New English Translation
Jeremiah 24:2
2One basket had very good-looking figs in it. They looked like those that had ripened early. The other basket had very bad-looking figs in it, so bad they could not be eaten.
Jeremiah 24:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
- New International Version (NIV)One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
- English Standard Version (ESV)One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten.
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.
Context of Jeremiah 24:2
1The Lord showed me two baskets of figs sitting before his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of Judah, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them to Babylon. One basket had very good-looking figs in it. They looked like those that had ripened early. The other basket had very bad-looking figs in it, so bad they could not be eaten. 3The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.” 4The Lord said to me,
Read all of Jeremiah 24Jeremiah 24:2 word by word
הַדּ֣וּד אֶחָ֗ד תְּאֵנִים֙ טֹב֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד כִּתְאֵנֵ֖י הַבַּכֻּר֑וֹת וְהַדּ֣וּד אֶחָ֗ד תְּאֵנִים֙ רָע֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵֽאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- basketדּוּדdûd · potH1731
- veryמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
- goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- figsתְּאֵנָהte'ên te'ênâh · figH8384
- first ripeבִּכּוּרָהbakkûrâh · first ripe figH1073
- naughtyרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: harmfulH7451
- which could not be eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- they were so badרֹעַrôa‛ · evilH7455
Cross-references for Jeremiah 24:2
- Jeremiah 24:5“I, the Lord, the God of Israel, say: ‘The exiles whom I sent away from here to the land of Babylon are like those good figs. I consider them to be good.
- Hosea 9:10When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness. I viewed your ancestors like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season. Then they came to Baal-Peor and they dedicated themselves to shame – they became as detestable as what they loved.
- Micah 7:1I am depressed! Indeed, it is as if the summer fruit has been gathered, and the grapes have been harvested. There is no grape cluster to eat, no fresh figs that I crave so much.
- Isaiah 28:4The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, will be like an early fig before harvest – as soon as someone notices it, he grabs it and swallows it.
- Jeremiah 24:8“I, the Lord, also solemnly assert: ‘King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.
- Isaiah 5:4What more can I do for my vineyard beyond what I have already done? When I waited for it to produce edible grapes, why did it produce sour ones instead?
- Ezekiel 15:2“Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what happens to the wood of the vine?
- Malachi 1:12“But you are profaning it by saying that the table of the Lord is common and its offerings despicable.
- Matthew 5:13“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 24:2
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Fig-trees bear three crops of figs, of which the first is regarded as a great delicacy.Read the comment
- 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. 22. figs ... first ripe--the "boccora," or early fig (see on Is 28:4). Baskets of figs used to be offered as first-fruits in the temple. The good figs represent Jeconiah and the exiles in Babylon; the bad, Zedekiah and the obstinate Jews in Judea. They are called good and bad respectively, not in an absolute, but a comparative sense, and in reference to the punishment of the latter. This prophecy was designed to encourage the despairing exiles, and to…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 24:2
In the dictionaries
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries