person is relocated to a city they never wanted. They can either resent every day or decide to “seek the peace” of that city, join a neighborhood association, volunteer, pray for the mayor. The passage invites the latter.
- The empty promise. A congregation keeps chasing “breakthrough” prophecies that promise instant relief from hard situations. Jeremiah says: check if those words match the Scripture God has already given. A deferred hope that leads to patience is truer than a quick fix that leads to disappointment.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How long should we expect to wait for God to change our circumstances? What do we do in the meantime?
- Is it okay to pray for a government that opposes Christian values? How?
- How do I know if a prophetic word or dream is from God or just my own wishful thinking?
Leading a Discussion
This letter from Jeremiah challenged the exiles to see their displacement as God’s purposeful plan, not just a setback. For us, it raises questions about how we live in a world that is not our ultimate home, yet where God calls us to invest and pray.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 4, 6. Why do you think God commands the exiles to build houses, plant gardens, and marry? What does this say about His intentions for their time in Babylon?
- What made this message so hard to receive? (Consider the false prophecy in Jeremiah 28:1, 4.)
- Verse 7 says “seek the peace of the city” and pray for it. What does “peace” (shalom) mean in this context, and how is it different from simply avoiding trouble?
- How does praying for a hostile city change the way you think about your own community or nation?
- Verses 8, 9 warn against false prophets and dreams. What kinds of messages today might sound spiritual but actually contradict God’s clear word?
- In what sense are Christians “exiles” even in their home countries? What can we learn from Jeremiah’s letter about how to live as exiles?
- What is one concrete way you can “seek the peace” of your neighbourhood this week?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Chronicles 30:1 | Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to Yahweh’s house at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel. |
| II Chronicles 30:6 | So the couriers went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the commandment of the king, saying, “You children of Israel, turn again to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant of you that have escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. |
| Esther 9:20 | Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both near and far, |
| Jeremiah 24:1 | Yahweh showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs were set before Yahweh’s temple, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. |
| Jeremiah 24:7 | I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Yahweh. They will be my people, and I will be their God; for they will return to me with their whole heart. |
| Jeremiah 28:4 | I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, who went to Babylon,’ says Yahweh; ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” |
| Jeremiah 29:25 | “Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, |
| Jeremiah 29:29 | Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke stresses that Jeremiah's letter does not offer comfort but demands preparation: the exiles must settle, build, and multiply because their captivity will last seventy years. He sees this as practical wisdom, since a captive's welfare is bound to the prosperity of the land where he lives.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that Jeremiah told the exiles to seek Babylon's welfare not only because their own fate was tied to it for seventy years, but because living as conspirators against their temporary home would corrupt their moral character. The exile was God's work for their good, so they should settle and prosper rather than restlessly plot a return.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that the exiles were not merely to endure their captivity, but actively seek the prosperity of Babylon and pray for it, because their own welfare was bound up with that city's peace. This willing submission to God's chastisement, he argues, was their proof of obedience, with hope kept in suspense until the appointed time.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools note that Jeremiah wrote to urge the exiles not to be misled by false prophets promising a swift return. Instead, they were to settle, make homes, and actively seek the welfare of the city where they lived, lest they lose influence and dwindle away.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that Jeremiah's letter directly countered false prophets by telling the captives to build houses and pray for Babylon's peace, signaling a long exile rather than a quick return. This instruction to pray for their conquerors foreshadows the gospel's command to love enemies. True religion, JFB argues, teaches patient submission, not sedition, even under an unbelieving ruler.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights that Jeremiah's call to seek the welfare of Babylon directly opposes the false prophets' promises. The exiles' well-being depends on the city's peace, not its downfall. By praying for their captors, they serve God's purpose for their own future.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that the seventy years refer primarily to the lifespan appointed to the Babylonian empire, not to the exiles' personal sentence. He also observes that God delivers even this hard truth with deliberate gentleness, softening hearts made stubborn by false hope rather than crushing them.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws attention to the false prophets who promised the exiles a quick return, and to the dreams the captives themselves fabricated. God warns them not to be deceived, and Henry stresses that anyone who has the word of truth is at fault if they are still led astray by such lies.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that the letter was sent when Zedekiah had occasion to dispatch two messengers to Babylon, giving Jeremiah a timely opportunity to counteract false prophets who stirred up hopes of a speedy return. He notes the specific historical moment to show why the prophet wrote when he did: to settle the exiles' hearts.