John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 29:28-29

"forasmuch as he hath sent unto us in Babylon, saying, [The captivity] is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them? And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet." — Jeremiah 29:28-29 (ASV)

The crime ascribed to Jeremiah was that he rendered the captives indifferent, so that they cast off all hope of deliverance and disregarded their own country. But Jeremiah's design was far different; it was that the people might not, through excessive haste, anticipate God's promises, and also that he might extend their hope to the predetermined end.

Since two causal particles are found here, כי על-כן, ki ol-ken, some give this rendering, “For for this cause,” that is, because he claimed to be a Prophet. The simpler meaning, however, is that he gives a reason why Shemaiah blamed the priest's neglect: specifically, because he (Jeremiah) had accustomed the captives to endure their exile.

But he reproached the holy man, as though he had made them indifferent through a long delay. Jeremiah had indeed said that the time would be long; but this particular phrase, It is long, signifies something different, as though Jeremiah wished to bury the hope of a return in oblivion, because it would have been foolish to languish for so long.

It follows, And Zephaniah had read, etc. The past perfect tense is more suitable here, as the verse ought to be placed in parentheses. The Prophet obviates a doubt that might have arisen.

He then shows how the prophecy was made known to him: he was one of those who heard when the letter was read. And it is probable that the priest deliberately called Jeremiah so that he might be proven guilty by his own accuser.

Whatever the case, he wished to expose the holy man to the people's hatred, or rather to their fury. Jeremiah's constancy was worthy of greater praise, as he boldly rebuked the arrogance of all of them, whose only aim was to suppress God’s truth by force and tyranny.