Letter to Exiles
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Book: Jeremiah
- Chapters: Jeremiah 29
- Summary: After Nebuchadnezzar’s first deportation of 597 BC, Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon telling them to settle in, seek the peace of the city, and plan to stay for 70 years — but with God’s promise that he had plans for their welfare and a future.
Details
After King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), the queen mother, the officials, the craftsmen, and the smiths were exiled from Jerusalem, Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away. The core instruction contradicted the message of false prophets who were telling the exiles to expect a quick return: “Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters… and seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.”
The reason was explicit: 70 years must pass before God would visit them and fulfill his promise of return. False prophets who said otherwise were lying. Then came the great promise: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD.”
The letter also contained a word against the false prophets Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shemaiah who were falsely prophesying return.
Key People Involved
- Jeremiah — Author of the letter; counter to the false prophets
- Jeconiah — The exiled king; his court is addressed
- Shemaiah — False prophet who opposed Jeremiah’s letter
Key Places
Important Verses
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” — Jeremiah 29:11
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13
Cross-References
- Related: Fall of Jerusalem — The context of deportation
- Fulfilled in: First Return — The 70-year exile ended and return came
- Related: New Covenant — Jeremiah’s larger hope for restored relationship
- Related books: Jeremiah, Daniel 9
Notes
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible — often applied by Christians to personal circumstances. Its original context must not be lost: it was a corporate promise to exiled Israel that their captivity was not abandonment but a divinely timed pause before restoration. The call to “seek the welfare of the city” (shalom of Babylon) has been influential in Christian theology of cultural engagement — God’s people are to be constructive citizens even in a foreign or hostile culture. Daniel and his friends are the exemplars of this in Babylon.