God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 29:17
17The Lord of Armies says: I’m going to send them wars, famines, and plagues. These people are like rotten figs to me, figs that are so bad that they can’t be eaten.
Jeremiah 29:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thus 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.
- New International Version (NIV)yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.
- English Standard Version (ESV)'Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten.
- New King James Version (NKJV)thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
Context of Jeremiah 29:17
15You’ve said that the Lord has given you prophets in Babylon. 16But this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and about all the people who live in this city, the people who are your relatives and who weren’t taken away as captives: The Lord of Armies says: I’m going to send them wars, famines, and plagues. These people are like rotten figs to me, figs that are so bad that they can’t be eaten. 18I will chase them with wars, famines, and plagues. I will make them a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms on the earth. They will become something cursed, ridiculed, and hissed at, and they will be a disgrace among all the nations where I scatter them. 19They didn’t listen to me, declares the Lord. I sent them my servants the prophets again and again, but they refused to listen, declares the Lord.
Read all of Jeremiah 29Jeremiah 29:17 word by word
כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת הִנְנִי֙ מְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ בָּ֔ם אֶת־הַחֶ֖רֶב אֶת־הָרָעָ֣ב וְאֶת־הַדָּ֑בֶר וְנָתַתִּ֣י אוֹתָ֗ם כַּתְּאֵנִים֙ הַשֹּׁ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thus saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
- Behold, I will sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- upon them the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- and the pestilenceדֶּ֫בֶרdeber · pestilenceH1698
- and will makeנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
- them like vileשֹׁעָרshô‛âr · disgustingH8182
- figsתְּאֵנָהte'ên te'ênâh · figH8384
- that cannot be eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- they are so evilרֹעַrôa‛ · evilH7455
Cross-references for Jeremiah 29:17
- Jeremiah 29:18I will chase them with wars, famines, and plagues. I will make them a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms on the earth. They will become something cursed, ridiculed, and hissed at, and they will be a disgrace among all the nations where I scatter them.
- Jeremiah 15:2When they ask you where they should go, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Those who are destined to die will die. Those who are destined to die in wars will die in wars. Those who are destined to die in famines will die in famines. Those who are destined to die in captivity will die in captivity.’
- Jeremiah 24:8“But this is what the Lord says about the bad figs that are so bad that they can’t be eaten. The Lord says, ‘Like these bad figs, I will abandon King Zedekiah of Judah, his princes, the remaining few in Jerusalem who stayed behind in this land, and those who are living in Egypt.
- Jeremiah 34:17“This is what the Lord says: You didn’t obey me. You haven’t freed your relatives and neighbors. Now I am going to free you,” declares the Lord. “I will free you to die in wars, plagues, and famines. I will make all the kingdoms of the world horrified at the thought of you.
- Jeremiah 43:11He will defeat Egypt. He will bring death to those who are supposed to die. He will capture those who are supposed to be captured. He will kill in battle those who are supposed to be killed in battle.
- Jeremiah 52:6On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city became so severe that the common people had no food.
- Ezekiel 5:12One-third of you will die in plagues and be devoured in famines. Another third will die in battles against those around you. I will scatter the remaining third to the wind, and I will pursue them with a sword.
- Ezekiel 14:12The Lord spoke his word to me. He said,
- Luke 21:11There will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and dreadful diseases in various places. Terrifying sights and miraculous signs will come from the sky.
- Jeremiah 24:1King 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.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 29:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Behold, I will send upon them the sword - Do not envy the state of Zedekiah who sits on the throne of David, nor that of the people who are now in the land whence ye have been carried captive, ( Jeremiah 29:16;), for "I will send the sword, the pestilence, and the famine upon them;" and afterwards shall cause them to be carried into a miserable captivity in all nations, ( Jeremiah 29:18;); but ye see the worst of your own case, and you have God's promise…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-20Verses 16-20 These verses are not in the Septuagint. But the text of the Septuagint is here throughout so brief and confused as to be explicable only on the supposition, that it represents what was left behind in Egypt when Jeremiah died, copied probably with extreme haste, and with no opportunity of careful collation afterward. On the other hand the Hebrew text represents no hurried transcript, but the original manuscript, and is especially trustworthy…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-19Verses 8-19 Let men beware how they call those prophets whom they choose after their own fancies, and how they consider their fancies and dreams to be revelations from God. False prophets flatter people in their sins, because they love to be flattered; and they speak smoothly to their prophets, that their prophets may speak smoothly to them. God promises that they should return after seventy years were accomplished. By this it appears, that the seventy…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-18The Lord reminded the exiles in Babylon that those left in Jerusalem would also face disaster. The bad figs in Jerusalem would experience horror later (see Jeremiah 24:6–10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. vile figs--Hebrew, "horrible," or nauseous, from a root, "to regard with loathing" (see Jr 24:8, 10).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 29:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 29
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries