this 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. this is what the LORD of Hosts says:This phrase emphasizes the authority and power of God, often referred to as the "LORD of Hosts," which signifies His command over the armies of heaven. This title underscores God's sovereignty and His ability to execute judgment. It is a reminder of His ultimate control over all events and His role as a divine warrior. I will send against them sword and famine and plague:
These three calamities—sword, famine, and plague—are common instruments of divine judgment in the Old Testament. The "sword" represents warfare and violence, "famine" indicates a lack of food due to siege or natural disaster, and "plague" suggests disease. These judgments are often seen as consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, as outlined in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. They serve as a call to repentance and a demonstration of God's justice. and I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten:
The imagery of "rotten figs" is drawn from earlier in Jeremiah 24, where good and bad figs represent the exiles in Babylon and those remaining in Jerusalem, respectively. Rotten figs symbolize those who are beyond redemption due to their persistent disobedience and idolatry. This metaphor highlights the severity of their spiritual decay and the inevitability of their judgment. The comparison to inedible figs underscores the complete rejection and worthlessness of those who refuse to turn back to God. Persons / Places / Events 1. The LORD of HostsThis title emphasizes God's supreme authority and power over all heavenly and earthly armies. It underscores His ability to execute judgment and fulfill His promises. 2. JeremiahThe prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah. He was tasked with delivering difficult truths, including warnings of impending judgment. 3. JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, which had turned away from God, leading to the prophesied judgment. 4. Sword, Famine, and PlagueThese are the instruments of judgment that God declares He will send against the people. They symbolize comprehensive devastation affecting all aspects of life. 5. Rotten FigsA metaphor for the people of Judah, indicating their spiritual and moral corruption, making them unfit for God's purposes. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty in JudgmentRecognize that God is just and sovereign, and His judgments are righteous. He uses various means to bring about His purposes and call His people back to Himself. The Consequences of DisobedienceUnderstand that turning away from God leads to spiritual decay and eventual judgment. This serves as a warning to remain faithful and obedient to God's commands. The Call to RepentanceGod's warnings are an invitation to repentance. Even in judgment, there is an opportunity for restoration if we turn back to Him with sincere hearts. The Importance of Spiritual FruitfulnessEvaluate your life for spiritual fruit. Just as rotten figs are unfit for consumption, a life devoid of spiritual fruit is unfit for God's purposes. Hope in God's MercyDespite the severity of judgment, God's ultimate desire is for restoration and reconciliation. Trust in His mercy and grace, which are available to all who repent. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the title "LORD of Hosts" influence your understanding of God's authority and power in your life? 2. In what ways can the metaphor of rotten figs be applied to evaluate your spiritual health and fruitfulness? 3. How do the consequences of sword, famine, and plague in Jeremiah 29:17 relate to the broader biblical theme of judgment for disobedience? 4. What steps can you take to ensure that you are living a life of obedience and faithfulness to God, avoiding the pitfalls of spiritual decay? 5. How can the message of repentance and hope in God's mercy be shared with others who may feel distant from God due to their past actions? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 28This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, including sword, famine, and plague, which are echoed in Jeremiah 29:17 as consequences for Judah's unfaithfulness. Ezekiel 5:12This passage also speaks of sword, famine, and plague as judgments, reinforcing the theme of divine retribution for sin. Matthew 21:19Jesus curses the barren fig tree, symbolizing judgment on unfruitfulness, similar to the rotten figs metaphor in Jeremiah. People Ahab, Anathoth, David, Elasah, Eleasah, Gemariah, Hilkiah, Jeconiah, Jehoiada, Jeremiah, Kolaiah, Maaseiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar, Shaphan, Shemaiah, Zedekiah, ZephaniahPlaces Anathoth, Babylon, Jerusalem, NehelamTopics Almighty, Armies, Bad, Badness, Behold, Can't, Disease, Due, Eaten, Evil, Famine, Figs, Hosts, Pestilence, Plague, Poor, Rottenness, Says, Sending, Split-open, Sword, Thus, VileDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 29:15-19 4440 fig-tree Jeremiah 29:17-18 4823 famine, physical Jeremiah 29:17-19 4843 plague Library Finding God
Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.' (Jeremiah xxix. 13.) The words of Jeremiah in their relation to God are very appropriate for men and women in whose hearts there is any longing after personal Holiness. Look at them: 'Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart'. I like this word, because it turns our minds to the true and only source of light and life and power. We speak of seeking and getting the blessing; but, …
T. H. Howard—Standards of Life and ServiceThe Secret of Effectual Prayer
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them."--MARK xi. 24. Here we have a summary of the teaching of our Lord Jesus on prayer. Nothing will so much help to convince us of the sin of our remissness in prayer, to discover its causes, and to give us courage to expect entire deliverance, as the careful study and then the believing acceptance of that teaching. The more heartily we enter into the mind of our blessed Lord, and set ourselves simply …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession The Spirit of Prayer.
Text.--Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of God.--Romans viii. 26, 27. My last lecture but one was on the subject of Effectual Prayer; in which I observed that one of the most important attributes of effectual …
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion The Costliness of Prayer
"Lord, teach us to pray."--Luke xi. 1. "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."--Jer. xxix. 13. IN his fine book on Benefits, Seneca says that nothing is so costly to us as that is which we purchase by prayer. When we come on that hard-to-be-understood saying of his for the first time, we set it down as another of the well-known paradoxes of the Stoics. For He who is far more to us than all the Stoics taken together has said to us on the subject of prayer,--"Ask, …
Alexander Whyte—Lord Teach Us To Pray Putting God to Work
"For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God beside thee who worketh for him that waiteth for him."--Isaiah 64:4. The assertion voiced in the title given this chapter is but another way of declaring that God has of His own motion placed Himself under the law of prayer, and has obligated Himself to answer the prayers of men. He has ordained prayer as a means whereby He will do things through men as they pray, which He would not otherwise do. Prayer …
Edward M. Bounds—The Weapon of Prayer The Iranian Conquest
Drawn by Boudier, from the engraving in Coste and Flandin. The vignette, drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a statuette in terra-cotta, found in Southern Russia, represents a young Scythian. The Iranian religions--Cyrus in Lydia and at Babylon: Cambyses in Egypt --Darius and the organisation of the empire. The Median empire is the least known of all those which held sway for a time over the destinies of a portion of Western Asia. The reason of this is not to be ascribed to the shortness of its duration: …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 The Seventh Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Exod 20: 14. God is a pure, holy spirit, and has an infinite antipathy against all uncleanness. In this commandment he has entered his caution against it; non moechaberis, Thou shalt not commit adultery.' The sum of this commandment is, The preservations of corporal purity. We must take heed of running on the rock of uncleanness, and so making shipwreck of our chastity. In this commandment there is something tacitly implied, and something expressly forbidden. 1. The …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Jeremiah 29:17 NIVJeremiah 29:17 NLTJeremiah 29:17 ESVJeremiah 29:17 NASBJeremiah 29:17 KJV
Jeremiah 29:17 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
