Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 29:6
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; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
That is, Be not uneasy in your minds, not resolving what to do, through the prophecies of the false prophets, that tell you the captivity shall be but two years, or at least very short; but do all things which you would do if Babylon were to be your fixed habitation (as it is like to be for seventy years, say the prophets what they please); marry, and give and take in marriage, do whatsoever it becometh prudent men to do, who would accommodate themselves in a place where they are like to abide, and preserve their families, that they might not be utterly extinguished. The words must not be understood as a precept, obliging all in the captivity to do every of these things, which it may be they were not able all to do, but as a counsel and advice not to forbear any thing of this nature, which they would do, if they did fully believe they were to abide in a place seventy years.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. that ye . . . be . . . notdiminishedIt was God’s will that the seed of Abraham shouldnot fail; thus consolation is given them, and the hope, though not ofan immediate, yet of an ultimate, return.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters,…. That is, such as had no wives, who were either bachelors or widowers; not that they were to take wives of the Chaldeans, but of those of their own nation; for intermarriages with Heathens were forbidden them; and this they were to do, in order to propagate their posterity, and keep up a succession:
and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands; or “men” s; preserving and establishing the right of parents to give their children in marriage, and pointing to them their duty to provide suitable yoke fellows for them; and hereby is signified, that not only they, but their children after them, should continue in this state of captivity:
that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there;
and not diminished; like their ancestors in Egypt, who grew very numerous amidst all their afflictions and bondage.
s “viris”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In bidding them to take wives for their sons, and to give their daughters in marriage, he speaks according to the usual order of nature; for it would be altogether unreasonable for young men and young women to seek partners for themselves, according to their own humor and fancy. God then speaks here according to the common order of things, when he bids young men not to be otherwise joined in marriage than by the consent of parents, and that young women are not to marry but those to whom they are given.
He then adds, Be ye multiplied there and not diminished; as though he had said, that the time of exile would be so long, that except they propagated, they would soon come to nothing: and God expressed this, because it was not his will that Abraham’s seed should fail. It was indeed a kind of death, when he had driven them so far, as though he had deprived them of the inheritance which he had promised to be perpetual: he, however, administers comfort here by commanding them to propagate their kind: for they could not have been encouraged to do so, except they had their eyes directed to the hope of a return. He then afforded them some taste of his mercy when he bade them not to be diminished in Chaldea. He then adds, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Jer 29:6 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; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
Ver. 6. Take ye wives, and beget sons. ] First get ye houses and gardens, and then take wives. So in the last commandment house is set before wife; and nature teacheth the birds to build their nests before they come together for copulation.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Take ye: Jer 16:2-4, Gen 1:27, Gen 1:28, Gen 9:7, 1Ti 5:14
take wives: Gen 21:21, Gen 24:3, Gen 24:4, Gen 24:51, Gen 24:60, Gen 28:1-4, Gen 29:19, Gen 34:4, Jdg 1:12-14, Jdg 12:9, Jdg 14:2, 1Co 7:36-38
Reciprocal: Eze 28:26 – build
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 29:6. It was predicted that the number of the Israelites would be generally reduced by the captivity (Isa 1:9; Isa 10:22), yet it also was Indicated by these same predictions that a number would be left and the history shows that it was done (Ezr 2:64). But in order for that to occur It was necessary for the people to continne their normal ways of family life as far as the conditions would permit So the prophet told them to marry and produce families for the continuance of them as a people.