Jeremiah 28:1

Hananiah’s Falsehood and Doom

1 And ^ait happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the ^bfourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of ^cAzur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken ^athe yoke of the king of Babylon.

3 ^aWithin two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ^btook away from this place and carried to Babylon.

4 And I will bring back to this place¹ Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord,

6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, ^a“Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place.

7 Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people:

8 The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence.

9 As for ^athe prophet who prophesies of ^bpeace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the ^ayoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it.

11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ^afrom the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.’ ” And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

13 “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron.”

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

<< Jeremiah 27:22

Jeremiah 28:2 >>

What Does Jeremiah 28:1 Mean?

Jeremiah 28:1-4

Previously, God told Jeremiah to make a number of wooden yokes for himself and for various neighboring kings (Jeremiah 27:1-11), which symbolized servitude to Nebuchadnezzar. Through this, God was instructing to submit to Babylonian rule. Even though doing so would be humbling for Judah, it would be better for them than to resist Nebuchadnezzar, and thus God's will.

But not everyone in Judah was ready to accept this reality. Even though God specifically warned against false prophets who spoke against submitting to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27:9-10), this is exactly what happened in the case of an obscure prophet named Hananiah.

Jeremiah had previously prophesied that Judah would be in exile in Babylon for a full seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). He also foretold that Jeconiah (Coniah) would die in a foreign land (Jeremiah 22:24-26) and that the vessels of the Temple would remain there until the day that God brought them back (Jeremiah 27:19-22). Now, though, Hananiah came with a message that directly contradicted Jeremiah's prophecies. In Hananiah's vision of the future, Judah's restoration was just around the corner; everything would be back to normal within two years.

David C. Grabbe
Hananiah's Error

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Jeremiah 28:1:

Jeremiah 28:12-17

<< Jeremiah 27:22

Jeremiah 28:2 >>

Join 137,350+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Hananiah’s Falsehood and Doom

What Does Jeremiah 28:1 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning