Jeremiah 29:15-20 · Bible study
Jeremiah 29:15-20 Commentary: God's Rebuke to False Prophets
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Analyze how Jeremiah counters false prophets in Babylon by pronouncing judgment on Jerusalem, exposing false hopes and calling exiles to hear God's word.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God counters the exiles' trust in false prophets of speedy return by predicting total destruction on Jerusalem, forcing them to rely on His authentic word and wait the full seventy years.
- Key words: “prophets” (H5030, can refer to true or false), “rotten/vile” (H8182, nauseating), “pursue” (H7291, intense), “not listened” (H8085, willful disobedience).
- Main debate: Whether these verses are original to Jeremiah's letter or a later insertion, given their absence in the Septuagint and the logical break with the surrounding context.
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over prophecy and history; the peril of false assurance; the necessity of patient obedience to a difficult word.
- Best use: Teaching discernment of true vs. false prophecy; contextualizing the exile as both judgment and discipline; encouraging believers to trust God's timing.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
15Because you may say, “The LORD has raised up for us prophets in Babylon,”
16this is what the LORD says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile—
17this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will send against them sword and famine and plague, and I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.
18I will pursue them with sword and famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and reproach among all the nations to which I banish them.
19I will do this because they have not listened to My words, declares the LORD, which I sent to them again and again through My servants the prophets. And neither have you exiles listened, declares the LORD.”
20So hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
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:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
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,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
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.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
15Because you have said: The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon:
16For thus saith the Lord to the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and to all the people that dwell in this city, to 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, and the famine, and the pestilence: and I will make them like bad figs that cannot be eaten, because they are very bad.
18And I will persecute them with the sword, and with famine, and with the pestilence: and I will give them up unto affliction to all the kingdoms of the earth: to be a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach to all the nations to which I have driven them out:
19Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord: which I sent to them by my servants the prophets, rising by night, and sending: and you have not heard, saith the Lord.
20Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent out from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 29:15
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 passage functions as God's direct rebuttal to the exiles' claim that He has raised up prophets in Babylon. Calvin states that Jeremiah turned his discourse to Zedekiah and the Jerusalem remnant precisely so that the captives would realize their madness in hoping for a quick return, when ruin was imminent for those still in the land. Keil and Delitzsch explain that the false prophets in Babylon built their message on the continued existence of Jerusalem and the Davidic throne; Jeremiah's announcement of sword, famine and pestilence on the city pulled that foundation away. Lange similarly argues that the judgment is not primarily about Jerusalem but about overthrowing the basis on which the false prophets stood. The rotten-fig imagery (Jeremiah 24) reinforces the point: those left behind will be destroyed, while the exiles (the good figs) will be preserved through the seventy years. All traditions see the final call to "hear Yahweh's word" as the proper response, turning from deceptive voices to the true prophetic word.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Critical interpolation view: Points to absence in LXX and the logical break between v.15 and v.21; sees these verses as a later scribal expansion.
- Original composition view: Asserts that the Hebrew text is original and the LXX is abridged; the logical flow works when one understands the rhetorical strategy of undermining false prophets.
- Transposition view (Blayney): Proposes that v.15 originally followed v.20, and vv.16-20 belong to a separate letter, explaining the apparent disruption.
What is clear: The central message that judgment on Jerusalem refutes false prophecies of a quick return and that the exiles must listen to God's word through Jeremiah is not disputed.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of the judgment announcement | All commentators agree that the judgment on Jerusalem is primarily a tool to undermine the false prophets' authority and correct the exiles' misplaced hope of immediate return. | Some (Calvin, Keil) emphasize that the judgment is real and deserved by Jerusalem; others (Lange) stress that the exiles are the primary audience and the announcement is rhetorical. |
| Authenticity and literary placement | Interpreters agree that the content is consistent with Jeremiah's theology and style, even if its placement is debated. | The Septuagint omits vv.16-20, leading some to argue these verses are a later addition. Others defend them as original, explaining the LXX gap as a result of textual transmission. A smaller group (Blayney, cited by Clarke) proposes that v.15 originally linked to v.21, and the intervening verses come from a second letter. |
| Relationship to the figs of Jeremiah 24 | The rotten-fig imagery is a deliberate echo of chapter 24, where good figs symbolize the exiles and bad figs those left in Judah. | There is no substantive debate; the connection is widely accepted as a unifying motif across both chapters. |
| The role of the king (Zedekiah) | All note that Zedekiah, though a puppet, sits on David's throne, which the false prophets used as a sign of God's continued favor. | No debate; flat agreement that announcing doom on the king undermines that sign. |
Historical & Cultural Context
These verses belong to a letter Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the first wave of Judean exiles deported with King Jeconiah in 597 BC. Zedekiah, a Babylonian-appointed puppet, now sat on David's throne. In Babylon, false prophets such as Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah (mentioned later in the chapter) were promising a swift end to exile, within two years. They declared that God had raised them up to speak in Babylon, directly contradicting Jeremiah's message of a seventy-year stay.
The cultural context matters: the Davidic throne and the temple in Jerusalem were powerful symbols of God's enduring covenant. As long as those stood, the exiles could believe the catastrophe was temporary. The false prophets exploited this. Jeremiah's response, a graphic prediction of sword, famine and pestilence on the very people and king still in Jerusalem, was designed to shatter that hope. The image of rotten figs (vile, nauseous, fit only for disposal) echoes Jeremiah 24, where the good figs represent the exiles and the bad figs those who remain. Verse 19 uses the phrase "my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them," a recurring formula in Jeremiah that highlights God's patient yet rejected overtures. The structure of the letter (vv.1-14 addressed to the godly; vv.15-20 to those deceived by false prophets; vv.21-23 targeting specific deceivers) shows the prophet carefully distinguishing audiences.
Some scholars note that vv.16-20 are absent from the Greek Septuagint, leading to debate about their original placement. However, most modern commentators defend their authenticity as part of the Hebrew text, arguing that the logical connection here, the exiles boast of prophets, so God pronounces doom on Jerusalem, is crucial for the letter's rhetorical force.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note that verses 16, 20 are absent from the Septuagint (LXX) and from some Lucianic recensions, which has led a few scholars (e.g., Hitzig) to question their originality. However, most modern commentators, including Keil and Delitzsch, Lange, and the editors of the Cambridge Bible, defend them as authentic parts of Jeremiah's letter on the basis of their strong Hebraic character and close thematic ties to Jeremiah 24. A transposition theory (Blayney, noted by Clarke) suggests that verse 15 originally connected directly to verse 21, with the intervening material belonging to a second letter; but this remains a minority view. The Hebrew text is well-attested in the Masoretic tradition.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this passage has been read as a warning against false teachers who promise what God has not promised. Early Christian writers like Jerome drew on the rotten-fig imagery to caution against heretics who claimed special revelation. During the Reformation, this text was used to argue that the true mark of a prophet is conformity to God's already-revealed word, not popularity or miraculous signs. In modern evangelical circles, the passage often serves as a test case for prophetic discernment: a message that contradicts the clear tenor of Scripture, especially concerning judgment, repentance, and patient endurance, must be rejected. Catholic and Orthodox interpreters have similarly stressed the importance of reading prophecy within the community of faith, not through isolated charismatic voices. The letter format also makes it a model for pastoral correspondence: addressing different groups within a congregation with both comfort and confrontation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The false claim (v.15): Some exiles assert that God has raised up prophets in Babylon, prophets who promise a speedy return. Jeremiah exposes this as a dangerous self-deception.
- The divine response (vv.16-19): God announces judgment on the king and people still in Jerusalem: sword, famine, pestilence, and worldwide reproach. This directly refutes the false prophets' assurance that the city is safe.
- The call to hear (v.20): The exiles are commanded to listen to Yahweh's authentic word through Jeremiah, not to the lies of self-appointed prophets.
Five-point outline
- Misplaced confidence (v.15): The exiles pride themselves on having prophets in their midst, but these are false.
- The target of judgment (v.16): God addresses the king on David's throne and the people who remained in Judah, those the false prophets claimed were secure.
- The instruments of judgment (v.17): Sword, famine and pestilence, the classic triad of covenant curses, will be sent, making the people like rotten figs.
- The extent of judgment (v.18): They will be tossed among all kingdoms, becoming a curse, astonishment, hissing, and reproach, language drawn from Deuteronomy 28.
- The root cause (v.19) and the remedy (v.20): Refusal to listen to God's persistent word through the prophets leads to ruin; the exiles are therefore summoned to hear and obey.
Illustration hooks
- A family invests their savings in a get-rich-quick scheme based on a friend's confident prediction, only to lose everything because they ignored the long-term advice of a financial advisor.
- A student hears a rumor that the final exam is cancelled and stops studying, only to be caught unprepared, the rumor was false, but the syllabus had always said the exam would happen.
- A community pins its hopes on a politician's promise of instant economic recovery, dismissing slower, more sustainable proposals. When the promise fails, the damage is worse than before.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I tell the difference between a true prophet and a false one when both claim to speak for God?
- Why does God sometimes let false prophets deceive His people?
- What should I do when my hopes, built on what I thought was a word from God, collapse?
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah writes to a community caught between comforting lies and hard truth. The exiles in Babylon wanted to believe that their stay would be short, and they found prophets who told them exactly that. This passage shows God dismantling that false hope not with a gentle correction but with a thunderous announcement of judgment on the very city the optimists trusted. As you discuss, consider what it means to hear God's word when it contradicts what you want to be true.
Discussion questions
- Read verse 15. What claim are the exiles making, and why is it problematic in context of the whole letter?
- Verse 16 addresses "the king who sits on David's throne" and the people left in Jerusalem. Why would those who are already in exile care about what happens to them?
- The image of rotten figs appears in verse 17 and also in Jeremiah 24. How does the earlier chapter help explain what God is doing here?
- Verse 18 lists punishments that echo Deuteronomy 28, horror, hissing, reproach. What does this tell you about the link between covenant disobedience and national disaster?
- Verse 19 gives the reason for judgment: "they have not listened." God sent prophets "rising up early and sending them." What does this phrase reveal about God's character and His people's response?
- Why does verse 20 address the exiles with "Hear therefore Yahweh's word" after pronouncing doom on Jerusalem? What is the application for them?
- Think of a time you believed something about your future because a respected voice told you it was true, but God's word said otherwise. How did you decide which to trust?
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)
| Jeremiah 28:1 | That same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in Yahweh’s house, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, |
| Jeremiah 28:17 | So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. |
| Jeremiah 29:8 | For 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. |
| Jeremiah 29:9 | For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says Yahweh. |
| Ezekiel 1:1 | Now in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. |
| Ezekiel 1:3 | Yahweh’s word came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and Yahweh’s hand was there on him. |
| Jeremiah 24:2 | One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. |
| Jeremiah 29:3 | by 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: |
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
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights a structural issue: the Septuagint places verse 15 between verses 20 and 21, suggesting a second letter from Jeremiah. He then warns the captives not to envy those still in Judah, since they will face sword, famine, and exile, while the captives have God's promise of eventual restoration.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the Hebrew text of these verses is far more reliable than the Septuagint, which was copied hastily in Egypt after Jeremiah's death. The original letters sent to Babylon were available for checking, making the Hebrew especially trustworthy. He also notes that the word translated "vile" comes from a root meaning "to shudder," giving it an intense meaning.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible notes that these verses interrupt the letter's flow and are absent from the Septuagint, leading many scholars to treat them as an interpolation. If accepted as original, the passage responds to exiles who cite their own prophets against Jeremiah: these prophets will be disproved when Jerusalem falls, and the false prophets themselves will perish.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes stress that God’s judgment falls hardest on those who stayed in Jerusalem, rejecting His warnings through the prophets. They will become like rotten figs, destroyed by sword, famine, and plague, while the exiles in Babylon are to listen to God’s word, for He sent them there.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes the tragic irony: captives in Babylon rejected God's true prophets and trusted false ones who promised a quick return. Meanwhile, the king and people still in Jerusalem would face sword, famine, and pestilence, becoming a curse among nations because they refused to hear God's word.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see Jeremiah's warning of judgment on Jerusalem as a deliberate move to undermine the false prophets in Babylon. Those prophets argued that because a Davidic king still reigned, the exile would be brief. Jeremiah's announcement of destruction pulled the ground from under their message.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that at this point the prophet deliberately shifts his address, turning from the general audience to speak directly to wicked Jews, whether they were in Babylon or still in Judea. This change in target is the key to understanding whom the rebuke now applies to.