Jeremiah 29:15-20 Meaning: When False Prophets Promise Easy Hope
15Because you have said, “Yahweh has raised us up prophets in Babylon,”
16Yahweh says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven’t gone with you into captivity,
17Yahweh of Armies says: “Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that can’t be eaten, they are so bad.
18I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,
19because they have not listened to my words,” says Yahweh, “with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear,” says Yahweh.
20Hear therefore Yahweh’s word, all you captives whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
15Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16Know that thus saith the Lord of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
17Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
18And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:
19Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord.
20Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
15Because ye have said, Jehovah hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16thus saith Jehovah concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
17thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
18And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an execration, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them;
19because they have not hearkened to my words, saith Jehovah, wherewith I sent unto them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith Jehovah.
20Hear ye therefore the word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
15`Because ye have said, Jehovah hath raised up to us prophets in Babylon,
16Surely thus said Jehovah concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people that is dwelling in this city, your brethren who went not forth with you in the removal;
17Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Lo, I am sending among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I have given them up as figs that are vile, that are not eaten for badness.
18And I have pursued after them with sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and have given them for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them,
19Because that they have not hearkened unto My words--an affirmation of Jehovah--that I sent unto them by My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, and ye hearkened not--an affirmation of Jehovah.
20`And ye, hear ye a word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity that I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon,
15If ye say, Jehovah hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16yea, thus saith Jehovah concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
17thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will send against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like the vile figs, that cannot be eaten for badness.
18And I will pursue them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will give them over to be driven hither and thither into all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an execration, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I will drive them:
19because they have not hearkened to my words, saith Jehovah, wherewith I sent unto them my servants the prophets, rising early and sending; but ye have not hearkened, saith Jehovah.
20But ye, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the word of Jehovah.
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah warns the exiles in Babylon not to trust false prophets who promise a quick return. God's judgment on Jerusalem shows the cost of rejecting His word.
Context
Jeremiah had sent a letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. He told them to settle down, build houses, plant gardens, and pray for the peace of the city where they lived. Their captivity would last seventy years. But some among the exiles did not want to hear that. They claimed that God had raised up prophets in Babylon who promised a much faster return to Jerusalem. In verses 15 through 20, Jeremiah confronts that claim directly. He turns to the king still sitting on David's throne in Jerusalem and the people who remained behind, and he announces that the sword, famine, and pestilence are coming for them. They will become like rotten figs, ruined beyond eating. The very people the exiles might have looked to as evidence that all was well were about to face God's judgment because they had refused to listen to His prophets. Then Jeremiah brings it back to the exiles themselves: you also have not listened. Now hear the word of the Lord.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words carry the weight of this passage. When the exiles say God has raised up prophets in Babylon, the word is hekim (H6965). It means to set up, establish, or cause to stand. The exiles thought God Himself had appointed these men to speak for Him. But Jeremiah is about to show that God never sent them. He is the one who truly raises up prophets, and His words are not always comfortable.
The image of rotten figs comes from the word shoar (H8182), a rare term that means disgusting, horrid, something that makes you shudder. It is the same word used in Jeremiah 24 for the bad figs that could not be eaten. This is not a mild disappointment; it is total ruin. And the people left in Jerusalem would become that, not because God was cruel, but because they had refused to hear.
God says He will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence. The Hebrew verb radaph (H7291) means to chase after, to hunt down. It is the same word used of an enemy in battle. God's judgment is not passive; it follows stubborn rebellion. Yet even in that strong language, there is a purpose: the exiles in Babylon needed to stop longing for a false peace and start listening to the real word of the Lord.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions have noted the sobering honesty of this passage. Reformed commentators like Calvin emphasize that God's judgment comes because His word was despised, not just by the people in Jerusalem, but by the exiles who preferred flattering lies. The Geneva Bible notes that the false prophets in Babylon were deceiving the captives with promises of a speedy return.
Catholic and Orthodox readers often see here the pattern of God persistently sending prophets despite rejection. The phrase rising up early and sending them suggests God's patient, repeated calls to repentance. Some Anglican commentators (like the Cambridge Bible) note that these verses are absent from the Septuagint, raising questions about the original arrangement of the letter, but the Hebrew text is considered reliable. Across traditions, there is agreement: God's word stands even when it is hard to accept, and those who claim to speak for God must be tested by what He has already said.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that the rotten figs represent the exiles in Babylon, that God was saying they were worthless. In fact, the rotten figs refer to the people still living in Jerusalem and the king on David's throne. The exiles might have thought those left behind were blessed, but God says they will be destroyed. The mistake is to assume that those who avoided captivity were in God's favor. They were not. The true test was whether they listened to God's word through Jeremiah.
Living This Out
This passage asks you to examine what voices you trust. It is easy to believe the promises that sound best, a quick fix, an easy way out, a prophecy that everything will be fine soon. But God's word to the exiles was patient endurance, not instant relief. This week, when you hear someone claim to know God's plan and it sounds exactly like what you want to hear, stop and compare it to Scripture. Does it ask you to obey? Does it call you to trust God in a long season? Does it match the pattern of the prophets? The truth may take longer, but it will not let you down.
Main takeaway: God's true word may call for patient endurance, but false promises of quick relief lead only to ruin.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Some people told lies and said God wanted the captives to come home soon. But God said, wait and listen to me. God's words are always true, even when they are hard to hear.
For ages 9, 12
The exiles in Babylon heard from false prophets that they would go home quickly. They wanted to believe it. But God sent Jeremiah to tell them to settle in for the long haul. Those who stayed in Jerusalem thought they were safe, but God said they would be ruined because they did not listen. This passage reminds us that the truth is better than a comfortable lie. God's plans are trustworthy, even when they take longer than we expected.
Questions People Ask
What does the image of rotten figs mean in Jeremiah 29:17?
The rotten figs represent the people still living in Jerusalem and the king on David's throne. God says they will be so ruined by sword, famine, and pestilence that they become like figs too bad to eat. The same image appears in Jeremiah 24, where good figs represent the exiles and bad figs represent those left behind.
Who were the false prophets in Babylon that Jeremiah warned about?
Jeremiah does not name them all here, but later in verse 21 he names Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesied lies in God's name. They promised a quick return to Jerusalem, directly contradicting Jeremiah's message that the captivity would last seventy years. God says He will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
Is Jeremiah 29:11 part of the same letter as these verses?
Yes. Jeremiah 29:11 ("plans to prosper you") is from the same letter that continues through these verses. But 29:11 is addressed to the exiles who would wait seventy years. The promises of hope in 29:11 are real, but they did not mean an immediate return. The false prophets twisted that same hope into a short-term guarantee.
Why does God say He sent prophets "rising up early and sending them"?
This phrase describes God's persistent, patient efforts to reach His people. "Rising up early" is a Hebrew idiom meaning to do something diligently and repeatedly. God did not send one prophet and give up. Over and over He sent messengers, but the people would not listen. The judgment that followed was not a sudden outburst but the end of a long invitation to repent.
What is the main lesson of Jeremiah 29:15-20 for Christians today?
The passage warns us against preferring comfortable lies over hard truth. The exiles wanted to hear that their suffering would end soon, so they listened to prophets who told them what they wanted. But God's real word called them to patient trust. For us, the lesson is to test any teaching or prophecy against Scripture, even when it is not what we hoped to hear.
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