Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 29:5
Build ye houses, and dwell [in them]; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
Verse 5. Build ye houses] Prepare for a long continuance in your present captivity. Provide yourselves with the necessaries of life, and multiply in the land, that ye may become a powerful people.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
5. Build . . . housesInopposition to the false prophets’ suggestions, who told the captivesthat their captivity would soon cease, Jeremiah tells them that itwill be of long duration, and that therefore they should buildhouses, as Babylon is to be for long their home.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Build ye houses, and dwell [in them],…. Intimating hereby that they must not expect a return into their own land in any short time, but that they should continue many years where they were; suggesting also, that as they had ability, so they should have liberty, of building themselves houses; nor should they be interrupted by their enemies; nor would their houses be taken from them, when built; but they should dwell peaceably and quietly in them, as their own; which they might assure themselves of from the Lord, who gives these, and the following directions:
and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; and live as comfortably as you can in a foreign country; plant your gardens with vines and pomegranates, and all sorts of fruitful trees the country produces; and fear not the fruit being taken away from you; depend upon it, you shall eat the fruit of your own labour, and not be deprived of it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
God commanded the captives to build houses in Chaldea, to plant vineyards, and also to marry wives, and to beget children, as though they were at home. It was not, indeed, God’s purpose that they should set their hearts on Chaldea, on the contrary, they were ever to think of their return: but until the end of the seventy years, it was God’s will that they should continue quiet, and not attempt this or that, but carry on the business of life as though they were in their own country. As to their hope, then, it was God’s will that their minds should be in a state of suspense until the time of deliverance.
At the first view these two things seemed inconsistent, — that the Jews were to live seventy years as though they were the natives of the place, and that their habitations were not to be changed, — and yet that they were ever to look forward to a return. But these two things can well agree together: it was a proof of obedience when they acknowledged that they were chastised by God’s hand, and thus became willingly submissive to the end of the seventy years. But their hope, as I have just observed, was to remain in suspense, in order that they might not be agitated with discontent, nor be led away by some violent feeling, but that they might so pass their time as to bear their exile in such a way as to please God; for there was a sure hope of return, provided they looked forward, according to God’s will, to the end of the seventy years. It is then this subject on which Jeremiah now speaks, when he says, Build houses, and dwell in them; plant vineyards, and eat of their fruit For this whole discourse is to be referred to the time of exile, he having beforehand spoken of their return; and this we shall see in its proper place.
But the Jews could not have hoped for anything good, except they were so resigned as to bear their correction, and thus really proved that they did not reject the punishment laid on them.
We now see that Jeremiah did not encourage the Jews to indulge in pleasures, nor persuade them to settle for ever in Chaldea. It was, indeed, a fertile and pleasant land; but he did not encourage them to live there in pleasure, to indulge themselves and to forget their own country; by no means: but he confined what he said to the time of the captivity, to the end of the seventy years. During that time, then, he wished them to enjoy the land of Chaldea, and all its advantages, as though they were not exiles but natives of the place. For what purpose? not that they might give themselves up to sloth, but that they might not, by raising commotions, offend God, and in a manner close up against themselves the door of his grace, for the time which he had fixed was to be expected. For when we are driven headlong by a vehement desire, we in a manner repel the favor of God; we do not then suffer him to act as it becomes him: and when we take away from him his own rights and will, it is the same as though we were unwilling to receive his grace. This would have been the case, had they not quietly and resignedly endured their calamity in Chaldea to the end of the time which had been fixed by God.
We now perceive that the Prophet’s message referred only to the time of exile; and we also perceive what was the design of it, even to render them obedient to God, that they might thus shew by their patience that they were really penitent, and that they also expected a return in no other way than through God’s favor alone.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
2. Practical advice for the captives (Jer. 29:5-7)
TRANSLATION
(5) Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens that you may eat their fruit. (6) Take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters in order that you may increase in number and not diminish there. (7) Seek the peace of the city to which I have deported you, and pray on behalf of it unto the LORD; for your welfare depends on its welfare.
COMMENTS
No information is available regarding when Jeremiah sent this letter to Babylon. The likelihood is that the letter dates to the time shortly after the deportation of 597 B.C. No doubt the exiles were finding it hard to adjust to their new surroundings in Babylonia. They were in the midst of a people who spoke a different language, had strange customs, and worshiped different gods. False prophets arose who predicted a speedy return within two years. Many were expecting the momentary overthrow of Babylon and were making no effort to accommodate themselves to the new situation. Jeremiah had some inspired counsel for the exiles. Basically he encourages them to settle down for a long captivity. He urges them (1) to build permanent houses: (2) plant gardens; (3) take wives; (4) beget sons and daughters; (5) seek the peace of the city; and (6) pray for it.[240] They are to make Babylon their homeland for the next seventy years and be loyal subjects of the government. They are to live as nearly as possible normal, peaceable lives. They should pay no heed to the dangerous agitators among them who viewed quiet submission as treasonous capitulation.
[240] C. Paul Gray calls this the first admonition in the Old Testament to pray for ones enemies.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(5) Build ye houses, and dwell in them.The command had a two-fold bearing. It counselled a patient acceptance of the present state of things. It announced, as the next verse does yet more emphatically, that their exile would last for at least two generations. It indicates, also, the comparative leniency with which the exiles were treated. They were allowed to become possessors both of lands and houses. The favour shown to Daniel and his friends would, of course, tend to make their condition more tolerable.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Build ye houses A command which stands in bold antagonism to the prophecy of Hananiah the prophet. A majority of them would live and die in that land; hence, the more stable their life there the better for them. The command to take wives involves the same assumption that at least for the present generation, this land of exile is their home.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell [in them]; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
Ver. 5. Build ye houses, and dwell in them. ] Mitigate the extremity of your captivity, which is likely to be long, by all honest means. Levius fit patientia quicquid corrigere est nefas; patience, as a paring knife, cutteth the cross less and less till it comes to nothing. It teacheth a man, in case he cannot bring his estate to his mind, to bring his mind to his estate, and that is as well; but impatiens quisque bis affligitur; the bullock under the yoke gets nothing by wriggling but galling.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 29:5-9
Jer 29:5-7
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 take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply ye there, and be not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
What a marvelous anticipation of New Testament teaching is in this paragraph. The wholehearted cooperation with the governmental powers under which one may chance to live is spoken as a cardinal principle of the gospel of Christ in Rom 13:1-12. Praying for civil authorities is specifically commanded in 1Ti 2:1-3. If the Jewish nation had properly received and obeyed this commandment, the Roman destruction of 70 A.D. would have been averted.
Of course, instructions such as these infuriated the false prophets.
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters…
(Jer 29:6). The wives Jeremiah encouraged them to marry were Jewish wives, not foreign (Deu 7:3).
“The Hebrew exiles in Babylon were not slaves but deportees, and free to leave about as they pleased. Some became wealthy, and some, like Daniel, attained high places in government; and the commandments of Jer 29:7 were made out of regard for the welfare of Israel.”
As a matter of fact, the prosperity of many of the exiles was so great that when the command finally came for them to return to the Holy Land, countless numbers of them elected to remain in Babylon. It was indeed only “a remnant” that returned to Jerusalem.
2. Practical advice for the captives (Jer 29:5-7)
No information is available regarding when Jeremiah sent this letter to Babylon. The likelihood is that the letter dates to the time shortly after the deportation of 597 B.C. No doubt the exiles were finding it hard to adjust to their new surroundings in Babylonia. They were in the midst of a people who spoke a different language, had strange customs, and worshiped different gods. False prophets arose who predicted a speedy return within two years. Many were expecting the momentary overthrow of Babylon and were making no effort to accommodate themselves to the new situation. Jeremiah had some inspired counsel for the exiles. Basically he encourages them to settle down for a long captivity. He urges them (1) to build permanent houses: (2) plant gardens; (3) take wives; (4) beget sons and daughters; (5) seek the peace of the city; and (6) pray for it. C. Paul Gray calls this the first admonition in the Old Testament to pray for ones enemies. They are to make Babylon their homeland for the next seventy years and be loyal subjects of the government. They are to live as nearly as possible normal, peaceable lives. They should pay no heed to the dangerous agitators among them who viewed quiet submission as treasonous capitulation.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Jer 29:10, Jer 29:28, Eze 28:26
Reciprocal: Psa 107:37 – sow
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 29:5. The general subject of the letter was for them to prepare for a long stay in Babylon. That they should plant gardens and eat of the products of the same. They should not only build houses, which could be merely an occupation for exercise, but they were told they would get to live in the houses.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The exiles were to settle down in Babylon, and carry on life as usual, rather than to plan on returning home soon. They were to build houses, plant gardens, marry, have children, and anticipate grandchildren.
"The external circumstances are far removed from humanity’s first home in a fruitful garden, but the divine blessing and human task are remarkably similar (compare Gen 1:28-29; Gen 2:8-9; Gen 2:15-16)." [Note: Scalise, p. 80.]
The exiles were also to seek the welfare of the city to which they had gone, rather than plotting its downfall. They were even to pray for Yahweh’s blessing on it (cf. Psa 122:6; Mat 5:43-44; Rom 12:21; Tit 2:9-11; 1Pe 2:18). They would prosper as the city prospered. Ezekiel indicated that the exiles had their own organization of elders (Eze 8:1; Eze 14:1), which explains why many of the exiles followed Jeremiah’s instructions. They were neither slaves nor prisoners in Babylon, but enjoyed considerable autonomy.
"History shows that in all the centuries of their world-wide dispersion, the Jews have tried to follow this pattern. They have identified themselves with the country of their residence, while at the same time looking toward eventual restoration to their native land." [Note: Feinberg, p. 553.]