John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 29:3-6

"by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,) saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto Babylon: 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." — Jeremiah 29:3-6 (ASV)

This is the substance of the message, which the Prophet undoubtedly explained to them in detail; but here he only briefly touches on what he wrote to the captives, namely, that they were patiently to endure their exile until the time of their deliverance, which was not to be as many imagined, but as God had fixed. Jeremiah’s prophecy was indeed well known at that time, not only in Judea but also to the captives: that their exile could not be completed in less than seventy years.

It is said that he sent his letter by the king’s ambassadors. It is probable that this was done with Zedekiah’s permission. For there is no doubt that in sending his ambassadors, he intended to obtain favor with King Nebuchadnezzar, at whose command he had come to the throne. For, though of royal lineage, he was not of such high standing that he would have been made king, had Nebuchadnezzar not considered it more beneficial to himself.

For if Nebuchadnezzar had appointed any other governor over the Jews, a rebellion might have been easily raised. He therefore intended, to some extent, to pacify them, because he knew that they were a very unruly people. However, Zedekiah ruled only by permission—not through his own power or wealth, but by the will of a conqueror.

He then sent his ambassadors to promise all kinds of homage and to learn what was to be done in the future. Therefore, since he did not wish for Jeconiah's return, he permitted his ambassadors to carry Jeremiah's letter—not, indeed, because he wished to obey God.

It was not, then, due to any sincere regard for religion, but because he thought it would be advantageous to him for the Jews to remain in Chaldea until Jeconiah's death. For he thus hoped his kingdom would be confirmed, as Jeconiah was, so to speak, his rival. And there is no doubt that Nebuchadnezzar wished to hold Zedekiah bound by this restraint, for he could restore Jeconiah, his captive, to his former position at any time.

So now we understand why Zedekiah did not prohibit Jeremiah’s letter from being carried to the captives: he thought that it would serve to pacify his kingdom. But the holy Prophet had a different objective; for his earnest concern was not to gain the king's favor, but to show, as God had commanded him, how long the captivity would be.

Zedekiah indeed might have wished that the exiles would be given permission to return, for those who remained in Judea were only the dregs and refuse of society; it was not a respectable situation. It may be that he also had this in mind when sending ambassadors to Nebuchadnezzar: that Jerusalem might not remain desolate, but that at least a portion of the exiles might return, and that there might also be some to cultivate the land, which had been nearly stripped of its inhabitants.

But Jeremiah declared what he knew was not at all acceptable to the king: that it was futile to expect a return before the end of seventy years. From this, we see that he said nothing to gain the king's favor. Yet the king was not displeased that the letter was sent to calm all disturbances and to restrain the violence of those who would have otherwise been too inclined to make further attempts. This explains why the letter was sent by Elasah and Gemariah.

He adds, at the same time, that they were sent by Zedekiah to Babylon, namely, to gain the favor of King Nebuchadnezzar, or, at least, to secure his friendship. Now I come to the message itself:

God commanded the captives to build houses in Chaldea, to plant vineyards, and also to marry wives and to beget children, as if they were at home. It was not, indeed, God’s purpose that they should set their hearts on Chaldea; on the contrary, they were always to think of their return.

But until the end of the seventy years, it was God’s will that they should remain quiet, not make rash attempts, and carry on with their daily lives as if they were in their own country. Regarding their hope, then, it was God's will that their minds should remain in suspense until the time of deliverance.

At first glance, these two things seemed inconsistent: that the Jews were to live seventy years as if they were natives of the place, and that their dwellings were not to be changed, and yet that they were always to look forward to a return. But these two things can indeed be reconciled: it was a proof of obedience when they acknowledged that they were chastised by God’s hand, and thus became willingly submissive until the end of the seventy years.

But their hope, as I have just observed, was to remain in suspense, so that they might not be stirred up by discontent, nor be carried away by some violent emotion, but that they might pass their time bearing their exile in a way that pleased God. For there was a sure hope of return, provided they looked forward to the end of the seventy years, in accordance with God’s will.

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 entire discourse relates to the time of exile, since he had previously spoken of their return; and this we shall see in its proper place.

But the Jews could not have hoped for anything good, unless they were resigned enough to bear their correction, and thus really proved that they did not reject the punishment inflicted on them.

We now see that Jeremiah did not encourage the Jews to indulge in pleasures, nor persuade them to settle forever 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—not at all. Instead, he limited what he said to the time of the captivity, until the end of the seventy years.

During that time, then, he wished them to enjoy the land of Chaldea and all its advantages, as if 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 causing disturbances, offend God and, in a way, close the door of His grace to themselves, for they were to wait for the time He had fixed.

For when we are driven headlong by a vehement desire, we, in a way, repel the favor of God; we do not then allow Him to act as is fitting for Him. And when we take away from Him His own rights and will, it is as if we were unwilling to receive His grace. This would have happened if they had not quietly and resignedly endured their calamity in Chaldea until the end of the time God had fixed.

We now understand that the Prophet’s message referred only to the time of exile. We also perceive what its purpose was: namely, to make them obedient to God, that they might thus show 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.

In bidding them to take wives for their sons, and to give their daughters in marriage, he speaks according to the customary order of nature. For it would be completely unreasonable for young men and young women to seek partners for themselves according to their own whim and fancy. God then speaks here according to the common order, when He instructs young men not to be married except with parental consent, and young women not to marry anyone except those to whom their parents give them.

He then adds, Be ye multiplied there and not diminished; as if he had said that the time of exile would be so long that unless 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 away, as if He had deprived them of the inheritance He had promised would be perpetual. He, however, offers comfort here by commanding them to propagate their kind, for they could not have been encouraged to do so unless they kept their eyes fixed on the hope of a return. He then gave them some taste of His mercy when He commanded them not to be diminished in Chaldea.