Tyndale Open Study NotesJeremiah 29

Jeremiah sent a letter to the Hebrew exiles in Babylon. People read his letter many times in different settlements to reach all the scattered Israelites.

had been exiled from Jerusalem: This refers to the exile in 597 BC.

Jeremiah encouraged the exiled people to prepare for a long stay in Babylon. God wanted them to become productive citizens, caring for and praying to the Lord for the well-being of the Babylonian communities where they lived. This would help their population grow. They should not listen to false prophecies like Hananiah's, which promised a quick return home.

The next divine command warned against false prophets and people who claim to tell the future.

The exiled people of Judah would stay in Babylon for seventy years; this was not new information (see Jeremiah 25:11), but Jeremiah's audiences in Jerusalem had not believed him. Now that they were in exile, they needed to accept reality.

The Lord planned to help the exiled people prosper and return to Judah, giving them a future and hope. This promise was for the exiles in Babylon, but it has also given hope to millions of God's people in tough situations.

Through Jeremiah, the Lord reminded the exiled people that if they searched for him sincerely, they would find him. The Exile taught the Israelites to reject false gods and devote themselves fully to the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4–6). It also inspired a new commitment to God's revealed word.

False prophets were among the exiles. They promised that Jerusalem would survive and the Exile would end soon.

The 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).

• Even though Jeremiah was in Jerusalem, God told him what was happening in Babylon. Similarly, God informed Ezekiel in Babylon about events in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8).

• The Lord identified two prophets who were spreading lies in His name and sentenced them to death (Deuteronomy 18:20–22; compare Jeremiah 26:14–15; 28:16–17).

A prophet in Babylon named Shemaiah disagreed with Jeremiah's advice that the exiles should accept a long exile (Jeremiah 29:4–23). Shemaiah sent a letter to a leading priest in Jerusalem, urging action against Jeremiah. In response, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles condemning Shemaiah.

Zephaniah wisely showed Jeremiah the letter from Shemaiah.

Shemaiah did not have a commission from the Lord, so he was a liar. He tried to convince the exiles that their exile would be short. Using the Lord's authority three times (see study note on Jeremiah 2:2), Shemaiah was charged, found guilty, and sentenced to execution.