Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 28:12
Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah [the prophet], after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
12 17. Jeremiah’s emphatic contradiction of Hananiah’s forecast.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Some time after this, God taking notice of the affront put upon his prophet Jeremiah, for faithfully discharging the message with which he had intrusted him, revealeth his mind unto Jeremiah, that he might declare it unto the people, and particularly to this false prophet.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah [the prophet],…. When in his own house or apartment, to which he retired; and this came to him either in a vision or dream, or by some articulate voice, or by an impulse upon his spirit, directing him what to say to the false prophet:
after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the Prophet Jeremiah: how long afterwards is not known, perhaps the same day; or, however, it is certain it was in the same year, and less than two months after, Jer 28:17; and very probably in a few hours after:
saying; as follows:
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Lord’s testimony against Hananiah. – Apparently not long after Jeremiah had departed, he received from the Lord the commission to go to Hananiah and to say to him: Jer 28:13. “Thus saith Jahveh: Yokes of wood hast thou broken, but hast made in place of them yokes of iron. Jer 28:14. For thus saith Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: A yoke of iron I lay upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; and the beasts of the field also have I given him.” – When the prophet says: Yokes of wood hast thou broken, etc., we are not to understand him as speaking of the breaking of the wooden yoke Jeremiah had been wearing; he gives the deeper meaning of that occurrence. By breaking Jeremiah’s wooden yoke, Hananiah has only signified that the yoke Nebuchadnezzar lays on the nations will not be so easily broken as a wooden one, but is of iron, i.e., not to be broken. The plural “yokes” is to be explained by the emblematical import of the words, and is not here to be identified, as it sometimes may be, with the singular, Jer 28:10. Jer 28:14 shows in what sense Hananiah put an iron yoke in the place of the wooden one: Jahveh will lay iron yokes on all nations, that they may serve the king of Babel. Hananiah’s breaking the wooden yoke does not alter the divine decree, but is made to contribute to its fuller revelation. With the last clause of Jer 28:14, cf. Jer 27:6. – Hereupon Jeremiah forewarns the false prophets what is to be God’s punishment on them for their false and audacious declarations. Jer 28:15. “Hear now, Hananiah: Jahveh hath not sent thee, and thou hast made this people to believe a lie. Jer 28:16. Therefore thus saith Jahveh: Behold, I cast thee from off the face of the earth; this year shalt thou die, for thou hast spoken rebellion against Jahveh.” “The year” = this year, as in Isa 37:30. The words “for thou hast spoken,” etc., recall Deu 13:6. They involve an application to Hananiah’s case of the command there given to put such a prophet to death, and show how it can with justice be said that the Lord will cast him from off the face of the earth. The verb is chosen for the sake of the play on . God has not sent him as prophet to His people, but will send him away from off the earth, i.e., cause him to die. – In Jer 28:17 it is recorded that this saying was soon fulfilled. Hananiah died in the seventh month of that year, i.e., two months after his controversy with Jeremiah (cf. Jer 28:1).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 12-17: GO, AND TELL HANANIAH
1. There is nothing here to indicate how much time may have passed between Jeremiah’s confrontation of Hananiah in the temple and this command to take him a message from Jehovah.
a. It is most likely that Jeremiah has spent considerable time in prayer – desiring assurance that he was truly proclaiming the word of the Lord.
b. That assurance was given in the message he was to take to Hananiah.
2. Hananiah had broken a wooden yoke – in defiance of the will and word of God; he will, in turn, wear a yoke of iron, (comp. Psa 107:16; Isa 45:12).
a. Submission to the word and will of God is a LIGHT yoke.
b. Insubordination inevitably leads to a yoke of heaviness!
3. God has put a yoke of iron upon the necks of all those nations, associated with Judah in their rebellion against Babylon, that they may surely serve Nebuchadnezzar – along with all the beasts of the field, (Jer 25:11; Jer 27:8; Deu 28:47-48).
4. But, that is not all: Jeremiah has a more specific and personal word for the false prophet, (vs. 15-17).
a. “The Lord has not sent you!” declared the faithful man of God, (vs. 15b; comp. Eze 13:2-7; Eze 13:22; Eze 22:28).
b. “You are causing the people to trust In a lie!” (vs. 15c; comp. Jer 29:31-32; La 2:14).
c. Therefore, the Lord will THIS YEAR cast him off the face of the earth (into sheol) because he has taught Judah to rebel against Jehovah, her God, (vs. 16; comp. 1Ki 13:33-34; Jer 20:6; Jer 29:32).
5. The word of the true prophet came to pass, in the death of Hananiah, during the seventh month of that same year (vs. 17) – less than two months after Jeremiah had spoken!
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
It hence appears that Jeremiah had regard only to the common benefit of the people, and that he wisely kept silence for a time, that he might not throw pearls before swine, and thus expose in a manner the holy name of God to the insolence of the ungodly. He therefore waited until he might again go forth with new messages, and thus secure more credit to himself. For had he contended longer with Hananiah, contentions would have been kindled on every side, there would have been no hearing in a tumult, and the Jews would have wholly disregarded anything he might have then spoken. But as he had withdrawn from the crowd, and was afterwards sent by God, the Jews could not have so presumptuously despised him or his doctrine. This, then, was the reason why he was for a short time silent.
If he feared and trembled in the midst of these commotions, God in due time confirmed him by giving him new commands: The word of Jehovah, he says, came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah broke the band from his neck. By these words he intimates, that the ungodly, however insolently they may rise up against God, ever depart with shame and reproach. For Hananiah had not only opposed Jeremiah by his words and tongue, but had also broken the cords or bands from his neck. This, then, the Prophet now repeats, in order that he might shew, as it were by his finger, that Hananiah by his audacity gained nothing, except that he rendered his vanity more notorious.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
4. The final word to Hananiah (Jer. 28:12-17)
TRANSLATION
(12) And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had shattered the yoke from upon the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, (13) Go and say unto Hananiah, Thus says the LORD: You have shattered yokes of wood but you have made instead of them yokes of iron. (14) For thus says the LORD of hosts the God of Israel: I have placed a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. Also I have given to him the beasts of the field. (15) And Jeremiah the prophet said unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear please, O Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you have caused this people to trust a falsehood! (16) Therefore, thus says the LORD: Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you will die because you have spoken rebellion against the LORD. (17) And Hananiah the prophet died that year in the seventh month.
COMMENTS
Hananiah did not have the final word in his confrontation with Jeremiah. Shortly after the incident in the Temple the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah with instructions to seek out Hananiah and deliver the divine reply to him, While Scripture does not reveal whether the second meeting of these two prophets was public or private, the likelihood is that the two men were alone on this occasion. The oracle which Jeremiah pronounced to Hananiah is two-fold in thrust. He first replies to the public prophecies of Hananiah (Jer. 28:13-14) and then he has a prediction concerning Hananiah personally (Jer. 28:11-16).
It was easy enough for Hananiah to break the symbolic yoke which Jeremiah had been wearing about his neck; but by so doing he shall create a yoke of iron for the people (Jer. 28:13). The act of Hananiah would serve to excite the Jews to resistance against Babylon and thereby cause their servitude to be the more harsh. What irony! Instead of hastening the deliverance of his people by his dramatic act of smashing the yoke he had actually made the situation worse. Perhaps Jeremiah is hinting here that the action of Hananiah in breaking the wooden yoke was not altogether inappropriate. Cheyne comments: Jeremiahs wooden yoke was really an inadequate symbol; the prophet was too tender to his people. Thus God made the truth appear in still fuller brightness from the very perverseness of its enemy. Jer. 28:14 seems to support this view. God has now placed a yoke of iron about the neck of the nations that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar. On the idea of the beasts of the field serving Nebuchadnezzar see comments on Jer. 27:6.
As regards Hananiah personally, Jeremiah had some rather harsh words to say. In Jer. 28:15-16 there is a stern word of indictment and a prediction of imminent death. As for the indictment, three charges are made: (1) Hananiah is an impostor. God has not sent him and therefore he is not entitled to call himself a prophet. He is called throughout the chapter Hananiah the prophet because that was his official title. But he was not a prophet by the will and call of God. (2) Hananiah has caused the people to trust in a lie. His optimistic but unfounded prophecy of the imminent fall of Babylon had created false expectations in the hearts of the people. National policya policy of rebellion against Babylonwas being formulated on the basis of these false expectations. While Hananiahs motives might have been quite sincere and even patriotic his words were leading the people down the road to national suicide. (3) Hananiah has spoken rebellion against the Lord (Jer. 28:16). To advocate revolt against Gods appointed ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, was tantamount to advocating rebellion against God Himself. Others take these words to mean that Hananiah has perverted the word of the Lord. In either case it is a serious accusation to make.
Because of these crimes against God and the nation Hananiah must be punished. The law of Moses clearly states that if a prophet is guilty of speaking rebellion against the Lord he should be put to death (Deu. 13:5). To advocate rebellion against God was a capital crime. The Great Judge announces the verdict: Behold, I am about to remove you from upon the face to the earth (Jer. 28:16). God did not send Hananiah to the people of Judah (Jer. 28:16) but He now will send him away to die. The same Hebrew word is used in both verses. The prophets were quite fond of using paronomasia or play on words. This year you shall die! What an awesome thought. One can only wonder how Hananiah received this word from the Lord. The crowds which had bolstered his courage in the Temple encounter are no longer present. Surely in his own heart he must have realized the emptiness of the prophecies he had been so bold to deliver on other occasions. Now he must have been trembling as the finger of Jeremiah pointed in his direction and those solemn words were uttered.
In the seventh month of that same year Hananiah died. This would have been about two months after the Temple episode (cf. Jer. 28:1). Not only did the death of Hananiah serve as a punishment for this teacher of lies, it also served to vindicate Jeremiah as a true prophet of God.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(12) Then the word of the Lord . . .The narrative suggests the thought of a time of silent suffering and of prayer, to which the word of the Lord came as an answer. And that word declared, keeping to the same symbolism as before, that all attempts at resistance to the power which was for the time the scourge, and therefore the servant, of Jehovah, would only end in a more bitter and aggravated bondage. In the iron yoke we have an echo of Deu. 28:48.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The Rebuke Given to Hananiah
v. 12. Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, the prophet, after that Hananiah, the prophet, had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, v. 13. Go and tell Hananiah, Saying, Thus saith the Lord, Thou hast broken the yokes of wood, but thou shall make for them, in their stead, yokes of iron. v. 14. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, v. 15. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah, the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah: The Lord hath not sent thee, v. 16. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth, v. 17. So Hananiah, the prophet, died the same year in the seventh month,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
With what blessedness doth the Lord make known to his servants in their retirements, the sacred purposes of his will. No doubt though it be not related in this place, the Prophet Jeremiah when he left Hananiah, and went his way, went to spread the whole matter; like another Hezekiah, before the Lord, Isa 37:14 . Where shall a poor exercised soul go, but to a throne of grace? Where shall a servant opposed in his message relate the reception he hath met with, but to his Master? Oh! it is most blessed in all things; by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving to make our requests known unto God. And the promise is absolute and encouraging. See Pro 3:6 ; Psa 25:14 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 28:12 Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah [the prophet], after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Ver. 12. After that Hananiah had broken the yoke. ] Which he looked upon as an eyesore while it was whole, and a real contradiction to his false predictions.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 28:12-16
12The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron. 14For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field.’ 15Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, Listen now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. 16Therefore thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the LORD.’
Jer 28:12 Jeremiah. . .Jeremiah This seems to confirm that this section of chapters was penned by Baruch.
Jer 28:13
NASB, NKJVyou have made
TEVhe will replace
LXXI will
NEBI will make
The MT has you and the UBS Text Project gives it a B rating. The LXX seems to catch the meaning better, but usually the more difficult reading is original.
Jer 28:14 YHWH will replace the wooden symbol with an iron symbol! Jeremiah’s prophecy, not Hananiah’s, will come to pass (cf. Jer 28:15).
Jer 28:15-17 are YHWH’s response through Jeremiah to Hananiah. He will die in the same year. His prophecy was considered rebellion against the LORD!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jeremiah’s Nineteenth Prophecy (see book comments for Jeremiah).
Then = And. Evidently shortly after this.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 28:12-17
Jer 28:12-17
GOD GAVE THE ANSWER, VINDICATING JEREMIAH
Then the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Thou hast broken the bars of wood; but thou hast made in their stead bars of iron. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may served Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah: Jehovah hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will send thee away from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken rebellion against Jehovah. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
Bars of wood. bars of iron …..
(Jer 28:13). The meaning here is that the Babylonian disaster coming upon the nations would be even worse after the rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, which, of course, was finally led by Zedekiah. For Judah, it resulted in the second great siege of Jerusalem, the absolute and total destruction of the temple, and the removal of many more captives to Babylon.
Jehovah hath not sent thee… I will send thee away from the face of the earth…
(Jer 28:15-16). There is a play upon the words here. Jehovah had indeed not sent Hananiah with his false prophecy, but God here promised that he would indeed be sent away from the face of the earth. This was a clear prophecy of the death of Hananiah; but God spelled it out for him, this year thou shalt die.
Because thou hast spoken rebellion against Jehovah…
(Jer 28:16). This is very similar to countless other statements throughout the Bible. Note that the sentence of death here announced against Hananiah, Accords perfectly with Deu 18:20 which declares that to prophesy falsely in the name of Jehovah, as Hananiah had done, was to commit a capital offense. This is only another example of the innumerable instances in which the discernible shadow of the Pentateuch lies over every single subsequent word in the holy Bible. As Harrison pointed out, this sudden death of Hananiah is similar to the deaths of Pelatiah (Eze 11:13) and Ananias and Sapphira (Act 5:1-11).
Most current commentators treat this and the preceding two chapters as a single unit, which indeed they are; but we prefer to deal with all of these chapters as units in their own right.
4. The final word to Hananiah (Jer 28:12-17)
Hananiah did not have the final word in his confrontation with Jeremiah. Shortly after the incident in the Temple the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah with instructions to seek out Hananiah and deliver the divine reply to him, While Scripture does not reveal whether the second meeting of these two prophets was public or private, the likelihood is that the two men were alone on this occasion. The oracle which Jeremiah pronounced to Hananiah is two-fold in thrust. He first replies to the public prophecies of Hananiah (Jer 28:13-14) and then he has a prediction concerning Hananiah personally (Jer 28:11-16).
It was easy enough for Hananiah to break the symbolic yoke which Jeremiah had been wearing about his neck; but by so doing he shall create a yoke of iron for the people (Jer 28:13). The act of Hananiah would serve to excite the Jews to resistance against Babylon and thereby cause their servitude to be the more harsh. What irony! Instead of hastening the deliverance of his people by his dramatic act of smashing the yoke he had actually made the situation worse. Perhaps Jeremiah is hinting here that the action of Hananiah in breaking the wooden yoke was not altogether inappropriate. Cheyne comments: Jeremiahs wooden yoke was really an inadequate symbol; the prophet was too tender to his people. Thus God made the truth appear in still fuller brightness from the very perverseness of its enemy. Jer 28:14 seems to support this view. God has now placed a yoke of iron about the neck of the nations that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar. On the idea of the beasts of the field serving Nebuchadnezzar see comments on Jer 27:6.
As regards Hananiah personally, Jeremiah had some rather harsh words to say. In Jer 28:15-16 there is a stern word of indictment and a prediction of imminent death. As for the indictment, three charges are made: (1) Hananiah is an impostor. God has not sent him and therefore he is not entitled to call himself a prophet. He is called throughout the chapter Hananiah the prophet because that was his official title. But he was not a prophet by the will and call of God. (2) Hananiah has caused the people to trust in a lie. His optimistic but unfounded prophecy of the imminent fall of Babylon had created false expectations in the hearts of the people. National policy-a policy of rebellion against Babylon-was being formulated on the basis of these false expectations. While Hananiahs motives might have been quite sincere and even patriotic his words were leading the people down the road to national suicide. (3) Hananiah has spoken rebellion against the Lord (Jer 28:16). To advocate revolt against Gods appointed ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, was tantamount to advocating rebellion against God Himself. Others take these words to mean that Hananiah has perverted the word of the Lord. In either case it is a serious accusation to make.
Because of these crimes against God and the nation Hananiah must be punished. The law of Moses clearly states that if a prophet is guilty of speaking rebellion against the Lord he should be put to death (Deu 13:5). To advocate rebellion against God was a capital crime. The Great Judge announces the verdict: Behold, I am about to remove you from upon the face to the earth (Jer 28:16). God did not send Hananiah to the people of Judah (Jer 28:16) but He now will send him away to die. The same Hebrew word is used in both verses. The prophets were quite fond of using paronomasia or play on words. This year you shall die! What an awesome thought. One can only wonder how Hananiah received this word from the Lord. The crowds which had bolstered his courage in the Temple encounter are no longer present. Surely in his own heart he must have realized the emptiness of the prophecies he had been so bold to deliver on other occasions. Now he must have been trembling as the finger of Jeremiah pointed in his direction and those solemn words were uttered.
In the seventh month of that same year Hananiah died. This would have been about two months after the Temple episode (cf. Jer 28:1). Not only did the death of Hananiah serve as a punishment for this teacher of lies, it also served to vindicate Jeremiah as a true prophet of God.
Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar – Jer 27:1 to Jer 28:17
Open It
1. What example of two completely contradictory predictions have you heard, and how did the matter turn out?
2. What types of possessions tend to give people a sense of security?
3. Why do you think some people find it difficult to obey their boss or civil authorities?
Explore It
4. What visual demonstration was Jeremiah ordered to give? (Jer 27:2)
5. What nations, besides Judah, were told that they would be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar? (Jer 27:3-6)
6. How long did God say that certain nations would be subject to Babylon? (Jer 27:7)
7. What did God warn certain nations not to do? (Jer 27:8)
8. Who was advising the kings to resist the Babylonians? (Jer 27:9)
9. How would the nations that submitted to Babylon fare better than those who resisted? (Jer 27:10-11)
10. What did Jeremiah say would happen to Judah if the people and their king believed the false prophets rather than Jeremiah? (Jer 27:12-15)
11. What lie were the prophets of Judah telling the people about the temple treasure? (Jer 27:16)
12. What reasoning did Jeremiah use to convince the people to serve the king of Babylon? (Jer 27:17)
13. What test did Jeremiah set up to prove to the people that the false prophets were wrong? (Jer 27:18)
14. What timetable did Hananiah give for the return of both the sacred articles and the king? (Jer 28:3-4)
15. What was Jeremiahs initial reply to the idea of a quick deliverance? (Jer 28:5-6)
16. How did Jeremiah say that Hananiahs prophecy of “peace” would be proven right or wrong? (Jer 28:7-9)
17. What symbolic action did Hananiah take, supposedly to demonstrate the truth of his prophecy? (Jer 28:10-11)
18. How did God Himself contradict Hananiahs prophecy? (Jer 28:12-14)
19. What personal message of judgment did God send to Hananiah? (Jer 28:15-16)
Get It
20. Which prophet do you think was more popular, Jeremiah or Hananiah, and why?
21. What were some very practical reasons for the nations Babylon attacked to submit rather than resist?
22. How hard or easy do you think it would be for people of our day to believe that God was behind the rise and fall of great powers?
23. How might a person prepare for a “less than ideal” situation which, nevertheless, is Gods will for him or her?
24. Why is it important not to claim Gods endorsement or to claim His inspiration lightly?
25. In what practical ways should our respect for God translate into submission to the laws and authorities He has put over us?
Apply It
26. What will be your plan to discern the truth the next time you get conflicting advice from Christians you respect?
27. What can you do to show proper respect for the authorities God has put over you at work? in your community?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Twenty-Eight
By Brent Kercheville
1 What was the message of Hananiah (Jer 28:1-4)? How was this different from Jeremiahs message?
2 What was Jeremiahs response to Hananiahs prophecy (Jer 28:5-9)?
3 What did Hananiah do next (Jer 28:10-11)?
4 How did Jeremiah respond (Jer 28:11)?
5 What do we learn from this?
6 What was Gods prophecy to Hananiah (Jer 28:12-17)? Why did this fate come on Hananiah?
7 Is this message important today?
8 Are there people who declare false prophecies in the name of the Lord today?
TRANSFORMATION:
How does this relationship change your relationship with God?
What did you learn about him?
What will you do differently in your life?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Jer 1:2, Jer 29:30, 2Ki 20:4, 1Ch 17:3, Dan 9:2
Reciprocal: Eze 13:2 – prophesy against Amo 7:17 – Thy wife
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 28:12. After the preceding “challenge had been made and apparently accepted, the Lord entered the case again and spoke to Jeremiah.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Shortly after these events, the Lord told Jeremiah to return to Hananiah with a message. He told the false prophet that by breaking the wooden yoke off of Jeremiah’s neck, he had only made Nebuchadnezzar’s oppression more certain. Failure to repent had resulted in more certain judgment.
". . . we only add to our chastening when we resist it-exchanging wood for iron." [Note: Kidner, p. 99.]