Jeremiah 29:2
(After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)
Original Language Analysis
אַחֲרֵ֣י
After
H310
אַחֲרֵ֣י
After
Strong's:
H310
Word #:
1 of 12
properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
צֵ֣את
were departed
H3318
צֵ֣את
were departed
Strong's:
H3318
Word #:
2 of 12
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim
וְהַסָּרִיסִ֜ים
and the eunuchs
H5631
וְהַסָּרִיסִ֜ים
and the eunuchs
Strong's:
H5631
Word #:
6 of 12
a eunuch; by implication, valet (especially of the female apartments), and thus, a minister of state
יְהוּדָ֧ה
of Judah
H3063
יְהוּדָ֧ה
of Judah
Strong's:
H3063
Word #:
8 of 12
jehudah (or judah), the name of five israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
מִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
and Jerusalem
H3389
מִירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
and Jerusalem
Strong's:
H3389
Word #:
9 of 12
jerushalaim or jerushalem, the capital city of palestine
Historical Context
This deportation occurred in 597 BC under Nebuchadnezzar, eleven years before Jerusalem's final destruction. Jeconiah reigned only three months before surrender. The Babylonians' strategy of deporting leadership and skilled workers while leaving peasants explains Judah's inability to resist the final siege in 586 BC.
Questions for Reflection
- When God's timeline differs from yours (70 years vs. immediate return), how do you maintain faith without false hope?
- What happens to a society when its best leaders and skilled workers are removed? How does this parallel spiritual decline?
- Why would God reveal the historical context of a prophecy? How does knowing the audience change how we read Scripture?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs—This parenthetical verse establishes the historical setting: the letter follows the first deportation of 597 BC when Yekonyah (יְכָנְיָה, Jeconiah/Jehoiachin) was exiled along with Judah's elite. The Hebrew term סָרִיסִים (sarisim) refers to royal officials (eunuchs), while the carpenters, and the smiths (הֶחָרָשׁ וְהַמַּסְגֵּר, hecharash vehammasger) represent the skilled artisans—precisely those needed to prevent rebellion but whose absence would cripple Jerusalem's defenses (2 Kings 24:14-16).
Jeremiah's letter addresses not random captives but the cream of Judah's leadership and craftsmanship, now languishing in Babylon while false prophets promised quick return. This detail underscores the letter's pastoral urgency: these were not peasants but princes who desperately needed God's word about their prolonged exile.