Jeremiah 24:3

Jeremiah 24:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then said the Lord unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Lord said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I said, "Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.”

Context of Jeremiah 24:3

1King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took Jehoiakin (son of King Jehoiakim of Judah), the princes of Judah, the skilled workers, and the builders from Jerusalem into captivity and brought them to Babylon. After this, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs set in front of the Lord’s temple. 2One basket had very good figs, like figs that ripen first. The other basket had very bad figs. These figs were so bad that they couldn’t be eaten. Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “Figs. Figs that are very good. I also see figs that are very bad, so bad that they can’t be eaten.” 4The Lord spoke his word to me, 5“This is what the Lord God of Israel says: The captives of Judah, whom I sent away from here to Babylon, are like these good figs. I will look kindly on them.

Jeremiah 24:3 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר תְּאֵנִ֑ים הַתְּאֵנִ֤ים הַטֹּבוֹת֙ טֹב֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד וְהָֽרָעוֹת֙ רָע֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• unto me, What seestרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• thou, Jeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫הוּyirmeyâh yirmeyâhû · JeremiahH3414
• Figsתְּאֵנָהte'ên te'ênâh · figH8384
• the goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• veryמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• and the evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: harmfulH7451
• that cannot be eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• they are so evilרֹעַrôa‛ · evilH7455

Cross-references for Jeremiah 24:3

• Jeremiah 1:11Again the Lord spoke his word to me and asked, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I answered, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
• 1 Samuel 9:9(Formerly in Israel, when a person went to ask God ⌞a question⌟, he would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer,” because a person we now call a prophet used to be called a seer.)
• Amos 7:8He asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” I answered, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “I’m going to hold a plumb line in the middle of my people Israel. I will no longer overlook what they have done.
• Amos 8:2He asked, “What do you see, Amos?” “A basket of ripe summer fruit,” I answered. Then the Lord said to me, “My people Israel are now ripe. I will no longer overlook what they have done.
• Zechariah 4:2He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a solid gold lamp stand with a bowl on top and seven lamps on it. There are seven spouts for each lamp that is on top of it.
• Zechariah 5:2The angel asked me, “What do you see?” “I see a flying scroll,” I answered. “It’s 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.”
• Matthew 25:32The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 24:3

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-10This section discusses the meaning of the exile in 597 BC. Some people said it was God's way of removing the bad figs from the basket(Jerusalem) so the good figs could survive. Jeremiah argued the opposite. The good figs were taken out of the basket (into exile) so the bad figs would not destroy them.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-101. Lord showed me--Am 7:1, 4, 7; 8:1, contains the same formula, with the addition of "thus" prefixed. carried ... captive Jeconiah--(Jr 22:24; 2Ki 24:12, &c.; 2Ch 36:10). carpenters, &c.--One thousand artisans were carried to Babylon, both to work for the king there, and to deprive Jerusalem of their services in the event of a future siege (2Ki 24:16).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 24:3

• Fig Tree
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Righteous
• Symbols and Similitudes

In the dictionaries

• Jeremiah
• Naughtiness
• Proverb
• Captivity
• Exodus, the Book of
• Jehoiachin
• Zedekiah (2)
• Zedekiah

Commentaries on Jeremiah 24

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings